National Church of Iceland to be compensated with £3.3million after recession cutbacks

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National Church of Iceland to be compensated with £3.3million after recession cutbacks

Iceland’s minister of the interior has supported a suggestion that the National Church of Iceland should be financially compensated for the cutbacks it faced after the 2008 economic crash.

The proposed refund would see the church receive 660 million ISK (3.34 million GBP, 5 million dollars), the Iceland Review Online reports.

Last week Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson praised the church for its tolerance and sacrifice in recent years, adding that its funding should be increased.

Interior minister Ólöf Nordal added her support to initiative in an interview with Icelandic news outlet RÚV.

“The government discussed it briefly last autumn and stated its clear intent that the church’s needs be met,” she said.

Nordal, who was appointed minister of the interior in December 2014, said: “I absolutely agree with the PM that it’s important to show special consideration for the church at this point in time.”

When she was asked why the church should be prioritised over other institutions, she added: “It’s a very important institution in society. There is no doubt about that. And I have very positive feelings towards the church.”

The National Church, also known as the Evangelical Church of Iceland, has about 244,000 members and represents about 75 per cent of the country’s 326,000 population.

The church is the only religious organisation to receive direct financial contributions from the state, but in 2009 this funding was temporarily suspended as the government had to make cuts in response to the financial crisis.

According to the English-language magazine the Reykjavík Grapevine, the son of the Bishop of Iceland works as an economic advisor to the prime minister.

Gunnlaugsson did not cite a source when he said he had become aware of the church’s financial needs in an interview with RÚV, the Reykjavík Grapevine reports.

Source: Christian Today

John Kerry: U.S., Iran eye progress in next meeting on nuclear program

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John Kerry: U.S., Iran eye progress in next meeting on nuclear program

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that he and his Iranian counterpart would seek at their meeting on Wednesday to lay the ground for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program to make greater progress.

Kerry meets Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva in a bid to revive the search for an elusive nuclear accord after negotiators failed for the second time in November to meet a self-imposed deadline.

“The meeting is calculated to take stock, number one, and to provide direction to our teams, number two, and to hopefully be able to accelerate the process to make greater progress,” Kerry told reporters on a visit to India.

Zarif has also struck a conciliatory tone ahead of the new push to end the 12-year-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful. The West fears it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

The Kerry-Zarif meeting precedes lower-level bilateral talks between Iran and members of six major powers the next day, and a collective discussion among the entire group on Jan. 18.

In 2013, the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China, struck a preliminary agreement with Iran for the suspension of nuclear work in return for easing some economic sanctions.

After missing the November deadline for a comprehensive agreement, the preliminary accord was extended for another seven months.

Iranian and Western officials have said differences remain over Tehran’s uranium enrichment capacity, how fast economic sanctions should be lifted and other key issues.

“We’re at a juncture where most of the issues are now getting fleshed out and understood and I think it’s important for him and for me to take stock,” Kerry said of his meeting with Zarif on Wednesday.

Source: Reuters

Cuba has released all 53 prisoners as agreed in US deal to restore diplomatic ties, say US officials

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Cuba has released all 53 prisoners as agreed in US deal to restore diplomatic ties, say US officials

Cuba has released all 53 prisoners it had promised to free, senior US officials said, a major step toward détente with Washington.

The release of the remaining prisoners sets a positive tone for historic talks next week aimed at normalizing relations after decades of hostility, the officials said.

They described the Cuban government’s release over the weekend of the last detainees on the list as a milestone but said they would keep pressing Havana to free more people the United States considers political prisoners.

The officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not say how many prisoners were released over the weekend or identify them. But the White House will provide the names of all 53 to Congress and expects lawmakers to make them public, the officials added.

There had been questions over whether Havana would release all 53 prisoners as part of the deal Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced on December 17 to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago.

Intense secrecy surrounding the 53, whose names have been withheld by both countries, had fueled skepticism over Cuba’s intentions and played to critics who said Washington hasn’t pressured Havana enough on human rights in exchange for normalizing ties and loosening economic and travel restrictions.

The US exchanged three convicted Cuban spies for an agent who had spied for the US government. The United States also received Alan Gross, a US aid worker jailed in Cuba.

The Cuban government informed the Obama administration over the weekend that the last of those on the list of prisoners had been released, and the US Interests Section in Havana, which handles consular affairs and other contacts for Washington, confirmed it, the officials said.

The US officials said they would pressure communist-ruled Cuba to release more prisoners.

