Pope recognises ‘decisive’ measures against abuse by Chile’s bishops

Pope Francis recognised on Monday measures that Chile’s bishops said they would take to assist prosecutors investigating allegations of sex abuse that have plagued the Roman Catholic Church in Chile, including that they would work to reach an agreement with prosecutors on an exchange of information. The pontiff wrote in a letter released to media […]

Chilean prosecutor forces Catholic Church to give up secrets

Two special envoys sent by Pope Francis to investigate a child sex abuse scandal in Chile were meeting priests and church workers at a university in the Chilean capital last month when aides rushed into the room with an alarming development: police and prosecutors were about to start raiding church offices. The envoys were 90 […]

Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women

Katie Hopkins, ever the self-publicist, has done it again. In the desire to play to an audience that is distrustful of Muslims and who may never have taken the time to get to know Muslims, Hopkins has once again, pushed the boundaries in packaging Muslims as being deviant. Hopkins states: “Muslim men raping white women

The post Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women

Katie Hopkins, ever the self-publicist, has done it again. In the desire to play to an audience that is distrustful of Muslims and who may never have taken the time to get to know Muslims, Hopkins has once again, pushed the boundaries in packaging Muslims as being deviant. Hopkins states: “Muslim men raping white women

The post Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women

Katie Hopkins, ever the self-publicist, has done it again. In the desire to play to an audience that is distrustful of Muslims and who may never have taken the time to get to know Muslims, Hopkins has once again, pushed the boundaries in packaging Muslims as being deviant. Hopkins states: “Muslim men raping white women

The post Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women

Katie Hopkins, ever the self-publicist, has done it again. In the desire to play to an audience that is distrustful of Muslims and who may never have taken the time to get to know Muslims, Hopkins has once again, pushed the boundaries in packaging Muslims as being deviant. Hopkins states: “Muslim men raping white women

The post Katie Hopkins Suggests that Islam Teaches Muslim Men to Rape White Women appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Christian Georgia Proposes a ‘Blasphemy Law’

Georgia with its devoutly Orthodox Christian set of communities, is proposing a ‘blasphemy bill’ that will make religious caricaturing and comedic lampooning of faith, punishable in law. The bill, which has been approved at committee stage, has led to critics suggesting that it will cause a chilling effect on those critics of the official church line and more importantly, on dissent regarding religion. Some have suggested that even theatre, art and plays which explored faith could fall of the blasphemy bill. The proposed bill attaches fines to those who target “insults to religious feelings” with a 100 lari fine ($120) attached to any comment deemed to fall foul of the law. This would double if there was a repeat of the incident and desecration of a religious icon would lead to a fine of 1000 laris. Given that the average salary in the country is about 800 laris, the new bill seems to hit those in the pocket willing to take a dissenting line to faith and belief. This bill comes on the back of opposition to the opening of mosques and madrassas in the west of Georgia where groups have been active in lobbying against Muslim institutions.

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Why do people want Titanic priest Father Thomas Byles sainted?

A campaign to canonise a Catholic priest who stayed on the RMS Titanic instead of fleeing remains ongoing despite renewed interest in his story. The story of Father Thomas Byles and his acts of selflessness, however, deserves re-telling. Roussel Davids Byles was born in 1870 to a Protestant family in Leeds. His father, Reverend Dr. Alfred Holden Byles and mother Louisa Davids also had six other children. He excelled at mathematics and  gained a scholarship to Balliol School, Oxford. When at Oxford, Byles gravitated towards the Church of England. His younger brother, William, however, converted to Catholicism first. In 1894, he had a conditional baptism (sub conditione) at St. Aloysius Church in Oxford. Upon entering the Catholic faith, Roussel adopted the name of Thomas. After spending two years in Rome, Byles became the ordained priest of St Helen’s Church, Chipping Ongar, Essex in 1904. In 1912, he had boarded the ship to attend the wedding of his younger brother William, in New York. This last minute decision to board the Titanic instead of a different ship cost him £13 (roughly £1,100 today). His second class ticket was number 244310. His duties included performing mass for second and third class passengers. [...]

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How is Christmas celebrated in other parts of the world?

Netherlands The festivities begin with the arrival of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) on a boat from Spain. History alludes to a Catholic priest in fourth-century Myra – in modern Turkey. Under protestant rule, celebrations of Sinterklaas moved from the public into the private sphere. Jan Schenkman’s 1850 novel ‘Saint Nicholas and his Servant‘ popularised many modern Sinterklaas traditions. Schenkman’s writings reflected the culture – Sinterklaas interrogated children about their behaviour and religious knowledge. Rewards came in the shape of gifts and food. Naughty children were sometimes carried away by the servant in a large sack. One of the most controversial legacies involves Zwarte Piet or ‘Black Pete’ – a character who accompanies Sinterklass. White people put on blackface makeup, with exaggerated lips, curly wigs and costumes. The United Nations has called on the Netherlands to ditch Black Pete due to its racist and negative stereotyping. In recent years, the anti-racist response to Black Pete has received more mainstream attention. Jerusalem Christians account for less than 2 per cent of the population in Jerusalem. For many in the city, Christmas is just another day in the city. Christmas Day falls on the Sabbath so individuals will be off regardless. In some parts [...]

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Pope Francis lights nativity scene in support of refugees

Pope Francis lit the Christmas tree and nativity scene in Assisi. From a distance in the Vatican, he performed the ceremony online on December 7. In attendance at the lower piazza of the Basilica San Francesco were 31 refugees from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nigeria and Syria. The other invited guest included the Naval officer who assisted in their rescue. All stood alongside local residents as the Christmas tree lit up. #Assisi,accensione delle luci del presepe: "Anche quella volta siamo arrivati in tempo per salvare una vita in mare" pic.twitter.com/uF4abIu5zc — Marina Militare (@ItalianNavy) December 6, 2015 Papa Francesco accende le luci del presepe di #Assisi. Comandante nave #MarinaMilitare porterà la sua testimonianza pic.twitter.com/7hoMEVj0H2 — Marina Militare (@ItalianNavy) December 6, 2015 At the foot of the tree stands a nativity scene crafted into the boat used by those who arrived at the Italian island of Lampedusa from Tunisia in 2014. The Italian State Railway and Italian Navy also handed out toys to families in need. Staff at the Basilica, the Conventual Franciscan Friars, dedicated the tree and “this Christmas to immigrants“. In a translated address, according to Vatican Radio, Francis thanked the Coast Guard. He said: “I would like to thank the [...]

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