The Taliban have excluded girls from Afghan secondary schools, with only boys and male teachers allowed back into classrooms. Schoolgirls told the BBC they were devastated not to be returning. “Everything looks very dark,” one said. Taliban officials who seized power last month said they were working to reach a decision on the matter. Many Read more
The Government is considering filling unused refugee quota spots with at-risk Afghans, the first indication New Zealand may follow other countries in committing to taking refugees from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The confirmation came as a group of more than 15 former Afghan interpreters protested outside Parliament for a second day, demanding the immigration minister speak to Read more
A Slovak bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church, who met Pope Francis when the pontiff visited the central European country last week, tested positive for COVID-19 and is in self-quarantine, the church said. Pope Francis visited Hungary and Slovakia between Sep 12-15, which was his first trip since having surgery in July. He presided at a Read more
Simon Thompson is the new General Manager of the Christchurch Diocese. Currently, Thompson is Manager, Strategy and Planning at Ōtākaro Limited, the Crown-company responsible for the construction and operation of Te Pae Christchurch, New Zealand’s newest large-scale convention centre. He has also held positions at the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, Christchurch International Airport and Air Read more
France’s Notre Dame Cathedral is finally stable and secure enough for artisans to start rebuilding it, more than two years after the shocking fire that tore through its roof, knocked down its spire and threatened to bring the rest of the medieval monument down, too. The government agency overseeing the reconstruction announced in a statement Read more
When Pary Gul, a Christian woman from Afghanistan, met Pope Francis Sep 22, she gave him her wedding ring as a reminder of her husband, who has disappeared and may be dead. According to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis accepted the ring, but only on the condition that Gul keep it for him Read more
A Holocaust survivor has thanked Pope Francis for highlighting anti-Semitism during his visit to Central Europe. The Hungarian-born Jewish writer Edith Bruck expressed her gratitude in a letter given to the pope on Sept 15 during his in-flight press conference at the end of the four-day trip to Hungary and Slovakia. The pope met Jewish Read more
Draped in a superman costume, a Pompallier Catholic College student has won a grand prize of many laughs and $3000 in a road safety short film competition. Northland Road Safety Trust (NRST) in partnership with Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) introduced the “Drive in the Moment” road safety initiative to secondary schools in Whangārei and Read more
It’s billed as the largest Catholic parish in the United States and it’s being constructed about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, in what’s often referred to “as the heart of California’s dairy industry.” With an estimated $18.5 million price tag, St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church will seat 3,200 people, will encompass approximately 33,000 square Read more
Deportation of Pasifika overstayers is continuing despite the global Covid-19 pandemic putting pressure on island nations. Fiji has been particularly ravaged by the virus of late, with hospitals overrun with infected patients. And yet New Zealand, with its largely successful Covid response, continues to deport members of the Pasifika community – with 17 people sent Read more