Starting his three-nation African visit on Wednesday, Pope Francis said violence and terrorism feed on “despair” which comes from poverty and frustration. Speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, the Pope said fear and mistrust spring from the same source. He also re-iterated his view that the protection of the environment needs to take place alongside building a Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Terrorism’
A brief history of Islamic State
Tuesday, November 24th, 2015
ISIS considers itself the “Islamic Caliphate” (a theological empire) and controls vast swathes of land in western Iraq and eastern Syria. They also have “allegiance” from different radical Islamic groups around the world (from Afghanistan to Nigeria) who “govern” self-proclaimed provinces. Within the areas they control they have established a reign of terror second to Read more
Paris: the problem is deeper than criminal acts
Tuesday, November 24th, 2015
There’s something profoundly rotten about cultures that can give birth to the murderous behaviour on show in Paris last Friday. This is just the latest and probably most visible instance because it happened in one of the hubs of the European and North American news media. These hubs make things that happen in too many other Read more
Paris attacks: How should Christians deal with murderous Islamists?
Friday, November 20th, 2015
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are too many SOBs in the world. Islamic terrorists, dictators, neo-Nazis and everyday thugs. Perhaps we should put them all on an island and drop a bomb on it. But then that would make us the SOBs. Such is life. I’m being simplistic but the horror of Paris generates simple emotions: Read more
Vatican secretary of state re-iterates just war criteria
Friday, November 20th, 2015The Vatican’s Secretary of State has supported military intervention to disarm an unjust aggressor in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. Speaking on Sunday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin cited conditions stipulated under Catholic just war doctrine. He said comments Pope Francis made in 2014 that it is “licit” to use force to disarm an unjust Read more
Pope Francis likened gossip to terrorism
Friday, September 11th, 2015Pope Francis, Friday, likened a person who gossips to “a terrorist who throws a bomb,” telling his followers that sowing divisions is a sickness within the Catholic Church. Speaking during his homily at his Santa Marta residence, Francis criticized people who think gossip is harmless. “Gossiping is like terrorism because the person who gossips is Read more
UK MP wants anti-terror measure to cover same-sex marriage
Friday, August 7th, 2015A Conservative UK MP has said anti-terror laws should be applied to those who teach that same-sex marriage is wrong. Mark Spencer has promoted the use of Extreme Disruption Orders (EDOs) to prevent teachers disseminating the idea that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. EDOs are a new anti-hate-speech measure introduced Read more
Bishops reject call for mass abortions for terror victims
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015Nigeria’s Catholic bishops have spoken out against calls for mass abortions for some of the pregnant women rescued from Boko Haram. The bishops’ conference health committee chair Bishop Anselm Umoren told a press conference the life of every baby is distinct from that of the parents. Aborting the unborn children of the rescued women would Read more
Islamic school keeps watchful cyber eye on students
Tuesday, April 28th, 2015Teachers at New Zealand’s biggest Islamic school are monitoring students’ online activity in light of increasing international concerns over how extremist groups are using the internet to recruit members. Principal of Mangere’s Al-Madinah School, Asin Ali, told the Herald on Sunday that cyber-monitoring of his 550 students was being conducted, including scanning for extremist-related material. Read more
Bishop says Jesus told him Rosary will stop Boko Haram
Friday, April 24th, 2015
A Nigerian bishop has said that Jesus appeared to him in a vision and indicated that praying the Rosary would rid the nation of Boko Haram terrorists. Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of Maiduguri diocese, in Borno State, recounted the details of his vision to a conference in Spain this month. The Catholic News Agency reported Read more