Latest news with #Mass
Herald Malaysia
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Herald Malaysia
Middle Eastern influencers join Church's first digital missionary jubilee
For the first time in its history, the Church is celebrating a jubilee dedicated to digital missionaries, recognizing the vital role they play in spreading the Gospel in today's digital world. Among them are Catholics influencers from the Middle East, from lands where evangelization first began, shaped by persecution yet marked by deep resilience, and carrying with them a witness born from both suffering and unshakable hope. Jul 30, 2025 Digital missionaries and Catholic influencers participate in the Mass for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers on July 29, 2025, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA By Romy Haber For the first time in its history, the Church is celebrating a jubilee dedicated to digital missionaries, recognizing the vital role they play in spreading the Gospel in today's digital world. Among them are Catholics influencers from the Middle East, from lands where evangelization first began, shaped by persecution yet marked by deep resilience, and carrying with them a witness born from both suffering and unshakable hope. A Chaldean voice for Christ online Among the participants is Father Simon Esaki, a Chaldean Catholic priest from California with Iraqi roots. He currently serves as pastor of St. Michael Chaldean Catholic Church in El Cajon. With over 100,000 followers on Instagram, he began focusing on digital evangelization during the COVID-19 lockdown. 'I was on social media before that, but during that time is when I really started to focus on spreading the Gospel using social media because of the closure of many churches. People were not going to church, and so I felt the need to go where the people were, which is on social media. I saw that people were using it a lot, and so I decided to start making videos to share the Gospel and to encourage people about their faith, to teach them, and to help them love Jesus more.' For Esaki, this work is part of his vocation: 'I see my social media work as an extension of my priestly mission, because my priestly mission is to help people know and love Jesus more. I do that at my church, but I also do that on social media.' He said he was moved to take part in the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries because of the source of the invitation itself. 'I was drawn to participate in this jubilee because it's a very special thing to receive an invitation from a dicastery of the Catholic Church itself, and so I really felt called to come here because of that. I think it's a very special and beautiful thing that the Church has initiated this… It's the Church gathering her children who are in the mission field, this very special mission field of the digital world, and it's the Church encouraging us, giving us tools, and uniting us to fulfill this great and beautiful mission.' Reflecting on the impact of the jubilee, Esaki added: 'I think that one of the fruits of this digital jubilee is that we are all being united in Christ in a very special way, because there's a real unity that comes with being physically connected to one another. Yes, we are all digitally connected over these years, but this is a real special physical unity, which is the goal of our life in Christ. It's to be united to him. And that's what I hope is the ultimate fruit of this: that we are able to unite with one another, and we are able to help others be more united to Jesus Christ in his Church.' Twins amplify the voice of Eastern Christians Also taking part in the jubilee are Charbel and Giovanni Lteif, Maronite Catholic twin brothers who manage some of the most prominent Christian social media accounts in the Middle East and North Africa. Through their platform, which has over 615,000 followers on Instagram, they aim to amplify the voice and presence of Eastern Christian communities in the digital space. Giovanni told ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, that he hopes their participation in this jubilee can offer encouragement to those just beginning their digital mission. He emphasized the need for the Eastern Christian world to be more visible and engaged. Charbel highlighted the value of learning from the experiences of other brothers and sisters in Christ and deepening his understanding of how the Church views the digital world. Together, the twins also carried an ecumenical message, underscoring the importance of unity between Catholics and Orthodox, especially in regions where Christians face persecution. They also issued a heartfelt call for prayer for peace across the Middle East and North Africa. From the peripheries of Lebanon to Rome Another participant from Lebanon is Michel Hayek, founder of Yasou3ouna, a popular platform dedicated to prayer and spiritual reflections. With over 85,000 followers on Instagram and 290,000 on Facebook, Yasou3ouna has become a space where thousands turn daily for comfort, encouragement, and faith. 'I chose to take part in the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries because I believe the Christian message must reach everyone, and today's digital platforms have become the new pulpit for bearing witness and proclaiming the faith,' he said. 