Mount Hood dead remembered, 40 years on

NINE victims of one of the deadliest alpine disasters in the United States’ history, 40 years ago at Mount Hood, in Oregon, were remembered by the diocese last week. Seven students and two faculty members from the Oregon Episcopal School, in Portland, died in May 1986 on an expedition to Hood, the state’s highest peak, as part of the school’s Basecamp outdoor education programme. “As an Episcopal school, gathering in community is core to our identity — especially in times when connection and support are most needed,” the school’s head, the Revd Michael Spencer, said in a statement to the Episcopal News Service.

Priest seeks end to dynastic rule in the Philippines

A ROMAN Catholic priest in the Philippines, Fr Robert Reyes, who serves in the diocese of Cubao, in Northern Metro Manila, is overseeing a petition aimed at ending political dynasties that “have controlled local governments and worsened poverty for over a century”, the news website Crux Now reports. The movement seeks the enactment of a law against political dynasties through a constitutional mechanism known as a people’s initiative, which would require advocates to gather the signatures of approximately 6.84 million Filipinos, or ten per cent of registered voters, to force a national referendum. It would ensure that only one national and one local official from the same clan could occupy public office at the same time, fulfilling the campaign’s title, “One is Enough”.

Shelter given to Pakistani girl in forced-conversion case

A CHRISTIAN girl in Pakistan who was allegedly subjected to a forced conversion to Islam has been placed in a government shelter and given a medical examination to determine her age, after an order by the Federal Constitutional Court. The court acknowledged the sensitive nature of the case, including the possibility of coercion, undue influence, and pressure on a minor, the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, said. It welcomed the development. The case was heard on 6 May.

Australian rector welcomes new populist MP

THE first representative of a populist party in the Australian Parliament’s House of Representatives has been welcomed to church by a senior cleric in the federal rural seat of Farrer, where a by-election was held on Saturday, writes Muriel Porter. David Farley, representing the anti-immigration One Nation party, attended a Sunday service in St Matthew’s, Albury, where the Revd Peter MacLeod-Miller is the Rector. Fr MacLeod-Miller, who had attended the One Nation victory party, has condemned critics for “dehumanising” the One Nation founder and leader, Senator Pauline Hanson. Fr MacLeod-Miller was for eight years Vicar of Barrow, in Suffolk, before returning to Australia to serve as an archdeacon.

Pope praises Canary Islands over hantavirus

THE Pope on Sunday thanked the Canary Islands for allowing passengers of the cruise ship MV Hondius, “with hantavirus patients on board”, to embark, and said that he would be happy “to be able to meet you next month during my visit to the islands”. The Pope is to visit Spain from 6 to 12 June. He will spend the last two days of his stay on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, where he will meet migrants and organisations committed to helping them.