Hawaii diocese calls for prayers after rainstorms
THE diocese of Hawaii is calling for prayers after the heaviest rainstorms in more than 20 years prompted the evacuation of some 5500 people. The North Shore communities on the island of O’ahu and an Episcopalian camp and retreat centre, Camp Mokule’ia in Waialua, were affected by severe flooding. The Governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, said on Saturday that no deaths or missing people had been reported, but 230 people had been rescued, and some were in hospital with hypothermia. Parts of the region had had 40 to 50 inches (127cm) of rain in the preceding ten days, Mr Green said.
Tributes paid to the late Georgian Patriarch Ilia II
THE Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia, the longest serving Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, died on 17 March, after being hospitalised earlier that day. He served as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia from 1977 until his death. In a letter of condolence, the King expressed “deep sorrow” and wrote: “His work was characterised by wisdom and high moral authority, earning him great respect both in Georgia and abroad.” During the funeral on Sunday, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Koch, read a message from Pope Leo that described the late Patriarch as “a devoted witness to faith in the Risen Christ”; and the EU Delegation to Georgia, paying tribute on Facebook, posted: “His Holiness played a vital role in preserving national identity and faith, and remained a unifying presence for the generations of believers.”
New global platform on mining and Indigenous rights
A NEW platform to promote disinvestment from mining activities that affect Latin American communities unjustly has been launched by church representatives and activists for Indigenous people’s rights, the Holy See announced last Friday. The ecumenical network, Iglesias y Minería, is “an act of coherence with our faith, with the defence of human dignity, and with the commitment to care for our Common Home”, the Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Baggio, said. “It is essential to listen to the voices of communities who experience first-hand the challenges and conflicts caused by both legal and illegal mining. We cannot remain silent in the face of evident injustices.”
People with Down syndrome are of equal dignity, says Vatican
ON World Down Syndrome Day, last Saturday, the Vatican affirmed that a person with Down syndrome had the same dignity and sacred value as any other. It said that prenatal screening and the selective termination of pregnancies where the condition had been diagnosed in the unborn child must be firmly rejected. The Holy See’s Apostolic Nuncio in Geneva, Archbishop Balestrero, said that “persons with Down syndrome are more than a diagnosis, more than a condition, and certainly more than the limits others may imagine. All of them, like all of us, possess the same inherent dignity and sacred value, intentionally and lovingly imprinted by the Creator from the very first moment of conception.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses modify policy on blood transfusion
THE Governing Body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses announced that after extensive prayer and consideration, it is modifying its prohibition of receiving transfused blood. In a video statement posted on the denomination’s website on Friday, a member of the Governing Body, Gerrit Lösch, said: “Each Christian must decide for himself how his own blood will be used in all medical and surgical care. This includes whether to allow his own blood to be removed, stored, and then given back to him.”
