The rest of the world has watched transfixed and uncomprehending over the last few days as legislators in the United State struggled to come to some agreement to prevent the United States government defaulting on its debts. The spectacle led one commentator, Robert Dallek to say, “Something is at work here that makes you wonder if rational discourse Read more
Last week Father Rolando Santos CM was ordained a bishop and installed as Bishop of the Alotau-Sideia diocese in PNG where he has served as formator of seminarians and as executive secretary of the Episcopal Conference of PNG and the Solomon Islands from 2000-2010. He has most recently served as the Provincial of the Lazarist Congregation’s Philippine Read more
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare must be allowed to retire gracefully from politics, and not be forced out. This is the view of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Port Moresby, following the recent announcement of the Somare family’s intention to have their father retire from politics on medical grounds. General Read more
On 2 June Archbishop John Dew was one of the Church Leaders invited to speak at the launch of the Closer Together: Whakatata Mai information programme. This is a project of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services of which the Catholic Church is one of the six member churches. The project is targeted specifically Read more
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands have renewed a call for parliament to “cease the inefficient system of allocating development funds to MPs to distribute”. “This system is a direct cause of election-related violence,” the bishops said. “It is open to much abuse and the potential for corruption, especially by diverting these funds Read more
“Baptism unites the church, not ordination,” theologian and author Anthony T. Padovano told more than 1,800 reform-minded Catholics gathered June 10-12 at Detroit’s Cobo Hall. Addressing the inaugural national meeting of the American Catholic Council on June 11, he said, “The pope does not unify or sanctify the church and make it catholic or apostolic. Read more
“Bishops must be conservative”. Instead of being on the edge pushing boundaries (which would lead to even more conflict-ridden factionalism), the role of a bishop is to create a community that holds people together, that sets boundaries and is a source of unity.” That’s what Patty Fawkner heard her pairsh priest say, and it left Read more
The South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference is urging reforms in Swaziland, calling sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarchy a police state that is “tearing itself apart.” A statement issued Thursday after the bishops visited Swaziland said the king should lift a state of emergency that has been in place for nearly four decades, reinstate “the full Read more
Last Thursday the Vatican announced that the Pope has appointed Bishop John Doaninoel sm, as the auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Honiara, Solomon Islands. Bishop John has been auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea since 2008. In his role as auxiliary Bishop he will assist Archbishop Adrian Smith who has been Read more
At the May meeting of the Bishops’ Conference the NZ bishops received the “recognitio” (approval) for the English text of the Missal. The ICET text of the Our Father (what people refer to as the “new” Our Father) was not among the texts given recognition for the Missal. This means that all English-speaking countries will Read more