World renowned bass Jonathan Lemalu will sing in Handel’s Messiah when it is performed at St Mary’s Basilica, Invercargill, New Zealand on Sunday, December 15 to mark the Church’s 150th anniversary. The performance will also feature international soloists, Rebecca Ryan (soprano), Sandra Martinovic (mezzo soprano) and Clive Thompson (tenor), with the combined choirs of St Read more
The Vatican has secured the use of the new Internet domain name “.catholic,” but bloggers hoping that platform could ramp up their own digital pulpit will be disappointed—the Holy See says it’ll be reserved for church-related organizations, not individuals. Individuals—whether religious bloggers or a cleric—will not have access to .catholic, according to Monsignor Paul Tighe, Read more
Tom Cruise has admitted that Katie Holmes filed for divorce in part because of his involvement in the controversial Church of Scientology. During his deposition, the 51-year-old actor first exploded with anger when asked if Holmes left him “in part to protect Suri from Scientology.” Cruise first responded that he found the question “offensive,” saying, Read more
Fr Tony Flannery has expressed his surprise and shock at an interview given by the Vatican cardinal who led the investigation that led to his suspension from the priesthood. Speaking to TheJournal.ie following the publication of an article in the Irish Catholic, liberal Redemptorist priest said Cardinal William Levada’s decision to speak on the issue was Read more
Pope Francis sent a message of prayer and encouragement to those who were affected by the huge storm that swept across the Philippines on Friday. Vatican Secretary of State Archbishop Pietro Parolin sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to the Philippine president, Benigno Aquino III, on Nov. 10, saying, “Deeply saddened by Read more
Charities are bracing themselves for an influx of more than 40,000 struggling Kiwi families who can’t afford to serve Christmas dinner or put presents under the tree this year. The Salvation Army expects a third more New Zealand families will need their help this year compared to last, as lower-income households grapple to recover from Read more
Concerns are being raised over the number of mental health patients placed under compulsory treatment. A group of lawyers, psychiatrists and mental health researchers are raising these concerns in a new book – New Zealand’s Mental Health Act in Practice. It points out some 4000 people are now receiving compulsory treatment under this act at Read more
Teachers of students as young as 5 will soon have access to new sexuality education guidelines addressing issues such as identity and relationships. The guidelines commissioned by Family Planning are designed to help teachers of students in Years 1 to 4, and will cover body parts and differences between boys and girls – but not Read more
An unusual religious background has left a Victoria University of Wellington Professor of English with a taste for secular writing containing religious ideas. In his upcoming inaugural professorial lecture, titled ‘When You’re Dead You Go on Television: Sex, Death and Household Objects in Some New Zealand Poetry’, Williams says his lecture will show that the Read more
A statistic based on a United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence led many to believe that one in four men admitted to sexual assault in Asia and the Pacific. But is this founded on evidence or merely a misreading of the research? Numbers, we’ve learned time and time again, can be deceiving. After Read more