Be the Change, Catholic Church, Aotearoa New Zealand chose Sunday - the day before the anniversary of women's suffrage day - to mount their installation where dozens of pairs of shoes were placed so they led to the Catholic cathedrals in central Auckland and Wellington.

Splashes of pink - including among the shoes - coloured the occasion, along with music, singing and speeches.

The shoes signify the largely unpaid work women have done for the Church throughout the ages, organisers say. Their contributions were recorded in accompanying printed vignettes.

Despite women often being in the majority of organisers and participants in any Catholic congregation and liturgical celebration, their role in the church is not equal, organisers point out.

The Catholic Church continues the injustice of refusing to recognise women's worth by denying them equality in leadership roles, Pink Shoes into the Vatican say.

Best wishes came from Steve Lowe, Catholic bishop of Auckland.

Apologising to "Pink Shoes into the Vatican" group for his inability to be with them in person, Lowe wrote a supportive letter.

"While there have been and continue to be a litany of amazing women throughout this history of the Church, your presence and voice today is a reminder that you are the Church and Church's need to change," he said.

"Thank you for your prophetic hikoi to the Cathedral today, which is ultimately a call to respect the dignity that flows from our being created male and female in the image and likeness of our God.

"Your voice today echoes the voice of women throughout the world who, as part of the current synodal process, are calling on the Church to reflect the inherent dignity of women in the leadership of the Church... May we have the courage not to get stuck in structures that are not necessarily of God."

In the absence of the bishop, the Administrator of St Patrick's Cathedral, Chris Denham, received the women's statement and gave them Lowe's letter of support.

"When Fiona and Christina visited me a couple of months ago, they presented me with Kate's pink shoes. They (the shoes) remain in my office and are certainly a talking point. They also remind me I too need to change," Lowe wrote.

Wellington's Coadjutor Archbishop Paul Martin, however, denied the Pink Shoes into the Vatican group publicity for their shoe installation. He also wrote to parishes in the Wellington archdiocese requesting they do the same.

"Since the archbishop's edict to parishes not to advertise this event, one woman has written of her indignation. Others have asked, 'what was he thinking?'" a Wellington organiser Cecily McNeil told the group.

She invited the Archbishop to read the first few paragraphs in the archdiocesan synod synthesis.

With Cardinal Dew in the South Island and Martin in Rome, there was no one to receive the predominantly women's group in Wellington.

Priest, Jim Dooley, spoke at the Wellington gathering saying his fellow priests did not understand equality because, in their priestly formation, they were exposed to a different set of principles.

He said, to applause, that what the women were looking for was a "no brainer."

Dooley equated the church's treatment of women to slavery, a reference to the fact that in most churches, women do much of the work - cleaning and pastoral work as well as liturgical preparation, almost always for no pay.

Source

• Be the Change
• Letter of Bishop Steve Lowe
• Supplied: Be the Change Wellington.

On 27 September, in the most detailed statement to date from any Church or the State, Catholic Church leaders expressed deep regret and committed to concrete actions to address the systemic failures that contributed to the abuse.

"We are deeply sorry to victims and survivors, as well as their whanau" stated Bishop Steve Lowe, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, and Fr Tom Rouse, President of the Congregational Leaders Council.

"We know that words alone are not enough; we must demonstrate our apology by taking responsibility and through concrete actions."

Tight timeline

The Royal Commission's final report required responses within a tight two-month timeline.

While accepting 70 percent of the Commission's findings, the Church could not fully accept some.

Acknowledging the timeline constraints, Lowe and Rouse said that the Church would continue assessing the findings and provide a more comprehensive response in due course.

Church use of psychological assessment

One critical area highlighted in the report was the Church's reliance on psychiatric evaluations to determine whether abusers could be rehabilitated.

While the Church agreed that reliance on psychiatric advice led to some offenders being reassigned to new roles, it defended this practice as being "best practice" at the time.

The Church admitted that "with hindsight, much of the professional psychiatric advice it received was incorrect".

However, the Church notes that it continues to recognise that medical professionals' opinions remain part of the process in contemporary responses to professional misconduct or abuse.

Forgiveness over safeguarding

The report also criticised the Church's tendency to prioritise forgiveness over safeguarding and accountability.

The Church acknowledged that there was a tendency to regard abusive behaviour as a "moral failure" rather than recognising its psycho-sexual nature.

Statistics differ

In its report, the Royal Commission stated that a higher proportion of survivors were in faith settings than in State care.

The religious leaders disputed some statistical claims, particularly the 'higher proportion' claim.

"Our own research presents a different perspective" the Church stated, underlining a discrepancy in the interpretation of data.

It said further work would need to be done to make an adequate comparative analysis.

Inadequate training

The Church acknowledged its historical failures in training those responsible for the care of children and vulnerable adults.

It admitted that inadequate training and a lack of understanding contributed to the harmful environment in the past.

However, by the 1990s, the Church began actively encouraging disclosures of abuse and, more recently, mandatory police vetting and safeguarding training have been implemented for all those involved with children and vulnerable adults.

Power imbalance

In response to the Commission's finding that there is a power imbalance between religious, clergy and parishioners, the Church acknowledged this.

It noted an imbalance is inherent in the relationship between clergy and parishioners, particularly during the period examined by the Inquiry.

