Australian Cardinal Sentenced to Six Years for Sexually Assaulting Children
Australian Cardinal George Pell was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday after being convicted in December on five counts of sexually abusing children.
According to the New York Times, Pell – who was the chief financial officer for the Vatican and an adviser to Pope Francis – was accused of sexually abusing two minors in 1996, and after two years of legal proceedings, the 77-year-old was sentenced to six years in prison without parole eligibility for three years and eight months.
According to NBC News, Pell was found guilty of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old boys after he found them hiding out in a rear room at Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral sipping wine. Pell was also found guilty by the jury of assaulting one of the boys again about a months later in a corridor.
The New York Times reports that Pell stood emotionless before the judge on Wednesday as chief judge on the case Peter Kidd read out the Cardinal’s sentence.
Kidd said to Pell, “I would characterize these breaches and abuses as grave… Your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance.”
The main plaintiff on the case, unnamed in compliance with Australian laws which protect sex abuse victims’ identities, said in a statement that he was happy to see the court acknowledge his suffering, but noted that the battle against Pell is not over yet.
Open Heaven 14 March 2019 Thursday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Walking in the Counsel of the Wicked?
Topic: Walking in the Counsel of the Wicked? (Open Heaven 14 March 2019)
Memorise: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”- Psalm 1:1
Read: Psalm 1:1-6 (KJV)
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Bible in One Year: 1 Corinthians 4-6, Isaiah 63:1-14
Open Heaven 14 March 2019 Thursday MESSAGE:
One of the ways of attracting divine blessings is to stay away from the counsel of the wicked. According to Psalm 1:4&6, doing this also saves one from partaking in the judgment that God delivers on the wicked. Who is a wicked person? When you look through the lens of God’s word, you will discover that there are wicked people hiding in plain sight amongst us. For example, a wicked fellow is someone who takes advantage of the trust given to him to hurt another person, Joseph was put in a position of trust, but he did not take advantage of it because he did not want to be wicked. When his master’s wife wanted to lure him into sexual immorality, he said in Genesis 39:9:
“There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Even before the Law of Moses was given in Exodus 20:14, Joseph refrained himself from committing this grave sin because he had the law of God written in his heart, which says:
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
Joseph regarded sleeping with his master’s wife as wickedness, so he did not do it. For this reason, I strongly believe that Joseph will stand in judgment against those who break the written law of God on marriage fidelity with impurity, claiming that the word of God is ambiguous on it.
Another category of the wicked includes those who despise the good works of others and render them insignificant. When you posted to a new office and you refuse to see the good work your predecessor did, or worse still, you try as much as possible to erase the history of his or her stewardship, you are wicked. In spite of what king Saul did to him, David did not act this way. When King Saul died, David said in 2 Samuel 1:24:
“Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.”
Walking in the counsel of the wicked can have grave and everlasting consequences. An example of the impact of ungodly counsel is found in the story of Amnon and his lust for his half-sister, Tamar. Amnon was caught in Jonadad’s wicked counsel, and he died for it (2 Samuel 13:1-29). Beloved, irrespective of who the source is, run for your dear life when given ungodly counsel. May you never fall prey to the counsel of the ungodly in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heaven 14 March 2019 Thursday Action Point:
Examine the company you keep, even in church. If you find any form of ungodliness prevalent anywhere, separate yourself from it.
Open Heaven 14 March 2019 Thursday Hymn 10: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though- none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
Open Heaven 14 March 2019 Thursday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 14 March 2019 Thursday Daily Devotional.
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While Philip Hammond used his statement on Wednesday to commit £100m to fund police over-time to help tackle knife crime in England, the Christian charity said more needed to be done to help the most vulnerable in society.
“We’re disappointed by today’s Spring Statement, which does not end austerity as promised. The Chancellor has missed a real opportunity to do the right thing and give people on the lowest incomes financial support and certainty before Brexit.
“Our benefits system was created to make sure proper support would be in place for each other when help was most needed. But right now, more and more people across Britain are struggling to make ends meet, unable to afford food and facing hunger as a result. This isn’t right.
“We have seen a record demand in food bank use – our network gave out 1.3 million three-day parcels in the last year, a 13 per cent increase in need. The key driver for this rise was incomes not covering the cost of essentials – and the majority of these incomes came through benefits.”
His comments were echoed by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell who listed to MPs what he sees as the government’s failures.
“Schools close early and their children are sent home, the Labour MP said.
“5,000 of our fellow citizens will be sleeping in the cold and wet on the street tonight.
Rhapsody of Realities 14 March 2019 By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome – The Moment of Faith
Topic: The Moment of Faith
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure – (Philippians 2:13).
In Jude 1:20, we read something striking; it says, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” The word, “building” as used by the Apostle Jude doesn’t mean building something afresh or from scratch; it’s the Greek word, “epoikodomeo.” It means to build on, or build upon; building on an already existing foundation.
Now, the Bible lets us know that God has dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3); the faith given to you by God is the foundation you need to build upon for a life of success, prosperity, victory, divine health and glory as God wants.
Oftentimes, as you hear God’s Word, faith comes to you strong, and you’re inspired to take certain actions. That’s your moment of faith; that’s the time you must act. If you delay, that faith could wane or dissipate, because it came in the Word that you heard at that time. What you do when faith comes to you like that is to take action, and then keep feeding your faith to keep it virile.
Our theme verse says God is the one that works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. All that time you were inspired and thought to do something for the Lord or take an action for the Gospel, it was God working His purpose in you. Once you’ve taken the steps, don’t let your faith down; build on it, because there’s more to do; keep the faith on. This is where some miss it; they don’t realize that they have to build their faith continually; so, they find themselves vacillating, staggering at the Word of God through unbelief.
