Austrian police warned Wednesday of a possible “Islamist-motivated attack” in Vienna against churches and other houses of worship, citing undisclosed information received by the country’s intelligence service. Police in Vienna tweeted that they had heightened security in front of certain buildings and increased the presence of officers in the Austrian capital. “There is a nonspecific Read more
News Shorts
Rome’s ancient Pantheon to charge entrance fee for the first time
Monday, March 20th, 2023Tourists in Rome checking out the Pantheon, Italy’s most-visited cultural site, will soon be charged a 5-euro (NZ$8.50) entrance fee under an agreement signed Thursday by Italian culture and church officials. Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said the move was a matter of “good sense.” The introduction of an entrance fee comes five years after a Read more
30 per cent of Ireland’s Catholic parish grounds to be ‘rewilded’ by 2030
Thursday, March 16th, 2023Parishes often take a certain pride in how neat and tidy their grounds are – but soon they will be more concerned about letting them grow wild and attracting bees and butterflies. Following their spring general meeting Catholic bishops’ said they were asking parishes across Ireland to give over almost a third of their grounds Read more
Ukrainian family living in uncertainty in NZ, with special visas to expire
Thursday, March 16th, 2023A Ukrainian couple who fled their war-torn homeland and found sanctuary in Aotearoa are pleading with the New Zealand Government to let them stay. Andrii Mishchenko and Olha Turska arrived in New Zealand in April 2022 on the two-year special Ukraine visa. The area surrounding their hometown of Sloviansk in Donbas was involved in intense Read more
North Korean women told to have more children to boost military
Thursday, March 16th, 2023Government officials in a North Korean province have urged women to have more children as an act of “greatest patriotism” to help boost the military numbers, says a report. The message was part of a series of ideological lectures arranged by North Korean officials for housewives in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong, Radio Free Read more
Cardinal John Dew to have spinal surgery
Thursday, March 16th, 2023
Cardinal John Dew is to have spinal surgery on March 21. A period of 6 – 8 weeks of convalescence will follow. Known to be a keen walker, Dew writes on Facebook: “since June of last year I have had difficulty walking due to pain in my legs. “I have greatly missed my early morning Read more
Feminists in Latin America attack Catholic churches on International Women’s Day
Thursday, March 16th, 2023Various marches were held on March 8 for International Women’s Day in Latin America. Some feminist groups, however, used the occasion to vandalise Catholic churches and public buildings. Mexico was one of the countries where the most violence took place. In the country’s capital, Mexico City, protesters attacked the metropolitan cathedral located in Constitution Plaza. Read more
Thousands flee as UN hears reports on Myanmar
Thursday, March 16th, 2023Thousands of villagers, including Catholics, have fled their homes as the military in Myanmar escalated attacks amid the UN Security Council’s move to hear reports from special envoys on the civil war in the southeast Asian nation. The new flare-up between the army and the rebel groups, which also includes Christians, has prompted thousands of Read more
Campaigners urge Pope to reaffirm principles of Laudato Si’ regarding circuses
Monday, March 13th, 2023The UK-based Catholic Concern for Animals and many more Christian animal rights groups have written an open letter to Pope Francis protesting at the use of wild animals in circuses, and in particular a circus which took place at the Vatican last month. On February 11th the Papal Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, organised an entertainment Read more
Councillor walks out during karakia: ‘No-one was listening anyway’
Monday, March 13th, 2023An Otago Regional councillor says he walked out when a karakia opened a meeting because “it was just a tick box exercise” and “no-one was listening anyway”. Kevin Malcolm said his walkout in Dunedin on Wednesday was not related to Kaipara mayor Craig Jepson stopping his district’s first Māori ward councillor, Pera Paniora (Te Roroa, Read more