WelCom April 2020: Following through on a proposal made at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, Pope Francis has said there are plans to include a definition of ecological sin in the Church’s official teaching. Speaking to a conference on criminal justice, he told participants, ‘we should be introducing – we were thinking – […]
WelCom April 2020: The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome has set up a three-year study to find ways to respond to Religious sisters’ needs. Stress and burnout have been identified as major reasons many women Religious abandon religious life. Of the world’s 650,000 women religious, it appears burnout is causing a weakening […]
WelCom April 2020: The scene that unfolded on Dan and Judy Gotto’s farm in Bankston, Iowa, shortly before Christmas last year became a beautiful testament to faith. On December 23, 2019, members of the family had carefully laid out many small piles of cattle feed in the shape of a giant cross on one of […]
WelCom March 2020: At the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on Waitangi Day, 6 February this year, Cardinal John Dew urged New Zealanders on this day to recommit to protect the beliefs of followers of all religions and of non-religious people. Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu, Vicar-General of the Māori Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Coordinator […]
WelCom March 2020: Following the outbreak of the respiratory disease Coronavirus the New Zealand Bishops’ National Liturgy Office have notified parishes about precautions to take to ensure the safety of people gathering for Mass and other parish gatherings and especially receiving Holy Communion. The notice issued 30 January 2020 said: With New Zealand health officials […]
WelCom March 2020: The Document on Human Fraternity, signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Ashar when they met in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE), one year ago, is a blueprint for developing collaboration, dialogue and tolerance between all faiths. The historic visit cements principles of mercy and understanding […]
WelCom March 2020: Pope Francis says he wishes his new apostolic exhortation will ‘awaken’ the world’s ‘affection and concern’ for the Amazon region – and help other areas of the world to confront their own challenges. The Vatican released the exhortation on 12 February 2020. The exhortation follows last year’s Synod of Bishops on the […]
WelCom March 2020: Michael Fitzsimons catches up with Mike Savali, St Patrick’s College Wellington’s first Pasifika rector. It’s well after two o’clock when Mike Savali gets the chance for a quick bite of lunch, while being interviewed on a February afternoon for this profile. Life is obviously hectic for the new, youthful, Pasifika rector. It’s just […]
WelCom March 2020: This year’s State of the Nation Report by the Salvation Army: Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Huia Tangata Kotahi—People of the Land, People of the Treaty, Bring Everyone Together promotes a unified approach to key social issues like adequate housing for all, the wellbeing and safety of our children, and reducing poverty levels. The […]
WelCom March 2020: ‘Our housing problem is a human rights problem’ says visiting UN expert New Zealand’s housing problem is a human rights crisis of significant proportions, says a United Nations expert in a statement she released during her visit to New Zealand. UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha, was visiting New […]