“The fact of the matter is there are other individuals whose cases we have raised in the past,” one of the officials said. “We have every expectation of going forward in the future. We’re going to be wanting to raise the cases of different individuals who may be detained in Cuba for exercising their universal rights.”

Cuba’s government says there are no political prisoners on the island and typically describes dissidents as US-paid mercenaries.

“WE’LL SEE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS”

Leading Cuban dissidents said that as of Sunday they had not received word that the prisoner release was complete and only knew of up to 39 people freed since December 17, including a popular hip-hop artist.

“We have heard nothing new today,” said Elizardo Sanchez, president of the dissident Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which monitors detentions. “We’ll see in the next few days if they complete the list.”

Secrecy around the list has made it difficult for Sanchez and other dissidents to confirm a precise tally of those freed.

Speaking in detail on the prisoner release for the first time since last month’s dramatic shift in Cuba policy, the US officials said the idea grew out of secret talks on how to release Gross and how to structure the spy swap.

As progress was made and both sides began seeing prospects for a broader rapprochement between the old Cold War foes last year, US negotiators sought proof of Cuba’s readiness to improve its human rights record and last spring presented a list of prisoners they wanted to see released, the officials said.

The Cubans agreed to almost everyone on the list with the exception of a handful before the names were finalized. In July, they told Obama’s aides that Havana was prepared to release 53 prisoners, the officials said.

A final meeting was held at the Vatican, where each side reviewed the different steps each side committed to take, including the Cuban prisoner release, the officials said, and then the broader deal was rolled out last month after 18 months of negotiations.

One US official also said Obama could exercise executive powers “in a matter of days and weeks” to begin easing some business and travel restrictions.

The officials said the first of those changes could be announced around the time of the Jan. 21-22 talks in Havana, when US Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson begins high-level negotiations on issues ranging from investments to immigration.

Reopening the US embassy in Havana for the first time in 53 years will also be a “near-term” focus for the administration and an issue that Jacobson will discuss with the Cubans, but there is no timeline, one of the US officials said.This official said the future of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – long a sore point with the Havana government – was not “on the table” during last year’s talks and that the United States has also made clear that it will continue its “democracy program” aimed at Cuba.

“You don’t erase decades of mistrust overnight but you can chip away at it by taking steps to improve the relationship,” the official said.

To make its list of prisoners to be released, the United States used information drawn from names of detainees provided by dissident activists in Cuba and human rights groups, and compiled names of what it considered to be core political prisoners who had been jailed for having peacefully exercised their rights of freedom of expression and assembly.

But it is unclear exactly how many dissidents are not on the list. Left out were the names of at least eight Cuban exile militants jailed on terrorism charges after they attempted to infiltrate Cuba with weapons, as well as 20 Cubans jailed on charges of attempting to hijack boats or planes. Also excluded, US officials say, were several Cubans jailed on unspecified charges of crimes against the state, including a handful of people believed to have spied for the United States.

Source: Christian Today

One Air Asia ‘black box’ has been retrieved

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One Air Asia ‘black box’ has been retrieved

Indonesian navy divers retrieved the black box flight data recorder from the wreck of an AirAsia passenger jet on Monday, a major step towards unraveling the cause of the crash that killed all 162 people on board.

But there was confusion about what happened in the final moments of Flight QZ8501, which crashed off the Indonesian coast on Dec. 28, with one official saying the plane probably exploded before hitting the water and another disputing that theory.

The Airbus A320-200 airliner lost contact with air traffic control in bad weather less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore.

“At 7:11, we succeeded in lifting the part of the black box known as the flight data recorder,” Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, told reporters at a news conference.

The second so-called black box, containing the cockpit voice recorder, is located about 20 meters away from where the flight data recorder was found, but divers have not yet been able to get to it.

“(The cockpit voice recorder) seems to be under a wing, which is quite heavy,” said Supriyadi, operations coordinator for the search and rescue agency. “So we will use air bags to lift it. This will be done tomorrow.”

The black boxes contain a wealth of data that will be crucial for investigators piecing together the sequence of events that led to the airliner plunging into the sea.

Supriyadi said the wreckage indicated that the plane likely “experienced an explosion” before hitting the water due to a significant change in air pressure.

He said the left side of the plane seemed to have disintegrated, pointing to a change in pressure that could have caused an explosion.

“NO DATA” TO SUPPORT THEORY

Supporting this possibility, he added, was the fact that fishermen in the area had reported hearing an explosion and saw smoke above the water.