'I feel a spiritual responsibility to use these tools in service of God's word, spreading hope and love in a world often overwhelmed by noise and superficiality.' This experience, Hayek said, also deepened his awareness of what it means to be a Christian from the Middle East. 'I carry a rich spiritual heritage rooted in the land of Christ, a land that, despite pain and trials, has witnessed the Resurrection. It teaches us to remain steadfast and hopeful in the face of suffering.' As a Lebanese influencer from Akkar, a marginalized region in northern Lebanon often overlooked and heavily affected by poverty and instability, Hayek sees his mission as giving voice to a Church that remains alive against the odds. 'I offer a testimony of a Church that is still vibrant, despite all the political and economic challenges. I bring a spirit of openness and dialogue, and a sincere commitment to peace and love. Through the content I share, I try to express the Eastern Christian faith in a modern, accessible way, one that speaks to hearts across the world.'--CNA
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Cancer patients in Haiti face death sentence due to distance, gangs, lack of resources
For four years Jean Fritz Dieu fought to stay alive, traveling by motorbike over rugged mountains and through gang-controlled streets to get treatment for an aggressive tumor. When the armed gangs took over the final open road, he used a barge on the bay to reach Haiti's capital. On Saturday, Dieu, known as 'Presnel' to family and friends, lost his years-long battle with cancer. He died in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where he had been receiving radiation treatment with the help of a South Florida-based charity, Flying High 4 Haiti. 'Presnel risked his life just to stay alive,' said Ines Lozano, a Miami resident and founder of Flying High 4 Haiti. 'He clung to hope, attending Mass every Sunday to pray for healing and give thanks to those who supported him. I hope we continue to dream of a future where all cancer patients in Haiti have access to essential treatments like radiotherapy. His legacy lives on through the compassion of all those who donated for his treatment.' While Dieu, 42, didn't survive his fight, his journey is serving as a stark reminder of the roadblocks and immense challenges Haitians with cancer and other chronic illnesses face amid the country's widespread gang violence and crumbling healthcare infrastructure. It's also underscoring the need for access to better care. While radiation therapy remans an important part of cancer treatment, there is not a single machine in Haiti, where the last clinic with a gamma radiation device closed more than 20 years ago. 'You should have one radiation machine for every 2 million inhabitants and you have 12 million people in Haiti and we don't even have one machine,' said Dr. Oriol Jn Baptiste, director of the SESHAD Services de Santé Haitiano-Dominicaine, in Santiago de los Caballeros in the northern Dominican Republic, where Dieu was being treated. 'A public health system in charge of a country cannot afford to not be thinking about the treatments for cancer.' Dieu was 38 and working at a school Flying High 4 Haiti supports in Ille-a-Vache, an island off Haiti's southwestern coast, when he first discovered he had a tumor. In the last few months, Haitians have not only seen the further collapse of their already fragile healthcare system, but for those with cancer, life-saving treatment has become even harder to obtain. In March, gangs attacked the city of Mirebalais, forcing the evacuation of the 35-bed University Hospital of Mirebalais. Haiti's most modern health facility, the hospital offered free cancer care and was featured in the Miami Herald's 2019 series 'Cancer in Haiti.' The series explored how deaths from preventable diseases like cervical cancer were growing due to limited early detection programs and a lack of radiation treatment. The series also explored the lack of public health priority to pediatric cancer cases. The attack on Mirebalais was among several on hospitals that has stopped 40% of health facilities in the capital from operating. Among them is the St. Francis de Sales Hospital, which treated hundreds of cancer patients annually. 'It has been very rough,' said Dr. Joseph Bernard, an oncologist who worked at the Catholic hospital and has since opened his own private cancer clinic, Clinique de Cancer St Francois de Sales, in the capital. Dr. Bernard was Dieu's doctor before he was forced to seek care in the Dominican Republic because the chemotherapy had run its course. Dr. Bernard said since the closure of Mirebalais and St. Francis, demand for care has gone up and many patients are at advanced stages. of the disease. In addition to having to pay for previously free care, patients from Mirebalais face another complication: The cancer specialist hasn't been able to get access to their charts. Then, there is the lack of treatment equipment. 'We still have limitations regarding radiation therapy,' Dr. Bernard said. In the past, patients had the possibility of traveling to the Dominican Republic or Cuba if they had the financial means. However both have become nearly impossible to get to because of medication shortages and a lack of direct flights in the case of Cuba, and border closures with the Dominican Republic. As a result, patients, including children in need of radiation therapy, have had difficulties getting humanitarian visas to seek treatment. 