US National Council of Churches elects all-female officers, approves NRSV update
RNS The National Council of Churches has elected an all-female slate of officers for the first time in the ecumenical organisation’s 71-year history. Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, leader of the Fifth Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, on Wednesday became chair of the organisation, starting a two-year term along with the other officers. She […]
This Life: God is perfect, in all His ways
US columnist CAROL ROUND, in an article first published on ASSIST News Service, writes about the struggle for perfection…
Bow-and-arrow killings in Norway seen as an “act of terror”
Kongsberg, Norway AP The bow-and-arrow rampage by a man who killed five people in a small town near Norway’s capital appeared to be a terrorist act, authorities said Thursday, a bizarre and shocking attack in a Scandinavian country where violent crime is rare. Police identified the attacker as Espen Andersen Braathen, a 37-year-old Danish citizen, […]
Pope says health workers’ conscientious objection to abortion non-negotiable
Vatican CityReuters Health workers have a non-negotiable right to exercise conscientious objection by refusing to participate in an abortion, Pope Francis said on Thursday, calling the procedure “murder”. It was at least the third time in a month that the Pope has spoken out strongly against abortion, which has become a major political issue in […]
Deadly shooting rocks Beirut as tensions over blast probe erupt
Beirut, LebanonReuters Tensions over a probe into last year’s massive blast in Beirut burst into the worst street violence in more than a decade on Thursday, with six Shi’ites shot dead and gun battles reviving memories of the country’s 1975-90 civil war. Bullets bounced off buildings and people ran for cover during bursts of gunfire […]
Fire in southern Taiwan kills 46
Taipei, TaiwanReuters A fire in a residential building in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 46 people and injured another 41, the government said on Thursday. Firefighters and medical workers walk past a damaged residential building following a fire in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on 14th October. PICTURE: Woo Swee Kay/Handout via Reuters. The fire […]
Suicides among Japanese children at record high during pandemic – media
Tokyo, Japan Reuters Child suicides in Japan are the highest they have been in more than four decades, local media have reported, citing the country’s education ministry. As the COVID-19 pandemic prompted school closings and disrupted classrooms last year, 415 children from elementary to high school age were recorded as having taken their own lives, […]
As Spanish volcano roars, drones drop food for dogs stranded by lava
La Palma, Spain Reuters Several emaciated dogs lie curled up in and around a walled, ash-covered yard cut off by volcanic lava in the mountainous area of Todoque on the Spanish island of La Palma, until a drone appears in the sky to drop packages with food and water. They lift their heads to look […]
GreenSight: ‘Zizania’ or Darnel…
ALVIN JOHNSON looks at the plant which Jesus refers to as ‘tares’ in the ‘Parable of The ‘Wheat and the Tares’…
Vatican-backed sex abuse research institute expands mandate
Rome, ItalyAP The Catholic Church’s foremost research institute studying sexual abuse of minors is expanding its mandate to also include the sexual and spiritual abuse of adults, evidence of the Vatican’s increasing awareness that children aren’t the only victims of clergy who abuse their power and authority. Rev Hans Zollner, one of Pope Francis’ top […]