Meet the teenage ‘werewolf’ who is covered from head to toe in thick, three inch long black hair. Hirsute Muhammad Raihan, 13, has turned down medical treatment for his ultra rare condition because he thinks it’s a blessing from God. The boy is revered as a Hindu deity in his Indonesian village because of his unusually hairy physique. Source
Month: April 2016
Could cashless payments make Rwanda’s bus conductor redundant?
Rwandan buses are among the first in Africa to switch to cashless payment. Chris Matthews asks what will become of the bus conductor. Snaking through the green streets of Kigali, as a stream of motorbike taxis, known as motos, fly along the hilly roads, the 109 bus is making its familiar route west to the suburb of Gikondo. Source
Christians, Muslims in Thailand gather to promote harmony and peace
Bangkok, Thailand, Apr 12, 2016 / 12:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic officials attended the inauguration of a new mosque in Bangkok earlier this week, in an effort to foster interreligious dialogue, and harmony between their communities in Thailand. Source
India temple fire: 106 killed in fireworks disaster; criminal case opened
Kollam, India (CNN)The disaster came too quickly for Bhadran to understand what had just happened.
One moment, he and two friends were celebrating Hindu new year’s festivities at a south Indian temple. Minutes later, his two friends were dead. Source
20 U.S. cities ‘optimum sanctuaries’ for migrants
Bob Iger, Rupert Murdock, Michael Bloomberg and Bill Marriott are just a few of the corporate execs working to help cities become sanctuaries for migrants – legal and illegal – while offering money to propagate a rosy view of immigrants’ impact on the economy. Source
Lou Engle of The Call Kneels, Kisses Foot of Catholic Leader as Act of ‘Reconciliation’
LOS ANGELES — Lou Engle of The Call is again raising concerns after a Roman Catholic leader prostrated at his feet on Saturday in declaring that he wanted to “kiss his feet” in an act of reconciliation between Christians and Catholics, and Engle returned the act by likewise kissing the man’s shoe. Source
Will papal document settle the controversies? (ANALYSIS)
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The wide-ranging papal document on the Catholic Church and modern-day families that the Vatican released on Friday (April 8) was expected to be the culmination of a two-year gantlet of unusually frank discussions — a chance for Pope Francis to finally settle the fierce debates, and even dark warnings of schism, that his effort to open dialogue on contentious topics had unleashed. Source
Bernie Sanders, ‘a big fan’ of Pope Francis, to attend Vatican conference
Vatican City, Apr 8, 2016 / 12:25 pm (Indiana state trooper fired after asking drivers he pulled over if they had been saved by Jesus Christ
An Indiana state trooper is off the force after offering people he pulled over tips on their faith.
Brian Hamilton, a 14-year veteran of the state’ police force, was fired Thursday after a second public complaint that he was preaching while on duty.
Hamilton asked a driver he pulled over if she had “been saved” and invited her to his church, even giving her directions.
The second infraction came in January, and the motorist filed suit with the American Civil Liberties Union Tuesday.
“Ms. Pyle was extremely uncomfortable with these questions,” the lawsuit says, adding the plaintiff felt intimidated by the religious interaction in a middle of a traffic stop, where she was given a warning for speeding.
“In order to hopefully end these inquiries Ms. Pyle indicated that she did attend a church and that she was saved.”
The lawsuit also claims Pyle was approached by someone from Hamilton’s congregation shortly afterwards, who told her the trooper had put her on a prayer list.
Hamilton’s behavior in January was an apparent violation of a 2014 order demanding he would not “question others regarding their religious beliefs nor provide religious pamphlets or similar advertisements” while on duty, according to The Herald Bulletin. Source
Pope Francis: Martyrs are still the ‘life blood of the Church’
.- Pope Francis on Thursday praised the consistency and courage of the modern day martyrs who continue to “carry the Church forward” even as they face death for their witness to the Risen Christ. Source