WelCom November 2021 Michael Fitzsimons talks with Ireland’s first resident Ambassador about the strong ties which still bind Ireland and New Zealand. I am standing at the window with Irish Ambassador Peter Ryan on the 10th floor of a high-rise in the heart of Wellington. The Embassy of Ireland, Te Aka Aorere o Airangi, has […]
WelCom November 2021 Catholic and Lutheran churches in Aotearoa New Zealand have approved a statement recognising the unity of each other’s baptisms. The statement – Baptised Together in Christ – will be especially helpful for families wanting to baptise their child where one parent is Lutheran and the other Catholic. The baptism agreement is the […]
WelCom November 2021 “The poor will always be with us, yet that should not make us indifferent, but summon us instead to a mutual sharing of life.” – Pope Francis, Message for the World Day of the Poor 2021 Lisa Beech The Fifth World Day of the Poor will be observed on 14 November 2021. […]
WelCom November 2021 For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission Pope Francis has invited us all to embark on a journey together – to evaluate, discuss, think and dialogue so we can determine the direction forward for the Church. On Sunday, 17 October 2021, Cardinal John Dew celebrated the Opening Masses for the Synod, […]
WelCom November 2021 On 22 October 2021, the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced a plan ‘to help all New Zealanders stay safe’ from Covid-19 into the future. Similar to the current Alert Level system, a new framework will be introduced that will have three settings – green, orange and red. Under the new Covid-management system, […]
WelCom November 2021 Deacon Danny Karatea-Goddard Many of us are now beginning to feel the creeping effects of this time of the new Delta Covid, its impact on our whānau, communities, friends and businesses. For us older ones we are reminded of the 1981 Spring Box tour where cracks and divisions landed in our homes. […]
WelCom November 2021 Joe Grayland Tedium, grief, and hope are the three words that sum up my experience of lockdown. Tedium is the tiredness that inhabits every day and every decision. We are living in the tedium of a car journey that won’t end where everyone, not just the children, is asking, ‘are we there […]
WelCom November 2021 Cardinal Soane Patita Mafi, Tonga’s first ever Cardinal, has a simple message for politicians attending the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow – ‘Listen to the Pacific’. ‘We want those big nations to really see and to really hear. Not to pretend. Not to turn away. We want them not to be deafened […]
WelCom November 2021 Pope Francis has met with President Joe Biden at the Vatican, the first Catholic President since John F Kennedy. President Biden was in Rome for a meeting of the G20 Summit, in late October. According to a Vatican statement, the Parties focused on the joint commitment to the protection and care of […]
WelCom November 2021 The Bank of Chicago Marathon is known for the thousands of people who line the route and cheer on the runners as they pass through the city’s 29 neighbourhoods. This year’s race, on Sunday October 10, was no different, especially with the addition of dozens of Franciscan women and men religious and […]