Slow to change

In response to the Royal Commission's criticism that the Church was slow to implement changes to prevent abuse, Lowe and Rouse pointed out that some Catholic entities were "developing responses and implementing changes on par with or even ahead of state-based institutions".

They reiterated their commitment to addressing past failures and improving current practices to ensure accountability and healing.

Lowe and Rouse echoed recent comments from Palmerston North Bishop John Adams that the Church had made changes.

They reinforced the Church's pledge to be part of a broader, community-wide effort to use the report's findings as a catalyst for change.

Source

• Supplied NZCBC

The New Zealand Bishops Conference, in a report issued by Te Ropu Tautoko, says it also highlights areas where more work is needed.

Te Ropu Tautoko coordinated the Church's engagement with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

Te Ropu Tautoko says UK-based GCPS Consulting's assessment examined the implementation and suitability of safeguarding culture standards across the Catholic Church in New Zealand.

Unsafe institutions

The assessment revealed that up to 42 percent of those in faith-based care run by all denominations were abused from 1950 to 1999 - the period the Royal Commission focused on.

"The assumed moral authority and trustworthiness of clergy and religious leaders allowed abusers in faith-based institutions to perpetrate abuse and neglect with impunity" says Royal Commission advisor Arrun Soma.

"Religious beliefs were often used to justify the abuse and neglect and to silence survivors.

"Hierarchical and opaque decision-making processes impeded scrutiny and making complaints", he told the New Zealand Parliament in July this year.

A 2020 briefing from the Catholic Church previously noted abuse accusations against 14 percent of its New Zealand clergy during those decades.

Better safeguarding planned

The President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference, Bishop Steve Lowe, is encouraged by the range of approaches that are working well and acknowledges the areas that need further strengthening.

Critical recommendations for Catholic safeguarding in New Zealand include:

• Increased dialogue with survivors and their representatives
• Regular public reporting on the number of cases reported to Church authorities
• Ensuring documents are more accessible for people from a range of backgrounds
• Seeking to undertake investigations in a more timely manner
• Assessing the Church's allocation of resources on prevention and responding to complaints and concerns
• Ensuring safeguarding is embedded in all roles for those working in the Church

"We are grateful for the dedicated and knowledgeable people we have guiding our safeguarding initiatives, but it is important that we provide them with the appropriate support and promote collaboration and ongoing development for them" Lowe says.

Father Thomas Rouse, President of the Congregational Leaders Conference, stresses the need for increased dialogue with survivors and their representatives.

"The road towards a sense of truth, of justice, of healing is one we must walk with those who have been abused in our settings" he says.

Rouse and Lowe want their organisations to develop an official plan to respond to the Royal Commission's findings.

Source

• Crux Now
• Catholic News Agency
• Errors made in an earlier version of this article have been rectified.

While the print newspaper is the last of 100 years of Catholic publications owned and operated by Bishops of Auckland, it will return.

At least that's the current plan says Auckland's Catholic bishop, Steve Lowe.

It'll be a 21st century digital paper, with Lowe expecting the first edition before the end of the year.

For a nostalgic look back at past editions, follow this link

A print era, that is.

Print edition will be missed

"I liked the NZ Catholic because I could catch up with current news about Catholic NZ ... seminarians, Vinnies, ordinations, school successes, photos and so on. They aren't in mainstream media" Mary told CathNews.

"I hope the new publication will cover the range of news."

"I loved the letters" said Veronica.

These points are backed up by former editor Pat McCarthy who regrets the loss of NZ Catholic.

NZ Catholic was the only consistent source of national news coverage for Catholics. It recorded events, issues, opinions and the highs and lows of Catholic life.

McCarthy is concerned that a potential news vacuum will encourage further fragmentation of the Church

He said NZ Catholic's quality was recognised by over 100 awards from its peers in the Australasian Catholic and interdenominational press.

Communication builds community

McCarthy told CathNews that his understanding of Catholic media's importance developed while he was managing editor.

He elaborated - "Communities come into existence through communication, and the Catholic Church needs Catholic media to hold it together."

David McLoughlin expressed concern. He is journalist who has worked in media for many years and is also a member of the Australasian Catholic Press Association.

He wrote to CathNews - "I find the diminishing and fragmentation of both Catholic and secular media of great concern.

"In a world of rapid change, I believe it is very important that as many people as possible have access to reliable, professional journalism to give them accurate and timely news and other information about what is happening locally, nationally and internationally.

"Professional, curated news can of course be found online, and there are many very good online news services including Catholic ones."

However, he told CathNews that he is worried that surveys in New Zealand and overseas indicate fewer and fewer people trust mainstream professional news services.

He finds it alarming that many people get their news from social media which he describes as "a fragmented, largely uncurated whirlpool".

"I don't think these are good developments" he said.

To allay this vacuum and social media "whirlpool" McCarthy wants to see an online national news service.

However, as well as a visionary he's also a realist.

"The institutional Church is unlikely to provide this in a time of general retrenchment. So it must be done independently - as with major Catholic media outlets in the United Kingdom, North America and Europe.

"Such a service will never pay its way. News is not a commodity but a public good, something essential for a community's life, and its value is not related to whether or not it makes a profit."

