Christchurch bishop outlines rebuild of quake‑damaged cathedral

Christchurch, New Zealand, Bishop Michael Gielen described the status of plans to rebuild the city’s earthquake‑damaged cathedral, with work likely to begin during the next few years.

In an interview with Colm Flynn on “EWTN News Nightly” that aired Sept. 10, Gielen said New Zealand’s laity desired to rebuild their church.

“They want another one. They want something that they can celebrate in, and it can unify us,” Gielen said. “So, we’ve responded. We’ve chosen a design; it’s a Romanesque Gothic design, and we’ve now presented it to the people we’ve fundraised over. We’re very hopeful that in the next few years we’ll be able to get started and build it.”

Worshippers used a temporary parish during the past 15 years since the 2011 earthquakes that collapsed buildings and killed nearly 200 people throughout the city.

Gielen said the restoration work has become a symbol of something larger — a reminder that the diocese’s rebuilding is both physical and spiritual.

A design rendering shows the new Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch, New Zealand, unveiled on July 26, 2026. | Credit: Warren and Mahoney/Catholic Diocese of Christchurch

“It is a metaphor.…