The Catholic Bishops of Papua New Guinea have published a wide ranging open letter addressed to the political leaders of the country. In the open letter they recognise the value of the good relationship the Catholic Church has with Government in Papua New Guinea. They say it is one of mutual respect and express the Read more
The Budget largely fails to address the root causes of poverty, provide more affordable and social housing, or adequately protect our environment says the The Justice and Peace Commission for the Catholic Diocese of Auckland. The Commission says: The Budget fails to adequately address the legitimate redistribution of economic benefits by the state as discussed Read more
This Easter the Greens and Labour parties and a 11,00 strong union have called for businesses to respect Easter trading laws. FIRST Union retail secretary Maxine Gay said retailers who opened on Good Friday were being “greedy”, with little regard for workers’ and families’ need. “Retail workers have among the fewest rights in the country Read more
St Patrick is one of a handful of Christian saints, along with Mary, Valentine and Francis, that is celebrated in popular culture. His feast day is commemorated with supermarket meat sales, green rivers, green beer, and (my favourite) parades. But who was the real St Patrick? Most people know that the missionary Patrick (Patricius or Pádraig) Read more
An interdenominational Christian Ministry, The Fortress of Faith, welcomed three newly qualified prison ministry spiritual counsellors at a ceremony at their Moto’otua base last Friday. The Fortress of Faith founder, Ruta Poulos, told the Sunday Samoan that this is the second year of the programme. The first training was conducted by Pastors from Hawai’i, the 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
“every person is immensely holy and deserves our love. Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God’s faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our heart is filled with faces Read more
On Sunday Justin Duckworth, The Anglican Bishop of Wellington begun a week-long vigil in a small cabin to draw attention to penal reform. This week, the Anglican Church is focusing on prisoner rehabilitation and how to stop reoffending with alternatives other than prison. Bishop Justin preached at the 10am service in the Cathedral on Sunday Read more
The former Wages Council chairman Father Kevin Barr has commended the government’s effort to set up a minimum wage baseline for workers in Fiji. Based on the findings of the National Minimum Wage Baseline Survey, two dollars and thirty two cents an hour is now the proposed minimum wage. Barr says the new proposed rate Read more