An Irish Government Minister who campaigned for a “Yes” vote in the recent abortion referendum, led a prayer service at her local parish last weekend. Josepha Madigan, who is Ireland’s Minister for Culture, offered to lead a liturgy service because the priest wasn’t available. She was also a Minister for the Eucharist distributing consecrated hosts at Read more
Pope Francis has named a new archbishop for Berlin in Germany, following a local election. Francis named Bishop Heiner Koch of Dresden-Meissen to the position. The right to elect their own bishops, from a “terno”, or list of three candidates approved by Rome, is still held by 13 of Germany’s 27 dioceses and archdioceses. This Read more
New Zealand’s Anglican and Catholic have asked the Government for more transparency about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) currently under negotiation. This is so New Zealanders can better evaluate the trade deal’s implications, the bishops stated. The bishops acknowledge the right and duty of any New Zealand Government to promote the nation’s trading opportunities. And they are Read more
Human rights must apply to everybody – even to those who have abused others’ rights. This is the uncomfortable underpinning of the Police Minister’s proposed register for the close monitoring of sex offenders in the community. Anne Tolley has, however, struck the right balance in, first, piloting the monitoring system with about 300 convicted child Read more
The recent events in Ukraine are not what many news sources, even respected ones, imagine them to be. First, Ukraine was not a battleground where Russia and the West were hammering it out. Indeed, 99% of what was taking place on ‘the maidan’, the central square in Kyiv, was based on issues internal to Ukraine. Read more
Economist Brian Easton says New Zealand’s sexy image on the global business stage does not necessarily translate to a better life for those on low incomes, particularly women and children. Easton, who’s recently published a user’s guide to economic inequality, says inequality is difficult to measure. One indicator might show it going up while another Read more
Catholic bishops are calling on the United States government to join an international convention banning the use of land mines. The head of the US bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, Bishop Richard Pates, called on President Obama to show leadership by signing up to the 1997 Ottawa Convention. The bishop did this in Read more
The Treasury has dumped a monsoon bucketful of scorn on the campaign for a living wage. But the case for such a campaign withstands the deluge. In a report released last Friday, the Treasury argues the “living wage is not well targeted at the intended demographic of low-income families”. It thinks the $18.40 an hour Read more
Happily employed intellectually disabled workers will soon be out of jobs if the Government removes employers’ subsidies, a New Plymouth cafe owner is warning. Peter Hardgrave of Espresso Cafe, who has regularly employed intellectually disabled workers for nine years, says he will now pull the pin because a Government policy to gradually remove the subsidy Read more
he top four most important economic issues cited by Americans today are the lack of jobs (26%), the budget deficit (17%), the rising cost of health care (18%), and the increasing gap between the rich and poor (15%). About 1-in-10 say that social security (9%) or the rising costs of education (9%) is the country’s Read more