A relic containing the blood of Blessed John Paul II, which was stolen last Sunday from an Italian church, has been been safely returned and the local bishop has forgiven the thieves who took it. The small piece of blood-soaked cloth, taken from from Pope John II’s cassock after he was shot by an assassin Read more
Luke is back but Mary is still missing. A statue of St Luke stolen from St John Catholic Church a fortnight ago has been returned. It’s also a year since a statue of Mary Magdalene was stolen from the same church. Mary is still missing from her perch in the memorial gardens on Centreway Rd Read more
It looked as if Parachute’s dumping major American bands in favour of New Zealand artists didn’t pay off this year. Festival founder Mark de Jong had told Fairfax Media earlier in the month there had been a change in the Parachute ethos this year as the average young Christian didn’t listen mostly to Christian music Read more
Samoa’s Head of State, His Highness, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi iis visiting Germany and Italy. His Highness is expected to meet with the Federal President of Germany, Joachim Gauck during the visit and is invited to the opening of a museum exhibit in Munich. His Highness is also meeting with the Head of the Read more
Pope Francis yesterday expressed the hope that the conflict in Syria “will finally come to an end this year” and that this month’s Geneva 2 conference would mark the beginning of a peace process. The pope made that observation in the context of the traditional papal address given each January to the diplomatic corps in Read more
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi has denied a report that the Holy See refused to extradite a Vatican diplomat who has been accused of sexual abuse. Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters that the Holy See had not received an extradition request and the Vatican would honour its promises to cooperate with Read more
The Boston Globe announced on Tuesday that it would hire John L. Allen Jr., a journalist for The National Catholic Reporter, and explore starting a free-standing publication dedicated to Catholicism. “There is a resurgence of global interest in the Catholic Church, inspired by the words and deeds of the newly installed leader, Pope Francis,” Brian Read more
An Argentine priest hitched a ride on Pope Francis’ popemobile during the pontiff’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday after the pope recognized him in the crowd. The pope thought he had heard a familiar voice when someone shouted out “Holy Father, Happy New Year” as he was driven through a crowd of Read more
A baby name website has predicted that more parents will be choosing traditional Biblical names for their children this year, a trend that one expert says is a sign of people’s renewed hope in their faith. “Biblical names surging back into our culture is a great turn for the better. After many years, it shows Read more
Retailers in Britain and America are reporting a boom in sales of Pope Francis T-shirts on the back of the so-called “Francis effect”. Sales of hooded tops and T-shirts supporting the papacy have shot up by about 20 per cent since the election of the new Holy Father, according to one firm. Catholics With Attitude, Read more