The Vatican, Friday, announced Cardinal John Dew’s resignation as Archbishop of Wellington last Friday. Dew (pictured right) explains “Canon law requires that bishops offer their resignation to the Holy Father when they reach 75 years of age, and yesterday I reached that age.” Pope Francis has accepted his resignation. “It is with sadness that I Read more
Anyone paying attention to religion in America has heard about the trend, especially among young Americans, toward disaffiliation with institutions, including the Catholic Church. So I arrived at a recent talk on “Seeking Common Ground Across Generations” prepared for dire and depressing statistics. But I walked away with hope, thanks to speaker Ellen Koneck, executive Read more
Leaders of the conservative wing of the Anglican Church have declared that they no longer recognise England’s Archbishop of Canterbury as first among equals. They are calling for a complete overhaul of how the global denomination is led. The primary cause of the rift among Anglican leaders is their differing opinions on homosexuality and same-sex Read more
In his April 26 message, the Pope emphasised the importance of listening to the experiences and perspectives of those on the margins of society. He stated that doing so enriches the Church’s life and ministry. “For the church is like a rich tapestry, made up of many individual threads that come from various peoples, languages Read more
A respected Christchurch Catholic priest was attacked on Good Friday. Assailants jumped on Father Alister Castillo at about 1am when he tried to help an injured person in Fendalton. “They just beat the living daylights out of me … I hope they recognise what they did was wrong,” he said. Castillo, who serves at the Read more
CCTV helped identify a man who, on Thursday, set fire to the Day Chapel in the Palmerston North Cathedral. According to the Cathedral Parish Priest, Fr Joseph Grayland, the man was caught on camera lighting the fire. Grayland says the fire shocked everyone. The alarm was raised by a man who is in Palmerston North Read more
Pope Francis is warning against the self-referential attitude of some lay ministers who become ‘puffed up’ by their ministry. Francis stressed the significance of lay ministers serving others rather than inflating their egos. “I get angry when I see lay ministers who — pardon the expression — are ‘puffed up’ by this ministry. This is Read more
Pope Francis, April 17, approved a decision that lay women and lay men will vote at the upcoming Synod of Bishops. The Vatican has always said while input from many was essential to a synod, bishops were tasked with discerning and voting. The move to allow lay women and lay men to vote at the Read more
New Council recommendations may see Christchurch’s new Catholic Cathedral precinct and 600-space parking building go ahead after all. This will come as a relief to developers and the Christchurch Catholic diocese. The diocese was providing $30 million towards development costs – funds it raised for the purpose. Plans with developers were well underway last month Read more
After being voted into a leadership role at her Catholic parish, a 78-year old nana decided she had to get her driver’s licence. She faced a few challenges, though. English is her second language. Sepiuta Skudder had never had a licence or even driven a car. Her husband or one of the children always drove Read more