The news of the Pope's decision to resign was received by Auckland Catholics with sadness.

A New Zealand bishop who penned speeches and talks for two Popes says Benedict XVI's decision to step down would have been pondered deeply before it was made.

When Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope in 2005, the choice divided Catholics.

Editorial: The papacy is one of precious few institutions in the modern world that does not change very much.

Pope Benedict’s resignation has been greeted with surprise, admiration and disappointment from around the world.

Scientology has no official doctrine that we are descended from aliens but members of its order do sign billion-year contracts "to symbolise their eternal commitment".

The streets of Port Said were convulsed by gun battles as groups of civilians, some using Kalashnikov machineguns, launched attacks on police stations and an army club.

Egypt used to be a place where you never gave a second thought to personal safety, writes Anne Penkith. Egyptians are hospitable, charming and honest - on the whole.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig says homosexuality is a choice and society is right to discriminate against gay relationships.

Your formative years were spent at St Patrick's College in Silverstream. What has Catholicism ingrained in you?

Theists, and perhaps some atheists too, might thank God for Dr Zain Ali's gracious and insightful comments about God and religion.

Egypt's Islamist-backed constitution received a "yes" majority in a final round of voting on a referendum that saw a low voter turnout.

I never believed the world would suddenly end, but I liked the idea that it was possible.

A Christmas card from the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran wishes us a Merry Christmas. There is nothing unusual about that.

When a mynah bird fell from the sky in front of a startled Katja Wernicke, she wondered if the doomsday predictions might be right.

Whether one is "religious" or not, everyone is a person of faith. If that sounds like a contradiction, the fact is that each one of us has faith, because faith is defined as having belief and trust in someone or something.

It's the end of the world tomorrow, according to the Mayan calendar. Vicky Hyde, spokeswoman for the NZ Skeptics Society ponders what it all means and what she'd take to the bunker.

Health experts have condemned a "devastating" assault by the Pakistan Taleban in which five female polio vaccinators were shot dead in co-ordinated attacks across two cities.

Religious faith undoubtedly has the power to inspire, although in many cases it seems to inspire irrational acts of hatred and violence.

Doomsayers believe December 21, 2012, marks the end of an ancient Mayan calendar - and, therefore, the onset of world-ending natural or extraterrestrial catastrophes.