A Catholic bishop who favoured denying Mass to pro-abortion
politicians (as required by Catholic church canon law) has been removed from
the U.S. Council of bishops by Pope Francis and replaced with a bishop with
opposing views on this issue. The Pope’s own views on the subject are unclear;
when in Argentina, he approved and even wrote part of a Church policy document
that recommended denying Mass to such people, but in a recent exhortation, he
wrote “The Eucharist … is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine
and nourishment for the weak.”
Evidence has emerged that a mass killing of Christians has
taken place in the ancient Syrian town of Sadad. The town was occupied for a
week in late October by Syrian jihadi rebel forces before being re-taken by the
government. During that time, the town’s 14 churches were ransacked and
destroyed, and at least 45 Christians were killed; some were apparently
tortured, and the bodies of one extended family of six were found at the bottom
of a well, an indication that their killers believed them to be subhuman. Some
of the killings were even recorded on video by the jihadis.
A Methodist pastor in Philadelphia who was ‘defrocked’ (i.e.
sacked from the ministry) after officiating at his son’s gay wedding has been
offered a job by the Methodist bishop of California. The bishop has no rights
to restore his status as a minister, but said that his job would be mostly the
same, although not tenured.
The annual Darwin Awards, for sheer stupidity, have been released.
One of the awards was given to a handbag snatcher in New York who grabbed a bag
from a lady leaving a convenience store. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a
detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended
the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief
was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To
which he replied, “Yes, officer, that’s her. That’s the lady I stole the purse from.”
In sport, training
for the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February is proving hazardous for some.
Women’s downhill skiing champion Lindsey Vonn failed to finish a competition
after her knee gave way, while British snowboarder Jenny Jones is out until the
New Year with concussion.
And finally, a
pastor in Tennessee has a neighbour who always decorates his home in a
spectacular array of Christmas lights. “If you have a neighbour like that,”
said the pastor, “you can be jealous or you can be humorous.” The pastor’s
house is now decorated with some strings of white lights attached to a sheet of
plywood, spelling out the word “Ditto” with an arrow pointing at the
neighbour’s house. The unlikely pairing has drawn many visitors to their small
cul-de-sac.
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