Archbishop welcomes Mohamad election
THE Archbishop of South East Asia, the Most Revd Moon Hing, has welcomed the election victory of the 92-year-old former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (right), who came out of retirement to stand against the 62-year rule of the Barisan Nasional coalition, last week. Dr Mohamad said that the outgoing Prime Minister, Najib Razak, would be held accountable should allegations of corruption against him prove true. Archbishop Moon wrote on Facebook: “As we rejoice and thank God for this miraculous landslide election in our excited exhaustion, we should celebrate the results of this Mother of all Elections together with this Sunday’s Mothers’ Day celebration in all our churches.”
Nigerian bishop survives gun attack
THE Bishop of Makurdi, the Rt Revd Nathan Inyom, survived without injury an attack by armed gunmen, on Sunday. Bishop Inyom was travelling past a village in the Benue State of Nigeria, with his wife, Becky, and two chaplains, when his car was seized, a diocesan spokesperson told the Nation newspaper. No one was harmed. The area has become prone to violence in recent weeks. Two RC priests of the archdiocese of Makurdi were killed last month when herdsmen stormed the parish church of St Ignatius Quasi, in Ukpor, during the eucharist.
Nepalese churches damaged by arson
FOUR churches in Nepal have been attacked in as many days by unidentified arsonists, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported on Wednesday. Mahima Church, in Dhangadhi; Emmanuel Church, in Kanchanpur; Emmanuel Church, in Doti, western Nepal; and Hebron Church in Panchthar, eastern Nepal, were targeted. No one was harmed in the attacks, which were carried out at night, but the churches suffered varying amounts of damage before the fires were put out. Mahima Church was partially destroyed when a makeshift bomb was thrown through a window. Police investigations are ongoing, but sources suggest that a Hindu extremist group might be behind the attacks, CSW reported.
Pope warns young Sicilians against the Mafia
POPE FRANCIS has urged young people on the island of Sicily not to join the Mafia. He made his plea in a telegram addressed to the Archbishop of Agrigento on Wednesday of last week, on the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Sicilian town, Vatican News reported. The Pope recalled the appeal of his predecessor in 1993, in which he denounced the organised crime of the Mafia and called on its members to convert. Evil should be fought “gently and courageously, as indicated by the gospel, in everyday life”, including teaching young people, Pope Francis wrote.
Former Suffragan Bishop of Johannesburg dies
A FORMER Suffragan Bishop of Johannesburg, the Rt Revd Mfaniseni Sigisbert Ndwandwe, who was detained under apartheid without trial in the 1980s, has died, aged 89, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa reports. His funeral took place in the diocese of Matlosane last Friday. Bishop Ndwandwe became one of two suffragan bishops of Johannesburg, in 1978. He later worked with young anti-apartheid activists, and was targeted by government agencies. In 1985, he joined the recently enthroned Bishop of Johannesburg, Dr Desmond Tutu, and two dozen other priests in a banned march to protest against the detention of another priest. Bishop Ndwandwe was arrested on charges of public violence, and his house was fire-bombed in 1986. He was released, then rearrested and detained for 99 days on allegations that he had conspired to murder policemen.