Real IRA reject talks offer from Fr Michael Canny
The dissident republican group, the Real IRA, which has threatened to kill more PSNI officers, has refused an offer from a Londonderry priest to hold talks with him. The group said police officers would be targeted ‘regardless of their religion, cultural background or motivation’. The threat was made in a statement at a rally in Derry on Monday. Fr Michael Canny said he hoped talks would happen in the future. ‘On Wednesday evening I heard through a source that I would consider to be reliable that they didn't want to meet,’ he said. ‘I certainly wasn't surprised but neither was I totally disappointed because the statement said 'at this time'. I consider that they obviously carefully considered what they were saying and the use of the phrase 'at this time' doesn't rule out the possibility of talking, not necessarily to me but to somebody else in the weeks or indeed in the months ahead.'
Pray: for the work of potential mediators like Fr Canny and that the Lord will soften the hearts of the dissidents in Ireland. (Job.9:33)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13223754
Sellafield nuclear site terror arrests made
Five men are being held under the Terrorism Act after being arrested close to the Sellafield nuclear site. The men, who are all from London and in their 20s, were arrested on Monday shortly after 1630 BST. The arrests were made after Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers conducted a stop check on a vehicle close to the Sellafield site, in Cumbria. The BBC understands the men were taking photographs and are all believed to be Bangladeshi. The arrests are not thought to have been intelligence-led. The men were held in Carlisle overnight and then moved to Manchester. Four houses in east London were raided by counter-terror detectives as part of the investigation. The arrests were made within hours of the news breaking that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan. Pray: that the authorities will remain vigilant amid fears of reprisals from groups sympathetic to al-Qaeda. (Eph.5:15)
Marriage ‘a good product’ says Anglican Archbishop
The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu has praised the institution of marriage, and warned of the danger of it being hidden away ‘for fear of offending or sounding self-righteous’. Writing in the Telegraph, in advance of the Royal Wedding, the Archbishop also warned that more and more people seem to be wary of the commitment which marriage requires. Commenting on the growing trend of cohabitation before marriage, the Archbishop said it is common in these times and, quoting his daughter, people ‘want to test whether the milk is good before they buy the cow.’ He said: ‘Discovering the depth and enduring meaning of love is the goal and prize of every relationship. Marriage in Britain, whether in church or a register office, is a pact for life made between one man and one woman’. Dr Sentamu said he had married many cohabiting couples and emphasised that married couples are more likely to stay together than cohabiting couples.
Pray: that marriage would once more be acknowledged as central to family life. (Heb.13:4)
More: http://www.ionainstitute.org/index.php?id=1436
Russian Ministries launches ‘Summer of Hope’
Russian Ministries has launched an appeal to provide a Summer of Hope to thousands of needy children who’ll be attending their life-changing camps across the former Soviet Union, reports Peter Wooding of ASSIST News Service. After the success of Russian Ministries’ series of Easter outreach programmes, their teams of Next Generation Christian leaders are already busy preparing to coordinate summer camps, which they believe provide the real hope of Christ to the lives of these vulnerable children. ‘After these outreach programmes at Easter, summer is coming pretty soon and our young teams are already getting ready to do some follow-up ministry and the most effective is summer camps,’ said Russian Ministries’ President Sergey Rakhuba. Each Russian Ministries’ summer camp has a long-lasting impact for thousands of children. Pray: God for Russian Ministries as they prepare for the summer camps and that they would bring much fruit. (Gen.28:3)