But another official disputed the likelihood of a blast.

“There is no data to support that kind of theory,” said Santoso Sayogo, an investigator at the National Transportation Safety Committee.

The flight data recorder was brought by helicopter to Pangkalan Bun, the southern Borneo town that has been the base for the search effort, and then flown to Jakarta for analysis.

The black box looked to be in good condition, said Tatang Kurniadi, the head of the transport safety committee.

Investigators may need up to a month to get a complete reading of the data.

“The download is easy, probably one day. But the reading is more difficult … could take two weeks to one month,” the NTSC’s head investigator, Mardjono Siswosuwarno, said.

Over the weekend, three vessels detected “pings” that were believed to be from the black boxes, but strong winds, powerful currents and high waves hampered search efforts.

Dozens of Indonesian navy divers took advantage of calmer weather on Monday to retrieve the flight recorder and search for the fuselage of the Airbus.

Forty-eight bodies have been retrieved from the Java Sea and brought to Surabaya for identification. Searchers believe more bodies will be found in the plane’s fuselage.

Relatives of the victims have urged authorities to make finding the remains of their loved ones the priority.

“I told our soldiers that the search isn’t over yet,” Armed Forces chief General Moeldoko told reporters. “I am sure the remaining victims are in the body of the plane. So we need to find those.”

Indonesia AirAsia, 49 percent owned by the Malaysia-based AirAsia budget group, has come under pressure from authorities in Jakarta since the crash.

The transport ministry has suspended the carrier’s Surabaya-Singapore licence for flying on a Sunday, for which it did not have permission. However, the ministry has said this had no bearing on the crash.

President Joko Widodo said the disaster exposed widespread problems in the management of air travel in Indonesia.

Source: Reuters

The Mayor of Atlanta Declares War on Freedom of Speech and Reigion

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The Mayor of Atlanta Declares War on Freedom of Speech and Reigion

It was bad enough that Kasim Reed, the Mayor of Atlanta, declared open war on freedom of speech and religion by terminating the job of fire chief Kevin Cochran because of his views on homosexuality. But his reasons for doing so are even worse. Did Mayor Reed not even see the extraordinary irony of his words?

In 2013, Fire Chief Cochran, a committed Christian who is active in his local church, wrote and self-published a Bible-based, 160-page book that contained a few lines speaking against homosexual practice (along with other sexual sins) in very strong terms.

According to Cochran, he got verbal clearance to publish the book by the proper city authority and also gave a copy to the mayor personally, claiming that the mayor promised to read it.

But when word got out about the contents of the book, gay activists demanded that Mayor Reed dismiss Cochran. Instead, he suspended Cochran from his job for 30 days without pay – this alone boggles the mind – and required him to go to sensitivity training. (Apparently, it is forbidden even to believe what the Bible says about sexuality. You must be reprogrammed if you are to be a public servant.)

Then, earlier this week, once the suspension was over, Mayor Reed fired Cochran. And that is when the semantic circus began.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Reed said, “The city’s position is a very clear one. The city’s nondiscrimination policy, endorsed by my office and by the Atlanta City Council, unequivocally states that we will not negotiate. We will not discriminate on the basis of race or gender or religion or creed or sexual orientation or physical ability or gender identity.”

Take a moment to read that last sentence out loud slowly: “We will not discriminate on the basis of race or gender or religion or creed . . . .”

Mayor Reed, this is discrimination on the basis of religion.

These are Kevin Cochran’s deeply held religious beliefs, based on the Bible and 2,000 years of Church teaching, whether you agree with them or not.

That’s the whole reason that we have these protections in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Yet you have trampled on these very freedoms in the name of non-discrimination.

Continuing with the mayor’s comments, he said, “Any person that violates this conduct or creates an environment where we believe that that is a concern, will not be a part of our administration. Said another way, we have a strong nondiscrimination policy,” said the mayor as he engaged in an egregious act of religious discrimination.

And notice that, to my knowledge, no one has ever brought a charge against Cochran that he ever discriminated against anyone based on their sexual orientation or gender.

In fact, after his firing, Cochran explained to Todd Starnes that, “The LGBT members of our community have a right to be able to express their views and convictions about sexuality and deserve to be respected for their position without hate or discrimination. But Christians also have a right to express our belief regarding our faith and be respected for our position without hate and without discrimination. In the United States, no one should be vilified, hated or discriminated against for expressing their beliefs.”

