Latest news with #RomanCatholic
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Alvaro Uribe: Colombia's first ex-president convicted of a crime
Alvaro Uribe , president of Colombia from 2002 to 2010, was wildly popular in rightwing sectors for his war on leftist guerrillas during a particularly vicious period of the country's six-decade-old conflict. Today, opinion polls suggest the 73-year-old remains the most trusted politician in the South American country confronting an upsurge in violence. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science healthcare MBA Degree Project Management Healthcare others Management Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Others Design Thinking Technology Finance Operations Management Data Science Public Policy Digital Marketing Product Management CXO Cybersecurity PGDM Leadership MCA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Born to a landowner in the western Antioquia department, Uribe was elected to Colombia's highest office at the height of the conflict between guerrillas fighting poverty and political marginalization, rightwing paramilitary groups set up to crush the leftists, and the military. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brought to you by Undo He is himself accused of having had ties to paramilitary fighters who often had the backing of agrarian elites. Uribe denies the claims, which are at the heart of his criminal conviction Monday for witness tampering. As president, Uribe adopted a hard line against the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which he accused of killing his father in a botched 1983 kidnapping attempt. Live Events With US backing for his campaign, several FARC leaders were killed on Uribe's orders and soldiers were deployed en masse in operations that gave many Colombians a sense of security, although the violence never diminished. Uribe, a US- and British-educated lawyer who prides himself on being a workaholic who cannot sing, dance or tell jokes, counts a passion for horses among his few distractions. He is a staunch Roman Catholic who practices yoga in the morning and prays at night. Uribe entered politics after his father's death, serving as a senator, mayor of his hometown Medellin, and governor of Antioquia -- Colombia's most populated department. As president, he successfully pushed a constitutional change that allowed him to be re-elected for a second consecutive term -- a reform later overturned by Colombia's highest court. Arguing he needed continuity to see out his battle against armed insurgents and the drug trade they controlled, Uribe also tried, unsuccessfully, to secure a third presidential term. Betrayal Uribe earned praise from Washington for his tough anti-drug policies and strong economic growth as president. Detractors call him an authoritarian who failed the poor. After his presidency ended, Uribe served another term in Congress from 2014-2020 and has continued campaigning for the political right and his Democratic Center party since then. He was instrumental in the choice of his successor: Juan Manuel Santos, who would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards a peace deal with the FARC in 2016. For Uribe, this was the ultimate betrayal. His vehement rejection of the agreement that saw the FARC down arms in 2017 has been gaining ground as recent peace efforts have failed under President Gustavo Petro -- Colombia's first-ever leftist president, in office since 2022. Divisive figure A man of short posture and deliberate speech, Uribe is a divisive figure: loved and hated in equal measure. He is known for losing his temper, once being recorded insulting a journalist and threatening physical violence. Even fervent detractors recognize his oratory and administrative skills. But his legacy has been tainted by numerous corruption and espionage claims swirling around members of his entourage. Uribe is under investigation for more than 6,000 civilian executions and forced disappearances allegedly committed by the military under his command. He has also testified in a preliminary probe into a 1997 paramilitary massacre of subsistence farmers when he was governor of Antioquia from 1995 to 1997. During his life, Uribe claims to have survived 15 assassination attempts, including a rocket attack by former guerrillas on the day of his first inauguration. Uribe is married and has two grown sons who have had to answer claims that they rode on his presidential coattails to become successful entrepreneurs. His conviction on Monday made him the first former Colombian president to be found guilty of a crime.
