New Zealand bishops urge Maoris not to lobby for bishop

November 05, 2009

The bishops of New Zealand are urging Maori Catholic leaders not to lobby for an indigenous bishop but instead to pray for those involved in the process of selecting bishops. The nation’s first Maori bishop, Auxiliary Bishop Max Takuira Mariu of Hamilton, died in 2005.

In the five decades following the British annexation of New Zealand in 1840, the Maori population declined by half. Today, some 15% of the nation’s 4.2 million residents are Maori.

 

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Further information:

• Patience advised while waiting for Maori bishop (NZ Catholic)
• Maori Catholic
• Maori (Wikipedia)