McCarthy says he has circulated a proposal for establishing such a service and that expressions of interest have come from around the country.

He notes however that major financial backing will be necessary.

Bishop Lowe upbeat

However the publisher of NZ Catholic, Bishop Steve Lowe, is upbeat about the possibility of the new digital format.

He says the first edition could be expected before the end of the year.

"We intend developing a new monthly digital publication with enhanced use of video" he says.

"This will allow us to continue to share news, comment and reflections to inform, record and inspire our community in the Diocese of Auckland and beyond.

"This role will focus initially on producing videos that include prayer, homilies, event highlights, appeals, teaching, explaining and helping to encourage a healthy dialogue [that] our world so desperately needs."

Farewell and thank you

"At this time, it is right to give thanks for the work of the NZ Catholic staff, past and present" says Lowe.

"They have been amazing.

"They have told the stories of our Church and society. They have published the joys and the sorrows of people's lives.

"They have sincerely used the written word to point to Jesus Christ the Word.

"Thank you also to the contributors from across the country and the promoters in parishes.

"Your stories of people and communities will remain a treasure of the Church's history in New Zealand."

Possible printed version

NZ Catholic understands that people who cannot access the free digital content will be able to receive a printed version of the new digital NZ Catholic.

There is no mention of the cost.

Source

• NZ Catholic
• Interviews

The Catholic Bishop of Auckland, Steve Lowe, confirmed the 27-year old publication's closure and thanked NZ Catholic readers for their faithful support.

Subscribers are offered refunds for their prepaid subscription.

NZ Catholic's closure will bring to an end a 150-year tradition of hardcopy national Catholic news media publications.

Old stalwarts like the NZ Tablet (published by the Dunedin diocese) and the Auckland diocese's Zealandia have long closed.

New publication

NZ Catholic was launched by the Auckland diocese as a new national Catholic newspaper in 1996, after the Zealandia and NZ Tablet closed.

It immediately won the Australasian Catholic Press Association's award for the best Catholic newspaper in Australasia. Over the following 10 years, it gained more than 50 awards for excellence in content and design.

Its first website won the Australasian Religious Press Association's top online award for "reinventing the concept of a website for a print publication".

At its peak the paper had a circulation of over 7000, with six full-time staff as well as part-timers and volunteers.

Currently it has fewer than 1000 subscribers and a staff of four, not all full-timers.

Not sustainable

Lowe - the NZ Catholic publisher - says it is no longer sustainable to publish a printed paper.

A new monthly digital publication with "enhanced use of video" would be developed.

In an article for NZ Catholic's 20th anniversary, founding editor Pat McCarthy recalled that some predicted it would be a short-lived publication.

He said gloomy predictions about its future were underscored by the deep south's "Can anything good come out of Auckland?" wariness.

North-South divide

The Dunedin-based Tablet and the Auckland-based Zealandia had been negotiating a possible merger back in the mid-1990s

Talks were underway when the Tablet board decided to cease publication.

Yet the word down south was that the Tablet was forced to fold because the Aucklanders had broken off discussions.

When Auckland closed Zealandia and launched NZ Catholic, McCarthy said many influential Catholics would have agreed with archdiocesan paper Wel-com's assessment - Auckland diocese had "jumped the gun".

The NZ Catholic's first issue stoked the Dunedin-Auckland friction when its lead story reported the decision to move the national seminary, Holy Cross College, from Mosgiel to Auckland.

Dunedin Bishop Len Boyle said that was a blow worse than losing the Ranfurly Shield.

Not surprised

"I believe NZ Catholic has been on borrowed time" McCarthy told CathNews.

"But even with its reduced circulation, it has still been the only regular source of national news coverage within the Church. No one else covers many of its stories.

"The question is: What will replace it — or will Catholics in New Zealand be left without any national source of news about what is happening in their Church?

"To me the solution is to establish a comprehensive online Catholic news service to keep the Catholic community informed."

McCarthy said he could see two possibilities, but both would require a large amount of capital.

Source

• NZ Catholic

He's concerned about the ACT Party's Easter Trading bill, which was drawn in a ballot just before Easter.

"I guess when I read about this, I groaned. I thought: 'Here we go again'. It's coming up every year, it's coming up every holiday break, but often what we're forgetting about is people and families."

CathNews has learnt that Catholic churches around the country were well attended, with many reporting a 'Standing Room Only' situation.

The bill

ACT MP Cameron Luxton's bill seeks to remove restrictions on laws surrounding trading and selling alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

As described, the current rules seem complicated, with complete bans, some exceptions and local council rules crowding the rule books.

Profits before people

Unions aren't happy with the changes the bill is proposing.

Like Lowe, First Union spokesperson Rudd Hughes is concerned about the people who will be affected by a change in law.

A law change would mean workers lose two of the three-and-a-half days they're currently guaranteed to have off. At present they get Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and the morning of ANZAC Day off, he says.

"It's another attack by this current Government on workers" Hughes says.

"The only thing they seem to hold sacrosanct is the pursuit of profit over the welfare of people."

Positive change

A Tauranga business that normally benefits from exemptions to trade says a more uniform approach is needed across the country.

"I just think simplicity, it'd be good for traders to have the option" café owner Hamish Carter says.

