A British family facing deportation because the father is unable to work since developing a brain tumour, says a six-month reprieve by the Immigration Department still leaves them in limbo. Paul Crystal, his wife and their three children moved to New Zealand more than six years ago, started two businesses, and were close to getting Read more
The Catholic Education Office head Pat Lynch says some protocols will be drafted to ensure parishes inform schools if one of its volunteers or members has been convicted of paedophilia. He was responding to concern that pupils from an Upper Hutt Catholic primary school went to a prayer group that included a convicted paedophile St Read more
A tetraplegic man under threat of deportation will reluctantly leave New Zealand next week. Semisi Ma’afu Samiu lost the use of his limbs after injuring his spine in 2006. But Samiu had defied Immigration and remained here, his family fearing he would not survive a return to his native Tonga where facilities for disabled people are Read more
Catholic lay groups in the Philippines have pledged to campaign against politicians who supported controversial legislation that will promote artificial contraception as a family planning method. The House of Representatives voted 113-104 to pass the Reproductive Health Bill, which had languished in Congress for 14 years while Catholic groups opposed it. Continue reading
Bernard McGrath made a remand appearance on Monday in the Christchurch District Court, where defence counsel Phillip Allan said he had just filed a notice of opposition to the extradition application. Judge David Saunders remanded McGrath, 65, on continued bail. Judge Saunders was critical of the media for pursuing McGrath down the street after his last court Read more
In an effort to eliminate all references to homosexual activity as sinful from Scripture, a new homosexual-friendly “Bible” has been produced. The gay Bible, called the Queen James Version, with a rainbow cross on its cover, changes eight passages that its publishers claim have been wrongly construed to refer to homosexual behaviour. Continue reading
A group of girls have cut off their ponytails and donated their hair to a charity that will see their locks turned into wigs for women living with cancer. Ten students from St Mary’s Catholic school in Tauranga sat in front of their peers yesterday and had 20cm of their hair cut off for the Read more
Contrary to popular belief, December 25 was not chosen as the date of Jesus’ birth to take advantage of a pagan Roman holiday on that day. In fact, writes Andrew McGowan of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, the first mention of a date for Christmas Day (c. AD 200) and the earliest recorded Read more