A thick layer of pigeon poo droppings that have built up over the last decade from pigeons living in the broken Christ Church Cathedral will end up in landfill instead of being recycled into fertiliser. Up to two tonnes of pigeon poo has accumulated since the devastating February 2011 earthquake. Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement project Read more
When US Catholic bishops hold their next national meeting in June, they’ll be deciding whether to send a tougher-than-ever message to President Joe Biden and other Catholic politicians: Don’t receive Communion if you persist in public advocacy of abortion rights. At issue is a document that will be prepared for the US Conference of Catholic Read more
A social housing provider is demanding the government provide full wrap-around support to everyone living in emergency accommodation. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today indicated on Morning Report a commitment to ramping up support for those living in motels. Demand for emergency accommodation has exploded in recent years with the government now spending nearly a million Read more
A Catholic bishop from eastern Ukraine said tensions remain high despite an announced withdrawal of Russian forces. “Nothing has changed — the great bulk of Russian forces are still here, as fighting flares intermittently and people still die,” said Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol. “The east and south of Ukraine are areas of greatest Russification Read more
Love is all around us, as the song goes, but with Covid-19 also in the air, the number of couples opting to tie the knot last year more than halved compared to the year prior. More than 9,500 couples walked down the aisle last year, compared to 20,313 in 2019, new figures from the Central Read more
Three of the seven Catholic clergy who were kidnapped in Haiti more than a week ago have been released. Ten people were abducted in Croix-des-Bouquets, a town northeast of the capital Port-au-Prince, on April 11, including the seven clergy. The clergy abducted were a group of four priests and a nun from Haiti, as well Read more
A teenager with Down syndrome has been denied New Zealand residence because of the perceived burden she could place on the health and education systems. It’s a move that has disappointed a disability advocate, who says people with Down syndrome contribute to their communities, and not all have additional medical needs. The 17-year-old Indian citizen, Read more
The Church of England must include at least one candidate from a minority ethnic background on shortlists for bishops and other senior roles in a drive to rid the church of “racial sin”, a report says. All governing bodies within the church, including parish councils, should have at least 15% of minority ethnic representation by Read more
Our emergency housing situation seems to be at breaking point and the Government is being told to do more to solve the crisis. Green Party co-leader and associate housing minister Marama Davidson has come out saying some of our emergency housing is inhumane. She also says the way money is handed out to hotels, with Read more
Sri Lankan police have arrested a prominent Muslim lawmaker and his brother over suspected connections to the Easter Sunday suicide bombings in 2019 that killed 269 people. Rishad Bathiudeen is a former Cabinet minister who currently leads an opposition party in Sri Lanka’s Parliament. He and his brother, Reyaj Bathiudeen, were arrested in the capital Read more