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Priest resigns after botching thousands of baptisms with single phrase

<p dir="ltr">An Arizona priest has voluntarily resigned from his church after it was ruled that he botched thousands of baptisms over the past 25 years - all by using one incorrect phrase.</p><p dir="ltr">Father Andres Arango left the St Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix this month <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10511635/Phoenix-Catholic-priest-forced-resign-incorrectly-performed-THOUSANDS-baptisms.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">after</a> revealing he used an “incorrect formula” that made the baptisms invalid.</p><p dir="ltr">Rather than invoking the power of God by saying “I baptise you”, as required by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Father Arango said “we baptise you”, referring to the community.</p><p dir="ltr">As a result of his phrasing, every baptism he has performed since he was ordained in 1995 until June 2021 has been invalid.</p><p dir="ltr">This could also mean that subsequent confirmations and First Communions for those baptised by Arango could also be invalidated.</p><p dir="ltr">The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix said even some marriages could possibly be affected, though they did not expand on how.</p><p dir="ltr">Father Arango will now work full-time offering spiritual guidance to Catholics whose baptisms have been deemed invalid so he can baptise them again.</p><p dir="ltr">In 2020, the Vatican issued a doctoral note clarifying that baptisms performed with the phrase “We baptise you in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit” were invalid, prompting church leaders to investigate faith leaders including Father Arango.</p><p dir="ltr">His invalidated baptisms also came from his time working in churches in Brazil and San Diego.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b2bb13ae-7fff-280b-bab7-d38f8c5653e4"></span></p><p dir="ltr">In a letter announcing his resignation, Father Arango apologised to those affected and asked the community for “prayers, forgiveness, and understanding”.</p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/father-arango-letter.png" alt="" width="322" height="826" /></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Father Arango announced he would leave the church after the Vatican ruled that baptisms he performed over the past 25 years have been invalid. Images: St Gregory Catholic Church Bulletin</em></p><p dir="ltr">“It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula,” Father Arango wrote.</p><p dir="ltr">“I deeply regret my error and how this affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere.</p><p dir="ltr">“With the help of the Holy Spirit and in communion with the Diocese of Phoenix I will dedicate my energy and full time ministry to help remedy this and heal those affected.”</p><p dir="ltr">The Diocese has said Father Arango remains a priest in good standing and that he has not been disqualified from his vocation or ministry as a result of his mistake.</p><p dir="ltr">Diocese of Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said he didn’t believe Father Arango intentionally harmed or deceived parishioners through his error.</p><p dir="ltr">“On behalf of our local Church, I am too sincerely sorry that this error has resulted in disruption to the sacramental lives of a number of the faithful,” Olmsted said in a <a href="https://www.stgregoryphx.com/note-on-baptism-validity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">“This is why I pledge to take every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted.”</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a7665fe9-7fff-43e3-b9f2-e43368b1e9d8"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Padre Andres Arango Phoenix AZ (Facebook)</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Paedophile priest to walk free from jail

<p>Paedophile priest Vincent Ryan is set to walk free from jail on Tuesday after serving less than half of his 39-month sentence for the sexual abuse of two altar boys.</p> <p>The 82-year-old was granted parole last week after a judge found “the offender has demonstrated excellent prison performance” and “positive prospects of rehabilitation” upon his release from Sydney’s Long Bay Prison.</p> <p>He was sentenced in May 2019 after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys aged between 10 and 12 in 1974 and the early 1990s.</p> <p>He previously served 14 years in prison for the abuse of 34 other boys between 1973 and 1991.</p> <p>Scott Hallett, who came forward to the police in 1995 about Ryan’s sexual predation against him as a child, said he was “overcome with anger” after learning about the priest’s early release.</p> <p>“He is just an evil man, very calculating – I don’t think the guy even thinks he’s done anything wrong by pure fact that he is still able to be called a priest,” Hallett, 55, told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-20/paedophile-priest-vince-ryan-to-walk-free-from-long-bay-prison/12462760">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p>“I mean he has been convicted of that many crimes.</p> <p>“When you look at all the victims, plenty has changed for us – we don’t get to walk around like a normal person day to day and he’s just going to come out and think he’s done nothing wrong.”</p> <p>Newcastle Bishop Bill Wright told the outlet he had written twice to Pope Francis about Ryan’s criminal history, but did not comment on whether he had asked for Ryan to be stripped of his priesthood.</p> <p>As part of his parole conditions, Ryan must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet 24 hours a day and stay away from his victims and children.</p> <p>“Parole supervision includes face-to-face meetings and appointments with Community Corrections officers, verification checks, home visits and regular contact with NSW Police,” a Corrective Services spokeswoman said.</p>