Others agree and say they'd like people to have a choice about what they do.

Luxton's thinking

Luxton sees his bill as contributing to ACT's campaign against needless and costly legislation.

"My Member's Bill will remove a burden on businesses by relieving the dumb restrictions on trading on Good Friday and Easter Sunday" he says.

"It just doesn't make sense that bar staff spend much of Easter telling customers when they can drink, how long they have to drink it, how much they are required to eat, and what they have to eat.

"How about we start treating adults like adults?

"It's quite simple — if you want to trade, you can.

"That's how a free society should operate.

"The Bill also looks after workers as it retains the existing employee protections that apply in respect of Easter Sunday and extends these protections to Good Friday."

It would amend the Shop Trading Hours Act to extend employee protections currently in place on Easter Sunday, such as the right to refuse work, to Good Friday as well.

Source

• NZ Catholic Bishops Conference
• Scoop
• RNZ
• 1News

"We give thanks for Efeso's ministry in our church and his mahi in the world.

"Please join me in praying for his family and all those who are struggling with this sad news. Rest in peace Efeso."

Brought up a Pentecostal Christian, Collins later converted to Catholicism.

Collins' life will be celebrated at Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau at midday on Thursday.

A man for justice

The Catholic Justice and Peace Commission is one of many organisations reeling from the loss of Collins.

"We especially extend our prayers and aroha to Fia, Efeso's wife, and whanau at this sad time" the Commission said.

Vicar for Social Impact and Communications Loraine Elliott remembers Efeso as a man of strong faith.

He was the first to ‘put his hand up, volunteer and support' at the Justice and Peace Commission Electoral Forum last September, she says.

The Forum was hosted by Caritas Aotearoa and facilitated by St Anne's Manurewa parishioners and young Justice and Peace Commission ‘Social Welfare and Antipoverty Committee' participants.

We will miss Efeso for his enthusiasm, humour, wit, deep faith, spirit of justice and readiness to muck in and get the job done, the Commission statement says.

"His inspiration for life and justice will be sadly and sorely missed."

Fake funeral livestream links

Multiple fake profiles impersonating Fa'anana Efeso Collins and fake livestream links have appeared on Facebook.

One page has more than 100 friends. Grotesquely, it not only advertises a hoax livestream link to his funeral, it uses snatched pictures of Collins and his family.

"To the best of my knowledge and from what I've seen, all of these pages with livestream details are not genuine or authentic pages" says the funeral home managing Collins' funeral.

Source

• NZ Herald
• Facebook
• Catholic Diocese of Auckland
• RNZ
• NewsHub
• NZ Herald
• Wikipedia
• RNZ

The modernisation seeks to fill a twenty-six-year gap and reflect some of the modern challenges.

Dr John Kleinsman, director of the NZ Catholic bishops' Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics, is delighted with the bishops' update.

Kleinsman describes the new document as a "succinct overview of eight key moral areas, including a new section on information technology and artificial intelligence."

Among the modern challenges the bishops consider

• Information technology and artificial intelligence
• Justice and correction systems
• War and peace
• Poverty
• Discrimination and abuse
• End-of-life issues
• Beginning of life issues
• Integrity of Creation

Kleinsman says that people generally know what the Chucrh teaches but are unsure of why.

Te Kahu o te Ora - A Consistent Ethic of Life summarises key points which can give people greater insights into Catholic thinking, comments Kleinsman.

"It is a great source for open and informed discussions", says Kleinsman who, as well as being a theologian, is a married man, father and grandfather.

The original Te Kahu o te Ora was inspired by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's A Consistent Ethic of Life.

Bernardin's work grew from his observation that we must act consistently because all human life is sacred.

It was Bernadin's view that it was inconsistent to protect life in some situations but not in others.

In the years following Roe v. Wade, Bernardin argued that human life is always valuable and must be respected consistently from conception to natural death.

Being pro-life is not only about abortion or euthanasia.

Being pro-life must encompass war, poverty, access to health care, education and anything that threatens human life or human wellbeing, he argued.

Stephen Lowe, the Bishop of Auckland, the Apostolic Administrator of Hamilton and President of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, describes the update as "Opportune".

Lowe says human life and emerging challenges are interconnected.

"The essence of Te Kahu o te Ora is the interconnectedness of all life, from the womb to the Earth," he said.

Lowe says Pope Benedict put it well some years ago:

"There are so many kinds of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of God's darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast."

"While traditional human life issues continue to need our attention, we are now facing many new problems, all interlinked.

"The key message of Te Kahu o te Ora is that everything is connected, whether it is life in the womb or the life of the Earth," Lowe repeated.

Sources

• Supplied
• Catholic Sun

The Waikato Times reports a woman from within the Hamilton Catholic diocese saying that in a meeting with Lowe, she told him she was raped by a Catholic priest who had visited her house to perform a blessing.

In the course of the conversation, the Times discloses the woman says Lowe told her, "SNAP have blown things out of proportion at the Royal Commission [of Inquiry into Abuse in Care]."

The comments left her feeling "the church has let me down," she says.

"I was shaking, and it caused me to cry because the Bishop brought back a feeling that what the priest did to me was not significant.

