A small bronze crucifix welded from World War I rifle bullet cartridges stands as a testament to the bravery and selflessness shown by an Auckland bishop who tried to rescue the wounded on the fields of France. The crucifix belonged to Bishop Henry Cleary, the Catholic Bishop of Auckland from 1910 to 1929, who took Read more
Children spilled out of Beth Hanna Jewish school under a spring sun and the watchful eyes of armed police. Leah Chicheportiche mingled with other waiting parents in this northeastern Paris neighborhood, including many men sporting the trademark black hat of Hasidic Jews.
“We’re a bit worried — even here in Paris — after the incident,” said Chicheportiche, a mother of five, keeping a watchful eye on two daughters licking ice-cream cones on Tuesday (March 20).
A day after a motorcycle gunman mowed down three children and a rabbi in the southern city of Toulouse, she added: “We hope they’ll arrest him quickly.”
As schools across France marked a moment of silence for Monday’s victims and the government notched up its terror alert for the southwestern region and increased security around religious institutions, many ordinary French are grappling for answers.
Read the article...One of Paris’s most prestigious theatres was being protected by riot police and guard-dog patrols on Thursday after it became the latest target in a wave of Catholic protests across France against so-called blasphemous plays.
The head of the Theatre du Rond-Point on the Champs-Elysees complained of death threats in the runup to Thursday’s premiere of the play Golgota Picnic by the Madrid-based, Argentinian writer Rodrigo Garcia. Two men reported to have links to fundamentalist Catholic groups were arrested at the weekend while attempting to disable the theatre’s security system.
Several Catholic groups have called for peaceful demonstrations, prayer-vigils and the laying down of white flowers outside the building every night the play is shown, while the Archbishop of Paris will lead protest prayers against the play at Notre Dame Cathedral.
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“France won, I cheered,” says Lakan Beech. Wales may be the fairer team on the field, but as a nation France wins hands down as a fair and just nation. He was blogging at Level with Me, which is a project of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, which uses the Rugby World Cup to get people thinking Read more
A French court fined two Muslim women on Thursday for wearing full-face veils in public, the first time a judge has imposed punishment under a “burqa ban” law that has become a legal and cultural battleground across Europe. One of the women pledged immediately to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to overturn Read more
New research suggests there are now more practising Muslims in France than practising Catholics. While 64 percent of French people describe themselves as Roman Catholic, only 2.9 percent of the population actually practice the Catholic faith. That compares to 3.8 percent of the population who practice the Muslim faith. The research was carried out by Read more
A Frenchman has been ordered to pay his ex-wife NZ$14,500 in damages for failing to have enough sex with her during their marriage.
The 51-year-old man was fined under article 215 of France’s civil code, which states married couples must agree to a “shared communal life”.
A judge has now ruled that this law implies that “sexual relations must form part of a marriage”.
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Islamic mosques are being built more often in France than Roman Catholic churches, and there are now more practicing Muslims in the country than practicing Catholics, reports the human rights activist, moderate Muslim and expert investigative reporting group, the Hudson Institute. There are nearly 150 mosques now under construction in France, and by contrast only 20 Read more
A French biography of Suzanne Aubert, Une Françoise chez les Maoris, by Madeleine Le Jeune was launched recently at a function in Paris. The launching took place at the New Zealand embassy and was hosted by Rosemary Banks, the New Zealand Ambassador. About 80 joined the author for the ceremony. They included the newly elected Superior General of the Sisters of Compassion, Sister Margaret Read more
France’s main religions are protesting plans by President Nicolas Sarkozy, to hold a debate next week on Islam’s role in the country. The leaders of France’s Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists published a joint statement Wednesday saying the debate could fuel prejudice and add to the confusion in the times preceding the election. In Read more