Atom-bomb survivors receive Nobel Peace Prize
THE Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 to the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations. Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as hibakusha, they campaign against nuclear arms. The World Council of Churches (WCC) welcomed the announcement, last Friday. The director of its Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, Peter Prove, said: “We congratulate Nihon Hidankyo, and will continue to support the efforts of our churches around the world as they call upon all governments to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and provide nuclear justice and environmental remediation to the people and lands where nuclear weapons testing was carried out. There is no security in these weapons, only permanent insecurity so long as they continue to exist.”
US bishop restricted over alleged relationship
THE former Bishop of California, in the Episcopal Church in the United States, the Rt Revd Marc Andrus, who retired in July after 18 years as a diocesan bishop, has been restricted in his ordained ministry owing to “a credible allegation of an inappropriate relationship with an adult”, the Episcopal Church’s Office of Public Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. The restriction was issued last week by the Rt Revd Mary Gray-Reeves in her position as presiding bishop-designate in Title IV matters involving bishops, the statement says. “Since that time, Bishop Gray-Reeves and others involved in our Title IV process have been working to solidify a network of pastoral care (Canon IV.8) and mental-health support for the parties involved in this Title IV matter. Procedural updates on this matter will be posted with other current cases on our website.” Bishop Andrus’s successor, the Rt Revd Austin Rios, said that Bishop Andrus “will not be able to be in contact with anyone in our diocese” while the case was pending. “I did not anticipate that this kind of painful situation would be among our first challenges together. But I believe that . . . we will emerge from this difficulty more connected.”
Ukrainian military chaplains praised
THE Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) has sent congratulations to military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for their work in the country. In a statement on Saturday, observed as the Day of the Military Chaplain of Ukraine, the multifaith UCCRO, said: “During the war initiated against us by the Russian state, chaplains, putting their own lives at risk, are assisting the military to fulfil their duty, upholding the faith and morale of the soldiers in difficult times. Your contribution to the protection and defense of Ukraine cannot be overestimated.” The message concludes with a prayer “to give them the strength to remain strong in spirit and overcome evil”.
Christian men detained in Shendi
A GROUP of 26 men, most of whom are reported to be Christians, have been arbitrarily arrested by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Military Intelligence unit in Shendi, River Nile State, Sudan, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Of these, 14 were released on Sunday and Monday, and the rest remain in detention. Most of the detainees are members of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) in Al Ezba, Khartoum North, who were forced to flee with their families as the fighting between the SAF and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified in the city. An eyewitness told CSW that all the men were harassed and physically assaulted in front of their families.
Archbishop Mésidor: Haiti ‘exhausted’ after massacre
HAITI is “completely sick” and its people are “exhausted”, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, the Most Revd Max Leroy Mésidor, has said after the massacre by armed gang members on 3 October in which at least 115 people were killed. More than 6000 people have since been displaced by the violence. Archbishop Mésidor, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Haiti, issued an audio message after the attack. “Is there a plan to destroy the country?” he asked.