"When survivors speak up against the abuse then the Bishop thinks this is out of proportion. I would like to know what a proportionate response is to being raped by a priest, as I was."

With legal matters continuing, the Waikato Times sought an interview with Lowe about the woman's experience but says the diocese responded with an emailed statement from Lowe.

Quoting from part of the email, The Times reports Lowe indicated he had been "actively helping [the woman] in my role as Bishop.

"I am not able to breach the confidentiality of my work with her by discussing it in public."

However, the abuse victim complained to a Catholic abuse Survivor network (SNAP) about Lowe and his response to her disclosure.

Against the background of ongoing legal matters, SNAP's national leader Dr Christopher Longhurst is looking to Lowe for a more pastoral resolution to his comment and the effect it had on the woman.

"I am sorry that Bishop Lowe has not been upfront with an explanation as to what he said," says Longhurst. "I do not believe this has anything to do with confidentiality. Privacy and confidentiality pertain to personal information, not to process or requests for clarification."

"To me, the Bishop's response seems like an example of the three Ds of avoiding accountability: deny, deflect, diffuse. A straightforward and honest response to our request for clarification would have been more appropriate," Longhurst adds.

"Stonewalling, silence and denial are the constant response from this Bishop," says Longhurst.

Longhurst feels an apology to the woman "would have been more appropriate and is still warranted".

Source

• The Waikato Times

Emphasising its importance, Lowe, President of the New Zealand Bishops Conference, describes the document as "another step towards the future".

"This working document is the product of the process of the Church listening to and hearing what the People of God have said", Lowe comments in a news release from the Church's communications office.

To help avoid confusion, Lowe clarifies that Synod's Working Document is not the final word but published by Synod Secretariat, it sets the agenda for the Synod.

• Synod Working Document - PDF
• Synod Working Document - ePUB

Supplied

Lowe serves both as the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and President of the New Zealand Bishops' Conference.

The fake social media accounts impersonating Lowe have surfaced on Meta's Facebook and Messenger platforms and, in responding to the data breach, Lowe wishes it to be known that he will not send friend requests or contact anyone through social media.

The NZCBC also warns that his email account may have been falsified.

Commenting on the NZCBC Facebook post, Bernard Liddington suggests the fake account was obvious as the gender was erroneously listed as female.

In another comment, Stephen Kennedy quipped "So he's not coming for tea tomorrow night? But I'm making my special potato bake just like he asked."

Mark Chang commented with a tongue-in-cheek remark, "All part of God's plan, surely?"

At the time of writing, another person linked the data breach with Satan.

The Bishops' Conference recently ran a campaign to help people stay safe online.

They suggested people learn more about Facebook privacy, do a Facebook privacy check-up and manage their Facebook privacy settings.

Facebook and its associated applications - Instagram, WhatsApp, and its most recent application, Threads (a Twitter clone) - are owned by the parent company, Meta.

These applications are free to use. However, Meta monetises user data to cover costs and provide shareholders with a healthy return.

Unfortunately, fake Facebook and Instagram accounts are common, and Meta has faced numerous privacy concerns stemming partly from its revenue model.

For example, Ireland's Data Protection Commission imposed a €1.2 billion fine last month against Facebook's parent, Meta, for failing to comply with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation laws.

According to one source, Meta profits by selling users' information and through targeting ads, attracting advertisers to its vast trove of data like vultures to carrion.

Donald Trump's successful use of Facebook data played a part in his election as President of the United States.

Facebook has always assured its users that their information is shared only with their consent and is anonymised before being sold to marketers. However, issues such as data breaches, platform vulnerabilities and the compromise of individual identities and private data regularly occur.

In response to escalating privacy concerns, some government agencies and groups with sensitive data on their work computers have prohibited the use of personal Meta accounts on work computers and mobile devices.

Tech journalist Leo Laporte describes Meta as "capricious". "If it's free, then you're the product" he often says when discussing Facebook's privacy issues.

Sources

• NZ Catholic Bishop's Conference Facebook
• Twit.tv
• Wikipedia
• How Facebook uses big data
• Washington Post
• Security Now - Steve Gibson

Lowe reports that 69 grants have been given to charities and agencies throughout greater Auckland to help families, people and communities in need.

"The outpouring of generosity throughout the country and overseas has been humbling," he says.

"Your gifts have already helped so many begin their recovery from these severe weather events."

Lowe says his Foundation is committed to supporting social services and community groups to reach those in need, especially families.

Mid-February, Lowe offered to expand the range of the Caring Foundation's reach, calling it a national appeal that also covers the damage in the Hamilton and Palmerston North dioceses (ie Coromandel, Gisborne, Napier/Wairoa).

Donations - the stats

Lowe reports many donations helped the Caring Foundation gather tens of thousands of dollars.

They included:

• 1200 donors - individuals, parishes, schools, religious congregations, ethnic communities
• 27 schools - which held fundraising activities

Between them:

• $621,000 was raised: $281,000 for the cyclone appeal; $340,000 for the flood appeal.

Lowe says some money has been sent to foodbanks, parishes and social agencies. Bedding, clothing and furniture have been frequently purchased items, he notes.

He says the donations were also used to help in some schools where the disasters had severely impacted students, helping students pay for school uniforms and stationery.

"Thank you for being a lifeline to our sisters and brothers in these challenging times." Lowe says.

