Two top Vatican officials expressed concern that German bishops were allowing participants in the Synodal Path to adopt positions in contrast to the faith of the universal church, particularly regarding sexuality and women’s ordination. The bishops met on 18 November with the heads of Vatican dicasteries to discuss the Synodal Path. The German bishops’ conference Read more
Germany’s Catholic bishops have assured the Vatican that their “Synodal Path” won’t lead to a schism; however, they vowed to proceed with reforms. Summarising the German position, the head of the German bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said the German church would not make decisions that were the Vatican’s to make. “We are Catholic,” Bätzing Read more
Last week, the New Zealand bishops in Rome for their Ad Limina visit met the fondly remembered former papal nuncio Archbishop Angelo Acerbi. Acerbi’s diplomatic career included being held hostage by guerillas in Colombia and becoming the first nuncio to Hungary after the end of communism. Now 94, Acerbi is retired and lives in the Read more
The New Zealand Catholic bishops met Pope Francis for an 80-minute private audience in the Vatican on Monday 28 October during their Ad Limina visit to Rome. Pope Francis told the bishops to raise any topic and be free with their comments, said Bishop Stephen Lowe of Hamilton, secretary of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference. Read more
Pope Benedict has urged the Bishops from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to apply the Gospel to local customs as they carry out their task of evangelisation building on positive elements already present and to purifying others when necessary. He said this in his address to the Bishops the Bishops ,who are in Rome for Read more
The New Evangelization was the focus of Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks to the bishops of New Zealand and the Pacific on Saturday, as he received them at the end of their ad limina visits. In his address to the Bishops of New Zealand and the Pacific Pope Benedict spoke of the contribution of priests and Read more
In an interview on Vatican Radio Archbishop Dew said “Our main challenge, I suppose is how to be present in an increasingly secular society. We are often described as a very secular country, and this is a problem that we are trying to deal with by being a stronger presence in society.” “For example, we Read more
There has been an opportunity for the New Zealand Catholic Bishops meet to with Pope Benedict XVI. This was the first of two meetings they will have with the Pope during their ad limina visit. The second meeting will take place on Saturday 17 December. President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop John Dew of Read more
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops have arrived in Rome for their ad limina visit, which begins Monday 12 December. They will be joined by Archbishop Charles Balvo, Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand. The last ad limina visit for New Zealand bishops was in 2004. Archbishop John Dew, Wellington; Bishop Patrick Dunn, Auckland; Bishop Denis Browne, Hamilton; Read more