Favourites jostle in multi-million dollar papal betting market
Gambling on the next pope was all the rage in Rome back in the 1500s, scandalising the deeply religious city, according to a University of Nevada research paper on the topic.
A Roman saddle-maker admitted making more than five times his money by successfully picking Cardinal Castagna to head the Catholic Church in 1590. And his subsequent trial revealed swathes of the city were indeed gambling on the papal election.
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ABC News
02-06-2025
- ABC News
Three accused of stealing sculpture from Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo
An elderly man and two youths have allegedly stolen a 100-kilogram sculpture that caused outrage in a regional Victorian church community. At nearly 2 metres tall, the statue named Transcendence was carved from a century-old pine tree, and depicts a naked man and woman. It was part of a temporary art installation inside the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in Central Bendigo. Victoria Police alleged the statue was stolen on Saturday, and said there were three suspects. "The offenders used a trolley to wheel a large sculpture out of the property," a police statement said. "A witness followed the males and observed them load the sculpture into a white van. On Monday morning, the sculpture was found dumped and damaged — without its veil — at St Killian's Church, a short distance from the cathedral. The statue's presence reportedly upset some parishioners, who objected to what the Sandhurst Diocese described as an "occult element" in the artwork's inspiration. Bishop Shane McKinley of Sandhurst said the reference was never made inside the church, but on the artists website, and had since been removed. "This possibility is something that we take extremely seriously," he said. Artist Ben Wrigley said he could not quite fathom the reaction to Transcendence, a work he described as the "transcendence of being bound by the dense material world". "I feel for them," he said. "Being upset, being angry, to the point where one will cross the boundary of one's faith, that's a very strong emotion." Transcendence is one of five sculptures on display across Bendigo, all carved from the same 100-year-old pine tree. The Catholic Sandhurst Diocese was unavailable for comment. Wrigley said he was relieved the artwork had been found. "I'm relieved, I can rectify it, no problem," Wrigley said. Police urged anyone with information about the alleged theft to contact Crime Stoppers.
Sky News AU
29-05-2025
- Sky News AU
'Very sad': Fire tears through the late Princess Diana's historic family estate in suspected arson attack
A suspected act of vandalism has left Earl Charles Spencer "stunned" after a farmhouse on the historic Althorp Estate, Princess Diana's childhood home and final resting place, was destroyed in a late-night blaze. The 61-year-old author and younger brother of the late Princess took to social media on Wednesday to reveal the fire broke out at about 1.30am, engulfing a remote farmhouse on the Northamptonshire property. "Stunned to learn that one of @AlthorpHouse's farmhouses- fortunately, unoccupied at the time- was apparently burnt down by vandals last night," Spencer wrote on X. "With thanks to @northantsfire for doing their very best. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do." Just hours earlier, Spencer had hosted a barbecue for the Northamptonshire Steelbacks cricket team on the estate, which has been in the Spencer family since 1508. "Last night, we were delighted to host @northantsccc for a relaxed dinner with their players, coaches, girlfriends and wives," the official Althorp House Instagram account shared. "The Spencer family has proudly supported the club for the last 120 years, with @ serving as Patron." It is unclear when the event concluded, but firefighters were called shortly after midnight to respond to the fire, which had broken out in the two-storey farmhouse located roughly eight kilometres from the grade I-listed main house. "At the height of the fire, four crews from across the service wearing breathing apparatus used hose-reel jets to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further," Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue said in a statement. "One crew remained on the scene into this afternoon with a water bowser to continue dampening down any remaining hotspots, and then returned to their station shortly before 1pm." While police have not officially declared the fire a criminal offence, they told the BBC the incident could be upgraded if evidence supports it being deliberately lit. But Althorp's head gamekeeper, Adey Greeno, who has worked on the estate for over three decades, was unequivocal in his belief that the fire was started intentionally. "The farmhouse that we lost to a deliberate act of vandalism last night has now had to be razed to the ground for safety reasons," he posted on X. "So sad. The world we live in." The Althorp Estate is not only steeped in centuries of aristocratic history, but is also the childhood home of Princess Diana, and the place where she was laid to rest following her tragic death in 1997. The 13,000-acre estate is open to the public during the summer months and in recent years has become a site of major archaeological interest. In May 2023, Earl Spencer announced he had been excavating the remains of a Roman villa believed to date back to around 100 AD. He was joined on the dig by Norwegian archaeologist Professor Cat Jarman, who would later become his girlfriend. The following year, the father-of-seven confirmed his separation from his third wife, Countess Karen Spencer, after 13 years of marriage. It is understood that the breakdown coincided with the writing of his memoir, A Very Private School, which explores the trauma he experienced during his boarding school years. Countess Spencer, who has an 11-year-old daughter named Charlotte Diana with the Earl, announced her departure from Althorp House in February. "Well…at long last, three weeks ago, we finally moved into our temporary new home," the 52-year-old Canadian entrepreneur shared on social media. "...This new chapter is already taking shape."
ABC News
27-05-2025
- ABC News
Pedophile priest omitted from Timor Leste pardon
The President of Timor Leste has not included American Richard Daschbach in his list of prisoner pardons, despite a government recommendation. Mr Daschbach is a former Catholic priest who is serving a 12-year sentence for six counts of sexually abusing young Timor girls under his care at a remote orphanage. Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta released his annual list of prisoner pardons overnight, Mr Dashbach was not among the six names on the list. The 88-year-old is four years into his sentence and has been recommended for pardon by Timor's prime minister, but survivors of his crimes say they feel betrayed and unsafe at the prospect of the American's release. The ABC understands 11 of the survivors met with President Horta to voice their concerns about a possible pardon.
