Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday he was deeply ashamed of the "unspeakable" sexual abuse of children by priests, telling the British faithful during Mass in Westminster Cathedral that he hoped the church's humiliation would help victims heal. Benedict also said he hoped that the church would be able to use its contrition to purify itself from the "sins" of its ministers and be able to renew its commitment to educating the young. Benedict confronted the abuse scandal head-on during his homily, a day after six people were arrested in an alleged terrorist plot against him. They remained in custody Saturday. The sex abuse scandal has clouded Benedict's four-day state visit to this deeply secular nation with a centuries-old history of anti-Catholic sentiment. Polls have indicated widespread dissatisfaction in Britain with the way Benedict has handled the crisis, with Catholics nearly as critical of him as the rest of the population. The pontiff issued his comments in the seat of British … [Read more...] about Pope to UK: deeply sorry, ashamed of sex abuse
State visits to uk
December 5 – 11: NA Chairwoman Ngan pays official visit to India
1. APEC officials head to ISOM in Hanoi Senior officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies gathered at the Informal Senior Officials Meeting (ISOM) in Hanoi on December 9 to discuss priorities and key activities for the 2017 APEC, to be hosted by Vietnam. Around 200 events, conferences and workshops will be held across the country within the framework of APEC 2017. 2. NA Chairwoman Ngan pays official visit to India National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan paid a State visit to India from December 8-11 at the invitation of Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (India’s Upper House) Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Speaker of the Lok Sabha (India’s Lower House) Sumitra Mahajan. During her stay, the leader talked with Speaker of India’s Lower House Sumitra Mahajan, met General Secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sitaram Yechury; Indian President Pranab Mukherjee; representatives from the India Fund; CPI General Secretary … [Read more...] about December 5 – 11: NA Chairwoman Ngan pays official visit to India
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on state visit to Vietnam
President Rouhani’s entourage includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif; Chief of Staff of the President Mohammad Nahavandian; Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Reza Ne’matzadeh; Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati and Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Valiollah Seif. Also accompanying President Rouhani are his culture adviser, Hesamoddin Ashna, who is also director of the Centre for Strategic Studies; Iranian Ambassador to Vietnam Saleh Abidi; and a number of other officials. President Rouhani was born on 12 November 1948 in Sorkhe. He has a PhD in constitutional law from the UK’s Glasgow Caledonian University, an MPhil in law from Glasgow Caledonian University and a BA in judicial law from the University of Tehran. His previous posts include secretary and representative of the Supreme Leader at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (1983-1988), Deputy to the Second-in-Command of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff … [Read more...] about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on state visit to Vietnam
Chinese President visits the UK
He will meet top British politicians including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The two countries are expected to sign a nuclear power plant contract worth about 26 billion USD in Somerset, which will be Britain’s first new nuclear power plant in 20 years. … [Read more...] about Chinese President visits the UK
President Truong Tan Sang starts visit to Iran
President Truong Tan Sang arrived at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran capital city on late March 13, beginning a State visit to Iran. President Truong Tan Sang (centre) arrives at Mehrabad International Airport. The Vietnamese State leader was met at the airport by Iranian officials, Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Nguyen Hong Thach, representatives of the Vietnamese community in Iran, and the ambassadors of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The official welcome ceremony will be held at the presidential palace on March 14. During his stay, President Truong Tan Sang is scheduled to have talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, pay courtesy calls to other Iranian leaders, attend a Vietnam – Iran business forum, and visit the Vietnamese Embassy. Vietnam, Iran to discuss improving bilateral trade President Truong Tan Sang and Irani President Hassan Rouhani will discuss steps to boost bilateral trade, particularly in … [Read more...] about President Truong Tan Sang starts visit to Iran