Christine Fletcher says Christian leaders are feeling frustrated over the backlash against the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship. Fletcher, a former Mayor of Auckland, is an Auckland City Councilor now representing the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward. She told Newshub the negativity has to stop. “It has been expressed to me [there has been] some frustration by some of Read more
Filipino cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has become the highest-ranking Vatican official known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. The Vatican said on Friday that Tagle, 63, a Filipino who heads the Vatican’s missionary arm, had tested positive when he arrived in Manila on Thursday. Tagle, who met Pope Francis in a private audience on Read more
The church at the centre of a coronavirus sub-cluster in Auckland now embroiled in controversy is tight-knit, secretive and highly devout, says a former member. He left the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship with his family several years ago and said the church met most nights for Bible study, did most activities together, and did not Read more
The Vatican tourism revenue has been hit hard by the pandemic. Like other major visitor hotspots, the Vatican is predicting big losses and has had to make cutbacks. The museums (which include the Sistine Chapel) cost about €20 (about $NZ35) to visit. Normally, tens of thousands of people arrive every day, generating millions of dollars Read more
The principal of a West Auckland school with a student hit by coronavirus said her priority was to make sure that the affected student and her family “feel completely supported by us.” Anna Swann, the principal of St Dominic’s Catholic College, is strongly urging people not to lay blame on those who are sick after Read more
Elections in the United States, a global pandemic and human rights protests have crowded the news coverage for most of 2020. But activists and sexual abuse survivors continue to ask that the protection of minors and vulnerable adults in the Catholic Church and elsewhere remain a priority despite losing momentum, as risks of online and Read more
The economic cost of lockdowns means families should be allowed to let elderly relatives with COVID die by letting nature take its course. The comments come from staunch Catholic and former Australian Liberal Party Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. Abbott claims COVID is costing as much as A$200,000 (~NZ $220,000) to give an elderly person an Read more
Health Minister Chris Hipkins said an investigation into claims that the church held meetings during Auckland’s level 3 restrictions is underway. But, one of the church leaders has denied those claims and says there have been no official prayer meetings held while restrictions were in place. Read more
Disruptive innovation is not a common term in theological and liturgical discussions. The term comes from Clayton Christensen’s 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma. Christensen explains that successful companies are those that can meet not only their customers’ current needs but anticipate their future ones too. Disruptive innovators – disruptors – are more likely to displace Read more
We tend to assume disseminating public health messages is solely the role of public servants such as Victorian chief medical officer Brett Sutton and his former federal counterpart Brendan Murphy, both of whom have become de facto celebrities during the pandemic. But to ensure vital health information reaches everyone in our community, we need a Read more