The Vatican has hired a Swiss anti-money-laundering expert to advise it as it moves into a new phase of trying to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The announcement Tuesday came two months after the Holy See passed a key European financial transparency test, but received failing grades for its financial watchdog agency and its Read more
The Waikato Inter-faith Council (WIFCO) received a 2012 New Zealand Diversity Award for their outstanding contribution to promoting interfaith relations and religious diversity in New Zealand last month. Presented to WIFCO by the Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, of the Human Rights Commission, the annual awards commend 12 organisations that have contributed to strengthening Read more
Richard Dawkins on Sunday accused Mitt Romney of being a “massively gullible fool” as he launched into a furious tirade against the Republican’s Mormon faith. Britain’s most prominent atheist attacked the core tenets of Mr Romney’s religion, saying that the Church of Latter Day Saints’ founding prophet was “a fraud” and that the presidential contender Read more
Although the majority of New Zealand newspapers, including New Zealand’s largest circulation paper, declined to republish any of the Danish cartoons, two local newspapers and two television channels did so, despite expressions of concern from the Federation of Islamic Associations and the Government. The publication was followed by strong interfaith and government condemnation, a public Read more
The new principal of Hato Petera College is confident that bringing the school into the 21st century will help improve its Education Review Office reports. ERO says Hato Petera, on Auckland’s North Shore, needs a curriculum that better aligns to its students’ career paths, and improved student assessment. The school’s head, John Mathews, says the Read more
Thousands of people who want to access Family First’s website are instead inadvertently being directed to the marriage equality campaign’s website. Wellington man Hamish Spencer purchased the domain www.familyfirst.co.nz last week. While one would expect the site to provide an insight into the charity, it instead redirects you to the marriage equality campaign’s website. Family First is staunchly Read more
An Auckland school is planning to cancel Bible Study education in the classroom, while others are planning to review the controversial programme. Torbay School, on Auckland’s North Shore, will cancel the optional Churches Education Commission Bible in Schools programme, after 40% of parents surveyed voted to discontinue the programme in the school. In other schools Read more
The nun’s short speech got less attention than the rousing address by former President Bill Clinton, or the cutting remarks by Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, but in her own way, Sister Simone Campbell said something remarkable at the Democratic National Convention. Campbell, one of the so-called Nuns on the Bus who have toured the country Read more
Caritas Internationalis is ramping up its efforts to help the growing number of Syrian families who have fled the conflict in their homeland. “Within Syria, Caritas is distributing food,” Laura Sheahan of Caritas told CNA. “It’s been a little hard in terms of cooked food because it’s difficult to even get fuel in Syria, but Read more
Aaqil Ahmed disclosed he has reviewed Radio Four’s ‘God slot’ in response to complaints that it was “too religious”. However, the daily homily on the Today programme is intended to provide a “religious” perspective on the news and should not be opened up to people of no faith, Mr Ahmed has concluded. “We should always Read more