WelCom is the monthly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Wellington. Print copies of the eight-page newsletter are free and available in parishes, and sent to parishes and schools in PDF form. The archive contains WelCom stories published from 2007 to 2026 (May).
WelCom March 2021 Groups of the Archdiocese of Wellington have formally opposed proposals for a system of youth justice demerit points, in the Oranga Tamariki (Youth Justice Demerit Points) Amendment Bill, currently being considered by the Social Service and Community Select Committee of Parliament. The Archdiocesan Ecology Justice and Peace Commission and Wellington Catholic Social […]
WelCom March 2021 After more than two years’ closure, Sacred Heart Cathedral is making good progress in its restoration. Contractors LT McGuinness report almost uninterrupted work on strengthening the roof structure, which was the major contributing factor to the low safety rating. This should be completed in the next few months. The cathedral’s protective white […]
WelCom March 2021 Last month, Pope Francis appointed two women to Vatican posts previously held only by men, giving women more empowerment in the Holy See. He appointed Nathalie Becquart, a French member of the Xaviere Missionary Sisters, on 6 February 2021, as co-undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, a department that prepares major meetings […]
WelCom March 2021 A newly-released report from the Salvation Army says that inequality, already entrenched in Aotearoa, was magnified and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The fourteenth annual State of the Nation 2021 report from The Salvation Army, ‘Disturbed Present. Better Future?’ points to serious, embedded and ongoing hardship for many in our communities. The […]
WelCom March 2021 The number of women employees in the Vatican is on the rise, according to research carried out by Vatican News for International Women’s Day, 8 March last year. The findings also show the number of women in positions of authority in the Vatican and the Curia has also increased. International Women’s Day […]
WelCom March 2021 Breaking with tradition and opening a new door in the synodal process, Pope Francis has appointed a woman, Nathalie Becquart, a member of the Xavière Sisters, Missionaries of Jesus Christ, in France, as one of two new undersecretaries for the Vatican’s office for the Synod of Bishops. As such, she will have […]
WelCom March 2021 Spiritus Domini (The Spirit of the Lord) is an apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio by Pope Francis, signed on 10 January 2021 and released the next day. In Catholic canon law, a motu proprio refers to a document issued by the pope on his own initiative and personally […]
WelCom March 2021 In his annual foreign policy address, Pope Francis exhorted global governments to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic focused on creating a fairer market economy, addressing the rapidly escalating dangers of climate change, and providing basic healthcare to their citizens. In his address, on 8 February 2021 to the 183 ambassadors accredited to […]
WelCom March 2021 The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution declaring 4 February the International Day of Human Fraternity. The day is to be observed each year, beginning in 2021. It comes as the result of Christian-Muslim cooperation to promote peace, harmony and intercultural dialogue in the world. In particular it is the fruit […]
WelCom March 2021 Pope Francis will be the first pope ever to visit Iraq when he arrives in Baghdad on March 5. He will be welcomed at the Presidential Palace, and later meet Christian and religious leaders from all faiths. He will visit Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the influential leader of Iraq’s Shiite Muslims, in […]