How then could Mayor Reed say, “This is not about religious freedom, this is not about free speech. Judgment is the basis of the problem.”

He further stated, “I want everyone who works in the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department to feel welcome,” everyone, it appears, other than those with conservative biblical beliefs about sexuality and marriage.

Mayor Reed said, “I appreciate Chief Cochran’s service as fire chief. His personal religious beliefs are not an issue at all, despite the number of comments and emails I have been receiving on a daily basis. The city and my administration stand firmly in support of the right of religious freedom, freedom of speech and the right to freely observe their faith.”

Come again? This would be similar to saying, “This has nothing to do with the color of a man’s skin, since we wholeheartedly oppose discrimination based on skin color. We are simply firing Mr. Cochran because he is black.”

Remarkably, the mayor continued to emphasize this same point: “Let’s stop trying to make this about ‘religious freedom,’ when it’s about making sure we have an environment in government where everyone, no matter who they love … can do their job and go home without fear of being discriminated against. That’s what this is about.”

To repeat: Everyone, other than born-again, Bible-based believers.

As for “everyone” feeling welcome, “no matter who they love,” what about those who love God and are convinced that homosexual practice is a sin?

And then there was this patently absurd argument: “Every single employee under the fire chief’s command deserves the certainty that he or she is a valued member of the team and that fairness and respect guide employment decisions. … If we had made the decision to retain Chief Cochran … folks in the first rescue department who may have been discriminated against in some future occasion would have had a valid case in my mind. But after the fire chief so clearly stated his position on a number of issues, I thought that it created a potential liability for the city.”

What? He fired Cochran because, in the future, he might one day discriminate against someone? That’s like arresting someone because one day, that person might commit a crime.

And how are gay activists responding to Cochran’s dismissal?

The statement of Alex Wan, the only openly gay member of Atlanta’s City Council, was representative of many others, not only applauding the mayor but also repeating his doubletalk: “I support the administration’s decision to terminate Kelvin Cochran’s employment with the City of Atlanta. This sends a strong message to employees about how much we value diversity and how we adhere to a non-discriminatory environment.”

Diversity? A non-discriminatory environment? Seriously?

Cochran, for his part, is praising God and standing strong, looking forward not backward.

Looking at the bigger picture, you can expect a strong backlash against the mayor’s actions and words. As I said earlier this week, I’m looking for 2015 to be the year of pushback.

Source: Charisma News

Martin Luther King’ Children fights over his Bible and Medal in Court

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Martin Luther King’ Children fights over his Bible and Medal in Court

A bitter lawsuit is unravelling in court regarding the rights to Martin Luther King Jr’s Bible and Nobel Peace Prize medal.

King’s sons – Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King – run his estate, and want to sell the relics to a private buyer. It is thought the Bible could fetch between $200,000 and $1million, while the medal could go for more than $10million.

However, King’s daughter, Bernice, controls their mother’s estate and contests that King gave the medal to his wife as a gift and therefore belongs to her. She opposes the sale.

According to the Associated Press, Bernice gave an address in February at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where her father and grandfather both preached, in which she argued that the Bible and medal were cherished possessions of her father and “speak to the very core of who he was”.

She has also said that profiting from the sale of the medal would be “spiritually violent” and “outright morally reprehensible”.

“These items should never be sold to any person, as I say it, or any institution, because they’re sacred,” Bernice told a news conference. “I take this strong position for my father because Daddy is not here to say himself my Bible and medals are never to be sold.”

Dr Joseph Lowery, another key civil rights leader who marched with King, told African American news website theGrio last year that he supported Bernice’s decision. “I don’t even want to admit there’s a discussion about putting those items on the market,” he said.

“They are sacred items, not only are they sacred to the family but they’re sacred to the community. They represent Martin’s life work and commitment to justice and serving God.”

Reverend Timothy McDonald, assistant pastor of Ebenezer between 1978 and 1984 told AP: “You don’t sell Bibles and you don’t get but one Nobel peace prize. There are some items that you just don’t put a price on.”

As the lawsuit continues – the latest in a string between the warring siblings –the items are being held in a safe deposit box by a judge until the dispute is settled. A hearing is scheduled on January 13, but the case will go to trial if a decision is not made then.

Fulton County superior court judge Robert McBurney said it is likely the estate will win the case.

King’s children have in the past sold a collection of his papers and books for $32 million, and have been involved in a series of disputes regarding the use of their father’s image and belongings.

