Modi vows to tackle religious violence in
India
THE Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has said that his
government will tackle violence against religious minorities, after
a wave of attacks on churches in Delhi. Since December, five
churches have been vandalised or set on fire, but Mr Modi made no
comment until Tuesday. He said that everyone had the right to
follow the religion of their choice, and condemned violence and the
incitement of hatred against minorities. His party has been
frequently accused of pandering to Hindu extremists.
Number of child soldiers increases
MORE children are being recruited to join armed insurgent
groups, such as Islamic State, even as the numbers of child
soldiers in national armies falls. The trend was noted by Charu
Lata Hogg, from the Child Soldiers International charity, in an
interview with Vatican Radio to mark World Day Against Child
Soldiers on Wednesday of last week. The areas of greatest concern
are the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic,
South Sudan, Iraq, and Syria.
New Zealand bishop demoted
A BISHOP in New Zealand who offended Muslims and Jews at an
interfaith meeting has been demoted by the Anglican Church of
Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Bishop of Te Waipounamu,
the Rt Revd John Gray, remains in charge of the Maori diocese of
Christchurch, but is no longer Vicar General for the Primate of the
Maori Church in New Zealand, Archbishop Brown Turei. Bishop Gray
told a Jewish group that was visiting Christchurch for an
interfaith meeting last month that "the Holocaust should have
taught you a lesson." He also questioned Muslims at the meeting
about what they were doing to stop Islamist violence in the Middle
East, and why they did not believe in the Trinity.
Texan driver sacked for having Jesus as 'co-driver'
A LORRY driver in Texas has allegedly been fired for recording
in his logbooks that his co-driver was Jesus. The driver, Ramiro
Olivarez, said that his employer had terminated his contract on the
grounds that he was submitting incomplete documentation and
falsifying legal documents. He had put down Jesus as his co-driver
throughout his career, he said, but he would have stopped if the
company had asked him.
Kenyan bishop makes provision for famine
THE Anglican Church of Kenya is stocking up on rice in
preparation for a famine that it fears is imminent. The Bishop of
Kirinyaga, the Rt Revd Joseph Kibucwa, told local media that the
Church had spent one million Ugandan shillings buying rice because
of insufficient rain last year, which would cause a shortage of
food in Kirinyaga. Bishop Kibucwa said that his diocese was
identifying families who would be most in need of the rice.