Papal Revelations
POPE FRANCIS SAID TWO PERCENT OF THE CLERGY ARE PAEDOPHILES
He called child abuse a “leprosy” that’s invading the church
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According to the Italian La Repubblica newspaper, Pope Francis has claimed reliable data shows that “about two percent” of clergy in the Catholic Church are paedophiles.
“Others, more numerous, know but keep quiet. They punish without giving the reason. I find this state of affairs intolerable,” Pope Francis was quoted as saying.
However, a Vatican spokesperson has said that the quotes in the article did not match up with the Pope’s exact words.
The pontiff bolstered the Vatican’s laws against child abuse last year, and earlier this month begged for forgiveness from those who have been sexually abused by priests.
IDF vs Hamas
ISRAEL HAVE LAUNCHED A GROUND OFFENSIVE IN GAZA
But that hasn’t stopped them from bombing a bunch of government buildings
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Israeli naval commandos launched their first ground offensive into Palestine since the beginning of the recent conflict.
The purpose of the raid was reportedly to destroy a Hamas rocket-launching site in northern Gaza, before leaflets were dropped into homes in northwest Gaza, telling residents to evacuate ahead of what a military spokesman described as a “short and temporary” assault on the area.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 166 people – including 30 children and many civilians – have been killed by airstrikes in the city so far.
Israel’s military say they have staged more than 1,300 airstrikes in response to the 800 rockets fired by Palestinian militants; several IDF soldiers have been wounded in the conflict, but there have been no Israeli fatalities.
Despite international calls for Israel to stop the attacks, they have widened their target area, bombing homes, mosques and public buildings – including a disabled centre – that they claim are hiding Hamas weaponry.
Archbishops Calling Bullshit
JUSTIN WELBY WARNED OF ‘HYSTERIA’ OVER RADICAL MUSLIMS
He said the number of young British people travelling to Syria is “extraordinarily small”
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (right) with Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds (Photo via)
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Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, UK, has warned that the British public are becoming “too hysterical” about the potential threat from radicalised Muslims.
“Clearly there is an issue with people going to Syria and coming back highly radicalised […] But the proportion of Muslims who are radicalised is extraordinarily small,” he said. “I am just edgy about developing a national culture of fear, because I don’t think that gets us anywhere.”
In an interview on The Andrew Marr Show, Welby also reaffirmed his opposition to gay marriage (but good news: he continues to “struggle with the issue”) and said he was confident that a vote this week will allow women to be ordained as bishops.
Rounding everything off, he said that rich people should pay their fair share of tax and admitted that more cases of child abuse in the Church of England were likely to be uncovered by a new public inquiry.
Relatively Unimportant Scientific Breakthroughs
SCIENTISTS DEVELOPED A MATERIAL SO DARK YOU CAN’T SEE IT
Which seems completely pointless, but does have some benefits
This isn’t Vantablack, it’s just some black sand, because taking photos of Vantablack would probably break your camera. (Photo via)
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Scientists have produced a material so dark that it absorbs all but 0.035 per cent of visual light, setting a new world record.
“Vantablack”, created by British company Surrey NanoSystems, is so dark that the human eye can’t understand what it’s seeing, with all shapes and contours being lost.
The material was grown on aluminium foil, which – when crumpled – usually leaves a texture that looks a bit like a miniature valley, full of hills and peaks.
However, in areas covered with Vantablack, where you expect to see hills “it’s like black, like a hole, like there’s nothing there. It just looks so strange”, according to Ben Jensen, the firm’s chief technical officer.
This may seem like a pretty pointless piece of development, but the material can apparently make astronomical cameras, telescopes and infrared scanning systems function more effectively, and has some military uses that Surrey NanoSystems isn’t allowed to disclose.
Overwhelming Surprises
SEATTLE’S FIRST RECREATIONAL WEED SHOP RAN OUT OF STOCK THREE DAYS IN
After starting out with around 4.5 kilograms
VICE correspondent David Bienenstock buying legal weed in Colorado
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Seattle’s first and only recreational cannabis shop had to close after three days because it ran out of stock.
Cannabis City, the first shop to open since recreational cannabis use became legal in Washington, with at least 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weed for sale, but they clearly needed more.
Amber McGowan, manager at Cannabis City, said the shop was only able to stay open as long as it had by limiting customers to six grams (2.7 kg) per purchase, rather than the legal limit of 28 grams (12.7 kg).
A message on the store’s phone line said it would re-open on the 21st of July.