Source

• Caring Foundation

Lowe is responding to a piece by Luke Coppen in The Pillar, suggesting the Vatican has forgotten about New Zealand's need to find two bishops.

Coppen points out that the Diocese of Palmerston North has been leaderless for more than three years, and on December 17 it will be a year since Lowe moved from Hamilton to become Bishop of Auckland.

"The process of appointing a bishop is not fast, and this can lead to frustration and speculation on what is happening.

"Behind the scenes, however, the process is happening," Lowe said to a recent media enquiry.

He said the process is in the hands of the Apostolic Nuncio. The Apostolic Nuncio is Pope Francis' diplomatic representative in New Zealand.

Coppen says the current Nuncio is Archbishop Novatus Rugambwa, who has served in this role since 2019.

He suggests Rugambwa might have a different model of Church than is commonly accepted in New Zealand.

Outlining the process to appoint a bishop, Lowe says the Apostolic Nuncio starts a process of consultations with a range of lay people and clergy to look at the pastoral needs of the diocese and suggest names for potential candidates.

The Nuncio then passes this information on to the department in the Vatican responsible for New Zealand, the Dicastery for Evangelisation, headed by Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle.

The Dicastery for Evangelisation then confirms a short list of possible candidates called a Terna, at which point the Nuncio starts a second consultation process.

The consultation is with a wide variety of lay people and clergy who are also asked to suggest others who might be consulted.

Once the consultation is complete, the Nuncio sends his report back to the Dicastery for Evangelisation who then makes the recommendation to Pope Francis.

When the Pope nominates a new bishop, the Nuncio informs the nominated priest that the Pope has appointed him as the bishop of a diocese and asks whether he is willing to accept.

At no point along the process are prospective candidates asked if they agree to their names going forward.

Coppen notes appointing bishops in New Zealand has not previously been too much of a problem, but his Excellency Archbishop Rugambwa did not respond to Coppen's request for comment.

In response to the same media request, Cardinal John Dew said: "The process to appoint new bishops for the two dioceses is underway and under the supervision of the Apostolic Nuncio, which is the standard way bishops are appointed."

On 29 March 2019, Pope Francis named Rugambwa apostolic nuncio to New Zealand and apostolic delegate to the countries of the Pacific Ocean. On 25 May, the responsibilities of Apostolic Nuncio to Fiji and to Palau were assigned to him, then on 30 November, he was given additional responsibility as Apostolic Nuncio to the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tonga.

On 17 April the following year, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Samoa, then on 2 February Rugambwa was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Cook Islands, a post that had been vacant since 2018, and on 30 March to Micronesia.

Other than the New Zealand dioceses of Palmerston North and Hamilton, currently, only one other diocese from the vast array of dioceses Rugambwa is responsible for is vacant, and this vacancy follows the August 7 death of Koru Tito bishop of Tarawa and Nauru.

Coppen suggested that an option the Vatican might consider is uniting the Hamilton and Palmerston North dioceses under one bishop without merging them. This process, known as linking dioceses in persona episcopi, has been used in recent years in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Wales.

Several CathNews sources say bishops in New Zealand are busy, and there is no suggestion that merging dioceses is being considered.

Source

• Supplied
• CathNews
• Wikipedia

An unrealistic deadline for southern hemisphere countries who were enjoying a summer holiday saw Pope Francis extend the diocesan deadline by four months.

"A universal 4-month extension by the Vatican of the Diocesan phase was warmly welcomed," says the Wellington synthesis.

The synodal process was also hampered by repeated Covid-19 State lockdowns and a societal post-lockdown hesitancy to engage in in-person meetings.

Covid-19 "frustrated a number of respondents who felt constrained by the use of technological tools such as Zoom, believing that gathering digitally significantly reduced the spiritual nature of the process. For others this highlighted the lack of access to technological responses of certain communities," says the Auckland synthesis.

While some dioceses attempted to explain the demographic mix of individual participants, they universally remain unreported.

"The data is highly likely to be skewed," a statistician told CathNews.

"It's unclear exactly how many people participated in the overall process, what percentage of Catholics participated, who they ‘represented' and who was un-represented," she said.

The statistician said that skewed data does not invalidate the process, but it does need to be taken into consideration when examining outcomes.

By way of example, she cited an issue deliberately chosen because it is not mentioned in any of the syntheses; receiving Holy Communion on the tongue.

"Because the process is an all-comers model and not scientifically representative it is possible for the outcomes possibly to be sub-consciously hijacked," she said.

"For example, while those involved favoured Holy Communion on the tongue, the vast majority of those who were not involved are possibly happy with communion in the hand.

"There is really no way of knowing.

"Thankfully the Church is not a democracy, and theology, prayer, discernment and discussion are important parts of this process."

However, she warned that these sorts of meetings and processes can "create a world and an expectation that can't be sustained."

Emphasising the purpose of the synod is not to write documents, says the Secretary of the NZCBC, Bishop Steve Lowe. The Synod's purpose is to answer the question ‘how do we as a Church journey together?'

Following up the initial Diocesan phase, representatives from dioceses, parishes, schools, priests and religious orders will now attend a meeting at St Catherine's College, Kilbirnie, Wellington on Saturday 2 July, to discuss the feedback syntheses from the six dioceses.

