Kenyan pastor of starvation sect guilty of 191 murders
A Kenyan pastor who led a sect which forced followers to starve themselves and their children so they would die and go to heaven to be with Jesus, has been convicted of 191 murder charges – 190 of the victims were children. Pastor Paul Mackenzie was found guilty along with 28 other leaders of the sect, the Good News International Church, based in coastal southeast Kenya. They will be sentenced on 6 November. Their arrests followed the discovery of more than 400 bodies in shallow graves in Shakahola forest near the Kenyan coast in April 2023. The Associated Press reports that Mackenzie and others also face separate manslaughter, terrorism and child torture charges in the deaths of more than 230 others. He and his co-defendants have denied all the charges. More here.
Priest killed after crucifix falls from church wall in Ecuador
A Catholic priest in Ecuador has died after a wall mounted large crucifix reaching up to the roof, fell on him during a livestreamed Mass. Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was delivering a sermon about the fragility of life at his church in the city of Guayaquil when the cross fell forwards and he was pronounced dead at the scene. He had just delivered the words: “One day, all of us here will also die, and sometimes the time we’ve spent on things doesn’t have as much meaning as the time we spend with God”. He asked God to bless the congregation and started a prayer when the cross fell.
Pope Leo calls President Zelensky about humanitarian aid in Kherson region
Pope Leo has spoken to the Ukrainian President Zenelsky, “expressing his hope for cooperation to allow food and medical aid to reach civilians in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and for their safe evacuation”. A Vatican statement says that he also re-affirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promote dialogue and peace. On Friday, days ater his operation for lung cancer, the Pope spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, by phone from his hospital bed, asking for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into the city of Oleshky. He requested a humanitarian ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical aid, and the evacuation of civilians.
Heaton Park synagogue security guard given Pride of Britain Award
Andrew Franks, the security guard who confronted the Heaton Park synagogue attacker, has been honoured withthe Outstanding Bravery award at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards 2026. He confronted the attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, suffering multiple stab wounds to his face and neck, but managed to trip him up, giving people inside more time to lock the doors. Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed in the attack. Andrew, a chef from Bury and father of a teenage daughter, spent nine and a half hours in surgery and was told he had nearly died three times. At the award ceremony at Grosvenor House Hotel in London, Rob Rinder praised Andrew’s courage and said he had “saved worlds” that day. The ceremony will be shown on ITV on Thursday evening.
CofE tackling ‘unusually high’ number of vacant bishop posts
Kaya Burgess, writing in The Times, has drawn attention to the fact that 12 out of 42 diocesan bishops’ posts in the Church of England, lie vacant. One is suspended after complaints, one resigned after being arrested, one is on long term sick leave, seven retired with one temporary cover while another is appointed but not installed, one died, another (Sarah Mullally) was promoted. In the second layer of suffragan bishops, there should be 48 but there are seven vacancies. The House of Bishops discussed this at their recent meeting, noting “the cost of long vacancies and shared experiences of identifying and encouraging candidates for episcopal ministry”. A CofE spokesman is quoted acknowledging “an unusually high number of episcopal transitions”, and said that the church recognises the importance of reducing the length of vacancies and is strengthening succession planning.
Vicar admits sending explicit images to office posing as 13 year old girl
The Rev Ben Lovell, 44, former vicar of St Mary’s Hampton, south-west London, has admitted sending explicit images of himself to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. A statement from London Diocese said: “the offences do not relate to his role at St Mary’s, or to any other role, or to his family”. He has been suspended from ministry and stepped back from his other responsibilities. He is on bail and is due to be sentenced at a later date at Kingston Crown Court.
Edinburgh professor appointed to Vatican theology commission
Professor Sara Parvis, associate professor at the School of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh, is among 24 theologians appointed to the Vatican’s International Theological Commission, by Pope Leo. The new members, who will serve a five year term, come from many countries, with increased representation from Asia, Africa, and South America, more women than before and eight lay members, double the previous number. Their task is to advise the Doctrine of the Faith on “doctrinal questions of major importance and current relevance”, which includes the role of women in ministry. Prof Parvis took temporary vows to be a Dominican sister, then married the former head of Blackfriars theological college almost 30 years ago. Her research interests are said to be the early church, the development of orthodoxy and the construction of heresy. She supports the ordination of women to the diaconate.
New global research initiative to explore Mysticism
A global research project has been launched to study mystical experience, looking at the common features shared across cultures, what they reveal about consciousness, how they are interpreted and how they influence moral and social life. The initiative, named “Prism” Program in the Study of Mysticism, is based at Tampere University in Finland and is funded by the Templeton Religion Trust. It will involve an international network of scholars from sociology, psychology, theology, religious studies, philosophy, and related fields. Mystical experiences are understood as experiences of the divine in many religious traditions, or as a connection with something beyond ourselves. The researchers say: “What feels ‘beyond us’ need not be beyond us, and that’s what the PRISM project aims to shed light on. By studying mysticism comparatively and empirically, we can better understand how it shapes individuals and societies – and why it continues to matter in the modern world.”
