In 2025, CathNews will be published by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC). The Church Resources Ltd board, the current publisher of CathNews, recently made this decision. The move follows the closure of NZ Catholic in June and the promise of a new publication. Forward looking – a new chapter This change marks a Read more
The mandated Sunday litany of shame was a communications, liturgical, and theological blunder that left people re-victimised. “I stood there in the Church and didn’t know what to do. I was listening to this lament in a very public place. I wanted to leave, but then I thought I would be seen to be a Read more
A woman who allegedly had separate sexual relationships with two Catholic clergy – a bishop and a priest – wants both men laicised. The two men are Bishop Charles Drennan, who resigned as Bishop of Palmerston North in 2019 but remains a priest and still holds the title of bishop, and Fr Larry Rustia who, Read more
Fr Joe Grayland’s disquiet over the NZ bishops’ apology (Cathnews 18/11/24) is perplexing. In a letter that needed to be short, it is hard to know what language the bishops could have used to make their apology more comprehensive than it is. Certainly, the apology needed to acknowledge, above all, Church leaders’ own failures for Read more
The Bishops’ Pastoral Letter and Litany of Lament at last Sunday’s masses are another example of Church leaders’ persistent inability to take full responsibility for the institution’s decisions. The inability to take full responsibility for these decisions has been a constant complaint of survivors and victims of abuse. However, in this action, the episcopal and Read more
In a letter read at all Masses last Sunday, the NZ Catholic bishops lamented the actions and lack of actions, the sins and crimes of priests, religious and lay people working in Catholic settings. They said that some of the earlier responses and solutions were ill-advised and had devastating consequences. Along with the sins and Read more
Religious affiliation in New Zealand shows an almost even split between those identifying with an organised religion and those who don’t, Statistics New Zealand data shows. Census 2023 found that almost half of New Zealanders (48 percent) identified as belonging to an organised religion while 51.6 percent said they had none at all. Further Census Read more
A claim that New Zealand’s Catholic bishops trace their lineage back to the Apostles through New Zealand’s first bishop, Jean-Baptise Pompallier has been disputed. The claim was made by the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference on Facebook. As their time in Rome was ending, Bishops Laurenson and Adams visited the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione Read more
An independent assessment of Catholic safeguarding protocols and procedures in New Zealand has identified significant progress in many areas. The New Zealand Bishops Conference, in a report issued by Te Rōpū Tautoko, says it also highlights areas where more work is needed. Te Rōpū Tautoko coordinated the Church’s engagement with the Royal Commission of Inquiry Read more
The working paper for this October’s synod of bishops in Rome has been published, the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) says. The Vatican-published document – called the Instrumentum Laboris (or Working Instrument) – is based on 108 national summaries of bishops’ conferences from around the world presented to the General Secretariat. It is not a Read more