The vicar-general of the archdiocese of Hamburg has urged the Vatican to break its five-month silence. Pope Francis granted Archbishop of Hamburg Stephan Hesse leave of absence at the end of March. The leave came after Hesse offered his resignation over the mismanagement of sexual abuse cases in his previous diocese, Cologne. Vicar-general Ansgar Thim Read more
Cardinal John Dew is unsure why former Bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan remains a bishop, saying it is entirely Rome’s decision. Dew made the comment, Friday, in answer to questions from counsel Sally McKechnie, at the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The Pope is the only one that can remove a bishop from Read more
A new bishop is yet to be appointed for the Palmerston North Diocese. It could take some time. Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop of Wellington, is still the apostolic administrator of Palmerston North pending the appointment of a new bishop by Pope Francis. Read more
Some parishioners of the Holy Spirit Cathedral Parish in Palmerston North, Monday, gathered for prayer and an opportunity to question the diocese’s leadership about the resignation of Bishop Charles Drennan. They are grieving the loss of their leader and wondering what will happen to him. Drennan resigned after an investigation into a complaint made by Read more
Catholic laity are generally understanding about priestly indiscretion. We know that a hungry man cannot be judged for stealing a loaf of bread. But for some reason, many lay people believe that the tradition of celibacy for priests, goes back to the apostles. That is not so. Paul tells us that he apostles, including Peter, Read more
Cardinal John Dew is left deeply disappointed and angered that Bishop Charles Drennan has had to resign. “My reaction is one of great disappointment that this happened at this time in the Church when we are really striving to do all we can to make sure people are safe, that we have safe-guarding policies, and Read more
The Holy Father announced 11 pm NZ time, he has accepted the resignation of Charles Drennan as Bishop of Palmerston North. Hailing from Christchurch, and an old boy of Christ’s College, Drennan has a first-class honours degree from the University of Canterbury. He studied for the priesthood at Holy Cross Seminary, Mosgiel and at Propaganda Read more
Bishop Charles Drennan of the Palmerston North Diocese in New Zealand says “We are a communion of people. There is no hierarchy of age in the Church, yet so much of our formal written expression and documentation of who we are is produced by older men (cf. Joel 2:28). “Even the recent final document of Read more
A contingent of 21 New Zealanders will attend the international celebration for 2019 World Youth Day (WYD2019) in Panama. The event in January next year will be attended by thousands from around the world. Bishop of Palmerston North, Charles Drennan, who will be accompanying the New Zealand pilgrimage to Panama, commented “it’s my first World Read more
Once every five years the priests in New Zealand meet nationally for a professional development week. This time it was in Christchurch. And the experience was seismic. No priest or Bishop could have left that week unshaken. The two input speakers – each very different from the other – shook us to the core. Take Read more