NZ bishops celebrate election of Pope Leo XIV - The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand has received news of the election of Pope Leo XIV with great joy. Bishop Steve Lowe, president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, says there is trust in the Holy Spirit and the College of Cardinals that Pope Leo XIV is the right man to lead the global Church at this time. On Friday morning NZ time, Cardinal Robert Prevost OSA was elected the new Pope, and took the name Leo. He becomes the first North American Pope, but has spent much of his ministerial life overseas, predominantly in Peru. He is a member of a religious order – the Augustinians – and becomes the second consecutive Pope to have such a back ground, following the Jesuit Pope Francis. “While a new Pope is often unknown to most people around the world, we know from his experience in leadership in Latin America, as a leader within his religious order and as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops that Pope Leo understands the Church and its needs,” Bishop
Lowe said. Bishop Lowe said the choice of the name Leo could offer a glimpse into the type of pope he seeks to be. “In the coming days, we will learn more about Pope Leo XIV, but the last Pope to take this name helped develop some of the Church’s key social teachings,” he said. A transformative encyclical letter, Rerum Novarum, was published in 1891, and has been the inspiration of many teaching documents in the years since. In his blessing to the crowds in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo spoke about the importance of Catholics being willing to proclaim the Gospel, work for justice and peace, to be missionaries in the world. New Zealand Catholics will immediately take up the practice of praying for the Pope in every Mass celebrateed throughout the country. “In parishes, in Catholic schools, in our outreach ministries and in Catholic homes, prayers will be offered for our new Holy Father, that God will provide him with all the strength needed for this immense task,” Bishop Lowe said. “There is a real sense among the faithful that the popes that have been elected in recent decades have had the right attributes to lead the Church at that moment. We trust that will be the same with Pope Leo XIV.”

Pilgrims of Hope

Pope Francis has declared 2025 as a year of Jubilee with the theme 'Pilgrims of Hope', giving voice to his desire for the year to foster a greater sense of global sisterhood and brotherhood, solidarity with the poor, and caring for the environment.

Jubilees are designed to be a time of conversion and increased emphasis on God’s mercy and forgiveness of sins. They are marked by the opening of the Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The Holy Doors, present in each of the four papal basilicas in Rome, are destination points for pilgrims who travel to Rome during a Jubilee and who pass through seeking special graces and outpourings of God’s mercy. The last Ordinary Jubilee was the Great Jubilee of 2000, celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

Confirmation—Congratulations to all our rangatahi and their whanau!

Each year we invite people to receive the Sacraments. If you are interested in Baptisms please ring the office (8589383) or email to make an appointment. We run the Reconciliation and First Holy Communion programmes in Term 3 and Term 4 respectively each year. Children need to be 8 years or older. If you would like to register or make an enquire please email us on cat.chb@xtra.co.nz .

Nga Mihi