The purpose of the St Catherine's College meeting is to prepare a national synthesis for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

The General Secretariat establishes connections between various synodal assemblies around the world.

The 16th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will conclude in October next year in Rome.

Selected bullet points from the Diocesan Syntheses

Wellington

• New models of leadership in dioceses
• Priest focus on sacraments, not management
• A married and celibate clergy
• Transparent involvement in the appointment of bishops
• Inclusion of women in ministry and decision making
• Liturgical reform - change the language of the liturgy
• Catechetical reform that is non-judgmental and inclusive, never moralistic
• Update sexual moral teaching in line with modern science and people's lived experience
• Welcoming intercommunion between Christians
• Welcoming of LGBTQI+ people without judgment
• Welcome everyone to the Eucharistic table without judgment
• Encouraging leadership that accepts change
• Emphasise the universal call to holiness.

The full Wellington Archdiocese synthesis.

Auckland

• Reform the formation of clerics
• Optional celibacy for priests
• Ordination of women
• Appropriate formation for lay people
• Welcoming liturgical language that is inclusive, less misogynistic, less hierarchical and that reflects contemporary theology
• Synodal Church governance not restricted to clerics
• Transparent appointment of bishops
• Women equitably present in Church structures and decision-making bodies

The Auckland section also dedicated a second section to itself entitled "Calls to the local Church".

The full Auckland Diocese synthesis.

Hamilton

• Deepen community
• Grow in faith
• To know Christ
• Reawaken identity as disciples of Christ
• Reach out to the margins
• To be part of a solution rather than a problem
• Improved catechesis
• Importance of prayer
• Mission of the laity and how the laity can do more
• Lay involvement in governance and decision making
• A new way of communication
• Continued transparency and accountability
• Concern for the younger generation; Church is too antiquated for young people
• Relevant liturgy
• Rediscovering the important aspect of Church teaching and practice
• Ordination of women

The full Hamilton Diocese synthesis.

Palmerston North

• Bi-culturalism through use of te reo, tikanga
• Include multi-cultural elements
• Re-orient towards mission in this time and place
• The mission of the laity but concern about how to do it
• Need for robust digital strategy - faith learning, virtual parishes, entertainment
• Better communication
• Change in current leadership models
• Change in how the liturgy is celebrated
• Safeguarding
• Welcoming migrants
• Welcoming LGBTQI+
• Develop the relationship between schools (seen as welcoming) and parishes (seen as exclusive).
• Wanting an encounter with God
• Less clerical more lay leadership
• Inclusive of women at all levels including priesthood
• Welcoming to Maori, migrants, the deaf, poor, divorced or separated, LGBTQI+ and conservative traditionalist Catholics
• Closing the cultural gap
• Be a Christian community
• Liturgical reform
• More opportunities for faith formation.

The full Palmerston North Diocese synthesis.

Christchurch

• Change the language of the liturgy to be inclusive
• In-depth formation for those delivering homilies
• Honour different cultures in the liturgy
• Better liturgical hymns
• Collaborative leadership at all levels includes women; priest does not have the final word
• Participation through recognised talents and exploration of the baptismal priesthood
• Young people
• Women
• Maori and immigrants
• Divorced and remarried
• LGBTQI+
• Bi-culturalism
• Multi-culturalism
• Clergy need to be more welcoming
• Service with a focus on social justice and the corporal works of mercy
• Formation for: community, scripture, leadership training, modern life, science and religion and ecological morality
• Openness to being ecumenical
• Reducing the dualism in homilies
• Renewed willingness to examine and implement Vatican II's liturgical changes

The full Christchurch Diocese synthesis.

Dunedin

• Inclusion
• Non-judgemental approach to sacraments for LGBTQI+, divorced and remarried
• Support and bless gay relationships and those wanting to remarry
• Respect multi-culturalism with inclusion in liturgy
• Support of bi-culturalism
• Inclusion of all the baptised in decision-making and leadership
• Include women in church leadership and liturgy
• Co-responsibility between clergy and laity
• Growing the confidence of the laity
• Lack of young people at Mass
• Mass not resonating with many in the wider church family
• Connecting parishes and schools
• Embrace those who like the Latin Mass
• Develop a more modern appeal to the Mass
• Engagement of the Church in the wider community: environment, care for poor, being pro-life in the fuller sense of the word, inequality, justice, peace, equity in the world, ecumenism, modern day slavery and human trafficking
• Belonging to groups outside the Mass community
• Local communities vital.

The full Dunedin Diocese synthesis.

Low will arrive in Auckland on 18 February and be welcomed at the Pompallier Centre then, on Saturday, at the Cathedral, he will be 'shown his chair' and installed at Bishop of Auckland.

Normally an all-comers event, because of Red traffic light Covid restrictions, Lowe's installation ceremony will be by invitation only.

Lowe's arrival in the diocese will also be acknowledged on Monday 28 February when the Diocese hopes to host a clergy lunch.

As well as Bishop of Auckland, Lowe remains the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Hamilton.

He will administer the Hamilton diocese from Auckland.

New Zealand currently has three diocesan bishops administering other dioceses.

The archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, is also administering the Diocese of Palmerston North; Co-adjutor Archbishop of Wellington Paul Martin is doing dual duties but living in Christchurch administering the Christchurch diocese, and now Stephen Lowe is Bishop of Auckland and administering the Diocese of Hamilton.

In the face of worsening global environmental and social issues, Laudato si' raised the concept of integral ecology which reminds us that everything is connected. "Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it" (LS 138), Pope Francis wrote. Everything we do in terms of the environment, our economic activity, our society and our culture is connected and impacts on each other.

Last week Pope Francis issued what might be considered as a case study of Laudato si'. Querida Amazonia is the fruit and gift to the Church of Pope Francis' reflection on the Amazonian Synod held in Rome last year.

The Holy Father defines the Amazon region as "a multinational and interconnected whole, a great biome shared by nine countries… Yet, he writes, I am addressing the present Exhortation to the whole world. I am doing so to help awaken their affection and concern for that land which is also "ours", and to invite them to value it and acknowledge it as a sacred mystery" (QA 5).

At the end of the Synod, the people representing the Amazon and their bishops described the Amazon as "a wounded and deformed beauty, a place of suffering and violence." They expressed their concerns of the destruction of the forests and pollution of the rivers, the consequences on the people including sexual exploitation, human trafficking and smuggling, organ traffic, sex tourism, the loss of original culture and identity of the peoples of the Amazon as their land and being is stolen and destroyed.

As it happened, the New Zealand bishops met Pope Francis the day after the Synod had concluded and he shared with us some of his reflections on the Synod. In our conversation with Pope Francis, we easily made the connection between the issues raised by the Synod and the arrival of Pakeha in Aotearoa New Zealand and the impact this had on Maori and on the whenua, the land. In Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis writes: "The original peoples often witnessed helplessly the destruction of the natural surroundings that enabled them to be nourished and kept healthy, to survive and to preserve a way of life in a culture which gave them identity and meaning. The imbalance of power is enormous; the weak have no means of defending themselves, while the winners take it all, and the needy nations grow more destitute, while the rich nations become even richer" (QA 13). What he wrote of the Amazon today might have been written of Aotearoa New Zealand from the mid-1800s to this day.

Querida Amazonia shares Pope Francis' dreams for the Amazon. He uses poetry and wisdom from the Amazon to paint a picture of what might be rather than impose western or first world solutions to one of the most fragile areas of the planet. He writes,

• I dream of an Amazon region that fights for the rights of the poor, the original peoples and the least of our brothers and sisters, where their voices can be heard and their dignity advanced.
• I dream of an Amazon region that can preserve its distinctive cultural riches, where the beauty of our humanity shines forth in so many varied ways.
• I dream of an Amazon region that can jealously preserve its overwhelming natural beauty and the super-abundant life teeming in its rivers and forests.
• I dream of Christian communities capable of generous commitment, incarnate in the Amazon region, and giving the Church new faces with Amazonian features. (QA 7)

For us in Aotearoa New Zealand Querida Amazonia offers us an opportunity to reflect on what has happened in our own land and to consider new paths for the future, reflecting with Maori on the sacred taonga that are our land, our rivers and lakes, our mountains and sea, and most importantly, the tangata, our people. Pope Francis speaks of combining ancestral wisdom with contemporary technical knowledge, always working for a sustainable management of the land while also preserving the lifestyle and value systems of those who live there (cf QA 51) and that from the original peoples, we can learn to contemplate the precious mystery that transcends us. We can love it, not simply use it, with the result that love can awaken a deep and sincere interest. Even more, we can feel intimately a part of it and not only defend it; then the Amazon region will once more become like a mother to us (cf QA 55). What he says of the Amazon can be true for us in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Often today there can be criticism of how the Gospel was announced to indigenous peoples by colonial powers and the Holy Father apologises again for the Church's sins of the past in the Amazon. But as Jesus stepped into a culture, a people, so too the Church stepped into cultures; it takes flesh in all peoples, for the mission of the Church is inviting people to a friendship with the Lord that can elevate and dignify them (cf QA 61).

Pope Francis stresses an Amazonian face for the Church in the Amazon. A fruitful process takes place when the Gospel takes root in a given place, he writes, but at the same time the Church herself undergoes a process of reception that enriches her with the fruits of what the Spirit has already mysteriously sown in that culture. In this way, "the Holy Spirit adorns the Church, showing her new aspects of revelation and giving her a new face. The history of the Church shows that Christianity does not have simply one cultural expression" (cf. QA 68, 69). In our local Church Bishop Pompallier was a master at bridging the gap between Maori spirituality and Catholic theology and spirituality, and this enabled the tupuna of many of our Maori community to accept the Catholic faith. But Pope Francis reminds us this needs to be an ongoing process in the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Querida Amazonia can become for us, then, a real gift and an opportunity not only to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Amazon but also it can become an impetus for us to reflect on the face of the Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are invited to live out Pope Francis' dream of a Church that stands with the poor, that embraces the cultural riches of Maori as a taonga that can give a distinctively Kiwi face to the local Church in the wider universal Church and that contemplates the beauty of our land and sea as a sacred gift of God entrusted to our care for us and for our future tamariki and mokopuna.

• Steve Lowe - Bishop of Hamilton
• Querida Amazonia full document