Christian mechanic Ashfaq Masih has been sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan after allegedly saying that Jesus Christ is the only true prophet. Reading out the 12-page judgment July 4, Khalid Wazir, additional session judge of the Lahore High Court, sentenced Mr Masih to death and fined him 100,000 rupees (€1,246). Mr Masih, 34,…
The second assembly of Australia’s plenary council ran from July 3-9. A plenary council has wide-ranging power, and Australia has gone through an extensive process to get to this point. Here are some key questions and answers. Q. What was the plenary council? A plenary council is a gathering of the local Church; it has…
The agenda for the Second Assembly of Australia’s Plenary Council was disrupted July 6 after more than 60 of the 277 members staged a protest over issues regarding women in the Church, including the defeat of a motion to formalise support for the ordination of women as deacons. A sense of crisis among plenary members, lay…
Shannon Campbell The View “Nemo dat quod non habet.” That was the advice of our Chaplain, Fr Dominic McGrattan, when I first took up my position as chaplaincy director. As a former lawyer he’s known to throw out the odd legal maxim. Not being a Latinist myself, he thankfully supplied a translation and “no one…
Liam Fitzpatrick Community members removed paramilitary UDA and Paratroop Regiment flags erected outside St Comgall’s chapel and school in Antrim, with some fearing a potential increase in sectarian tension around July 12. Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney, representative of South Antrim, called the situation “provocative, insensitive and a clear attempt at intimidation” in a statement…
The European Parliament has called on the Vatican “to give full support to Cardinal Zen” and told the Holy See it should “strengthen its diplomatic efforts and its leverage on the Chinese authorities”. In a resolution passed on July 7, the parliament condemned the arrest of the 90-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong by Chinese authorities and demanded that…
Journalist accused of inciting destruction of abbey in Spain The Vox political party in Spain has filed a complaint against a journalist who encouraged blowing up the basilica and abbey located on the grounds of the Valley of the Fallen memorial complex northwest of Madrid. The complex is the site of the largest cross in…
Liam Fitzpatrick There is an underbelly of human trafficking that is not being tackled in Ireland, which has led to severe exploitation of adults and children, writes Liam Fitzpatrick Growing up impoverished and abused in East Africa, Amelia hoped overseas work would help her escape her oppressive home. When a local woman offered her a…
Shapeshifting microrobots brush and floss teeth A shapeshifting robotic micro-swarm may one day act as a toothbrush, rinse, and dental floss in one. The technology, developed by a team at the University of Pennsylvania, is set to offer a new and automated way to perform the mundane but critical daily tasks of brushing and flossing.…
Anthony Gaughan A Poet in the House: Patrick Kavanagh at Priory Grove, by Elizabeth O’Toole (Lilliput Press, €15.00/£13.00) Elizabeth O’Toole’s memoir is a fascinating snapshot of Patrick Kavanagh in his later years, in very different circumstances than people often imagined him in. Kavanagh was born near Inniskeen, Co. Monaghan, on October 23 1904. After attending the…