A dedicated pastor and leader in the Civil Rights Movement, King was assassinated in 1968. His Bible was last used by Barack Obama during his swearing in for a second term.

Source: Christian Today

Jewish Agency expects rise in migration of French jews to Isreal

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Jewish Agency expects rise in migration of French jews to Isreal

Israel expects the number of French Jews moving there this year, which was already predicted to rise sharply from 2014′s record level, to accelerate further after the killings at a Paris kosher grocery, a senior official said on Sunday.

Natan Sharansky, head of the Jewish Agency promoting emigration to Israel, said his estimate for 2015 was 10,000 French immigrants, after 3,300 in 2013 and 7,000 last year.

“It will probably be much more than 10,000,” he told Reuters at a Jewish Agency meeting for French people considering emigration. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liebermann, at his side, said about 700 Jews had attended the session during the day.

Both men flew to Paris with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a mass protest on Sunday that united world leaders – including Muslim and Jewish statesmen – with over a million French to honor 17 victims of Islamist militant attacks.

They later attended a memorial service for all the victims at the Paris Grand Synagogue with Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

The victims died in three days of violence that began with an attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday and ended with a hostage-taking at a kosher supermarket on Friday. Four were killed at the Jewish shop.

Roger Cukierman, head of the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish organizations, said after meeting President Francois Hollande that he was promised army protection if needed for Jewish institutions in France.

“They told us that all schools and all synagogues will be protected in measures that, if necessary, extend beyond the police to the army,” he said.

The attacker who took hostages at the kosher supermarket said he was targeting the Jewish community. The gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, was killed as police broke the siege.

The two gunmen who attacked the weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing its editor-in-chief and leading cartoonists, were also killed in another shootout north of the capital. Police said all three belonged to the same Paris-based Islamist militant cell.

France has the largest Jewish population in Europe, having grown by nearly half since World War Two to total some 550,000 according to CRIF. Anti-Semitic threats and incidents more than doubled last year, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, have long encouraged French Jewish emigration.

In a statement late on Saturday, Netanyahu said an Israeli governmental committee would convene in the coming week to find ways to boost Jewish immigration from France and other European countries “which are being hit by terrible anti-Semitism”.

Source: Christian Today

Dr. Ben Carson Apologizes for Plagiarism

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Dr. Ben Carson Apologizes for Plagiarism

Dr. Ben Carson, an accomplished neurosurgeon and conservative Christian who is contemplating a bid for 2016 presidential election, has apologized for plagiarizing portions of his book, America the Beautiful, published by Zondervan, and assured that he will “rectify the situation.”

“I apologize, and I am working with my editors to rectify the situation,” BuzzFeed writer Andrew Kaczynski, who was among the first to report on the plagiarism, tweeted Carson’s statement about the book, America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great.

Carson cites the works that he plagiarizes in endnotes but without any indication that the words have also been taken from different authors, BuzzFeed said, pointing out that he plagiarizes from Socialismsucks.net as well as conservative historians Cleon Skousen and Bill Federer.

Dr. Ben Carson helps us learn from our past in order to chart a better course for our future, the publisher says about the book.

“From his personal ascent from inner-city poverty to international medical and humanitarian acclaim, Carson shares experiential insights that help us understand … what is good about America … where we have gone astray … which fundamental beliefs have guided America from her founding into…preeminence among nations,” the description says.

“Written by a man who has experienced America’s best and worst firsthand, America the Beautiful is at once alarming, convicting, and inspiring,” it adds. “You’ll gain new perspectives on our nation’s origins, our Judeo-Christian heritage, our educational system, capitalism versus socialism, our moral fabric, healthcare, and much more.”

Carson recently told David Brody of Christian Broadcasting Network that there’s a “good chance” he will run for president as he can feel “God’s fingers” touching him gently for the 2016 race.

In the interview, Brody asked, “How is that conversation going with God about this potential presidential run? Has He grabbed you by the collar yet? I read an article about that.”

“I feel fingers,” Carson replied. “But it’s mostly me. I have to be sure and it’s part of my personality that says always look before you leap but don’t leap before you have to.”

Brody then said, “I do cover the presidential campaign trail,” and asked, “May I potentially see you there soon?”

“I think there is a good chance you might,” Carson responded.

“He [Carson] and his wife Candy are dedicated followers of Jesus,” Brody remarked in a posting on the CBN’s website after the interview. “They don’t hide their faith. They can’t. It’s at the core of who they are as people. Evangelical Christians will be attracted to how he doesn’t shy away from proclaiming Jesus as Lord.”

