Ahead of a Vatican conference, several church officials have emphasised the importance of empowering laypeople without “clericalising” them. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, spoke of “co-responsibility” between clergy and laity, saying, “It does not mean that the laity in the church have to become clerics, and clerics Read more
On Friday, the Palmerston North Diocese Administrator, Fr Craig Butler (pictured) acknowledged the diocese’s responsibility to show care, and outreach to those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. A significant portion of the area on the east coast of the North Island is in the Palmerston North diocese, and in the absence of a bishop, Butler is Read more
In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the people of New Zealand. Renewing his appeal for Turkey and Syria earthquake victims, Francis also turned his attention to New Zealand. “I am close to the people of New Zealand, who have been hit in recent days by a devastating cyclone. Read more
Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec has stated that pastors should help their people grow in a relationship with Jesus as shepherds, not be their bosses. Lacroix was speaking at a press conference previewing a three-day Vatican meeting on how to improve collaboration among laypeople, priests and bishops. Lacroix wants priests to recognise that laypeople Read more
Rumours swirling about the Anglican Communion in England’s recent ‘yes’ vote for same-sex blessings have been cleared up by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Decisions made by the Anglican Communion in England apply only to England. They don’t have an international reach, Justin Welby says. He reminded people of the autonomy of Anglican Provinces, as rumours Read more
Despite some international media saying the Oceania Continent Synod response was released recently, CathNews has confirmed it has not been. Recently released was the report of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ of Oceania Conference (FCBOC). In January, a church group of about twenty representatives from across the Pacific gathered in Melbourne to synthesise the responses Read more
At the very start of his pontificate nearly ten years ago, Pope Francis distinguished himself from his most recent predecessors by adopting an informal and colloquial way of communicating. He showed early on that he had no intention of merely reciting prepared speeches or sticking to the stodgy old Vatican script pertaining to protocols and Read more
Around 40 percent of the people in Amothic, South Sudan are eating leaves off trees to survive. Some of the children have diarrhoea from eating them. Half the village is eating their seed stocks too, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NCR) reports. While NRC is helping around 100,000 South Sudanese, those eating their seed stocks means Read more
Ireland’s former president, Mary McAleese, has accused Pope Francis of “misogynistic drivel”. McAleese’s comment followed an interview Francis had with a US-based Jesuit magazine last month. Women are not being deprived by being denied the right to become priests, he told America magazine last month. Emailing Francis via the Vatican, McAleese pulled no punches in Read more
Catholic schools will still be able to teach the Catholic faith, a Director of Religious Education at a prominent Catholic Secondary school told CathNews. Her comments followed an article published on the weekend suggesting religious education was being replaced by religious studies. The article went on to suggest religious studies would primarily focus on the Read more