The Church of England is accused of “dumbing down” the sacrament of baptism as it introduces new wording to the service. The Church is introducing a christening ceremony that removes the requirement on parents and godparents to “repent sins” and “reject the devil”. Critics claimed the new wording, designed as an alternative to the current Read more
Visits to the Vatican roughly tripled last year as people flocked to see Pope Francis. Officials said more than 6.6 million people attended Vatican events led by Pope Francis since his election in March 2013, noting that there was a significant increase in visitors compared to the previous year. Roughly 2.3 million people visited Vatican Read more
The Vatican on Sunday denied Italian media reports that recent comments by Pope Francis signalled his openness to the legal recognition of same-sex unions in Italy. Francis, in a conversation with leaders of religious orders published by a Jesuit journal on Friday, said the Catholic Church had to try not to scare away children who Read more
The Vatican felt compelled on Tuesday to deny that Pope Francis had “abolished sin”, after a well-known Italian intellectual wrote that he had effectively done so through his words and gestures. The singular exchange began on Sunday when Eugenio Scalfari, an atheist who writes opinion pieces for the left-leaning La Repubblica newspaper, published an article Read more
On New Year’s Eve at 11:45 am, Pope Francis called up the small community of the Carmelite nuns of Luccena in Cordoba, Spain, but they didn’t pick up the phone. Their once-large community has now dwindled to a mere five nuns, three of which are from Argentina, which is also the pope’s home country. He Read more
The care we provide to our most vulnerable citizens, our children, is a barometer of the wellbeing of our families and society says New Zealand Governor General Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae. Writing in the NZ Herald, Sir Jerry noted that 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family and that during Read more
Starting with a single cellist on the floor of the National Air and Space Museum’s Milestones of Flight gallery and swelling to 120 musicians, The United States Air Force Band exhilarated museum visitors yesterday with its first-ever flash mob. The four-minute performance featured an original arrangement of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring/Joy to the World,” Read more
Money lenders are offering lavish gifts and prizes to entice people into taking out high-interest loans for Christmas. Companies with interest rates of up to 43 per cent are being accused of “targeting the vulnerable” in Auckland’s lower socio-economic groups. Finance Now mailouts offer customers the chance to “enjoy a special surprise this Christmas”. If Read more
A child conceived but not born when his mother married his stepfather cannot claim from his dead stepfather’s estate because he was not “living” when they wed, the Supreme Court has ruled. The child was born in 1995, seven months after his mother married a man who was not his father. The mother and stepfather Read more
A final decision on the extradition of a former Catholic brother Bernard McGrath to Australia to face 252 child sex abuse charges has been reserved. Judge Farish heard submissions from both sides before reserving her decision to a hearing on January 17. She also suppressed all details of Tuesday’s submissions. Continue reading