News & Views
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Trustworthy News
“Big Brother is watching you”. This is certainly the most famous quote from George Orwell’s book ‘1984’. While we might not be sure who this Big Brother is, we all know that we are watched and traced through our electronic devices today.Depending on the country we live in, we might feel more or less comfortable
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Rawene – Discovery in a historic town
I recently co-organised a pilgrimage to Hokianga. I love the area of Hokianga, which is about 5 hours north of Auckland, New Zealand.I have done the trip many times, but this time, I went with a small group and was more flexible than on my previous trips.When we arrived in Rawene to cross the Hokianga
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Persecutions – Wounds & Hope
“Compassion is contagious. When you receive it, you want to share it.” These words spoken by Dr Khurram Malik, CEO of Hope Worldwide Pakistan, summarise beautifully the hope that was expressed at the Ahmadiyya Peace Symposium 2025 in Auckland. The theme of this symposium was Persecution and the Moral Responsibilities of the Global Community. Malik
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Relationships in a Multi-Faith World
Are we moving towards religious hybridity?Hybridity, a term that derives from biology and from mixing two species of plants, is a term that has been used for centuries. The discussions of mixing between peoples, cultures and societies have been going on for even longer. In most parts of the world, there have been influences from
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Hopes of a Pilgrim
My pilgrimage to Rome was a special Pilgrimage of Hope. As Pope Francis said: “hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring”. When Pope Francis died about 3 weeks before our departure, we weren’t sure if the long-planned journey would go ahead.
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Interreligious Dialogue in the Vatican
Being a member on interfaith committees is not like being on other committees where you can serve a term of a couple of years and leave. Interreligious dialogue begins with building personal relationships, which require time and ongoing effort. However, when I look at the wonderful friendships that have developed between members of diverse faiths,
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Census 2023 – Aotearoa New Zealand becomes more secular
Traditionally, New Zealand has been a Christian country with the Anglican community as their largest group. This changed in recent years, when the Catholic community was growing while the Anglican community was declining.What are the reasons for this development – and what else has changed on the religious map of Aotearoa New Zealand? In an
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Diary of a Pilgrim – Part XVI
The last trip for the pilgrims on the bus is to Tivoli.Tivoli (or: Tibur) is an ancient Etruscan settlement that proudly traces its history back to the 13th century BC. It has been Roman since 339 BC and became known as a beautiful resort with good water and a mild and moderate climate. Located about
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Diary of a Pilgrim – Part XV
Located about 25 kilometres from Vatican City is Castel Gandolfo and the Papal Summer Residence.Built in the 13th century as a private palace, it was in 1626, that the first pope visited the town. Pope Urban VIII must have fallen for its location. He had the papal palace and the adjoining Villa Barberini built. The
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Diary of a Pilgrim – Part XIV
Only a few days before the newly elected Pope Leo XIV first visited the Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura (Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls) on 20 May 2025, the pilgrims from Bamberg visited this special place. In his Homily, Pope Leo XIV described St Paul’s work as “the basis of