التصنيف: أخبار

A priest in Italy narrowly avoided possible death when he noticed a chalice was laced with bleach just as he was about to sip from it during mass.

Father Felice Palamara was leading mass on Saturday at the Nicola di Pannaconi church in Cessaniti, a small town in the Calabria region, as he prepared to drink and noticed a smell.

Noticing what is now believed to be a threat from the mafia, the priest told the congregation he was not feeling well and stopped the service.

He has railed against crime in the region and says he has been threatened before, with his car vandalised twice and death threats sent through the post.

On Saturday night, Father Palamara posted on social media that his “revenge is love”, while local bishop Attilio Nostro said the diocese is “experiencing a moment of suffering”.

He blamed “acts of intimidation that have nothing to do with normal Christian life of the parishes”, Corriere della Sera reports.

‘We must not respond to hatred with hatred’

“For this reason, I appeal again to the Christian communities not to be discouraged by this language of violence,” he added.

“We cannot accept this language, we must not respond to hatred with hatred, knowing that it is not possible to truly speak with those who refuse to do so.”

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Incident reported to police

The incident was immediately reported to police, who are examining video footage in the area to identify those responsible.

Bleach was confirmed following analysis, local media reported.

Another priest, Don Francesco Pontoriero, was also threatened recently, with a dead cat placed on the bonnet of his car and threatening letters sent to him.

‘Hope justice can shed light on criminal episodes’

“I am calm,” Father Palamara told Corriere della Sera.

“Although in addition to forgiveness and mercy, I hope that justice will be able to shed light on these criminal episodes.”

The UK-registered Rubymar cargo vessel appears to be drifting north as new video shows it barely afloat after a Houthi attack.

Satellite images and locations shared by authorities reveal its movements in the Red Sea over the past nine days.

The Belize-flagged ship Rubymar was hit by a Houthi missile in the Bab al Mandeb Strait on Sunday 18 February.

Its last transmitted position was on the day of the attack. Since then, it has moved around 70 kilometres north.

A navigational warning to other ships in the area says the Rubymar is unmanned and drifting. The warning also says it is unlit.

The ship’s owner Blue Fleet Group told Sky News the US Navy has offered to help tow the vessel to the nearest port that would accept it, but added that negotiations are ongoing.

The Rubymar is carrying 22,000 tonnes of fertiliser that is believed to be volatile.

The chief executive of Blue Fleet Group Roy Khoury said on Monday there is a “small fuel leakage” which they are attempting to fix before towing it.

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The group is looking at bringing in a work ship that will attempt to close the hole caused by the Houthi missile, Khoury added.

The 24 crew members were forced to abandon the ship on the day of the attack. The crew were from Syria, Egypt, India and the Philippines. They were rescued by the Djibouti Port Authority

The Houthis claimed last week that they had sunk the boat.

US, UK and other allies have been carrying out air strikes on Houthi military targets across Yemen over the past month.

The counter-attacks have not appeared to diminish the fighters’ campaign against shipping in the region, which they say is to show support for the Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

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The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.