New Zealand

Roncalli College closes roll at capacity for 2025

Roncalli College

Roncalli College is one of two Timaru secondary schools unable to accept new enrolments for next year. Their enrolment books are closed. One – Craighead Diocesan School – must even shed pupils. Like Roncalli College, Craighead Diocesan is a special character school. And like Roncalli, Craighead has had to close its books to new enrolments Read more

Waiapu Cathedral’s future tied to city’s commercial sector

Waiapu Cathedral

A year exploring ways to secure  Waiapu Cathedral’s future has provided just one viable option for the building says Di Woods, the Cathedral’s Dean. Repurpose and save Repurposing part of Napier’s iconic but earthquake-prone Art Deco Anglican cathedral for commercial use is likely, she told parishioner’s last Sunday. A developer’s concept drawings could see the Read more

Analysis and Comment

Can humanity survive the digital age? It depends

humanity

Can humanity survive the digital age? The answer — according to an Institute for Human Ecology panel convened Sept. 17 at The Catholic University of America in Washington — is basically this: It depends. There are “two big questions that hang over human life in digital reality right now,” announced Ross Douthat, a media fellow Read more

Despite Vatican’s evasions on ordination, women demand answers at upcoming synod

women

The Sunday after her confirmation, when young people raised Catholic are supposed to embrace their faith for themselves, Ellie Hidalgo’s niece begged her parents to not make her go to church. “She said, ‘I just don’t think this Church is set up for somebody like me,’” Hidalgo recalled in a recent interview. “‘I don’t think Read more

FraudGPT and other malicious AIs are the new frontier of online threats. What can we do?

cyber fraud

The internet, a vast and indispensable resource for modern society, has a darker side where malicious activities thrive. From identity theft to sophisticated malware attacks, cyber criminals keep coming up with new scam methods. Widely-available generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have now added a new layer of complexity to the cybersecurity landscape. Staying on top Read more

Second synod session to focus on the goal of mission

synod

With many of the concrete, hot-button issues removed from the agenda and turned over to study groups, some people wonder what members of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality will be doing when they meet at the Vatican in October. For Pope Francis and synod organizers, though, taking issues like women deacons or seminary training Read more

The synod and a hui are nearly the same

synod

Taking part in the Synod on Synodality is much like participating in a hui says Manuel Beazley, currently in Rome as a New Zealand member of the Synod. Beazley is also Vicar for Maori in the Auckland Diocese. “As Māori, synodality is nothing new to us. In a sense it’s part of our DNA as Read more

  • Oddly

    • Shifting flat by bike on a fine Wellington day

      Climate Change A Wellington woman says the city’s new cycle lanes are opening up a world of possibilities of what can be achieved without motor vehicles. Last weekend Beth Walker – an executive assistant and researcher in Green MP Julie Anne Genter’s Read more

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  • Archdiocese of New York sues insurer over abuse claims cover

    Archdiocese of New York

    The Archdiocese of New York has filed a lawsuit against its long-time insurer, Chubb, accusing the company of evading its responsibility to cover settlements related to clerical sexual abuse claims. Cardinal Timothy Dolan alleges that Chubb is neglecting its contractual obligations despite receiving billions in premiums from the archdiocese over the years. In a letter Read more

  • Synod members urged to unify and overcome fear of change

    Father Timothy Radcliffe, a Dominican theologian, has called on the Synod of Bishops to embrace openness, warning against fear of change and/or stagnation. Speaking at a retreat on 30th September to launch the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Radcliffe emphasised the importance of listening to the Holy Spirit and avoiding the temptation to Read more

  • Ex-Bishop of Broome pleads not guilty to sex abuse charges

    Bishop of Broome

    The former Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, appeared in an Australian court on Monday. He pleaded not guilty to 28 criminal charges, including two counts of rape and 14 counts of unlawful and indecent assault. Saunders, 74, denied all charges that initially surfaced in 2020 and allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2016. Church officials launched Read more

  • RE teachers targeted in newly launched UK masterclass series

    RE teachers

    RE teachers will be able to access a new series of RE resources from 10 October. The “Deep Dive” RE classes will be delivered via 60 videos, each five to eight minutes long, each exploring theological topics. The programme aims to help primary and secondary school teachers to deliver content included in the 2023 Religious Read more

  • I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do: choosing a macro wedding

    macro wedding

    Something had to change when most parents in a Spanish town were not married but wanted their children baptised or requested they receive their first holy communion. Change happened, and Catholic couples in Sebastián de los Reyes are now lining up for a “macro wedding”. It is a new option for the parish, and local Read more