The possibility of Catholic and Anglicans sharing a common super cathedral in Christchurch is being described as nothing but a pipe dream, by Mike Grimshaw, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Canterbury University. “It would be the first ecumenical cathedral in the world, but ‘there is no way it would work”. “High Anglicans might be happy Read more
Jim Anderton, co-chairman of The Great Christchurch Buildings Trust, says that on Tuesday the trust will launch a court action seeking a declaratory judgment, or binding court ruling, to determine whether the church’s decision no to restore the Christchurch Cathedral breached an act of Parliament protecting church buildings. He says legal advice backed by two Read more
Contractors began digging the foundations for the Anglican Church’s new base in Christchurch, popularly known as the cardboard cathedral, on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the earthquake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral, Reverend Craig Dixon, says he heard on Monday building consent for the foundations of the temporary replacement had been granted. Rev Dixon says work on the Read more
Demolition of the Christchurch Cathedral will be put on hold while the church authorities consider an independent report saying it can be saved. When he announced the report Jim Anderton said that Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, promised, at a meeting six weeks ago, that demolition work would be paused. Prime Minister John Key told TV3’s Firstline Read more
A baby grand piano advertised on Trade Me sold for $6000 this week. The seller listed it as “from Christchurch Cathedral”. The listing said the seller, called Bridgewater, bought the mahogany piano at a charity auction in 1995. “This piano was originally the only piano in the Christchurch Cathedral up until then,” the listing said. Read more
Last week the High Court at Auckland approved a plan proposed by ACS (New Zealand), known as a scheme of arrangement. ACS New Zealand is the largest insurer of churches and heritage buildings, and its creditors include Christchurch’s Catholic and Anglican cathedrals. In February the company, formally known as Ansvar, changed its name to ACS (New Read more
The Queen will use a private audience with Prime Minister John Key to seek assurances over Christ Church Cathedral after being inundated with pleas from New Zealand to save the building. Mr Key confirmed the Queen’s lady-in-waiting had briefed him that Queen Elizabeth wanted to talk about the future of the Cathedral after a flood Read more
Some churches are more than just buildings; they are symbols of greater realities. They are important not just to believers, they represent the lives, hopes and aspirations of a whole people. That is why the decision not to rebuild the Christchurch Cathedral “makes a profound statement about the entire city’s future”, says Chris Trotter “Those Read more
A group headed by Bishop Victoria Matthews and including architects from Warren and Mahoney is to embark on a world tour for inspiration for a new Cathedral in the Square. The bishop and her companions will visit Britain, Europe and the United States to view 12 cathedrals and relevant buildings. The buildings to be studied Read more
A $55 million plan to restore Christchurch Cathedral has been put forward by heritage campaigners. Marcus Brandt put his restoration design before a 50-strong crowd at the Court Theatre on Sunday. He called it “The People’s Steeple”. Brandt, who has been restoring historic structures for 30 years, said the cathedral was the most controversial heritage project Read more