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Alvaro Uribe: Colombia's First Ex-president Convicted Of A Crime
Alvaro Uribe, president of Colombia from 2002 to 2010, was wildly popular in rightwing sectors for his war on leftist guerrillas during a particularly vicious period of the country's six-decade-old conflict. Today, opinion polls suggest the 73-year-old remains the most trusted politician in the South American country confronting an upsurge in violence. Born to a landowner in the western Antioquia department, Uribe was elected to Colombia's highest office at the height of the conflict between guerrillas fighting poverty and political marginalization, rightwing paramilitary groups set up to crush the leftists, and the military. He is himself accused of having had ties to paramilitary fighters who often had the backing of agrarian elites. Uribe denies the claims, which are at the heart of his criminal conviction Monday for witness tampering. As president, Uribe adopted a hard line against the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which he accused of killing his father in a botched 1983 kidnapping attempt. With US backing for his campaign, several FARC leaders were killed on Uribe's orders and soldiers were deployed en masse in operations that gave many Colombians a sense of security, although the violence never diminished. Uribe, a US- and British-educated lawyer who prides himself on being a workaholic who cannot sing, dance or tell jokes, counts a passion for horses among his few distractions. He is a staunch Roman Catholic who practices yoga in the morning and prays at night. Uribe entered politics after his father's death, serving as a senator, mayor of his hometown Medellin, and governor of Antioquia -- Colombia's most populated department. As president, he successfully pushed a constitutional change that allowed him to be re-elected for a second consecutive term -- a reform later overturned by Colombia's highest court. Arguing he needed continuity to see out his battle against armed insurgents and the drug trade they controlled, Uribe also tried, unsuccessfully, to secure a third presidential term. Uribe earned praise from Washington for his tough anti-drug policies and strong economic growth as president. Detractors call him an authoritarian who failed the poor. After his presidency ended, Uribe served another term in Congress from 2014-2020 and has continued campaigning for the political right and his Democratic Center party since then. He was instrumental in the choice of his successor: Juan Manuel Santos, who would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards a peace deal with the FARC in 2016. For Uribe, this was the ultimate betrayal. His vehement rejection of the agreement that saw the FARC down arms in 2017 has been gaining ground as recent peace efforts have failed under President Gustavo Petro -- Colombia's first-ever leftist president, in office since 2022. A man of short posture and deliberate speech, Uribe is a divisive figure: loved and hated in equal measure. He is known for losing his temper, once being recorded insulting a journalist and threatening physical violence. Even fervent detractors recognize his oratory and administrative skills. But his legacy has been tainted by numerous corruption and espionage claims swirling around members of his entourage. Uribe is under investigation for more than 6,000 civilian executions and forced disappearances allegedly committed by the military under his command. He has also testified in a preliminary probe into a 1997 paramilitary massacre of subsistence farmers when he was governor of Antioquia from 1995 to 1997. During his life, Uribe claims to have survived 15 assassination attempts, including a rocket attack by former guerrillas on the day of his first inauguration. Uribe is married and has two grown sons who have had to answer claims that they rode on his presidential coattails to become successful entrepreneurs. His conviction on Monday made him the first former Colombian president to be found guilty of a crime. Supporters see him as a 'political martyr' AFP Uribe is a staunch Catholic AFP A man of short posture and deliberate speech, Uribe is a divisive figure: loved and hated in equal measure AFP
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Parishioners can be awkward, difficult and vicious': Confessions of a clergyman
Dip into the poetry blog Humble Piety, and you find some intriguing clues to the author's life. Fragile Things Break is the title of one recent entry, while another dated July 15, called Slow News Day?, begins 'Waking, a radio talking, confusingly hearing a familiar name, my own name? / Listening again, yes that's me'. Radio was not the only place that Fr Pat Brennan, a Roman Catholic priest, would have found his name that day. It was everywhere in the media, after he published a caustic poem in the newsletter of his church, the Holy Family, Coventry, about his parishioners. Brennan, who was leaving the parish after nine and a half years, railed against tittle-tattle, disapproval, disdainful looks and cliques. His valedictory message began: 'What makes people not come to church? Could it be the people who already go?', he asked while later warning that 'Gossip flows from holy lips'. According to Brennan, when some of the Holy Family congregation hear the words, 'go in