WelCom November 2020 Pope Francis received Cardinal George Pell in an audience on Monday October 12, 2020 and in greeting him also thanked him for his witness. The 79-year-old Australian cardinal, prefect emeritus of the Secretariat for the Economy, holding the position from 2014 to 2019, returned to Rome in September this year. He had […]
WelCom November 2020 Mike Stopforth Work on the demolition of the historic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, in central Christchurch, commenced in September and is expected to take up to a year to finish. Completed in 1905, the Catholic Cathedral on Barbadoes St, was closed after being damaged in the September 2010 earthquakes and received […]
WelCom November 2020 Speaking to the crowd gathered outside of St Peter’s Square on Sunday October 11, Pope Francis invited children around the world to join in a special rosary campaign for Sunday 18 October. ‘The Aid to the Church in Need Foundation (ACN) is promoting the initiative “for unity and peace…with one million children […]
WelCom October 2020 Many of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prominent religious leaders signed an open letter to voters on September 21, urging caution at the harm the End of Life Choice Act will cause. Their letter was published as an advertisement in The Herald on Sunday. The 37 signatories, including New Zealand Catholic Bishops, say […]
WelCom October 2020 Jim McAloon Members of Wellington Archdiocese’s Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission organised a pre-election forum about climate change last month, where young people from the Archdiocese questioned political party representatives about their environmental and climate-change policies. The forum was held at St Mary’s College Hall, Thorndon, 1 September. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, […]
WelCom October 2020 Pope Francis will sign a new encyclical on human fraternity at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi, at the Basilica of Saint Francesco d’Assisi, on October 3, 2020 – the day before the feast of St Francis, 4 October. It will be Pope Francis’ third encyclical. Mr Matteo Bruni , the […]
WelCom October 2020 Bethlehem University, the first university established in Palestine and the only Catholic University in the Holy Land, faces major challenges to achieve financial sustainability, says Bethlehem University Vice Chancellor, Brother Peter Bray FSC. Bethlehem University was established in 1973 and originated from the desire of Pope Paul VI to do something to […]
WelCom October 2020 President Trump has selected Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the favourite candidate of conservatives, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and will try to force Senate confirmation before Election Day in a move that would significantly alter the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court for years. The Catholic mother of seven has been […]
WelCom October 2020 The legislature of the Australian state of Queensland on Tuesday 8 September 2020, has passed a law requiring priests to violate the seal of confession to report known or suspected child sex abuse. Failure to do so will be punished with three years in prison. Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has said […]
WelCom October 2020 The fight against poverty and social inequalities, as well as harsh criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, dictated this year’s ‘Cry of the Excluded’ protests. Despite the ongoing pandemic, several cities had live demonstrations in September to mark the annual event, sponsored by the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference. The […]