New Zealand

I am Hope – house to be auctioned on Gumboot Friday

Jack’s Point, a stunning home on Queenstown’s Hanley’s Farm, will go under the hammer on Gumboot Friday. All profits will be donated to the I Am Hope Foundation. The auction aims to raise significant funds for the I Am Hope Foundation mental health charity which supports New Zealand’s youth. Auction to fund mental health services Read more

Fijian abuse survivor wants Papal apology for Pacific victims

A Fijian survivor of abuse by Marist Brothers is calling for Pope Francis to issue a formal apology to Pacific victims as well as those in New Zealand. Felix Fremlin, abused by two New Zealand Marist brothers while attending Primary School in Suva, says the apology should extend beyond New Zealand victims. Fremlin was just Read more

Analysis and Comment

Five things to watch for in the upcoming October synod

Tom Reese

The second session of the Synod on Synodality will take place this October as a follow-up to the first session that occurred last October. Here are five things to look for as the synod delegates gather in Rome. How is the second session similar to the first session of the synod? The first session of Read more

The mental health of the spiritual but not religious

mental health

There is a long tradition of wondering about the mental health implications of religious practice. The psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung famously claimed to have seen almost no practicing Catholics in decades of clinical practice. Others have failed to replicate this result, but the idea that religious practice has some meaningful impact on mental health Read more

Pope Francis is no religious relativist

Pope Francis made headlines recently when, during an interfaith meeting with young people, he made the following statement: “All religions are paths to God. I will use an analogy, they are like different languages that express the Divine … There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some Sikh, Read more

Polyamorist people look for their place in church as the practice loses its taboo

In May 2023, Kerlin Richter, then a priest at an Episcopal Church in Portland, Oregon, attended an adoption ceremony that legally recognized her baby’s three parents. The event, featuring a large, celebratory danish pastry and a Mary Oliver poem, was a step toward formalizing Richter’s family, which includes her husband with whom she has an Read more

Even the Government missed Abuse in Care first deadline

The Anglican Church, Presbyterian Support Southland, and Salvation Army are the only groups to meet a key deadline recommended by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. Even the Government missed the deadline. The Catholic Church says its response is nearing completion and will be made public by the end of the week. Read more

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  • Pro-contraception theologian gets Doctrine of the Faith role

    Contraception

    A moral theologian whose views are at odds with Church teaching on the use of contraception in marriage has been appointed as one of 28 new consultors to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. CNA reports that Pope Francis has appointed Fr Maurizio Chiodi to the DDF. Chiodi is known for his view Read more

  • Cardinal urges Church to emphasise nonviolence over ‘just war’

    Just War

    US Cardinal Robert McElroy has urged the Catholic Church to promote peace and active nonviolence rather than refining just war theory. “In the life of the church, just war theories are a secondary element in Catholic teaching; the first is that we should not engage in warfare at all” he said in an interview with Read more

  • Chief Rabbi criticises Pope’s stance on migration policies

    Migration

    Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the European Rabbinical Conference, has criticised Pope Francis’ approach to migration, suggesting it may lead to political instability in Europe. Goldschmidt’s remarks, published in Neue Zürcher Zeitung, expressed concerns over the implications of the Pope’s immigration policy. He stated it could result in “chaos and political upheaval”. Rabbi Goldschmidt pointed to Read more

  • Myanmar government head offered refuge in Vatican City

    Myanmar

    Pope Francis has urged the release of the ousted leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, and offered her refuge in the Vatican. The Pope’s plea was revealed in a conversation with Jesuits during his trip to Southeast Asia from September 2 to 13. The Italian daily Corriere della Sera published excerpts from these talks Read more

  • Unmarked Kamloops school graves claims lead to 400 church attacks

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet confirmed this week that more than 400 churches across Canada have been burned, vandalised or otherwise targeted since 2015. Lifesite News reports the vandalism comes after controversial claims about unmarked graves at former Indian Residential School sites. The cabinet’s report, released on 19 September, attributes a significant rise in these Read more