Legal

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Convicted paedophile says he should remain priest after sexually abusing 34 boys

<p>Convicted clerical sex abuser Vincent Ryan said he should remain a priest after decades of abusing children.</p> <p>In the new <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/convicted-paedophile-vincent-ryan-thinks-he-should-remain-priest/12059530">ABC</a> documentary series <em>Revelation</em>, the Catholic priest said there was no reason he should not retain his role.</p> <p>“It’s a duty. I’ve committed myself to it,” he said. “It’d have to be a very serious reason, unless I’m stopped by authority, for me to make that decision and at this moment I don’t see it.”</p> <p>The interview was filmed before Ryan was sentenced in <a href="https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6155389/monster-of-merewether-goes-back-to-jail-for-another-three-years-and-three-months/">2019</a> to three years and three months in jail for the sexual abuse of two altar boys at the Junction and Cessnock. He has previously served 14 years in jail for the abuse of 34 boys from the 1970s to the 1990s, including a child who was <a href="http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/82">abused more than 200 times from the age of 10</a> over a period of six years.</p> <p>After he was released in 2010, Ryan remained a priest and was allowed to perform the Catholic mass in private.</p> <p>Ryan told the <em>ABC </em>he confessed that he was sexually assaulting boys to his priest, who gave him a penance of “three Hail Marys and a decade of the Rosary”.</p> <p>“I don’t know the exact words, but they would have been aware that I … that I had offended against children because … I can remember one priest saying, ‘you’ll go to jail if you don’t stop this’,” Ryan said.</p> <p>According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/06/24/inq-pathology-predator-paedophile-priest-vince-ryan/" target="_blank"><em>Crikey</em></a>, Ryan informed at least two other church officials in the 1970s that he was a paedophile.</p> <p>Ryan blamed his immediate superiors at the Catholic church for not monitoring him more closely after they learned of his crimes. “The church still was in a fortress, defending itself against all these horrible [people] wanting to drag it down.”</p> <p>Peter Dorn, who was abused by Ryan as a primary school student in Maitland in the 1970s, questioned the church’s refusal to remove the sexual abuser from priesthood.</p> <p>“How does the church want somebody like that? How did they say that’s a person acting on behalf of God?” Dorn said. “They say they have acknowledged it, but if they still recognise him as a priest, you know that’s disgraceful.”</p> <p>When asked if he could be forgiven for his decades of sexual abuse of children, he said, “By God, most certainly.”</p>

Legal

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55-year age gap: Former priest moves to Romania with model husband

<p>An 81-year-old former Anglican priest and his much younger husband have settled down in Romania to finally live in the same country together.</p> <p>Philip Clements and Florin Martin, 27, tied the knot three years ago after meeting online – with the majority of their married life spent long-distance.</p> <p>But last month, Philip moved to Bucharest to be with his husband and the pair are now looking forward to celebrating their third wedding anniversary with a home-cooked meal.</p> <p>Philip said he was gradually adjusting to the new city as his home, with the couple determined to make their marriage last despite Florin partying every weekend.</p> <p>“He understands me much better and I understand him much better,” Philip told<span> </span><em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p>“I know when he’s busy not to disturb him and to give him space.</p> <p>“He goes to the gay club in Bucharest once a week and I’m fine with that.</p> <p>“He must have space to be with younger people, it’s very important when there’s this big age difference.</p> <p>“We’ve both learnt a lot.”</p> <p>Philip had previously sold his home in England to help fund his new life with Florin, as they spent thousands of pounds travelling the world together.</p> <p>But now, the couple are living off Philip’s teaching and church pension.</p> <p>Florin quit his job at a car rental company at the Ali Cante airport in Spain and is hoping to score a manager’s position in the future so the two can continue to travel together.</p> <p>“We do have to watch the money but Romania is cheaper than England so the money goes further,” said Philip.</p> <p>“We have enough to live on and enough to go to the cinema and out for a meal occasionally.”</p> <p>The pair have a 55-year age gap between them and met on Gaydar four years ago.</p> <p>They married in April 2017.</p>