'I've been fighting for two years for a humanitarian visas for Haitians who need treatment; I've written to the Dominican consulate and they never answered me,' said Dr. Baptiste, who added he was working with Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs in Port-au-Prince, which offers the only juvenile cancer program in Haiti, to transfer cases to the Dominican Republic for radiation treatment before the border closed. In 2021, Dieu spent six months undergoing radiotherapy in the Dominican Republic for his cancer. He was doing well until a small tumor was detected behind the right ear, Dr. Bernard said. 'We tried to shrink it with chemo. It did not work. The tumor started to bleed a lot and it became very infected.' 'When cancer reoccurs, it's very aggressive,' said Dr. Bernard, noting that radiotherapy is one of the three main components of cancer care, which also includes surgery as well as chemo. 'In the end, he needed radiation therapy.' During a visit to the Dominican Republic, Lozano, who had arranged for Dieu's prior treatment with the help of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a Catholic children's charity with programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, approached officials about getting a humanitarian visa for Dieu and his wife. It came a few weeks later. With Dieu too weak to make the journey by road, Lozanao arranged for him to fly from Les Cayes to Cap-Haïtien, the country's second largest city in the north. He then traveled to the border, where an ambulance transported him to the clinic in Santiago, three hours away. Radiation treatment is expensive and most of the patients never finish the course, said Baptiste, who noted that the stay in the Dominican Republic also adds up the costs. He determined that Dieu would need at least 33 rounds of radiotherapy over 10 weeks. The cost was $19,000, which Lozano had hoped to absorb with the help of a GoFundme effort that remains open. On Saturday, Dieu collapsed. It's unclear what went wrong, though he arrived for treatment needing six rounds of blood transfusions with his head severely infected. Dr. Bernard said most people don't realize the psychological toll Haiti's present gang crisis poses for cancer patients. 'There are a lot of things we really cannot evaluate, like the impact of stress, for example, on treatment outcomes' he said. 'These are things that are tough to evaluate but we need to consider them seriously.' In the case of Dieu, he faced a perilous journey trying to get to treatment in Haiti before he went to the Dominican Republic. What previously consisted of a boat ride from Ille-a-Vache and then a bus ride into the capital along a main highway suddenly became an arduous journey through gang tolls, shootouts and police blockades. After temporarily moving to Port-au-Prince to get to his treatments he sent a voice message one day, over the sound of gunfire, explaining that he could not get there because the capital had become a war zone. Lozano began to fear that if the cancer didn't kill Dieu the gangs would. She hired a driver to transport him overnight on the back of a motorbike. He made the seven-hour journey every 21 days to get to his chemo treatments. When traveling 5,000 feet high along a mountain range, no longer became an option this year after gangs seized control of the last open road in the hills above the capital in Kenscoff, Dieu, with his head wrapped in bandages, texted to say that he had found another way: via barge through the bay of Port-au-Prince. Dr. Bernard will be expanding his services next month to Les Cayes at the private Caramel Hospital. It will be the first oncology unit in the coastal southwestern city where many cancer patients from the south are diagnosed too late or not at all. 'Too many Haitian women are dying from cancers that are treatable, simply because there is no access to care in the south,' said Skyler Badenoch, who runs Hope for Haiti, a Naples-based nonprofit that provides health care access in southwest Haiti. 'Dr. Bernard's plan to open a cancer treatment facility in this region could be transformational. Together, we can bring early detection, treatment and dignity within reach, and ensure that where someone lives no longer determines whether they live.' Lozano says the expansion of cancer care to the south is good news. 'There are a large number of patients in the south who haven't been able to go chemo or anything, and they're dying,' she said, adding that Bernard's clinic opening will bring a lot of hope. 'In spite of all the problems that exist in Haiti, there's a lot of acts of hope that people don't know.' On Sunday, an ambulance, paid for by Lozano, transported Dieu's body in a casket back across the Haitian-Dominican border so. his four children could say goodbye. 'We had high hopes for a better outcome, but at least he died with dignity and receiving the kind of care every Haitian deserves,' said Lozano. 'That is his legacy. I hope that Presnel's battle serves as an example of the urgent need for radiotherapy in Haiti to save other lives.'
