WCC condemns Hezbollah pagers attack
THE explosion of hundreds of electronic pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah was condemned as “an attack that only escalates warfare, and needlessly harms and kills innocent civilians” by the World Council of Churches on Wednesday. The blasts on Tuesday, which killed at least 12 people and wounded nearly 3000, were described by the Lebanese Information Minister, Ziad Makary, as an “Israeli aggression”, while the UN described the incident as “an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context”. The WCC’s general secretary, the Revd Professor Jerry Pillay, said: “We are praying for all those people who were leading their daily lives and were injured, and those who are still searching frantically for their loved ones.”
Man accused of blasphemy shot dead by police officer
A MAN accused of blasphemy was shot and killed by a police officer in a police station in Quetta, Balochistan, in Pakistan, on Thursday of last week, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. The man, Abdul Ali, was arrested on 11 September, prompting the gathering of a mob outside the police station, “pelting the police station with stones and even launching grenade attacks in their protest”, according to the newspaper Dawn, which reported that Mr Ali had been moved to another station for his own safety. Local authorities say that the officer, Syed Khan, has been arrested. CSW’s President, Sir Mervyn Thomas, said that the attack had occurred during a visit to Pakistan of the EU special envoy for freedom of religion or belief, and urged the EU to “ensure that sufficient protections are provided to any person accused of blasphemy”. In 2017, nine people were killed in an Islamic State attack on Bethel Memorial Methodist Church, Quetta (News, 22 December 2017).
Three new bishops for Zambia
THREE new bishops were consecrated in Holy Cross Cathedral, Lusaka, for the Church of the Province of Central Africa, this month. The new bishops include the Rt Revd John Kafwanka Kaoma, a former director for mission for the Anglican Consultative Council, who is now the Bishop of Northern Zambia. At the time of his election, Bishop Kaoma was Vicar of St Augustine of Canterbury, Whitton, in London (News, 17 May). Also consecrated were a new Bishop of Eastern Zambia, the Rt Revd Dennis Milanzi, and the Suffragan Bishop in Lusaka, the Rt Revd Emmanuel Chikoya, who previously led the Livingstone Anglican Children’s Project, working to prevent human trafficking in the city (News, 19 July 2013). Among those present was Canon Jenny Humphreys, a former world mission adviser and Zambia-link co-ordinator for the diocese of Bath & Wells.
Emmaus International to change its name
MORE abuse allegations have been made against the late Abbé Pierre, a French Roman Catholic priest who was celebrated as a champion of the poor, the vulnerable, and the homeless (News, 26 July). In July, the international Emmaus movement, which he founded in 1949, said that seven women had disclosed that he had sexually assaulted or harassed them. On 6 September, it revealed that a further 17 allegations of “sexual violence committed by Abbé Pierre against girls and women” had been received. It announced measures, including a decision to change its name (the new name is not reported yet, but the paperwork is said to have begun), and the commissioning of a group of independent experts to “apprehend and explain the flaws in the movement that allowed Abbé Pierre to behave as he did for more than fifty years”.
Plans for global live-streamed prayer gathering
AN INVITATION to all Christians to join in prayer and worship on 1 March 2025 was issued on Tuesday. The Gather25 gathering, conceived by Jennie Allen, a Christian writer, seeks to bring together the world’s 2.5 billion Christians through a live-streamed broadcast to homes, churches, and stadiums. A total of 25 hours of events will be hosted across six continents, beginning in the US and ending in Peru. The broadcast will include “stories and testimonies of God’s hand at work around the world”, encouraging viewers to tell others about their faith. Information about the line-up and how to lead a “gather group” to watch is at: gather25.com
Rome denounces ‘Archbishop’ Salvatore Micalef
SALVATORE MICALEF, who describes himself as a Catholic archbishop, has been denounced by the dioceses of Fatima and Rome as a fraud, the Crux news website reports. Ordained priest by the excommunicated Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo in 2009, he has built a following in part on the basis of exorcisms and healings, presenting himself as a bishop and Primate of an international Catholic prelature, “Saints Peter and Paul”. Currently only one personal prelature is recognised by the Vatican, Opus Dei. A statement from the diocese of Rome issued this month said that Mr Micalef was “not in communion with the Catholic Church and does not possess the ministerial faculties necessary to administer the sacraments”.