peace', 'it's time for war!' Warring over Mozart Churches, both Anglican and Catholic, can often seem more like battlefields than sacred space, with rows, feuds and walkouts about music, style of worship, money, and changes being wrought by newly arrived clergy. At one Catholic church, a new parish priest wanted a musical repertoire of Palestrina, Mozart and Verdi, only to be told by his church's 85-year-old organist that she would stick to the dozen hymns she knew. Feuds over music are not confined to Roman Catholic parishes. One of the most explosive of recent months was the bust-up between the rector and the congregation of St Oswald's, in Malpas, Cheshire, where the Rev Dr Janine Arnott shocked her Church of England congregation by banning individuals from the choir, sacking the chief bellringer, and barricading the belltower with broomsticks in a row which apparently began over Arnott's objections to the choir singing the Agnus Dei, a prayer usually said before Communion, in Latin. While the bells fell silent, the congregation did not, with protests made to the local bishop and flyers complaining about Arnott plastered around Chester Cathedral. Dr Arnott, meanwhile, sought the help of the diocesan legal team, which urged parishioners to back off. Even a Royal family favourite, St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, is not immune to disputes. Modernising rector, the Rev Paul Williams, has been reported to be at loggerheads with the director of music, Dr Claire Stewart, over hymns and other forms of musical worship – and even the setting up of a social media account. There have been mutterings about getting the bishop involved. Upset parishioners have done what parishioners always do in rows – boycotted the church. They learn about this tactic when still young. One mother told me about a Roman Catholic priest who insisted teenagers should wear their Sunday best at confirmation classes. The parents, used to their stroppy adolescents, argued against him. The teenagers, in torn T-shirts and ripped jeans, then voted with their trainer-clad feet and failed to turn up. 'I have never been in a parish where trouble hasn't happened', says one Catholic adviser to a bishop – but wanting to avoid any more trouble, wished to remain anonymous. 'One was so bad that I suggested we bring in a psychodynamic specialist to mediate between the priest and the parishioners over the running of the parish. 'Quite frankly parishioners can be awkward, difficult and vicious, and they're at their most vicious when it comes to any changes to the liturgy'. Being a priest 'is not an easy vocation' No wonder, then, that Fr Pat Brennan also wrote in his newsletter that being a priest 'is not an easy vocation'. And recently it has got even harder. For as the number of Catholic priests has declined, so those who remain are having to do far more, often running two or even three parishes. Take Fr Brennan. Once, he was just the parish priest of Holy Family, Coventry. But the Archdiocese of Birmingham's plan for parish 'clusters' – a response to having 217 parishes but just 150 priests – meant he was then put in charge of two others. That meant three lots of Sunday Masses and weddings, baptisms and funerals, as well as the repairs, bills and health and safety of three buildings. While Fr Brennan's poem suggests a man at the end of his tether, the Archdiocese of Birmingham says 'the load can be shared'. 'We want priests to work three times smarter, not three times harder', says its spokesman, Deacon Paul O'Connor. But in the Catholic Church, for all the talk of parishioners and deacons doing more, the priest remains ultimately responsible. As Deacon O'Connor admits: 'The buck stops with them. That's the Catholic way'. Sometimes the problems are just down to human nature. Fr Terry Tastard, who has served in several London Roman Catholic parishes, recalls he sometimes lost his temper as a young priest and it took a parishioner to call him out when he upset the man's wife. 'It's so long ago I can't remember what started the argument but I sent a letter of apology', he recalls. 'We don't like to admit to one another that we are struggling' Who might offer a sympathetic ear to a Catholic priest to help him with such troubles, given he doesn't have a wife himself? 'That's a question I've often asked myself,' says Fr Tastard. Another priest said: 'We don't like to admit to one another that we are struggling.' At Oscott, the Birmingham archdiocese's seminary, or training college, for priests, they have come up with a solution: care from a counsellor. Its rector, Fr Michael Dolman, says: 'Priests have to deal with situations that are tense and stressful. They need to talk through their problems. We encourage them after ordination to continue with a counsellor and quite a few do.' The Church of England has opted for other ways of coping with congregation-clergy conflict. In some dioceses, 'interim ministers' – once described in an Anglican handbook as 'a non-anxious presence in the midst of transition, grief and conflict' – have been brought in to troubled parishes. Meanwhile the Diocese of London offers mediation services for parish disputes, promising professional mediators to sort out conflicts. 'Call in the professionals' now seems the answer to what the press can't resist calling unholy rows. And no doubt a lot of prayer.
