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
The 2024 Catholic Education Convention has had just finished a successful three days at the TSB Arena in Wellington, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference says. The convention brought together Catholic educators, bishops, priests, school trustees and a range of others associated with our national Catholic education system. Catholic schools educate 8.1pc of the country’s Read more
New Zealand’s latest synod consultation document is on its way to Rome. It – and other documents from all over the globe – will contribute to the global Synod on Synodality meeting in October. The Synod has been underway since 2021 and concludes in Rome after the October meeting finishes. Pope Francis established the Synod Read more
NZ Catholic Bishop Steve Lowe (pictured) is dismayed Easter trading – and the current ban on it – is up for change. He’s concerned about the ACT Party’s Easter Trading bill, which was drawn in a ballot just before Easter. “I guess when I read about this, I groaned. I thought: ‘Here we go again’. Read more
The Vatican has responded to Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen’s request for help dealing with unauthorised exorcisms and related spiritual abuse in the Diocese. The retired bishop of Toowoomba, Robert McGuckin (pictured), has been tasked with conducting an Apostolic Visitation to investigate the allegations. The former professor of Canon Law at the University of Notre Read more
The New Zealand Catholic bishops’ election statement wants elected politicians to focus on issues that matter. They say that scandals and trivia that dominate public debate shouldn’t be on the 2023 election agenda. The bishops’ Election Statement for the 2023 General Election says increasing numbers of people are becoming disillusioned and people are disenfranchised because Read more
Financial compensation is just a starting point for a survivor of abuse at the Marylands School – he is calling for more. Darryl Smith suffered at the hands of the John of God Brothers in Australia and New Zealand. He has already undergone a redress settlement process in Australia and received compensation from the Queensland Read more