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Pope Francis greenlights blessings for same-sex couples

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

Pope Francis on Monday approved blessings for same-sex couples, marking a shift in the Catholic church’s stance toward the LGBTQ+ community.A document published by the Vatican’s doctrinal office — and signed by the pope — says that Roman Catholic priests will be allowed to bless couples “in irregular situations and same-sex couples.”The document specifies that a blessing does not officially validate the couple’s status or change “the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.” It also emphasizes that the blessing should not occur at the same time as a civil union ceremony and can’t be performed with any clothing or gestures associated with weddings, to avoid “any form of confusion or scandal.” But it says this move “implies a real development from what has been said about blessings.”“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For, those seeking a blessing should not be r...

Germany puts its troops in the line of fire if Russia attacks NATO

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is prompting Germany to do something unprecedented — to permanently base thousands of troops only about 100 kilometers from the border with Russia and right in the line of fire if the Kremlin ever launches an attack on NATO territory.German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was in Vilnius on Monday to sign a deal with his Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anušauskas firming up the conditions on which 4,800 German troops plus 200 civilians will be based in the Baltic country.“With this war-ready brigade, we are assuming a leadership responsibility here in the alliance and on NATO’s eastern flank,” Pistorius said, adding: “The speed of the project clearly shows that Germany understood the new security reality.” The war in Ukraine has upended military thinking in Berlin — pressing generals and politicians to move with unaccustomed speed.In a sign of the escalating demands on the Bundeswehr, one of the units making up the new brigad...

More than 260,000 without power in MA, all Logan flights grounded due to wind

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

Residents woke up to a stormy start of their weeks Monday, with heavy rains and strong winds blasting southern New England. Gusts of as fast as 60 to 70 miles per hour were forecast for Monday morning, with peak intensity expected from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights departing Logan Airport in Boston until 1 p.m., with a probability of extension of 30 to 60 percent. There is the potential for both inland flooding from the rain and minor coastal flooding from the wind, as well as possible power outages from downed trees and tree limbs.“Once the storm arrives if you are traveling please stay as far away from our crews as possible if you see them out so they have the space they need to safely do their work and make repairs,” said William Hinkle of Eversource Energy. “If you come across any downed lines, always stay as far away from those as possible as well and report them immediately to 911 and give us a call....

Demi Lovato and Jordan ‘Jutes’ Lutes are engaged

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

(CNN) — Demi Lovato is looking forward to being a bride.The singer took to Instagram over the weekend to share the news that she is engaged to songwriter Jordan Lutes.“I’m still speechless last night was the best night of my life and I can’t believe I get to marry the love of my life @jutesmusic..My love, I’m beyond excited to marry you.. every day I’ve spent with you has been a dream come true and I can’t wait to love and cherish you forever,” Lovato wrote. “Here’s to the rest of our lives. I love you baby”Lovato included a picture where she is wearing a pear-shaped diamond ring.The couple  were engaged on Saturday.Several of Lovato’s famous friends weighed in on the news, with Selma Blair writing, “I am so happy for you both! JutesMusic is so lucky to have you. May this love grow infinity. I love you and am so happy for you. Gorgeous news.”Lutes co-wrote “Substance” with Lovato. She also shared songwriting credits with him on “Happy Ending” and “City ...

Wax off: Depardieu’s figure removed from museum

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

PARIS — The wax figure of actor Gerard Depardieu has been removed from Paris’ most famous wax museum, following negative reactions from visitors over allegations about his conduct with women, the museum said Monday.The decision to remove the figure from the Grevin Museum, the so-called “Pantheon of wax celebrities,” followed a recent report on the actor on French television that has dented his reputation in France and around the world.The France 2 documentary showed him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea. Depardieu has also been under investigation for rape since 2020. He denies all charges.Depardieu, 74, has starred in hundreds of movies over more than half a century, including French classics like “The Last Metro,” “Jean de Florette” and “Cyrano de Bergerac,” and English-language movies including “Green Card” and “Life of Pi.”This waxwork’s disappearanc...

