The 15th Station is our monthly news podcast. We get a panel of Kiwi Catholics together to provide a Catholic perspective on the news and current events of the month.
Station XV: Episode 183 — Pope, Project, Politics, Pamela
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There’s a bit of a revolving door for the panel this month as we reflect on 10 years of Pope Francis, with most suggesting it’s been a mixed bag (including The Washington Post). In Germany, the Church appears to be pursuing some practices that veer away from Catholic teaching, but in Australia it’s just all-out offence that is the concern. The Scottish bishops are trying to insert some sanity back into politics, while Pamela Anderson shares her prayer habits. Thanks for joining Anna, Don, James and Gavin for another chat around the virtual water cooler.
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Station XV: Episode 182 – Pacific, Pope, Parishes, Practice
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The bishops from around the Pacific have gathered for a major meeting, with climate change among the key topics on the agenda. On the other side of the world, Pope Francis has again found himself having to explain comments he made in a media interview, this time on homosexuality and sin. Things appeared a little clearer in Australia, for a gathering of people focused on parish renewal, and in Nigeria, where a cardinal has tried to share the secrets of the country’s high Mass attendance. And in our light story for the month, Anna, Don and James discuss – no, seriously – middle fingers. Ne’er a dull moment on The 15th Station.
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Station XV: Episode 181 — Pope, Pell, Pledges, Pilgrimage
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2023 starts off on a fairly sombre note, with the panel covering the deaths of two Church heavyweights — Pope Benedict for the Church globally and Cardinal George Pell for the Church in Australia and New Zealand (and beyond). The panel reflects on their legacies, which many are saying are mixed. Anna, Don, James and Gavin also discuss pledges from the Church in New Zealand in the area of abuse, the missionaries who died in 2022 while serving the Church and Lionel Messi’s plans for a pilgrimage to thank Our Lady for Argentina winning the Football World Cup.
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Station XV: Episode 180 — Pastors, Pew, Pope, Prayer, Poland
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For the Christmas episode, it’s a typically international look at the life of the Church. The panels globetrot from Australia, where hard choices are being made on pastoral care for those accessing euthanasia, to the Christmas scenes in Rome and a call to prayer in New Zealand. A new Pew Research report assesses how religious practice was affected during COVID, including through violence, and we end with some more violence — by someone dressed up as a Christmas tree. No, seriously. We wish the Station 15 family a happy and holy Christmas.
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