Bishop accused of killing cyclist pleads not guilty

THE US bishop charged with manslaughter, drunk-driving, and texting while driving resulting in an accident (News, 16 January) pleaded not guilty at Baltimore Circuit Court on Thursday of last week. The Suffragan Bishop of Maryland, the Rt Revd Heather Cook, had a fatal collision with a cyclist, Thomas Palermo, in December. It is alleged that she did not remain at the scene, but travelled back 30 minutes later, going to her home before returning to the scene of the accident. She was picked up by the police, who gave her a breathalyser test, resulting in a 0.22 reading: nearly treble the legal limit in Maryland. The trial is due to take place on 4 June.

Australian Archbishop speaks out against 'gay panic' law

THE Archbishop of Brisbane, Dr Phillip Aspinall, has supported a call by the Revd Paul Kelly, a Roman Catholic priest, for the "Homosexual Advance Defence" to be removed from Queensland common law, The Guardian reported on Sunday. Currently, a murder charge can be reduced to manslaughter if the defendant proves that the victim "came on" to him or her, and that the killing was in self-defence.

Bishops call on Europeans to tackle plight of the Roma

THE situation of many Roma people in Europe is "deplorable", says a message released by church leaders on Wednesday to mark International Roma Day. The President of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, Cardinal Péter Erdő, and the President of the Conference of European Churches, the Rt Revd Christopher Hill, refer to racism, unemployment, and "utter poverty". Highlighting church efforts to support the Roma, they call on communities to become "more and more open. . . Our conviction is, that beside education and employment, the human heart is a third and important pillar in the development of relations with Roma people."