“Abhorrent and should never have happened” is how Archbishop Paul Martin describes the sexual abuse at Marylands School. Martin is responding in a media release to the Royal Commission’s interim report Stolen Lives, Marked Souls. The report into the St John of God brothers’ Marylands School in Christchurch was released on Wednesday. Martin suggests it Read more
Following allegations of unauthorised exorcisms, Bishop Michael Gielen has suspended all exorcisms in the Christchurch diocese and ordered a comprehensive review of the practice. Gielen is currently in Portugal at World Youth Day. The announcement arrives in the wake of a report by TV3 journalist Michael Morrah that exposed alleged unapproved exorcisms conducted by the Read more
The recent television reporting of exorcisms and potential abuse by a fringe religious group in the Diocese of Christchurch is deeply disturbing on several levels. Poor Church communication is in the spotlight. The nub of the issue is why a fringe group, that does not belong to the mainstream of the Church and does not Read more
Three of four New Zealand Catholic bishops (NZCBC), the national body for the bishops of New Zealand have new leadership roles. With two dioceses still waiting for a bishop, New Zealand has only four bishops and the changes follow the retirement of Cardinal John Dew. The positions were announced following the Conference meeting in Auckland Read more
The new pastoral guidelines concerning gender and sexuality are “groundbreaking”, says New Ways Ministry’s Robert Shine. Primarily targeting Catholic educators, “Aroha and Diversity in Catholic Schools” is the opposite of so many policies which have harmed students and upset school communities in recent years, Shine comments. The document clearly shows the bishops’ core concern is Read more
New diversity guidelines for the country’s 235 Catholic schools offer support for rangatahi with regard to sexual diversity. New Zealand’s Catholic bishops, who released the guidelines, say all young people in Catholic schools are to be welcomed, supported and encouraged. This is important as they navigate their journey from childhood to adult and discover more Read more
Catholics are being urged to support New Zealand’s under-funded hospices and palliative care services. Donating, volunteering in hospice shops and asking members of Parliament and the Government to make palliative care a priority are some options. NZ Catholic Bishops Conference Secretary, Bishop Stephen Lowe, says hospices provide a free service to 20,000 palliative care patients Read more
New Zealand’s National Synod Synthesis has been compiled and released to the public. The diocesan documents were synthesised at a national meeting held in Wellington in June. The introduction to the national document says participants throughout the country “spoke positively and with love about the place the Church has in their lives. “They want the Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference’s Council for Young People is making plans to send delegates to World Youth Day (WYD) 2023. They have received the go-ahead from the bishops and are now on a countdown to the big event. Although the Covid epidemic delayed the international get-together for a year, Pope Francis has confirmed Read more
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops are inviting all Catholics in New Zealand to join with them and others across the globe to pray with Pope Francis as he consecrates Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. New Zealand’s bishops are asking Catholics to offer special prayers for everyone caught in the Ukraine war by Read more