Heythrop College in London is to close as a higher education institution after more than 400 years of operation. Its current form as a constituent college of the University of London will end in 2018. But a statement following a governors’ meeting noted that the Jesuit-run institution’s “mission and work will not [end]”. Heythrop, which Read more
One day, Stephen and Margaret Tindall realised they simply had more money than they needed. It was 1994, and The Warehouse – the company created by Sir Stephen – went public. Their family was comfortable, so what was the best way to spend the money? The couple, always interested in philanthropy, put Mrs Tindall’s shares Read more
A religious studies professor says lessons provided by the country’s largest Bible in Schools organisation are not suitable for state schools. Victoria University professor of religious studies Paul Morris said the syllabuses used by the Churches Education Commission, which runs religious classes in about 600 state schools, taught religion, rather than taught about religion. Morris Read more
Auckland’s Catholic bishop has no plans to sell troubled Hato Petera College, leased by the diocese to the school on a rolling term. Bishop Pat Dunn returned from a fortnight in Tokelau to clarify that the diocese never intended to sell the Northcote property. “He has become annoyed at the constantly repeated comments in the Read more
Italian magistrates suspect a Vatican cardinal may have diverted 30 million euros in state funds from a children’s hospital to save a church-owned clinic. Italian media also alleged that wiretaps show Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi tried to keep details of the operation from Pope Francis. Cardinal Versaldi, who is prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Read more
A popular and fit physical education teacher at Mary MacKillop College in Canberra died suddenly at age 35. Jodie Higgins died last week after suffering a pulmonary embolism in her lung. She was the head of physical education at the college. Principal Michael Lee said the school was in shock. Counselling was made available for Read more
Bishops have been urged to increase pastoral care for travellers at international airports. A seminar of aviation and airport chaplains in Rome this month noted that airports can be places of “difficult situations asking for extra care”. “We urge the ordinaries of the areas where there are international airports to increase the pastoral care of Read more
A food company marked the 500,000th loaf of free bread delivered to Salvation Army food banks with a celebration in Lower Hutt. The Goodman Fielder Cares Trust has provided baked bread for 10 Salvation Army food banks around the country for about the last six years. That is enough bread to stretch from Wellington to Read more
Pope has important message on climate change for New Zealand says Presbyterian Church The Presbyterian Church has enthusiastically welcomed Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment which addresses one of the great moral challenges of our time, climate change. “Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution Read more
A former Catholic priest, now living in Nelson, has pleaded not guilty to historic sex charges. Peter Joseph Hercock, 71, a former chaplain at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt and administrator at a Nelson school, entered the not guilty pleas through his lawyer in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday. He is charged with Read more