The suspects were planning terrorist activities targeting the Pope and other Catholic figures. The arrests were part of an ongoing investigation into extremist activities in Indonesia.

National Police's Special Detachment spokesman, Colonel Aswin Siregar, said the arrests were made between 2 and 5 September. They came after a thorough online investigation that tracked the suspects' digital footprints.

"We have a mechanism to monitor and filter. We had tip-off information from members of the public" Siregar said.

The suspects, believed to be linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), had been using social media to spread messages promoting violence. They are accused of posting statements and images online that threatened bomb attacks on the pope's public meetings in Jakarta.

Colonel Siregar said the threats against Pope Francis included a plan to disrupt security protocols and commit suicide bombings.

"I will blow myself up" one suspect posted on social media. Another posted on TikTok his plans "to gun down Francis".

Motives being probed

Siregar said the police are probing "the motives" of all those who have been apprehended. He added that, even though intended as jokes, threats can be subject to punishment under a law dealing with terrorism.

Indonesian authorities said the suspects monitored the Pope's schedule and movements. While no evidence suggests an immediate plan, their social media activity indicated intentions to harm the Pope.

One source told The Straits Times the terrorists were angry about Pope Francis's visit to Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque. They were also incensed at the government's appeal to television stations to refrain from the usual broadcasting of the Islamic call to prayer while the live broadcast of Pope Francis's visit was in session.

Call for tolerance

On 5 September Pope Francis met with the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque. They signed a declaration calling for tolerance and issued a series of appeals based on their respective religious teachings, the first of which was to promote their religious traditions "in order to defeat the culture of violence and indifference afflicting our world".

"Indeed, religious values should be directed towards promoting a culture of respect, dignity, compassion, reconciliation and fraternal solidarity in order to overcome both dehumanisation and environmental destruction" they said.

Sources

UCA News

Crux Now

Channel News Asia

CathNews New Zealand

Pell, who is now waiting for a ruling on his appeal, may need to take refuge in a secure compound should his conviction be overturned.

The Daily Mail reports that while supporters of Pell are not making any assumptions about the appeal, they say if he were released, they believe he may need to take shelter in a west Sydney seminary.

They believe a second option is to return to Rome.

Pell's appeal is based on three grounds.

• Claims the verdicts were unreasonable and were not supported by evidence.
• that Pell was not accused in the presence of a jury, and
• Pell's defence team should have been permitted to present a video animation of its arguments during the closing statements.

But if the Victorian Court of Appeal rule against Pell, his case could be escalated to the High Court.

The exact date the ruling will be delivered has not yet been confirmed.

The Australian reports there is intense speculation about the timing of the Court of Appeals decision.

"There is a window of opportunity for it to rule next week, but it goes into recess from June 29 to July 14, raising the spectre of the judgment not being delivered for several weeks", reports The Australian.

Currently, Pell is considered a safety risk, and for 23 hours a day is being held in solitary confinement in the Melbourne Assessment Prison.

The Vatican will decide Pell's future within the Church once all legal proceedings have concluded.

Sources

• The Australian
• Daily Mail
• ABC News

Father Olivier Ndjimbi-Tshiende, 66, announced his decision on Sunday in Zorneding, a small town near Munich in Bavaria where the priest has been serving since 2012.

"We are shocked and saddened by these [death] threats," read a statement on the parish website.

An Associated Press report said Bavarian officials and residents have rallied in support of the priest.

Father Ndjimbi-Tshiende told parishioners that he received anonymous death threats and hate mail after he stood up for refugees.

Two small cardboard banners, which read "solidarity with the priest" and "arrest those who threatened the murder," had been placed on the ground next to the priest's mailbox.

Zorneding's deputy mayor, Bianka Poschenrieder, told the Associated Press that the threats and abuse came after the priest publicly criticized a local politician's assertion that Bavaria was being overrun by refugees.

The deputy mayor condemned the threats against the priest and expressed shock over his sudden departure.

Sources

The GuardianBBC
Crux
Image: DPA via AP/Crux