Archbishop of Dublin to retire
THE Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough, Dr John Neill, is to retire at the end of January 2011, he announced on Tuesday. He will be 65, and will have served for 25 years as a bishop in the Church of Ireland, for more than eight years as Archbishop. The Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan Harper, paying tribute to Dr Neill, said: “Wherever Archbishop John has served, the witness of the Church has been strengthened, the people of the Church have been encouraged, and the liturgy of the Church has been enhanced.” The Archdeacon of Dublin, the Ven. David Pierpoint, spoke of Dr Neill’s “forthright” defence of the part played by minorities in education.
Kenyan bishop calls for apology over gay comments
THE Bishop of Mombasa, in Kenya, the Rt Revd Julius Kalu, has called on the country’s Special Programmes Minister, Esther Murugi, to apologise after she spoke during a symposium on AIDS and HIV in the city, and said that the gay community should not be stigmatised. Bishop Kalu told ENI News it would be “honourable for the minister to accept and issue an apology to the people of Kenya”, and that her comments were “annoying”. The Human Rights Commission in Kenya has backed the Minister.
Vatican condemns Nobel Peace Prize for ‘Father of IVF’
THE Vatican has criticised the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for Medicine to Professor Robert Edwards, the British scientist who pioneered in vitro fertility treatment. Mgr Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, described the choice of Dr Edwards as “out of order”. He said that artificial insemination from a man who was not a woman’s partner trivialised parenthood. Paul Vallely, Press
Leprosy Mission welcomes new UN guidelines
THE Leprosy Mission has welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Council’s announcement of new guidelines aimed at eliminating discrimination against people affected by leprosy. Sian Arulanantham, Head of Programmes at the Leprosy Mission, said that a big part of its work was tackling social exclusion for leprosy sufferers.