Communications spokesperson for the diocese, Lyndsay Freer suggests Stuff reporter, Steve Kilgallon seems to have unfairly skewed supplied answers to questions.

On Sunday 12 September Stuff reported the Catholic Church planned to accommodate a priest in a house on the grounds of a primary school; in fact, the presbytery is adjacent to the school, not on the property.

Raass was on bail for sex-messaging a 15-year-old girl.

In her email, Freer also emphasized that at no time did Raass move into the presbytery, but confirmed he used the contact address for bail purposes.

The diocese also told Stuff that while on bail, Raass was suspended from ministry and it understood he stayed with family or friends.

Raass did not tell the diocese where he was residing.

Freer describes the proposed situation as a short-term solution that took advantage of the summer school holidays.

In February, Stuff had already reported Raass had left the priesthood and is in a relationship with a woman with whom he shares a West Auckland home.

Raass was not placed on the sex offenders' register, he pleaded guilty and was told to serve 100 hours of community service for his offending.

In February, Raass told Stuff that he had made a mistake and it had ruined his career.

In answer to another question from Kilgallon about the Church's long-term plan to accommodate Raass, the diocese indicated it was a non-question.

It says there was no point in developing a long-term plan because Raass decided to leave the priesthood and his whereabouts would no longer be the responsibility of the diocese.

Not divulging his sources, Kilgallon said that he had heard there had been a prior complaint against Raass.

Freer acknowledged a complaint, several years ago, from an adult woman who chose not to pursue matters any further after Raass admitted to the truth of the accusation and agreed to undertake professional counselling.

Freer told CathNews that when Catholic dioceses receive a priest from overseas, to minister in New Zealand, they require a written statement to attest that the priest is in good standing.

The statement is received from the diocese from which the priest comes.

"When Sateki Raass came to the Auckland Diocese from Tonga in 2006, the Auckland Diocese received a formal document signed by Bishop Foliaki of Tonga dated 12 May 2006, to say that there had been no complaints against him in Tonga prior to his arrival in New Zealand" said Freer.

Source

• Supplied
• Stuff
• Stuff

The call is for everyone to consider what they can do to make workplaces, schools and communities fair places for all.

People are challenged to see, hear, and experience the lived reality of people, naming what is happening and taking action.

Caritas Director Julianne Hickey says: "social justice is about ensuring that everyone gets a fair go.

Whether that be in employment, housing, healthcare or education or in any other respect - we all deserve to be treated with human dignity and to have a fair opportunity to flourish."

The Parish of St Anne's in Manurewa will hold a Social Justice and Peace Community Forum on Thursday evening this week.

At the forum, candidates for this year's local body elections will front up to issues around fairness in housing, the environment, pay equity and poverty.

Resources have been distributed to parishes and communities throughout New Zealand for Sunday celebrations and activities during the week.

Education resources for schools offer background information, curriculum links and helpful statistics.

The development of resources found in this year's packs for Social Justice Week has been based around the theme of See-Judge-Act.

This methodology is founded on Catholic social teaching - it is a way of looking at a situation, analysing it, and taking action.

It enables us to consider what is fair (or not) in our lives, our communities and in our society as a whole? Is everyone getting a fair go? How can we make sure they are?

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is an agency of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops

Source

• caritas.org.nz
• Image: caritas.org.nz

Subtitled Faith Communities & Social Justice, the book is edited by Neil Darragh, and explores a faith response to inequality in using 31 people's stories about faith communities that promote fairness in New Zealand.

Darragh has divided the book into five sections:

• Sources and traditions,
• Existing faith communities working for fairness,
• Groups struggling for justice,
• Shelter and housing,
• Schools and the next generation.

The publisher has expressed the hope that the stories will to gives encouragement and ideas for action in the struggle to reduce inequality in society.

A second launch will take place in Wellington on Friday 4 April at Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace.

During the formal part of the evening Neil Darragh will introduce the contributors to the book.

The launch will also include a response to the book by Brian Easton, a blessing, and some refreshments and socializing.

Source

• Supplied by Accent Publications
• Image: Anglican Youth Accent Publications

"A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth ... to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness, and respect for every human being," he said.

The Pope urged FAO members to push for substantial changes, "inspired by something more than mere good will or — worse — promises which all too often have not been kept".

He said food shortages are aggravated not only by the current worldwide economic downturn, but also by the number of military conflicts in needy nations.

He also said the FAO should be mindful of climate change and of biological diversity as it makes plans for addressing the problem of secure food supplies.

The Pope noted that there are many possible initiatives and solutions and that they don't only have to do with increasing production seeing that current levels of production are sufficient,

Pope Francis decried the reliance on "vague abstractions in the face of issues like the use of force, war, malnutrition, marginalisation, the violation of basic liberties, and financial speculation".

Food, he said, cannot be treated as just one more sort of merchandise. Political leaders must recognise the urgent moral necessity for ensuring adequate food supplies for everyone.

Pope Francis said that the shortages occurring in the world today are "a consequence of a crisis of convictions and values, including those which are the basis of international life".

He asked the FAO, its member states and the entire international community to open their hearts.

"There is a need to move beyond indifference and a tendency to look the other way, and urgently to attend to immediate needs … leaving behind the temptations of power, wealth, or self-interest and instead serving the human family, especially the needy and those suffering from hunger and malnutrition," he said.

Sources:

Vatican Information Service

Vatican Radio

Image: USA Today