Power outages climb as wind-whipped storm rolls through

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

Heavy rain and high winds swept through the Northeast on Monday for the second time in a week, spurring flood warnings, electricity outages, flight cancellations and school closings.The National Weather Service predicted up to 5 inches  of rain in some parts of the region. More than 245,000 power outages were reported from Pennsylvania to New York to New England, with numerous reports of trees falling on power lines. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph were forecast for the southeast New England coast, the Weather Service said.In Massachusetts, more than 180,000 homes were without power according to the state’s emergency services outage map. That number climbed steadily through the morning from about 54,000 at 8 a.m. to 189,955 just past 11 a.m.  Communities including Newbury, Millis, Carver and Pelham are among those affected.In New York City, high winds prompted the temporary closure of the Verrazzano Bridge. It reopened later Monday morning, but with a ban on tractor-trailers and other la...

EXPLAINER: How can Catholic priests bless same-sex unions?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

ROME (AP) — The Vatican document explicitly saying Catholic priests can bless same-sex unions lays out the conditions for what such blessings can, and cannot, involve.The overall goal is to make it abundantly clear to the couple and those around them that the blessing is not a liturgical or sacramental ritual, and that it in no way resembles a marriage. This is because the Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a lifelong sacramental union between a man and woman.Nothing has changed about the church’s position on marriage, its firm opposition to gay marriage, or its belief that any extramarital sex — gay or straight — is sinful.Here are some of the points in the document:— To avoid any confusion that the church was performing a same-sex marriage, the blessing should not be offered in conjunction with a civil union ceremony, gay or straight.— “Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding.”— Such blessings can be offered during a visit t...

Officers praised for rescuing residents from house fire in Vaughan

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

Three officers are being praised for their bravery after rescuing multiple residents from a smoke-filled home during a house fire in Vaughan last week.York Regional Police said officers responded to a garage fire at a home in the Langstaff Road and Ansley Grove area at around 10 p.m. on Dec. 14.Once on scene, officers found that the entire garage was engulfed in flames and learned that one resident awoke to the smell of smoke in the house and was initially unable to get her husband out due to an illness.York Regional Police Const. Nicola Foster located two elderly residents near the front door and escorted them outside while Const. Justin Carosi and Const. Joshua Hamilton entered the house to find the remaining resident.Const. Carosi safely located that resident and was able to exit through the front door while Const. Hamilton evacuated the female resident to the backyard.The residents of the home did not suffer serious injuries, and all three officers were treated for smoke inhalat...

‘Percy Jackson’ billed as first show shot in Canada to use cutting-edge LED stage

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

TORONTO — “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is an effects-laden adaptation full of Greek gods, mythical monsters and otherworldly landscapes, but its young stars say they didn’t have to rely on imagination to visualize their fabled scene partners.Disney Plus says the British Columbia-shot series, based on Rick Riordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, uses cutting-edge technology that forgoes green screens.It’s billed as the first project shot in Canada to use the technology, dubbed StageCraft. At its heart is a newly built virtual production stage in Vancouver, known as “the volume,” which consists of 28-metre LED video walls that immerse actors inside computer-generated environments in real time. Actors on the stage see video projections of CGI backdrops and characters that would traditionally be added in post-production.Designed by Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Disney’s Lucasfilm, the stage’s first project was “Percy Jackson,” but there ar...

Powerful gusts over 100 kilometres per hour, steady rain projected to hit East Coast

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:20:45 GMT

HALIFAX — Powerful gusts are expected to reach speeds of more than 100 kilometres per hour on Canada’s East Coast today as two large pressure systems meet over the Atlantic Ocean.Ian Hubbard with Environment Canada says strong winds are forecast to begin in southern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and sweep across the provinces through the day and overnight.The storm is expected to head overnight across the Cabot Strait and into southern Newfoundland, where powerful winds are also expected.Hubbard says the strongest gusts may reach up to 110 km/h and that between 50 to 80 millimetres of rain will fall.The forecaster says the storm is the result of a low-pressure system meeting an abnormally high-pressure system in the Atlantic Ocean, creating a slow-moving storm with strong winds for eight to 12 hours.The weather agency is also calling for high coastal water levels overnight, which will bring risk of flooding along the central and eastern part of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scoti...