The first XVs from Newlands and Bishop Viard colleges have been suspended from playing rugby this weekend after two vicious brawls that resulted in the referee calling off their game last Saturday. Six players – two from Newlands College and four from Bishop Viard College – have also been separately charged with offences contrary to Read more
At the height of his spending addiction, Wellington’s new Anglican dean Digby Wilkinson was “in a black hole” and didn’t know if he would ever get out. In 2003, the pastor was 37 years old and addicted to spending, going as far as committing insurance fraud and stealing from members of his church to fuel Read more
While most of the Western World turns a blind eye to blasphemy, Russia has just enacted a tough law that imposes heavy fines or even a prison term. The law applies to “public acts that manifest patent disrespect for society and are committed with the aim of offence to the religious feelings of believers”. The Read more
Pope Francis is about to publish his first encyclical, called Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith), which he has said is largely the work of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. “It’s an encyclical written with four hands, so to speak, because Pope Benedict began writing it and he gave it to me,” Pope Francis said. “It’s a Read more
The leaders of dozens of religious groups have joined the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention in signing an open letter opposing the Obama administration’s contraception mandate. They highlighted the threat to conscience posed by the mandate requiring almost all employers to cover contraception, sterilisation and abortifacient drugs and devices Read more
In Papua New Guinea a government supplied fund of K120 million for church state partnership programmes has been wasted through misapplication and abuse. National Planning Minister Charles Abel will table a report on the Social Development Plan or Church State Partnership Program where K120 million has been spent with nothing to show on the ground. Read more
A senior pastor at New Zealand’s Assemblies of God church has been stood down for misconduct. Vosailangi Sikalu lost his job after being investigated for sending threatening text messages. He’s also accused of mismanaging church donations, but says in that regard he’s done nothing wrong. Mr Sikalu has been a pastor for more than 10 Read more
An American monsignor has proposed that the Catholic Church should drop using the word marriage and replace it with “holy matrimony”. “It is a simple fact that word ‘marriage’ as we have traditionally known it is being redefined in our times,” said Monsignor Charles Pope of Washington archdiocese. “To many in the secular world the Read more
Churches in Europe have welcomed pledges by the European Union to make financial aid for countries conditional on their protection of religious freedom. The European Union contributes aid to many nations of the South Pacific. The Brussels-based Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, said action was needed “given the systematic and increasing Read more
The United Kingdom looks set to become the first country in the world to allow the creation of IVF babies using DNA from three people. The government said it would draft regulations to allow human embryos to be created in this way to avoid mitochondrial diseases. But the director of Human Genetics Alert, called the Read more