The Vatican has opened its very own shopping mall on March 16, located immediately adjacent to St Peter’s Square. The idea behind the new 120,000 square foot “Caput Mundi” Mall, using a traditional saying about Rome as the “capital of the world,” is to appeal not only to the four million visitors who move through Read more
Parents of a 13-year-old boy are angry a church baptised him without their knowledge at an event they say lured him to a park paddling pool font with burgers and lollies. Bay of Plenty mother Jesse Brown and her partner Luke were “shocked and upset” when their son came home from the park holding a Read more
Women and girls are to be admitted to a choir at the Montserrat monastery near Barcelona, home to the famous Escolania all-boys choir, for the first time in its 700-year history. The new chamber choir, made up of a mix of about 25 boys and women and girls aged 17 to 24, will be separate Read more
The Crown had detailed knowledge of Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian’s crimes in the mid-1990s but “dropped the ball” by failing to help the community deal with sexual abuse, the Employment Court has heard. Two Court of Appeal judgments tendered in a case brought by six former Gloriavale women describe how Christian was said to have Read more
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC, is expanding its ministry and support for 139 parishes and regional initiatives to help those in need by accepting donations in cryptocurrency. These donations will be facilitated through Engiven, an enterprise donation platform that uses blockchain technology to enable non-profits to receive cryptocurrency donations. Engiven has already helped Read more
The Holy See reported on Saturday that the Vatican’s diplomatic headquarters in Nicaragua was forced to close. “Yesterday, March 17, the chargé d’affaires of the apostolic nunciature in Nicaragua, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, left the country for Costa Rica. The closure of the diplomatic headquarters of the Holy See occurred as a result of a request Read more
On the anniversary of 12 years of war in Syria, World Vision says the country is at rock bottom as it struggles with years of conflict and the devastation wrought by recent earthquakes. The organisation says the recent earthquakes have only added to the complex layers of suffering for the Syrian people and many children Read more
Fale Pasifika Horowhenua held its annual Pasifika Celebration Day on Saturday, March 11, at the Levin Domain. An estimated 4000 people enjoyed cultural performances from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga. Local church groups put on spectacular performances that included Samoan AOG Levin Life Church, Samoan Methodist, Samoan Catholic Youth and Siasi ʻo Tonga Tauʻatāina. The Read more
A deacon of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after he admitted to prosecutors that he engaged in sexual acts with minors he met on the hook-up app Grindr. Rogelio Vega, 52, was sentenced on March 15, two years after he was arrested in an NYPD sting Read more
The 125th anniversary of the arrival of Mary MacKillop, and her Sisters of Joseph in Port Chalmers was celebrated on Sunday, St Joseph’s Day. Organised by parishioner and ex-pupil of St Joseph’s School, Carol Meikle QSM, the event featured the unveiling and blessing of a commemorative Sacred Heart statue by Bishop Michael Dooley. MacKillop spent Read more