Jonathan, Obama Visit Pope
It was a busy time for His Holiness Pope Francis following the visits of two heads of state recently. First to storm the Vatican was Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan who was accompanied by his wife Patience and other top government officials. That was on Saturday, March 22. On Thursday, March 27, President Barak Obama of the United States of America took his turn. Both heads of State were visiting Pope Francis for the first time. Reports say President Jonathan and Pope Francis held extensive discussion on Nigeria’s position on same-sex marriage which was recently outlawed in the country. The Executive Secretary of Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Kennedy Opara, disclosed this to journalists at the Holy…
US ‘concern’ at Syria weapons delay
The US is “concerned” that Syria is behind schedule in handing over its chemical weapons, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said. Mr Hagel told reporters in Poland that Damascus “had to take responsibility for fulfilling its commitment”. The US believes that only around 4% of the chemicals declared by the Syrian government have been removed. Delegates from Syria’s government and opposition are attending peace talks in Geneva for a sixth day. A new report from Human Rights Watch, published on Thursday, claims the Syrian government has been “deliberately and unlawfully” demolishing thousands of homes in opposition strongholds. The organisation said this was “collective punishment of communities suspected of supporting the rebellion”. Syria’s chemical weapon stockpiles…
Gay-Marriage Law: US threatens to sanction Nigeria
Leading western countries piled pressure on the Federal government recently, following President Goodluck Jonathan’s signing of the Same-Sex Prohibition Act 2014. The latest country is the United States of America, whose Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle threatened that the United States will scale down its support for HIV/AIDS and anti-malaria programmes in response to the Federal Government’s position on the gay rights issue. Member countries of the European Union and Canada have expressed their objection to the law but United States Ambassador to Nigeria said he was worried about “the implications of the anti-same sex marriage law which seems to restrict the fundamental rights of a section of the Nigerian population.” This came as a…
US suspends 34 nuclear missile officers over cheating on exam
The US military has suspended 34 officers in charge of launching nuclear missiles for cheating on a proficiency test, Air Force leaders have announced. The scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana marked the latest in a series of damaging revelations dogging the country’s nuclear force, including a separate probe into illegal drugs that came to light last week. “There was cheating that took place with respect to this particular test,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told a news conference. “Some officers did it. Others apparently knew about it, and it appears that they did nothing, or at least not enough, to stop it or to report it.” She called the cheating “absolutely…
Kerry in Mideast to propose peace framework
Secretary of State John Kerry is back in the Middle East where he plans to propose a framework for a lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, saying the time is close for tough decision-making. Kerry arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and immediately headed for Jerusalem, the start of his ninth trip to the region since taking over as America’s top diplomat nearly a year ago. A senior State Department official said Kerry’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be substantive. “It is an effort to provide agreed guidelines for a permanent status agreement, that is to say a full and final peace treaty between the…
Terror Alert as US Shuts Embassies
Amid warnings over a fresh planned attack on Western targets, United States officials in Washington and diplomats in US postings around the world were on high alert at the weekend, leading to the closure of 22 embassies and travel alert to American citizens in the Arabian Peninsula. The British Broadcasting Corporation reported Saturday that the United States is not the only one worried by the latest threat to peace. The United Kingdom, French, and German embassies in Yemen will also be shut Sunday and Monday. The uneasiness was coming on the heels of warnings that fresh intelligence points to Yemen-based al-Qaida being on the final stages of planning an attack on Western targets. The warning…
5,000 Youth Offer Themselves for Priesthood and Religious Life
As Neocatechumenal Way Hosts Vocational Meeting After WYD in Rio de Janeiro Last Monday, a Vocational Meeting organized by the Neocatechumenal Way was held in Rio de Janeiro which was attended by an estimated 50,000 youth from all over the world. The ecclesial reality hosts the meeting after every World Youth Day, which is moved by the desire to gather the fruits from the event. The meeting, which was presided by Archbishop Orani Tempesta of Rio, was attended by five cardinals: Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna; Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston; Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney; and Cardinal Odilo Scherer, Archbishop of Sao Paulo. Also present were 75 bishops and archbishops as…
