Laypeople in an archdiocese of India’s Syro-Malabar Catholic Church have begun a round-the-clock vigil to block a Vatican-appointed administrator from gaining entry into the archbishop’s house. The protest revolves around how apostolic administrator Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, unilaterally revoked the dispensation allowing priests to celebrate Mass facing the people. The protesters want to continue with the Read more
Pope Francis announced Sunday that the planned 2023 gathering of bishops has been extended and will now take place in two stages. There will be one session in October 2023 and a second in October 2024. Resistance from some Church hierarchy and accusations the synodal process hasn’t been representative of laity were behind the Pope’s Read more
Antipodean New Zealand is not in the Holy See’s neighbourhood, but it is no real excuse for having two dioceses without bishops for so long, says Luke Coppen, in The Pillar. It is three years since Charles Drennan resigned as Bishop of Palmerston North. Coppen points out it appointing bishops in New Zealand has not Read more
Sixty years ago this week, Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, Vatican II, in St Peter’s Basilica. The council, which produced over a dozen documents and initiated sweeping reforms, is difficult to summarise. It is not any easier to summarise the timeline of reactions since those documents were promulgated. One reading goes like Read more
A New York judge has ruled that people in polyamorous (multi-person) relationships are entitled to the same legal protections as married people. In a ruling on a dispute over a rent-stabilised apartment, Judge Karen May Bacdayan of the Civil Court of the City of New York opined that the legal protection of same-sex relationships shouldn’t Read more
Fiji’s archbishop is warning that “new colonial forces” are moving into the Pacific Island nation. “Today, there are new colonial forces moving into Fiji,” says Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva. “There is the fear of China and Chinese extractive industries and companies. There are powerful multinational corporations taking their places. Big nations like Australia, Read more
“Faith seeking understanding” is a good definition of belief. Faith is our experience of God and belief is our attempt to express that experience in words and symbols. When we attempt to describe our experiences of God, we necessarily express ourselves in the symbols, words, and rituals that are products of our culture. All of Read more
The NZ Synod response cannot turn to custard. Issues only go away when they are dealt with. The New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference National Synthesis sent to Rome on 16th August 2022 completes New Zealand’s stage in the synodal process. Responses from each Diocese were categorized under 6 themes: Inclusion, Gathering, Leadership, Education & Formation, Read more
A group of Catholic protestors in southern India set fire to a copy of an archbishop’s letter instructing parishes to implement a new mode of celebrating the liturgy. Members of the Archdiocesan Movement for Transparency (AMT) set alight to the circular letter from Archbishop Andrews Thazhath outside Bishop’s House in Ernakulum, Kerela. Andrews Thazhath, the Read more
New diversity guidelines for the country’s 235 Catholic schools offer support for rangatahi with regard to sexual diversity. New Zealand’s Catholic bishops, who released the guidelines, say all young people in Catholic schools are to be welcomed, supported and encouraged. This is important as they navigate their journey from childhood to adult and discover more Read more