New Zealand’s Catholic bishops say a rise in abortion numbers since a 2020 law change is a tragedy and they want the new coalition Government to promote policies that reduce stresses that can lead to mothers opting for abortion.
The latest issue of WelCom is available to read here.
Helping the Sisters at the Home of Compassion to set up the Christmas crib in the chapel for Advent are brother and sisters from the Chine family of Island Bay (l-r) Gelila (10), Minab (13), Asgedet (7) and Luwam (15). The three younger children are students at St Francis de Sales School and Luwan attends Wellington East Girls College.
On the eve of Pope Francis’ historic attendance at the UN climate change conference COP28 in Dubai, 30 November to 12 December, His Excellency Rashed Matar Alqemzi, UAE Ambassador to New Zealand, writes for WelCom on the profound significance of Pope Francis’ invitation and acceptance to attend COP28.
Seminarian Matthew White was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Paul Martin sm on Sunday 12 November at St Teresa’s Pro-Cathedral, Karori.
Members of Matthew’s family, friends, clergy and several parishioners from his home parish Te Ngākau Tapu in Porirua and from Ōtari parish in Wellington were all there to support him.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I want to take the opportunity to wish you all a blessed and holy Christmas. These days of Advent pass so quickly in the busyness of the end of our year.
I have always loved the story that is told about Mother Teresa – that she would pray an hour’s adoration every morning unless she was really busy, in which case she would pray for two hours…. We might call this divine logic, a logic that exists in the world but has a supernatural origin.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand welcomes donations to its special fund for the Holy Land, which goes towards emergency relief and development. Donation details can be found on the Caritas website caritas.org.nz.
Nothing will ever be the same in the Holy Land after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s apocalyptic response, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, told a Catholic audience in Wellington on 22 November.
The New Zealand-born vice chancellor of Bethlehem University, Br Peter Bray fsc, says a climate of fear has enveloped the West Bank as violence there threatens to explode in addition to the war on Gaza.