Antipope’s cranium sparks dispute over legacy

A DISPUTE over the rightful dwelling of the cranium of the Antipope Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna) (1328-1423), which was stolen throughout a housebreaking of a ruined Spanish palace in 2000, has introduced him again into the limelight, The Times reviews. Benedict XIII was the Avignon Antipope, a rival to the Roman Pope, in the course of the Western Schism between 1378 and 1417. His native area of Aragon, in north-eastern Spain, is petitioning Pope Francis to rehabilitate him because it commemorates the 600th anniversary of his loss of life. Last week, a court docket dominated that his cranium ought to be returned to the village of Sabiñán, close to Zaragoza, the regional capital of Aragon, from the place it had been stolen. It was donated to the village in 2019 by the Olazabal household, which additionally bequeathed the palace close to by from which it was stolen. The village of Illueca, Luna’s birthplace, additionally claims the cranium, and the mayor had promised to attraction towards the choice. The cranium is presently being stored in a museum in Zaragoza underneath the safety of the regional authorities.

Netanyahu bans vacationers from Temple Mount

VISITS by non-Muslims and vacationers to the holy web site of Temple Mount in Jerusalem are to be suspended till the top of Ramadan, about 20 April, after every week of violent unrest within the metropolis confirmed no signal of subsiding. The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, introduced the ban on Tuesday, after the navy confirmed that its troopers had shot useless two Palestinian gunmen within the occupied West Bank, The Guardian reviews. More than 90 Palestinians, most of them fighters in militant teams, however some civilians, have been killed since January. At least 19 Israelis and foreigners have died. The newest unrest was sparked by a violent stand-off between Israeli police and Palestinians on the Temple Mount on Wednesday of final week (News, 6 April). This week, the St Porphyrios Orthodox Church, in Gaza, reported that the particular journey permits normally issued by Israel to permit residents and Christians to depart the Hamas-controlled space and go to holy websites in Israeli territory in the course of the forthcoming Orthodox Easter vacation had additionally been cancelled.

Myanmar pastor imprisoned on terrorism cost

A PASTOR and former president of the Kachin Baptist Convention, in Myanmar, the Revd Dr Hkalam Samson, has been sentenced by a Myanmar court docket to 6 years imprisonment on costs of illegal affiliation, defaming the state, and terrorism, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reviews. Dr Samson was arrested in December at Mandalay International Airport, and placed on a airplane to Kachin State, the place he was detained once more on touchdown (News, 23 December 2022). The US Commission on International Religious Freedom stated on the time that Dr Samson was going through prosecution in relation to preaching and speeches made in Bible lessons. He had beforehand confronted prosecution after assembly the previous US President Donald Trump to debate non secular freedom in Myanmar in July 2019.

Indian PM visits cathedral on Easter Day

THE Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, in New Delhi, on Easter Day — a transfer that, church leaders hoped, would promote dialogue with the federal government on curbing Christian persecution within the nation, the Union of Catholic Asian News reviews. Mr Modi’s go to on Sunday night was the primary since, because the chief of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, he grew to become Prime Minister in 2014. During his 25-minute go to, Mr Modi lit a candle in entrance of the statue of risen Jesus and sang three Easter hymns. The Bishop of Syro-Malabar, the Rt Revd Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, described the go to “as a golden opportunity to initiate dialogue at the federal and provincial levels to tackle the menace of persecution against Christians”.