A vivid, multicultural portrayal of Jesus now graces the halls of St Joseph’s Cathedral School in Dunedin. The mural, which veers away from traditional iconography, aims to represent a more modern and inclusive image of Jesus Christ and is the work of a unique collaboration between local artist Aroha Novak and the school’s pupils. Novak, Read more
After reading last week’s column, “Global warming is here and getting worse,” my brother, who is president of a Jesuit high school, responded, “Great article, but you just describe the problems. I’d never let you out of my office until you gave me a solution.” The good news is there are ways to reduce and Read more
A couple of months ago, I was at a dinner party with a professor of one of the hard sciences at Cambridge. The talk turned to AI, and he told us the following story. He had asked ChatGPT to write one of the essays that he sets his students. The result, he said, was a Read more
Pope Francis assured one of the world’s smallest Catholic communities, Mongolia, that size does not matter to God. “God loves littleness, and through it, he loves to accomplish great things,” Pope Francis said during an address in Mongolia at Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul on September 2. Doubling down, he urged the Church Read more
Migrant exploitation and its prevention are current concerns for Immigration New Zealand (INZ). The concern follows media exposure of numerous shameful examples of migrant workers coming to New Zealand and finding themselves without work, money or suitable accommodation. On Monday, INZ said it had received 711 complaints against accredited employers, with 154 being investigated for Read more
The Catholic Church in New Zealand is setting its sights on introducing an inclusive lectionary for Mass. Improved translations for the opening and post-Communion prayers are also under consideration. The initiative was confirmed by Bishop Stephen Lowe, president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the bishops’ representative on the International Commission on English Read more
It is proverbial wisdom that ‘One picture is worth a thousand words.’ That is certainly true of the picture above – it is worth many thousands of words as we approach the synod in October. Dare I say it, it is worth a thousand of the numbered statements in Denzinger! Please study the picture closely. Read more
Jan-Anders Pettersson struck a note of humility when describing attendance at Pentecostal Jönköping, a church in this downtown near the shore of Lake Vattern. “Unfortunately, it is summer so we only have 1,200 or so in church on Sunday!” he said. Normally, 2,400 people might attend a worship service in the large sanctuary. On this Read more
Pope Francis has openly criticised what he terms the “backwardness” exhibited by certain conservative factions within the US Catholic Church. The pontiff pointed out that, in some instances, political ideology has begun to overshadow genuine faith. This can prompt a displacement of core religious values. Francis made the comments on August 5 in a private Read more
A man carrying a hammer and a meat cleaver attacked a high-profile anti-mafia priest in Rome during a march against organised crime this week. Father Antonio Coluccia is known for his efforts to rescue young people from the drug trade. Coluccia immediately vowed the assault won’t interrupt his work. “I will continue my fight which Read more