Thrill-seekers at the long-running Auckland Easter Show have been left disappointed after its main ride provider set up a rival event, breaking a 60-year tradition.

The part that finished me for Sunday School was when the minister said the torture and death of Jesus proved how much he loved us. Rodney Hide hated it.

Hindus in India celebrated the festival of Holi by painting each other in bright colors, distributing sweets and squirting water at fellow festival-goers. The holiday begins each year with a bonfire, followed the next day by paint throwing to celebrate the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil.

While opposition to same-sex marriage appears to be growing in NZ, several surveys in the United States show public opinion is surprisingly heading in the other direction.

Public opposition to same-sex marriage has grown significantly since a law change to legalise it came before Parliament, a HeraldDigiPoll survey shows.

The day after his election, Francis eschewed the Vatican's armored limousine and traveled through the chaotic streets of Rome in an ordinary car to pick up his things at a downtown hotel.

The Cyprus Airways flight from Beirut arrives at 9.15am, disgorging bankers and traders, shuttling between two of the Mediterranean's business hubs.

As he walked on to the stage of the Vatican's vast Paul VI audience hall, Pope Francis was still wearing the white cassock, plain crucifix and black shoes that have characterised his fledgling papacy's pared-down aesthetic.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was our new Pope. He took the name of Francis. In 2000 years there has never been a Pope Francis.

White smoke has billowed from a Sistine Chapel chimney to show that a new pope has been elected to replace the frail Benedict XVI as leader of the world's 1.2 billon Catholics.

Opponents of same-sex marriage are being slammed for distributing leaflets saying legalising the move will result in more incidences of AIDS and syphilis, and see the end of titles such as "husband and wife".

Christian community leaders in Lahore say the violence unleashed on the Pakistani city's Joseph colony erupted after a drinking session involving two friends, one Muslim and the other Christian.

It is known throughout the Vatican as the Relatio (Narration). It is contained in two stiff, unmarked red folders and runs to around 300 pages.

Last week, the Herald featured a delightful cartoon by Guy Body, showing rows of small cloned cardinal lookalikes.

If we've learned anything from recent history, it's that people whose own sex lives are unedifying don't necessarily let that stop them damning others' proclivities.

Island drums and sounds from the Pacific will be joined by those from traditional island choirs and church bands at this year's Pasifika Festival.

Sam Clements' article on these pages entitled "Irrelevant churches have no right to dictate what happens in a secular society" belittles the role of religion.

Comic Joan Rivers has come under fire for comments she made about Jews during a segment on her controversial US style show Fashion Police.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the push for gay marriage in NZ, writes Douglas Pratt. Expectations of a momentous change are high.

Religion has always sought to manipulate and dictate the manner in which individuals live their lives, writes Sam Clements. The Marriage Equality Bill threatens many in the church.

No Western government is going to condemn the country's rulers, writes Gwynne Dyer. That would seriously annoy Saudi Arabia, and they will never do that.