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
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: 'No10 lied to hide distaste for Donald Trump's speech in UK'
When Tony Blair was prime minister, he was accused of trying to 'muscle in' on the Queen Mother 's funeral. Now, Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has become embroiled in a row involving Buckingham Palace himself. Downing Street – and by extension the Royal Household – has been caught in a lie about the coming state visit of Donald Trump. No10 claimed the US President was unable to address both houses of Parliament because his visit would not start until Wednesday, September 17 – the day after the House of Commons breaks for the party-conference recess. However, I understand that parliamentary clerks made it clear that this excuse was groundless. They pointed to a precedent in 2010 when Pope Benedict addressed both houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. That occurred, neatly enough, on September 17 – when the Commons had also broken for its conference recess the day before. 'There was no huffing and puffing about Benedict addressing us out of term-time,' says a senior parliamentary figure. 'It is clear that Sir Keir Starmer's advisers simply did not want President Trump making a speech at the Palace of Westminster. They are entitled to their view, but they should not bend the truth by claiming that the dates made any such speech impossible.' Benedict's address was not without controversy. Before his state visit he urged Roman Catholic bishops to fight a gay-rights Bill with 'missionary zeal'. His arrival in the country drew protests from human-rights campaigners. Downing Street and Buckingham Palace did not want the White House to think President Trump was being snubbed, even though that clearly seems to be the case. A No10 spokesman tells me: 'We're delighted that President Trump accepted His Majesty's offer of an unprecedented, historic second state visit, and the Prime Minister looks forward to welcoming President Trump to the UK.' Back touring Britain in September, Eric Idle, 82, rules out a stage reunion with his Monty Python colleagues. They last did ten shows together in London in 2014. Idle, who recently fell out with John Cleese, Sir Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam over Python's business affairs, snaps: 'I don't think this lot will get together and be funny. I don't think it's possible. I want to be funny with new people, or jam with other wonderful musicians.' 'It's your day!' top tips for brides by newlywed Toff Having married BrewDog pub chain founder James Watt in March, Georgia Toffolo has compiled some advice for brides-to-be. Here are the seven pearls of wisdom from the I'm A Celebrity winner, 30, who wore a Divine Atelier gown, left, when she exchanged vows with Watt, 43, both pictured right, in Aberdeenshire: You shouldn't have to invite people for the sake of it. Your guest list isn't a diplomatic summit. Invite people you love. It's your day, not networking. You shouldn't feel guilty for that. Wedding cakes are a waste of money. We had the children bake ours that morning. No fancy tiers, no overpriced price tag. Just made with pure love. Best decision ever. Flowers are overpriced and overrated. I grabbed daffodils straight out of the vase on our kitchen table, and you know what? They were perfect. £2 from the supermarket and not a single florist in sight. You don't need to spend the morning apart. Who made that rule up? Waking up together on your wedding day is actually really romantic (and calming). The chance to share your nerves and excitement together is something to be cherished. Children SHOULD be at weddings. Children bring the best chaos, particularly on the dance floor. They add magic, not mess. No need for a three-course meal. We had burgers at BrewDog. Grazing tables, pizza ovens, food trucks... all way more fun. You don't have to change your surname. He can take yours. Or double-barrel. Tradition is optional, your identity isn't. Have King's garden woes hit Highgrove's kitchen? It's not just in the gardens of his Gloucestershire retreat that King Charles is apparently struggling to keep staff. Highgrove is advertising not just for a head chef, but a sous chef, a chef de partie, a commis chef and an assistant hospitality manager. The roles are advertised as permanent and full-time, with 'up to £30,000' offered for the hospitality role, and 'up to £38,000' for the head chef position. A Sunday Times investigation last weekend claimed 11 of the King's 12 gardeners had quit following complaints about his 'demoralising' and 'impolite' feedback. His charity, The King's Foundation, found evidence of staff shortages and suggested a pay review. Bonkbuster author Dame Jilly Cooper says she's a failed matchmaker in real life thanks to Bluebell, her 'larky and bossily assertive' greyhound. 'If I wanted to introduce a single man to a woman and put them on my sofa, Bluebell would saunter in, leaping between them, waggling her silken hips to separate them,' she says of her pet, who died four years ago. Dame Jilly, 88, reflects: 'Having a dog stops one reaching for the gin.' Party girl Pike's tickled pink about stage role Treading the boards in this country for the first time in 15 years, Saltburn star Rosamund Pike is determined to prove that she fits the stage like a glove. The Oxford graduate, 46, wore an eye-catching pair of fuchsia opera gloves to the first-night party following the debut performance of Suzie Miller's new play, Inter Alia. The former Bond girl, who has two children with her businessman boyfriend Robie Uniacke, 64, paired them with a floral dress by Erdem. Banksy has a big secret: More than a dozen of his works are hidden away at Switzerland's embassy in London. Asked which of the street artist's pieces no one has ever seen, his first agent and photographer, Steve Lazarides, replies: 'The Swiss Embassy car park.' He explains: 'It was bats*** crazy. The old Swiss ambassador put on a full-on rave down in the car park at the Swiss Embassy and invited Banksy.' Speaking at his talk in east London, Crime Pays – The Untold Story Behind Banksy, in association with Grove Gallery, Lazarides adds: 'I'd say between ten and 15 complete works are on the walls of that embassy.'
