A Pakistani national, allegedly behind a transnational human trafficking syndicate operating between South Africa and several Asian countries, has been arrested. Ten Bangladeshi nationals were rescued in a raid in downtown Johannesburg. For a month, detectives from the serious organised crime unit at SAPS national head office have been assisted by crime intelligence agents in Read more
Former Marist brother Kevin Healy has been sentenced to a third term of home detention, this time for three months, for the indecent assault of boys in his care. Judge Chris Sygrove told Healy, 82, on Friday that he should have spent a “long time in jail” as a younger man for his serial sexual Read more
According to statistics released on Friday by the Vatican, the number of Catholics worldwide increased by an estimated 16 million in 2020 to 1.36 billion. The rise was in line with global population growth in the year that the coronavirus pandemic swept the planet, reported Vatican News, the online news portal of the Holy See. Read more
Those running the region’s foodbanks warn as the cost of living increases so too will financial hardship and the queues of people looking for assistance. According to Statistics New Zealand, food prices in New Zealand have increased 4.5 per cent in the year ending December 2021, pushed by an increase of 2.6 per cent in Read more
Sister Andre Randon, a French nun, celebrated her 118th birthday on February 11. This milestone makes her the second-oldest living person in the world and the oldest living person in Europe, according to the Gerontology Research Group which validates details of people believed to be 110 or older. In anticipation of the big day, the Read more
A pregnant Pakistani woman had a nail hammered into her head by a faith healer who said it would guarantee she gave birth to a boy, a doctor said Wednesday. Exploitative faith healers, whose practices are rooted in mystic Sufi lore, are common across Muslim-majority Pakistan despite the disapproval of some schools of Islam. In Read more
A project to create small gated communities in rural towns exclusively for Catholic families has drawn criticism in France. But this is the plan from Monasphère, a real estate development company that two young Catholic entrepreneurs founded in 2021. “We propose a form of thematic housing – like an eco-hamlet – around Christian spiritual sites,” Read more
New Plymouth ratepayers might have to pay the Catholic Church nearly $2 million for a Bell Block section for which they have paid just $37 in rent since 1984. The Wynyard St section, which is occupied by pensioners in nine separate flats and has been independently valued at $1.95 million, has been rented by the Read more
An Australian nun, whose rock version of the Lord’s Prayer once competed against Elvis for a Grammy, has died. Sister Janet Mead wanted to reach young people, so she started singing rock music. But she was never comfortable with fame and devoted her life to charity work. Her 1973 version of the Lord’s Prayer, featuring Read more
Cardinal John Dew, apostolic administrator of Palmerston North diocese, announced clergy appointments in the diocese, saying he is limiting the changes because of “staffing challenges” that will impact the provision of Masses and pastoral care. “I hope this gives everyone the bigger picture. Changes will need to be made when it comes to local planning Read more