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Celeb pals ditch partying for praying after pilgrimage to French holy town
Big Brother and Love Island pals relax in spa hotel after spending their holidays attending vigils during pilgrimage to French town Celebrity best friends Shannen Reilly McGrath and Hughie Maughan gave up the chance of a sun holiday to party island Ibiza in order to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Love Island star Shannen had initially planned to go to the famous French holy town with her boyfriend Luke, having had fond memories going there as a child with her granny. But when Luke could not get time off work she knew that her Big Brother pal Hughie would be up for going with her. He too visited Lourdes as a child, and the pair decided to book into a spa hotel in the town where they could relax after spending the day praying and attending vigils. Hughie and Shannen 'I think people would think me and Hughie would be in Ibiza but I said 'I know it's your birthday coming up, Luke can't come with me, would you love you to go?' and he said he was there as a child as well and religion is very close to his heart,' explains Shannen (31). 'It's just a sense of healing and spiritual. If you lose someone and you kind of go and you see a lot of people who are sick. Like my nana died from cancer, I have friends with sick family members, my granddad has dementia. 'I felt like going would be a sense of healing and praying for others. Like I would have a belief in that anyway. So it was kind of to go and get a sense of belief and a bit of luck, that's my kind of thing. I think the way the world is going we want some calmness and something to believe in. Important 'I know in this day and age people want to be in Ibiza and they want to be on social media. But family should be important to people as well.' Shannen, who grew up in Tallaght and now lives in Lusk, visited Lourdes as an 11-year-old with her granny Tess. Hughie all smiles in Lourdes 'I remember it was the most uncoolest thing ever. I didn't even want to tell people in school but I had such a nice time with her, but I was embarrassed with her at the time. The two of us went with her local parish, Mount Argus next to Harold's Cross,' she recalls. She explains her granny passed away recently and her granddad in now in a home with dementia, so it's been a tough time for her family. 'I would never pass a church without going in and lighting a candle,' she stresses. ' And like any trip id be on with my partner or even with mam or whatever and I'd see a nice church and light a candle. 'We wouldn't be really holy, in that sense, but I'd always go into a church and light a candle or say a prayer. I've a big thing for St Anthony, like my mammy was always saying 'if you lose something pray to St Anthony'. I had him in my purse going around. 'Our family would be religious, but not to the point of going to Mass every week. I would have a strong belief in it though, the likes of christenings, communions, weddings, my family would do.' She admits both friends and family were taken aback by her decision to go to Lourdes. 'They'd say in disbelieve, 'you're going to Lourdes?' and kind of a bit shocked by it,' she smiles. 'But I just feel like people don't really appreciate it and they kind of think there's something wrong with it.' She booked a package trip and flew over with Hughie on a Ryanair flight. 'We were over there we met a pilgrimage from Donegal, they actually asked us to carry their flag. There was a Malahide group there and there was young people there and I think they were with their mothers and grandmothers,' she explains. Shannen and Hughie's snaps from Lourdes . . The pair made themselves useful. 'We volunteered at the vigils to help. So that was lovely to be involved,' she said. ' We had to carry the flag, and also to go up on the alter at the end of it and look down at all the sick being blessed and say the prayers. 'We had our times for masses, times for vigils. We went to the holy baths and We went to different towns, Bernadette's house. We did get a bit of sun walking around and I did go to the pool a few times in the evenings. 'You see people in their wheelchairs and they're looking for hope and to be blessed. There's also a lot of sick kids. Wheeled 'On one of the nights we went four times, and there's a lot of sick children being wheeled in and laid out on hospital type beds, so it's kind of surreal when you're there.' She stresses that people worry about stupid things when there are others with serious illnesses and praying for a miracle. 'Like I've suffered from trolling and I didn't want to get out of bed over something someone said about me, but when you're over there and you see people who are basically crippled and they can't walk, some people don't have arms,' she reflects. She and Hughie, who is gay, shared a bed for five days. 'One of the nights we went out and went partying a bit' she adds. 'There are a lot of students out there volunteering. The town is busy. The sun is shining. 'We actually went to a karaoke bar and there were loads of people out there in their volunteer outfits. There were older women from Ireland out singing in the bars. It's nice to see, as you see them having a good time and they're making memories.' Hughie, (31) was in Lourdes twice before, in 2004 and 2005. He is a Traveller, a community known to have a deep connection with the Catholic faith. Shannen and Hughie's snaps from Lourdes . . 'When I was young me and my mam and dad and family went on a road trip in a campervan around France. We started in the north of France and drove all the way down to Lourdes. 'Then we made our way to various pilgrimage sites. We actually went to where St Bernadette's actual body is, where her grave is. Climbing 'We went to home of St Therese. We went to Paris and visited the big churches like Notre Dame. Of course as kids we went to Disneyland there too.' He's also been to Fatima, Medjugorje, Knock, and other religious sites in Poland, as well as climbing Croagh Patrick and going on retreat to Lough Derg. 