When you hear God’s Word and faith comes to you, act immediately; hold on to the vision, and let nothing stop you. Maybe it’s a teaching about giving, and your faith is stirred up to give, go ahead and do so immediately; seize that hour of faith and act on the Word.
Never let the zeal of your faith wane. Keep your faith afire; build and nourish it with the Word of God. Don’t allow space for negative thoughts that’ll breed doubts, and delay your blessing for acting on the Word.
PRAYER Dear Father, I thank you, for you take pleasure in my prosperity. Thank you for your blessings that I receive and enjoy today, and for showing me the key to a victorious faith-walk, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY: Romans 10:17; James 1:22-25; Hebrews 11:1
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Mark 16:1-20 & Deuteronomy 1-2
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Matthew 22:34-46 & Exodus 23
Rhapsody of Realities 14th March 2019 Devotional was written by Pastor Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (D.Sc., D.D.). President of Loveworld Inc. aka Christ Embassy Int’l.
Church Leaders Pray for Ethiopian Airlines Crash Victims as They Grieve for Clergy
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) – Amid shock and grief after the Ethiopian Airline crash, leaders from the world’s faith traditions gathered in Nairobi for a United Nations event, united in prayer on Monday (March 11) for the 157 victims of the air disaster, among them a Roman Catholic nun and a Catholic and a Lutheran priest.
Some 5,000 delegates to the U.N. Environment Assembly, meeting at the U.N.’s Nairobi campus this week, held a moment of silence for 22 of their number who died on their way to the assembly.
“I stand before you this morning with a very heavy heart, as we mourn the loss of our sisters and brothers, our colleagues, delegates and members of the United Nations family in the tragic Ethiopian Airlines plane crash,” Maimunah Mohd Sharif, acting director of the U.N. Office in Nairobi, told the gathering.
“In the wake of this tragedy, it has been difficult to navigate how to proceed without showing respect to the many lives lost yesterday. I want to assure … that as the day and week unfolds … we will not forget this tragedy, nor those that perished with it.”
In a tent set aside for clergy on the sidelines of the U.N. meeting, leaders from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i and Judaism took turns to offer the prayers. The leaders are hosting a side event at the assembly dubbed “Faith for Earth.”
Flight instructor Steven Chanter was in the air with a student pilot when the plane’s engine began to fail and the oil pressure dropped.
Chanter told WOOD-TV that he took over flying and had little time to decide where to land the plane as he didn’t think they would make it to a nearby airport in the village Sparta.
He managed to fly the plane under traffic lights at an intersection and land on state highway 37.
“Truly, God’s watching over us,” Chanter said.
No one was injured during the emergency landing.
The plane has been removed from the highway.
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I don’t know what you did last night, but I’ll bet it wasn’t more significant than the way Belinda George spent her evening.
Dr. George is the first-year principal of Homer Drive Elementary School in Beaumont, Texas. Her students’ reading scores last year were low, so she launched “Tucked-in Tuesdays” in December.
She dresses in costumes, from a onesie with a unicorn head to a Cookie Monster outfit to pajamas covered with pink hearts. When her students log on to their school’s Facebook page, she reads books to them over her iPhone. She acts out the stories as the kids type in questions.
Dr. George grew up with five sisters in a three-bedroom trailer. Her father never learned to read. She learned her love of reading from her school librarian in Louisiana. Now she is paying it forward.
3-D printed houses and robot-delivered meals
Technology affects every dimension of our lives today, from the airplanes we ride to the cars we drive, the homes we inhabit, the food we eat, and the air we breathe. The innovations of our day can be a force for tremendous good, as Dr. George’s Facebook Live reading sessions show.
The member for Peterborough travelled to Parliament to vote against the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal.
Ms Onasanya has faced calls to step down and allow a by-election to take place in her constituency – but has refused, and has maintained her innocence throughout her prosecution.
The 35-year-old solicitor, who was elected as a Labour MP, served less than four weeks for lying about who was driving her car when it was caught speeding in July 2017.
She served her sentence at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey and was released on 26th February.
If she had been sentenced to twelve months or more, she would have lost her parliamentary seat.
Ms Onasanya submitted an appeal against her conviction, but it was thrown out by judge Sir Brian Leveson at the Royal Courts of Justice last week.
That decision enabled the House of Commons Speaker John Bercow to begin the formal process for a recall petition, which will allow her constituents to trigger a by-election if more than 10 per cent of local voters sign it.
Ms Onasanya would still be able to stand as a candidate if a by-election was triggered.
The recall petition will be open for six weeks from 19th March until 1st May.
Victoria state County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd ordered Cardinal George Pell to serve a minimum of three years and eight months before he is eligible for parole.
“In my view, your conduct was permeated by staggering arrogance,” the judge said in handing down the sentence.
Pope Francis’ former finance minister had been convicted by a unanimous jury verdict in December of orally raping a 13-year-old choirboy and indecently dealing with the boy and the boy’s 13-year-old friend in the late 1990s, months after Pell became archbishop of Melbourne.
A court order had suppressed media reporting the news until last month.
The 77-year-old denies the allegations and will appeal his convictions in the Victoria Court of Appeal on June 5.
In explaining his sentencing decision, the judge said Pell had led an “otherwise blameless life”.
He said he believed given Pell’s age and lack of any other criminal record, the cardinal posed no risk of re-offending.
The judge also took pains to note that he was sentencing Pell for the offences on which the cardinal had been convicted – and not for the sins of the Catholic Church.
“As I directed the jury who convicted you in this trial, you are not to be made a scapegoat for any failings or perceived…
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