International Travel

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Catholic priest dies before being sentenced for child sexual abuse

<p>Disgraced former Catholic Priest James Joseph Cunneen, who was <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/offences/sexual-offences/indecent-assault/">found guilty of indecently assaulting </a>six teenage boys in New South Wales in the late 1980s, has died before he could be sentenced.</p> <p>60-year old Mr Cunneen was due to be sentenced in Downing Centre District Court on 14 February 2020. He was arrested, charged and prosecuted last year after information given to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2014.</p> <p>After an extensive investigation, police extradited Mr Cunneen back to Australia in 2017 where he was charged.</p> <p>Molested, even in their sleep</p> <p>Mr Cunneen was originally ordained as a priest in his native country, New Zealand, in 1979 and worked within the Catholic church both New Zealand and Australia before leaving the church in 1997 and returning to New Zealand.</p> <p>After leaving the church, he worked for the Department of Education for three years, and then took a job running betting agencies across New Zealand’s north island.</p> <p>Originally charged with 10 child sex offences against eight teenagers, a jury found Cunneen guilty for acts committed against six of them.</p> <p>During the trial, the court heard that Mr Cunneed had molested the boys in various locations and situations, including while they were sleeping.</p> <p>Mr Cunneen <a href="https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/disgraced-kiwi-priest-dies-suddenly-sydney">had a heart attack on 28 December 2019,</a> and died in the intensive care unit at Blacktown Hospital in Sydney.</p> <p>The Royal Commission’s impact</p> <p>Since the Royal Commission’s final report, several high profile Catholic priests including George Pell have been tried and found guilty of sexually abusing children.</p> <p>Others including <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/convicted-catholic-archbishop-resigns/">Adelaide Archbishop Phillip Wilson</a> have been convicted of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/criminal/legislation/crimes-act/concealing-serious-indictable-offence/">concealing a serious indictable offence</a> after covering up sexual abuse committed by convicted child sex offender, priest James Fletcher, which had occurred in the New South Wales Hunter region in the 1970s.</p> <p>Pell’s High Court Appeal</p> <p><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/george-pells-high-court-appeal-last-throw-of-the-dice/">In December 2019, the High Court of Australia decided that it will hear George Pell’s application for ‘special leave’ (permission) to appeal</a>, which if granted will provide him with the last throw of the dice to have his convictions for historical child sexual offences overturned.</p> <p>The High Court of Australia is the highest court in the land. Its primary function is to interpret and apply the law of Australia, including to decide cases of special national significance such as challenges to the constitutional validity of laws, and before cases can be</p> <p>heard, the High Court must decide whether to grant special leave from cases that have come from the Federal, State and Territory courts.</p> <p>George Pell’s lawyers applied for special leave after a two of a three member panel of Supreme Court of Victoria upheld his convictions for child sex offences earlier this year.</p> <p>Mr Pell is currently serving a six year sentence for those offence, becoming eligible for parole after three years and eight months. He has already served just over 5 months behind bars.</p> <p>The High Court has announced it will hear the case in front of a full bench of seven judges. A date has not yet been set, but it is expected to be sometime within the next few months.</p> <p>Pope remains silent</p> <p>Pope Francis has not yet spoken publicly about the case of George Pell, who was once one of the Church’s highest ranking officials, although the Pope has recognised that over the past few years that sexual offending within the church is a systemic problem that has perpetuated through the years because of an internal culture of secrecy and cover ups.</p> <p>It’s expected that the Pope may address the problems in Australia – <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/they-give-god-a-bad-name-says-victim/">the Royal Commission detailed</a> 4,444 allegations of child sexual abuse in its final report in 2017– but right around the country, police investigations are continuing and every day, complainants are continuing to come forward.</p> <p><em>Written by Sonia Hickey. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/catholic-priest-dies-before-his-sentencing-for-child-sexual-abuse/">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Legal

