Wellington’s public transport patronage records were shattered on Tuesday as more than 42,000 marched the capital’s streets in a hīkoi against the Treaty Principles Bill. Metlink estimated 84,000 people took the train and 80,000 took the bus, making Tuesday the busiest day on record. Thomas Nash, the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s transport committee chairperson, was Read more
Pope
Proposed name suppression law change would give victims final say on offenders remaining secret
Monday, November 25th, 2024Sexual offenders would need the approval of their victims in order to keep their names secret, while people who have fallen prey to crimes like revenge porn will get automatic suppression under a proposed new law change. The proposal, announced today by Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, would essentially give victims of sexual offending more say Read more
Francis installed as Pope: Ultimate power is service of the weak
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
An estimated 200,000 crammed St Peter’s Square and environs on Tuesday to participate in Pope Francis’ inauguration Mass. Before Mass, Pope Francis toured St. Peter’s Square unprotected in a simple open white jeep, stopping frequently to greet those in the sprawling square, kissing babies and getting out at one point to bless a disabled person. The Read more
Opinion: The avuncular Argentine; a spring breeze
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
For the last month or so I’ve been glued to Twitter, Zite (an app on my phone,) or just my computer browser, trying to gather a range of current perspectives on the events in Rome, the need to elect a new pope. Global news cycles unfold at different times, and sometimes I found myself finishing Read more
Ooooh God Uncle Jorge is pope
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
Maria Elena Bergoglio was in her home west of Buenos Aires last week when she heard her brother Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the new pope. Confessing to being a little selfish she admitted to praying during the 2005 conclave that he not to be elected, she told CNN, Monday. Last week, soon after the white Read more
Pilgrims from down under warm to Pope Francis
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
People flocked to St Peter’s Square earlier today in anticipation of yet another huge crowd, for Pope Francis’ Inauguration Mass, among them were pilgrims from New Zealand and the South Pacific. At 10pm the streets were blocked and cafes and restaurants were closed, leaving just security personnel, who shared food and coffee with a handful of Read more
Pope has precedence over security concerns says Vatican
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
Vatican Spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi has insisted Pope Francis’ bodyguards show flexibility when the pope embarks on impromptu walkabouts. “If the pope says, ‘I want to go greet these people’, the pope goes ahead, and the security people go along,” said Lombardi “This is something brand new.” “You have to respect the pope’s personal style,” Read more
No evidence Bergoglio covered up abuse cases claims Washington Post
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013While often quiet, there is no evidence that Argentina Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio played a role in covering up abuse cases, reports the Washington Post. Several prominent rights groups in Argentina say the archbishop went out of his way in recent years to stand with secular organizations against crimes such as sex trafficking and child Read more
Homily of Pope Francis at Mass of installation
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable Read more
Bergoglio not complicit in Argentina Dirty War says Aljazeera
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
Aljazeera Friday, discredited media reports that former Buenos Aires Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio played a major role, if any in Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship. Aljazera reports claims suggesting that Bergoglio was friendly with the military dictatorship seem less credible because Bergoglio was a young priest at the time of the Dirty War. Media have released a Read more