The Catholic Church in Russian-occupied Crimea fears it will lose its legal status after failing to meet a deadline for re-registering under Russian law. Failure to meet the March 1 deadline could mean liquidation for the Church, said Ukraine’s Religious Freedom Institute in a statement. The requirement to re-register was designed to force clergy and Read more
The Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand president Jack Havill, says an Auckland University study published in December showed 82 per cent support for legalising physician-assisted dying. “Unfortunately, even with over 80 per cent of New Zealanders wanting legalisation, politicians still sit on their hands, agonising and arguing about much less important issues.” Read More
A sung Latin High Mass with a pre-Reformation flavour will be celebrated in England on the same day the remains of King Richard III are interred. The Requiem Mass in the traditional form will be at St Catherine’s Church in Leyland, Lancashire, on March 26, the day when King Richard’s remains will be re-interred at Read more
The Federation of Islamic Associations says it still wants to meet Prime Minister John Key so it can help efforts to combat Islamic State (IS) It comes after Mr Key yesterday said the number of people on a Government watchlist of potential threats had grown. He said 30-40 people were on the list because of Read more
A Vatican department allegedly stopped copies of a book defending the Church’s teaching on marriage from getting to many attendees at last year’s synod. “Remaining in the Truth of Christ” contained contributions from the Vatican’s doctrinal chief Cardinal Gerhard Müller, church historian Cardinal Walter Brandmüller and American Cardinal Raymond Burke. The book aimed to counter Read more
Norwegian police have raided the offices of the Diocese of Oslo after it was accused of defrauding the state of millions of dollars. The diocese has been accused of vastly exaggerating its membership to increase the support it receives from the state. This came to an additional 50 million Norwegian Krone, some NZD$8.58 million, over Read more
A recently deceased homeless man who used to beg near St Peter’s Basilica has been buried within the Vatican alongside the graves of bishops and princes. A German-speaking family paid for the remains of Willy Herteller to be laid to rest in the Vatican’s medieval Teutonic Cemetery. Herteller, who died aged 80 in December, was Read more
Catholic justice peace and development agency Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has been the beneficiary of proceeds from a documentary about Mormons. Movie-goers who saw “Meet the Mormons” were invited to make a gold coin donation for Caritas. Proceeds were handed over to Catholic Church representatives at a Latter Day Saints facility in Manukau on February Read more
Three directors of religious studies from New Zealand Catholic schools took an opportunity in January to study the Jewish Holocaust. The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand awarded scholarships to Adele Churchman of Roncalli College in Timaru, Colin Macleod of Kavanagh College in Dunedin and Dan Stollenwerk from St Peter’s College in Auckland. The three visited Read more
Auckland Catholic diocese is raising funds for food banks by means of a sponsored walk. The 5km loop walk on Saturday, March 21 will raise funds for the Society of St Vincent de Paul, to be distributed to Auckland food banks. The 1-1.5 hour walk starts at the Pompallier Diocesan Centre in Ponsonby and returns Read more