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Samantha Armytage admits getting her house exorcised by a priest

<p>Sunrise presenter Samantha Armytage has admitted she enlisted the help of a priest to perform an exorcism on her house, after she claimed it kept “hurting her”.</p> <p>The 43-year-old wrote in her column for Stellar Magazine that she openly believes homes have personalities, and they find people, rather than the other way around. </p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2VCdLunS8a/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2VCdLunS8a/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Samantha Armytage ⭐️ (@sam_armytage)</a> on Sep 12, 2019 at 3:57pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Ask anyone the story of how they “found” their home and I’ll bet there is... a story. Because there’s always a li’l magic something that draws you to your castle,” Sam said.</p> <p>To prove her point, the morning presenter says she once owned a miner’s cottage, that although was sweet - it had a negative energy, </p> <p>“Like many of us old ducks, she could be difficult. Despite my adoration, the bloody house kept hurting me,” she said. </p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzXTie8noGw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BzXTie8noGw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Samantha Armytage ⭐️ (@sam_armytage)</a> on Jun 30, 2019 at 11:30pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Sam described the rustic evidence would randomly slam its windows on her fingers and the water would also become scalding hot when showering. </p> <p>While there could be a logical explanation for the strange happenings, Sam said she called on a local priest to provide an exorcism of sorts on her humble abode. </p> <p>“That lovely man came over, had a cup of tea and then splashed a bit of holy water around. Bless him. And the old girl calmed down. The house was also better behaved,” she wrote.</p> <p>Armytage’s real estate revelation comes not too soon after she went public with her former farmer partner, Richard Lavendar. </p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4iT4POn5On/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4iT4POn5On/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Samantha Armytage ⭐️ (@sam_armytage)</a> on Nov 6, 2019 at 11:42am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The 43-year-old finally confirmed she is dating former farmer Richard Lavender, 60, when they appeared as an item in the Sexiest People issue of WHO magazine.</p>

Domestic Travel

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Waleed Aly and Lisa Wilkinson clash in fiery debate on The Project

<p>Last night’s episode of <em>The Project</em> saw hosts Lisa Wilkinson and Waleed Aly clash in a fiery debate about a proposed law requiring priests to report confessions of child sex abuse from other clergy members.</p> <p>While the segment showed how there has been a push for Victoria to follow similar South Australian legislation, Wilkinson said it was a “matter of urgency” for this change to take place.</p> <p>“For me it’s a no-brainer — there are children, many many many generations of children, who have suffered at the hands of priests who know better,” she said.</p> <p>However, Aly questioned how effective the law would be in making priests report confessions of child abuse and if it would “actually stop any of this happening”.</p> <p>“I’m not a Catholic. I have no interest in defending the confession or the institution of the confession or whatever, but breaking the seal of confession for them — not for me or you, but for them — is an excommunicable offence. It means eternal damnation for them,” he said.</p> <p>“So now you are giving them a choice between eternal damnation or a $10,000 fine. I just can’t see any of them making the decision to avoid a $10,000 fine for the sake of that.”</p> <p>Wilkinson disagreed with Aly’s stance, saying the law “removes the perpetrator’s chance of absolution”.</p> <p>Aly replied: “But it doesn’t, because if the priest believes enough to be a priest and cares about the confessional seal they’ve already said they will maintain that seal.”</p> <p>“But what’s the alternative?” Wilkinson asked.</p> <p>“You can’t let it continue, the Church has been a rule unto itself … if altar boys in particular are seen as prey for priests then we have to step in and in a major way,” she said.</p> <p>“Stepping in in a major way is fine, but that doesn’t mean that every form of stepping in will work,” Aly rebutted.</p> <p>“I get the appeal of legislating for that, but I can’t imagine the scenario in my head where it works,” he said.</p> <p>Wilkinson concluded the heated exchange between the two by saying: “I can’t imagine the Church continuing the way it has when we know what we know.”</p> <p>One of the key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was to make it mandatory for Catholic priests to report suspicions about abuse or admissions of guilt from church clergy.</p> <p>Last month, South Australia introduced laws that will see Catholic clergy receive a $10,000 fine if they do not report admissions of abuse made in the confessional.</p> <p>Similar legislation in Victoria has been stalled by the possibility of national legislation being drafted, reported the<em> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-10/religious-confessional-sacred-victoria-national-approach/9971830" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ABC</span></strong></a></em>. </p>

