Isle of Man passes assisted dying bill
The Isle of Man has become the first part of the UK and Crown dependencies to pass an Assisted Dying Bill. It means that adult Isle of Man residents who are of sound mind, are terminally ill, have twelve months or fewer to live, and have a clear and settled wish to die, can apply for assisted dying. Members of the Legislative Council, the upper chamber, agreed amendments to cut the residency criteria from five years to 12 months for someone to be eligible. The Bill will now go for Royal Assent will come into force from 2027.
Doctors tell of moment Pope Francis nearly died
The Pope’s medical team considered allowing him to die at one point during his critical illness in hospital. Dr Sergio Alfieri told Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper, on Tuesday. That on 28 February, two weeks after he was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome, he was struggling to breathe. He said: “We had to choose if we would stop there and let him go, or go forward and push it with all the drugs and therapies possible, running the very high risk of damaging his other organs. In the end, we took this path”. Doctors were faced with making a decision to let him die in peace or use all the resources at their disposal to try to keep him alive. He survived. Telegraph report here
King’s visit to meet the Pope is postponed
The Associated Press reports that King Charles III’s scheduled audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican has been postponed by mutual agreement after medical advice suggested the pontiff would be better off with more rest. Buckingham Palace said: “Their Majesties send The Pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered.’’
Moonies ‘dissolved’ in Japan
A court in Japan has ordered the Unification church, known as the Moonies, to be dissolved following a long legal case after a government investigation into the 2022 assassination of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Associated Press reports that the church, founded in South Korea and nicknamed the “Moonies” after its late founder, Sun Myung Moon, is accused of pressuring followers into making large donations. It has denied any wrongdoing. The church said it was considering an immediate appeal.
Biography of US “Atlantic” journalist Jeffrey Goldberg
The Jewish Chronicle carries a detailed biography of Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who was mistakenly added to a top-secret chat on the Signal messaging app in which senior US officials were discussing planned airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The report says Goldberg is “a seasoned Jewish journalist who has led The Atlantic since 2016 and has a history of breaking big stories”. It continues: “Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked in the campus Hillel kitchen before moving to Israel. He served in the Israel Defence Forces during the First Intifada as a prison guard at Ktzi’ot Prison – an experience he later documented in his 2006 book Prisoners: A Muslim & a Jew Across the Middle East Divide. In Israel, he worked as a columnist for The Jerusalem Post before returning to the US to work as a reporter at The Washington Post. He went on to become the New York bureau chief of The Forward, a contributing editor at New York Magazine, and a writer for The New York Times Magazine. In 2000, he joined The New Yorker. Among his influential works was a 2010 analysis of the Israel-Iran conflict, in which he concluded that Israel would act militarily if Iran’s nuclear programme was not curtailed. In 2015, he wrote a widely discussed essay for The Atlantic on the resurgence of antisemitism in Europe, posing the question: “Is it time for the Jews to leave Europe? His reporting has won multiple accolades, including the Overseas Press Club Award for best human rights reporting and the Abraham Cahan Prize in Journalism”. Full report is here
Bishop of Norwich urges renewed action on climate change
The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, told a gathering at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge that acting to tackle climate change is the right thing to do. 120 Diocesan Environment and Net Zero officers, along with representatives of other churches were present. The bishop, who leads on the environment for the Church of England, said: “There is a link here through compassion with Anglicans – with all people around the world -many of whom are on the frontline of climate change and biodiversity loss. If we truly believe that we are brothers and sisters in Christ we should have a concern and a compassion for where biodiversity and climate change loss is impacting people’s lives.”
Rev Tim Hewes cleared of charges over M25 oil protest
Retired Church of England priest, Rev Tim Hewes, has been acquitted of charges related to his involvement in Just Stop Oil protests which blocked the M25 in 2022. Premier Christian News reports that the 73-year-old was initially detained for six weeks and told to wear a tag. Two Stop Oil supporters, Ian Bates, 65, and Abigail Percy-Ratcliffe, 25, were found guilty and will be sentenced on 9th May.
Ancient stone circles reveal belief in mystery
The Time features a book by Dave Hamilton, Wild Ruins BC , on Scotland’s ancient stone circles, sacred places going back to 5000BC. They include Calanais Standing Stones, Lewis; Tomnaverie Stone Circle, Aberdeenshire, a “hill of worship”; Fortingall Circles, Perth and Kinross; Twelve Apostles, Dumfries and Galloway; and Fowlis Wester Stones, Perth and Kinross.
