anglicantaonga

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Church leaders back +Justin’s cause

The leaders of New Zealand's two largest churches show their solidarity with Bishop Justin Duckworth and his vigil for penal reform.
• Catholic and Anglican Archbishops' statement
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Taonga News  |  16 Oct 2013  |

Leaders from two of New Zealand’s largest churches showed their solidarity for Wellington Bishop Justin Duckworth and his vigil for penal reform today.

Archbishop John Dew, the head of the Roman Catholic community, and Archbishop Philip Richardson, who shares leadership of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, talked with Bishop Justin after he’d celebrated midday Eucharist.

He remains shut in his cathedral forecourt cell for 23 hours a day, praying all his waking hours for the 8500 prisoners in this country’s jails and for their victims – emerging at midday each day to preside at a Eucharist and to give a homily on penal reform.

Today, at midday – exactly halfway through his seven-day vigil – he was greeted by the two archbishops, who wanted to publicly support his work on penal reform.

Archbishop John brought with him a group of students from St Patrick’s Catholic School, Te Awamutu, who were also happy to be photographed with the barefoot bishop.

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