TV

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Priest shares hilarious reply to flirty text message

<p>Everyone is guilty of accidentally sending a text message to the wrong mobile number. But what if that wrong number actually belonged to a priest? </p> <p>That’s what happened to Father Simon Rundell, who received a flirty late-night text message which asked him, amongst other things, if he was working tomorrow.</p> <p>The priest from Devon in England received the random text late on Saturday night, and was asked, “U ok sexy? Are u in work tomorrow? X”</p> <p>The witty priest delayed his response, choosing to reply first thing the next morning, and hilariously writing: “Yes, I’m saying Mass at 9.30 &amp; 11.15, but I’m guessing you didn’t intend to text a priest on this one. Fr. Simon.” </p> <p>Father Simon shared the funny text message exchange on his Twitter account, saying, “I get the *best* wrong number texts…”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I get the *best* wrong number texts... <a href="https://t.co/Xs9tEVZYQB">pic.twitter.com/Xs9tEVZYQB</a></p> — Fr Simon Rundell (@frsimon) <a href="https://twitter.com/frsimon/status/1003163629846396928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>His post has been liked almost 5,000 times and attracted a huge number of entertaining comments.</p> <p>One amused follower responded, “Maybe it was meant for you. No reason why someone can’t think you are sexy father.”</p> <p>While another fan of the priest shared, “Maybe you should have told her the time at which you were taking confessions.”</p> <p><img width="500" height="374" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818988/screen-shot-2018-06-06-at-90829-pm_500x374.jpg" alt="Screen Shot 2018-06-06 At 9.08.29 Pm"/></p> <p>Have you ever accidentally sent a text message to the wrong mobile number or received a message that was not meant for you? Tell us in the comments below.</p>

Technology

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Priest and cat 2016 calendar is hilarious

<p>Russian Orthodox priests have posed as models for a glossy 2016 calendar, cuddling their pet cats.</p> <p>This is the reportedly the first calendar to depict priests in such a style.</p> <p>One of the calendar’s creators, Ksenia Luchenko, a journalist at the Pravmir website, told ABC News Russia’s powerful church was not generally open to such informal depictions of its clerics.</p> <p>"That's why we did it ourselves. We're not linked to official structures," Ms Luchenko said "It's all their own cats - nothing was staged. It was whoever had a cat and was ready to pose for a photo."</p> <p>The photos are admittedly a little odd, and while we probably wouldn’t get this calendar ourselves, there’s no denying it’s all in good fun.</p> <p>To view some of the photos, scroll through the gallery above. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/01/girl-tries-to-scam-extra-holiday-with-letter/">Girl tries to scam extra week's holiday with fake letter</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/01/disneyland-star-wars-attraction/">Disneyland's Star Wars attraction takes over park</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/01/sheep-missing-six-years-finally-gets-sheared/">Lost sheep has 20 kilos of wool shorn at first haircut in 6 years</a></strong></em></span></p>

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Priest moves to small town and finds his “twin” living there

<p>When Neil Richardson, a retired priest, moved to the town of Braintree in Essex, England, 18 months ago, he couldn’t fathom why people were greeting him like they knew him.</p> <p>Even stranger was the fact that they were calling him “John.”</p> <p>The truth was, people were mistaking Mr Richardson for long-time resident and former teacher John Jemison, who is well known within the community.</p> <p>A chance encounter on a coach to London brought the two men, who look remarkably alike, face-to-face. After chatting at length, Mr Richardson and Mr Jemison have discovered just how similar they are. They share political opinions, theological views, both write poetry, and enjoy singing in choirs. They even studied at the same school – the College of St Mark.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Cascadenews.co.uk</em></p>

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