A 16th-century Catholic church, known as the Temple of Quechula, has become a prominent attraction since emerging from a reservoir during a severe drought in Mexico. Situated in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, this historic structure was built by Dominican Order members during the era of Spanish colonialism. Since the construction of a dam Read more
Electric motoring is, in theory, a subject about which I should know something. My first university degree was in electrical and electronic engineering, with a subsequent master’s in control systems. Combine this, perhaps surprising, academic pathway with a lifelong passion for the motorcar, and you can see why I was drawn into the early adoption Read more
Perhaps you are wondering, “What is Laudato Si’ Week?” And for that matter, what does Laudato Si’ mean? Laudato Si’ is medieval Italian for “Praise be to you.” It is a quote from St. Francis of Assisi’s beautiful Canticle of the Creatures: “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains Read more
The Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Mark Brown (pictured), expressed his disappointment with global leaders for failing to fulfil their climate promises. Brown commented during his address at the 79th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok. “The Blue Pacific has been grappling with Read more
Coal use in New Zealand is plummeting, new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) data shows. Less coal was burned in the last three months of 2022 than in any quarter since December 1990. In the September 2022 quarter, 426,000 tonnes of coal was burned for industry, process heat and electricity generation. This rose Read more
It is not new for Catholics to wield the authority of pope as a weapon against their perceived ideological opponents — as long as the pope is in their corner. For decades the Catholic right referred to the positions of Popes St John Paul II and Benedict XVI; now the Catholic left points to Pope Read more
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a Vanuatu-led resolution to protect the rights of current and future generations from the adverse effects of climate change. Vanuatu’s efforts eventually saw over 150 countries sponsor the resolution to the United Nations. New Zealand was among the core group of 17 countries that helped draft the Vanuatu-led Read more
Across the Pacific, people are picking up the bones of their ancestors like shells on the beach. Burial grounds are being washed away by rising tides. Communities are shoring up seawalls with old tyres. I was raised on the beautiful island of Tonga. When I was a child, my parents and grandparents would come out Read more
It has become somewhat of a cliche for media reports and climate scientists to actively link modern extreme weather events in New Zealand with climate change, but an accurate answer requires more or less complete knowledge of our past recorded climate. A new study by journalist and author Ian Wishart into historic extreme weather events Read more
Dozens of Oceania’s Catholic bishops, including four from New Zealand, are in Fiji on a shared mission. The Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania gather together every four years to reflect on and pray about their shared mission in the region. Among those present are representatives from bishops conferences in Australia, Papua New Guinea/Solomon Read more