The Christchurch Catholic Cathedral is the planned replacement to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament which was damaged in the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Canterbury earthquakes and later demolished. This makes the cathedral the future

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metro ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch The Latin Rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. Its cathedral and see city are located in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It was forme ...

. It will be located adjacent Victoria Square in the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The cathedral is expected to be completed by 2026. The plans were announced by Bishop Paul Martin on 7 December 2019.

Construction

Building collaboration

The cathedral is a part of a $500m collaboration called ''North of the Square'', partnered with the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch, Ōtākaro Limited, and the Carter Group. This development includes new offices, a five-star hotel and a multi-storey carpark. St Mary's Primary School will also be relocated to the new development.

Design

Two architect companies that are to design the new cathedral are local architect firm, Warren and Mahoney Architects, based in Christchurch and Franck & Lohsen Architects from the United States. Franck & Lohsen are known to focus on designing traditional design and have built churches all over the world. Bishop Martin is stated saying why this firm was chosen:

“I am looking for us to build something that is more traditional rather than something modern. It needs to tap into why people loved the athedral People loved the athedralbecause of the style and elegance.”

Legal issues

On 26 March 2023, congregations of the Christchurch Diocese were told that the Vatican’s supreme court, the

Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

halted action on the building project, to hear a legal case from a group of 300 parishioners (collectively known as 'The Gathering') from around Christchurch who opposed the $100 million building plan. The parishioners are challenging the Diocese under

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. The group are hoping that suburban churches can be retained and a replacement cathedral be built on the Barbadoes Street site, formally occupied by the now-demolished Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The Gathering also stated that Archbishop Martin (then Bishop of Christchurch) did not have the authority to demolish the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in 2019 and the selling of property for funding of the planned Cathedral. The Gathering and the Diocese will need to send one of 15 globally-known Canon Law lawyers to the hearings in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

Costs

The Catholic precinct will cost $100m, with $40m being designated to the construction of the Cathedral. The remaining funds will be spent on chancery offices, an open courtyard, a garden and parking.

Funding

Of the $500m collaboration, $126m will be set aside for the diocese. Funding for the construction of the Cathedral will be carried out, with $45m already being used from its earthquake fund, as well as selling land no longer needed by the Diocese.

References

{{Christchurch earthquakes Roman Catholic cathedrals in New Zealand Churches in Christchurch Christchurch Central City Proposed religious places