After 75 years, Alcoholics Anonymous is facing a struggle over its spiritual basis. Has it become too God-focused and rigid? Or have some groups watered down its beliefs and methods? Six of the 12 steps prescribed by the organisation’s founders refer to God either explicitly or implicitly. Step three, for example, cites “a decision to Read more
For the second year in a row, Cuba’s communist government has declared Good Friday a national holiday. The gesture came days after President Raul Castro welcomed the appointment of Pope Francis as the first-ever Latin American pontiff. Last year the Cuban government observed a holiday on Good Friday as an “exceptional” gesture following a request Read more
Auckland Council has told a community church it must pay a land lease increase of more than 1000% or leave the premises. The Grace Baptist Church in Onehunga has a land lease with Auckland Council for $3500 per year, but it is about to jump to more than $50,000 annually. The church cannot afford the Read more
Cabinet minister Chris Finlayson will represent the New Zealand Government at the Inauguration Mass of Pope Francis I in Rome. Finlayson said the mass on March 19 would be a “momentous occasion for the worldwide Catholic community, including Catholics in New Zealand”. Continue reading
The New Zealand Catholic Primary Principals’ Association (NZCPPA) has spoken out about the injustices and emotional stress caused to staff by the flaws in the Novopay payroll system. ‘It is utterly unjust that teachers and non-teaching school staff are still, six months down the track, being subjected to under payments and no pay at all, Read more
Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See says he is looking to the Catholic Church to better use the talents, energy and loyalty of the women in the Church. “Anyone who works with the Holy See network will be aware of the vital role played by women religious in almost every aspect of Church life on Read more
The academic whose research led to the discovery of King Richard III’s remains says he should be given a Roman Catholic rather than Anglican funeral. Earlier this year, skeletal remains found beneath a car park in Leicester were confirmed as King Richard’s. But since the find, a disagreement has surfaced about whether he should be Read more
Scientists have announced they believe a subatomic particle discovered last year is indeed the Higgs boson (or God particle), they have been searching for. “The preliminary results with the full 2012 data set are magnificent and to me it is clear that we are dealing with a Higgs boson though we still have a long Read more
Concerned southern church leaders who met Revenue Minister Peter Dunne last week say he has agreed to review the Government’s policy on accommodation taxes for clergy. Church leaders from the major denominations and representatives from the Interchurch Working Party on Taxation met Mr Dunne last week to discuss concerns about tax changes to accommodation allowances, Read more
Vicky Wall will leave on 23 April for Loppiano in Italy to join the Focolare movement. She is preparing to commit herself as a consecrated woman who are known as ‘Focolarina’. The Focolare movement is a lay Catholic organisation founded in Italy by Ciara Lubich during World War II. The movement’s charism is ‘Unity’, with Read more