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The new approach has been taken because the CEC wants to engage with people who are not Christians, those who may once have been Christians as well as those active in the Church.

The aim is to provide an opportunity for all people to discover more about the community and today's Catholic church.

CEC Director, Fr Neil Vaney, says Catholic Discovery involves a process of learning about the Catholic faith.

"Our approach with teaching is to utilise online platforms. We know our audiences use these channels," he said.

Vaney said the CEC wanted to share faith-based messages that people may not be able to access anywhere else.

"As part of this we have built Catholic Discovery and established branding that is more visual and vibrant.

"This fresh look better reflects our commitment to today's missionary challenges."

Vaney said the new logo offers a more contemporary presentation and will be used on all their digital platforms.

He said the icon is deliberately ambiguous. When you look at it, you may see a flame, a path or even a dove.

It is a metaphor that shows you can find many things within the Christian faith.

The colour purple has been used to represent Christ's suffering on the cross.

The CEC is currently reviewing its website and creating an Instagram account.

Read the press release

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan Communications Advisor - NZ Catholic Bishops Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa

Following the announcement that Fr Allan Jones would end his term and after some reflection it was decided to split the role

• A part-time Chaplain, responsible for supporting enquirers spiritually and pastorally and for connecting CEC with the wider Catholic community;
• A full-time Director, responsible for the overall operations of CEC.

The Bishops have expressed gratitude to Vaney, who will soon complete is appointment as Vicar Provincial of the Society of Mary.

He brings with him significant experience in and commitment to the work of evangelisation, with a particular gift in enabling young people to hear and respond to the call to faith.

"He is also a noted moral theologian, with a deep interest in the theology of nature and environmental ethics," said Bishop Patrick Dunn, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.

"The Director role has proved harder to fill and as such the Bishops are grateful to David Mullin who has agreed to be seconded from his work in the Palmerston North Diocese to act as Director until March 2017. "

"David is a member of the CEC Board, and will bring a wide range of business and management skills to the role, along with considerable knowledge about and commitment to the work of CEC," said Dunn.

"We are sincerely grateful to Fr Allan for his leadership of the Centre through a time of considerable change."

" He has responded with characteristic generosity and patience to the extended process of replacing him, and remained focused on CEC's vital work of invitation and introduction," said Dunn.

Mullin will begin on Monday 17 October, in a half-time capacity. Fr Allan's last day as Director on Friday 28 October.

The Catholic Enquiry Centre (CEC) promotes the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Faith. Based in Wellington since 1961, the CEC is an agency of the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand, and is supported spiritually and financially by Catholics throughout the country.

CEC invites people - via TV, online advertising, social media - to enquire about the Catholic Faith and we respond to enquirers by means of printed booklets introducing the essential aspects of faith.

Source

Supplied

Father Neil Vaney, an Auckland Roman Catholic moral theologian, said the secular media and various people were "pushing" the same sex issue. He said the Church should "show great compassion" to people from whom it had differing views.

"It is important the Church does not come across as homophobic or as being anti-gay. It is also important that Christians stay humble," said Fr Vaney.

"Several leaders said anti-gay-type comments would not alter what seemed inevitable — so was it worth getting offside with those the Church should be reaching out to?" he asked.

Fr Vaney noted that it was "ironic that after so much rhetoric to create the legal category of civil union, with its avowedly secular repudiation of all religious tradition, that the homosexual lobby should be fighting so hard to reclaim the label of marriage for their unions".

"Perhaps it is the aura of stability, commitment and lasting community that they are pining after - if so, all to the good…" he said.

A number of other ministry and church leaders believe a cautious approach to same-sex marriage is needed so as not to alienate those outside the church.

The church's main role, they point out, is to proclaim the Gospel and bring people to salvation and faith in Jesus and not get sidetracked. Many of them who did not want to make a public comment said Jesus came alongside people and sought to form friendships rather than judge a person from a distance.

Read other Church Leaders' opinions

Source

• Challenge Weekly
• Image: Eucharistic Congress Convention 2005

"This young lad had an incurable condition. Providing a feeding tube to sustain life by giving food and water when the body is able to maintain its life processes is not seen as exceptional practice - though if that procedure becomes painful or distressful, the situation may have to be reviewed." said Fr Vaney. "If death is inevitable, there is no moral obligation to fight till the last possible second."

"God gives life but there are times when it is clear that the gift is being recalled. In this case I believe that the judge has acted wisely and mercifully."

Last October, the boy had a feeding tube inserted because he could no longer swallow food or medication. On May 4, the tube, which provided almost all of his nutrition and hydration, became dislodged. Surgery was required to reinsert it and doctors said that without it he would die within days or weeks.

At the hearing on May 8, a judge ruled that a decision not to reinsert the tube would not amount to culpable homicide, finding it was in accordance with "good medical practice". The tube was not re-insertered and the boy died the next day.

Neil Vaney is a theologian and principal of Catholic Discipleship College; Auckland