Source: Christian Post

France Tightens Security due to activation of Sleeper Cells by Terror group

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France Tightens Security due to activation of Sleeper Cells by Terror group

France has told law enforcement officers to remain alert and armed all the time, as terror groups have allegedly activated sleeper cells in the country. The gunman involved in a deadly standoff at a kosher market in eastern Paris is also believed to have told hostages before being killed that “more and more” militants are now going to come.

Authorities have asked French officers to remove their social media presence and be ready with weapons due to the activation of sleeper cells over the last 24 hours in the country, according to CNN.

Hostages at the kosher market also heard gunman Ahmedy Coulibaly – before he was killed by forces Friday – speaking on phone with unknown people discussing targeting of police officers in France, says another report by the news channel.

Coulibaly had also told hostages that “militants are going to come. There are going to be more and more.”

French Radio station RTL claims to have recording of arguments between hostages and the gunman, who said they were responsible for their country’s operations against Muslim militants abroad because they pay taxes to the government.

“They (France) need to stop. They need to stop attacking ISIS,” the man believed to be Coulibaly was quoted as saying. “They need to stop asking our women to remove the hijab,” he added, referring to the ban on the burqa in France.

The gunman killed four hostages soon after he stormed the kosher market Friday, the day police ended two hostage standoffs, one of which involved brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, the two alleged gunmen in the Wednesday’s Charlie Hebdo attack in which 12 people were killed.

The brothers were engaged in a standoff just outside Paris and had taken a woman hostage before being killed by officials. The brothers had previously told authorities that they wanted to “die as martyrs” for Islam. The hostage was released and reported safe by officials.

Police are now frantically looking for Coulibaly’s girlfriend, Hayat Boumeddiene, who was described as “dangerous and armed.” However, Turkish authorities have told The Associated Press that she could have fled to Syria.

Before his death, Cherif Kouachi told French channel BFM-TV on phone that he was financed by al Qaeda preacher Anwar al Awlaki in Yemen, an international recruiter who was killed in September 2011 in a drone strike.

“I was sent, me, Cherif Kouachi, by Al Qaeda of Yemen. I went over there and it was Anwar al Awlaki who financed me,” he said.

Coulibaly also separately called BFM-TV, and said he wanted to defend Palestinians and target Jews. He also said he is linked to Islamic State, or ISIS, and alleged he had jointly planned the attacks with the Kouachi brothers.

The Kouachi brothers were known to the intelligence agencies having tipped off by U.S. intelligence agencies.

French authorities placed Said Kouachi under surveillance from November 2011 to June 2014, and his brother Cherif until the end of 2013.

Source: Christian Post

Catholic Priest annouced he is gay during Mass

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Catholic Priest annouced he is gay during Mass

A Catholic priest from Ireland made an unexpected move during a Saturday night Mass by coming out to his congregation.

Father Martin Dolan of the Church of St Nicholas of Myra in Francis Street in Dublin announced “I’m gay myself” while he was asking his congregation to back gay marriage in the forthcoming Irish referendum, according to the Irish Central.

The cleric, who has served in the parish for 15 years, also admitted his homosexuality during the Sunday morning liturgy.

Churchgoers met his revelation with a standing ovation.

Community youth worker Liz O’Connor told the Irish Sun, “We are all very proud of Father Martin. Because he has admitted that he is gay, he doesn’t change the person that he was before it.”

The Guardian reports that gay equality groups in Ireland also applauded Dolan’s decision to come out and take a stand.

Meanwhile, Dolan’s support of gay union is not echoed by the Catholic Church as it remains firmly opposed to same sex marriage.

Former Pope Benedict XVI said gay marriage denies God and devalues human dignity.

Current head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis, though calling the clergy and the faithful to help parents with gay sons or daughters “stand by” their children, maintains that homosexual marriage is still something that “has not crossed our minds.”

In December, Bishop Liam MacDaid said during a news conference, “To put any other view of unions on the same level as Christian marriage would be disservice to society rather than a service.”

“In a same sex union, children would be deprived of what a man and woman can give to children in a stable marriage,” he added.

The Irish referendum on same sex marriage is scheduled at the end of May. According to a recent poll, 20 per cent of Ireland’s population are opposed to gay marriage, 67 per cent are for it. Enda Kenny, the country’s prime minister, is among those who have voiced support for same sex union.

Source: Christian Today

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