Since the role of bishops in the Catholic Church is so important to the life of a local church, the process by which a bishop is chosen has tremendous consequences for ordinary Catholics, and yet they currently have no say in choosing their bishop. The members of the Synod on Synodality recognized that this is Read more
The Religion Guy’s answer: The Archbishop of Canterbury, whose position has a 1,427-year history, is a major figure in world Christianity as head of the Church of England and, because of that, in modern times is also the spiritual leader of the international Anglican Communion. This branch of Christianity encompasses some 85 million members in Read more
Simple, sweet, sometimes heart-breaking, and always invigorating, Fifth Gospel Living is the latest publication from Fr John O’Connor and his Food for Faith ministry. It comprises stories of personal encounters with God. The 96 reflections are the result of a call from O’Connor, whose blogs on the Food for Faith website have, for about 10 Read more
A hīkoi opposing the Treaty Principles Bill has made its way to Wellington. Those who took part in the hīkoi, along with supporters around the country, both Māori and non-Māori, consider the Bill to be a betrayal of the commitments made at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Waitangi Tribunal has voiced its Read more
The Australian government is developing legislation that will ban children under 16 from social media. There has been a huge public debate about whether there is sufficient direct evidence of harm to introduce this regulation. The players in this debate include academics, mental health organisations, advocacy groups and digital education providers. Few step back to Read more
Keynote speaker Tomáš Halík (pictured) a leading Catholic intellectual and author from the Czech Republic, says Churches must transcend national, religious, cultural boundaries A new reformation for the 21st century must transcend “the current forms and boundaries of Christianity,” resist simplistic answers to contemporary challenges and contribute to uniting into ‘One Body’ all of humanity, Read more
With the protest hikoi from the far north moving through Auckland on its way to Wellington, it might be said ACT leader David Seymour has been granted his wish of generating an: “important national conversation about the place of the Treaty in our constitutional arrangements”. The hikoi is timed to coincide with the first reading Read more
The Bishops’ Pastoral Letter and Litany of Lament at last Sunday’s masses are another example of Church leaders’ persistent inability to take full responsibility for the institution’s decisions. The inability to take full responsibility for these decisions has been a constant complaint of survivors and victims of abuse. However, in this action, the episcopal and Read more
The Church must confront its silence on the Middle East conflict and recognise the suffering of all victims, especially Palestinians. Addressing this is essential for maintaining moral credibility, supporting interfaith dialogue, and continuing the path set by Nostra Aetate. While global attention was focused on the U.S. elections, people continued to die in the most Read more
In an escalation of its battle with big tech, the federal government has announced it plans to impose a ‘digital duty of care’ on tech companies to reduce online harms. The announcement follows the government’s controversial plans to legislate a social media ban for young people under 16. The plans also include imposing tighter rules Read more