Hundreds of Wellingtonians turned out for a final service and blessing of St Mary of the Angels church before it closes for $3.1 million of earthquake strengthening work. Among those present were church patron and former prime minister Jim Bolger, Cardinal John Dew, parishioners and construction workers who will be involved in the project to Read more
Pope Francis on Sunday condemned two suicide attacks on churches in Pakistan and accused the world of “seeking to hide” the persecution of Christians. Fourteen people were killed and more than 70 were injured when two Taliban suicide bombers attacked the churches in Lahore on Sunday. At his weekly Angelus address, Pope Francis said it Read more
Young people are turning to Jihad because mainstream religion is not “exciting” enough, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Justin Welby told faith leaders earlier this month that Britain’s religious communities must do more to provide an alternative to extremism which gives young people a “purpose in life”. He also warned against being too Read more
A new report in the United Kingdom claims that Christians feel pressured to keep their faith hidden at work. A public consultation carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission also showed Christians are being mocked by colleagues for being bigoted. Christians are also discriminated against when it comes to wearing religious symbols, the Read more
An offshoot of a “cult-like” American church present in Palmerston North has former members fearing for those still involved. Palmerston North’s Victory Christian Church is one of seven international branches of the Faith Christian Church in Tucson, Arizona, which former parishioners have raised concerns about. The University of Arizona is investigating the church’s on-campus dealings Read more
Work has begun tidying and repairing the long-neglected former Dominican Priory in Dunedin, as the Catholic Church makes another attempt to sell the historic building. Scaffolding and a skip have arrived outside the priory for what Catholic Diocese of Dunedin general manager Gerald Scanlan said was ”a bit of a clean-up”. The 138-year-old building has Read more
Martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero is to be beatified on May 23 in San Salvador. The ceremony will be in Plaza Divino Salvador del Mundo, said Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the chief promoter of the archbishop’s sainthood cause. Archbishop Paglia called the beatification a gift for the world, but particularly for the people of El Salvador. In February, Pope Read more
In a possible first, a public conversation has been held at the centre of the Church’s hierarchy on the limits of women’s participation in Church structures. An event called Voices of Faith, held to mark International Women’s Day last week, was put together as an opportunity for women to share their stories of faith. The Read more
A new Catholic university is to open in London next year, backed by philosophers Roger Scruton and Anthony O’Hear. Students will spend the first term on a grand tour of Italy and will learn the “canon of western thought” at the university. The institution, named Benedictus after St Benedict of Nursia, will charge students NZ$25,000 Read more
The Abortion Supervisory Committee, in its annual report released this week, said there was a “sharp decline” in the number of 15-19 years olds having abortions. The committee said this was an encouraging trend. It partially attributed this decline to greater use of contraceptive implants. However, the committee also said anecdotal evidence suggested many women Read more