'I have my own relationship with God. Every single night I pray. I have holy little shrines in my home, and holy water. I'd go to mass on special occasions. I wouldn't go every day or every Sunday,' he maintains. 'It is probably surprising as a gay man I'm like this, but I don't look at religious or God being anti-gay, I think it's just people and propaganda.' He admits he was surprised when Shannen suggested they go to Lourdes together. 'I was surprised, but at the same time we've had many conversations in the past about her going with her nanny and her having her beliefs,' he notes. 'A lot of people have prejudices about the church because of the Magdalene laundries. But I'm very religious and Shannen is too.' He says the couple got recognised a lot on the trip from Irish people who'd seen them on TV. 'We'd tell people we were just friends if people asked us. I'd never keep it secret me being gay,' he insists. Shannen and Hughie are all smiles in Lourdes Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 27th
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I shed 6st in 9 months on fat jabs – the rule you need to follow to not put weight back on & it works when eating out
Scroll down to find out everything you need to know about fat jabs WEIGHT UP! I shed 6st in 9 months on fat jabs – the rule you need to follow to not put weight back on & it works when eating out Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN who shed a whopping 6st in just nine months has shared the secret behind not pilling back all the pounds when eating out. Lucy Davies kickstarted her weight loss journey with the popular fat jab almost a year ago and has since managed to shed a staggering 6 stone. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 he blonde beauty has also been documenting the process and her experience with Mounjaro on TikTok Credit: tiktok/@insightfullucy 3 She recently revealed her tip for not putting all the weight back on Credit: @insightfullucy 3 Mounjaro is typically used to treat type 2 diabetes Credit: Getty The blonde beauty has also been documenting the process and her experience with Mounjaro on TikTok - where she recently revealed she still enjoys eating out every now and then. Mounjaro is regarded by some as the King Kong of weight loss jabs. Sun GP Dr Zoe Williams acknowledged that Mounjaro, which has been rolled out on the NHS, can save the lives of people with 'life-threatening levels of obesity.' But despite this, the NHS warned: 'Never take an anti-obesity medicine if it has not been prescribed to you. "These types of medicines may not be safe for you and can cause serious side effects.' About half a million Brits use weight loss drugs - and the number is expected to double in the next year. Mounjaro works by suppressing your appetite, making people feel fuller for longer. The injections are licensed for patients with type 2 diabetes and to assist those who are clinically obese (with a Body Mass Index of 30 or over). One jab is administered each week but the duration is dependent on someone's weight. Lucy's results were no doubt impressive - and despite looking incredible, she still enjoys the foods she loves, and it's all thanks to one key tip. Towie star Saffron Lempriere reveals how she lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks - without fat jabs The stunner, who posts under the username @insightfullucy, explained that she's ''always loved eating out''. But while many of may stuff our faces - which is also needed from time to time - Lucy has maintained her enviable figure with ensuring she doesn't go overboard. ''I just make sure I stick to a calorie deficit,'' she told her 34k followers in a recent video. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. A calorie deficit is often touted as the key to weight loss - it's when you consume fewer calories than you burn in a day. Calories are the energy you get from food, fuelling everything from breathing to exercise. When you're in a calorie deficit, your body draws on stored energy (primarily fat) to make up the difference, which can lead to weight loss over time. To reach a calorie deficit, you need to either eat fewer calories, increase physical activity or do a combination of both. For example, if your calories are 2,000 per day, reducing to 1,500 calories or boosting physical activity by 500 calories would create a deficit. However, it's worth emphasising that creating a calorie deficit isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Factors like age, how active you are, health conditions and metabolic rate - the speed at which your body burns calories at rest - can all affect your personal calorie needs. Thanks to being mindful, Lucy's managed to lose weight - whilst still consuming a variety of foods, including sweet potato fries which typically tend to be more fatty. However, that doesn't mean Lucy eats like this all the time - there have also been plenty of occasions when the foodie has opted for healthier, more veggie-heavy options to keep the calories lower. ''You can still enjoy eating out on Mounjaro,'' Lucy wrote in the caption. What are the other side effects of weight loss jabs? Like any medication, weight loss jabs can have side effects. Common side effects of injections such as Ozempic include: Nausea: This is the most commonly reported side effect, especially when first starting the medication. It often decreases over time as your body adjusts. Vomiting: Can occur, often in conjunction with nausea. Diarrhea: Some people experience gastrointestinal upset. Constipation: Some individuals may also experience constipation. Stomach pain or discomfort: Some people may experience abdominal pain or discomfort. Reduced appetite: This is often a desired effect for people using Ozempic for weight loss. Indigestion: Can cause a feeling of bloating or discomfort after eating. Serious side effects can also include: Pancreatitis: In rare cases, Ozempic may increase the risk of inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis, which can cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. Kidney problems: There have been reports of kidney issues, including kidney failure, though this is uncommon. Thyroid tumors: There's a potential increased risk of thyroid cancer, although this risk is based on animal studies. It is not confirmed in humans, but people with a history of thyroid cancer should avoid Ozempic. Vision problems: Rapid changes in blood sugar levels may affect vision, and some people have reported blurry vision when taking Ozempic. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar): Especially if used with other medications like sulfonylureas or insulin. The reality of Mounjaro Although many have boasted about weight loss success since using Mounjaro, last year it was revealed that Scots nurse Susan McGowan, 58, died after taking low-dose injections of Mounjaro over a fortnight. A probe also found that nearly 400 people have gone to hospital after taking weight loss drugs. The common side effects include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which can lead to severe dehydration. And if that wasn't bad enough, doctors say they have also seen 'life-threatening complications', including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas. Model Lottie Moss, 27, even said she had a seizure after taking high doses of Ozempic. The makers of Mounjaro, Lilly UK, said patient safety is its 'top priority'. Lilly UK stressed: 'Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine and Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data. 'If anyone is experiencing side effects when taking any Lilly medicine, they should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional.'
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Two SoCal bishops respond to ICE raids, but in different ways
Two of Southern California's largest Roman Catholic dioceses have criticized the federal government over raids and roundups of undocumented immigrants over the last few weeks. The Los Angeles Archdiocese and San Bernardino Diocese have responded differently in tone and action. Yet both have asked the government to show restraint and empathy toward migrants. Here is a look at how Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez and Bishop Alberto Rojas of San Bernardino have responded to a historic moment that upended the lives of countless congregants in immigrant communities they serve. Combined, roughly 5 million people claim to be Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Diocese of San Bernardino, which includes Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. About 58% of people living in the United States who were born abroad consider themselves Christian, according to findings from the Pew Research Center released this year. Of those, 30% identified as Catholics, the largest share of any denomination. In the Los Angeles and Riverside metro areas, 28% of all Christians consider themselves Catholic, the highest of any denomination by several points, according to Pew. Rojas told his diocese of roughly 1 million parishioners on July 8 that they can stay home on Sundays to avoid Mass because of concerns over area federal immigration sweeps. Rojas wrote in the decree that many churchgoers have shared 'fears of attending Mass due to potential immigration enforcement action' and that 'such fear constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful.' The dispensation was announced after multiple people were arrested at or near diocese churches on June 20, including a man at Our Lady of Lourdes in Montclair, according to the National Catholic Register. ICE officials disputed any allegation of targeting churches. 'The accusation that ICE entered a church to make an arrest [is] FALSE,' wrote Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in an email to The Times earlier this month. 'The illegal alien chose to pull into the church parking lot [and] officers then safely made the arrest.' Rojas wrote on Facebook that he respected and appreciated law enforcement's role in keeping 'communities safe from violent criminals,' but added that 'authorities are now seizing brothers and sisters indiscriminately, without respect for their right to due process and their dignity as children of God.' The Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced plans to bolster delivery of hot meals, groceries and prescription medicines to parishioners living in fear of deportation amid ongoing enforcement raids. Immigrants targeted by raids are 'good, hard-working men and women' who are 'making important contributions to our economy,' Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez said in a statement. 'Now they are afraid to go to work or be seen in public for fear that they will get arrested and be deported,' he said. Yannina Diaz, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, said she was unaware of any arrests made on Archdiocese of Los Angeles property. She also said Gomez was not considering issuing a dispensation for its congregants yet. In an open letter, Gomez wrote that he was 'deeply disturbed' by the detentions and called on the government to reform the immigration process. We'll continue to follow how the church reacts and adapts to the Trump administration's immigration policy. Crime, courts and policing Immigration policy and raids Los Angeles fires and rebuilding Educational policy Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team Jim Rainey, staff writerDiamy Wang, homepage internIzzy Nunes, audience internKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew J. Campa, reporterKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
