The move comes after about 10,000 officers' and support staff's personal information was leaked last month.

The data was mistakenly released in response to a freedom of information request.

Superintendent Gerry Murray confirmed he told officers they should bring weapons to Mass if they feel unsafe.

And they do feel unsafe.

"The idea is that they should feel safe while entering the Catholic Church and also leaving the Catholic Church, and there's no better way, the issue of the personal protection weapon is for that, for personal protection," Murray said.

Murray, the chairperson of the Catholic Police Guild of Northern Ireland, said: "We have had officers resigning, going from the organisation."

Chief resigns

On Monday, Northern Ireland's chief constable of Police Simon Byrne (pictured) resigned. His resignation followed several weeks of pressure over the data breach.

The pressure was also on Byrne over a court ruling that he had unlawfully disciplined two junior officers.

He had been due to attend Tuesday's House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee session.

"We are in a dark space. We are in a downward spiral," said Liam Kelly, the chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland.

Government criticised

Northern Ireland Police and civilian staff feel frightened, horrified and betrayed by their employer because of the data breach, their representatives told the parliamentary committee.

They want the UK government to help with large-scale funding.

"Despite it being 25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, we are finding we are having to police against the backdrop of a severe terrorist threat," Kelly said.

He noted morale among police officers had already been "plummeting rapidly". Recruitment had been a challenge even before the breach, he told the committee.

"There is a crisis and I don't think that even if we see the return of a Northern Ireland executive, the money is not there in its coffers. We need Westminster and the UK government to step in here."

Parliamentary Committee investigating

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee is investigating the data breach. Representatives of the policing board had been expected to appear before MPs on Tuesday.

The board, however, withdrew from the hearing after Byrne's resignation. A public session of the board scheduled for Thursday was also cancelled.

Parliamentary committee chair, Simon Hoare, said he was disappointed the Northern Ireland Policing Board felt it had been unable to attend the session.

It "should be in no doubt" that the Board would have to answer questions before MPs, he said.

Source

• Sky News
• The Guardian

LaRoche is a retired major league first baseman. He hit 255 home runs in a 12-year career.

In 2016 he walked away from a $13 million contract with the Chicago White Sox after the team asked him to bring his son into the clubhouse less often.

"Don't get me wrong: Jesus is all about love, grace, mercy," said LaRoche.

But that doesn't mean Jesus was a pacifist and always carried a white lamb around and tiptoed through life avoiding controversy." Read more

The event, planned for later in April, was proposed in response to February's mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Continue reading

Six people appeared before a registrar in the Wellington District Court last Friday morning. Continue reading

The auction features high-powered semi-automatic weapons and military memorabilia adorned with Nazi insignia.

Monsignor Gerard Burns says while the arms auction - to be held this weekend at the Kilbirnie school's hall - was entirely legal, his argument was a moral one.

He urged all Catholics - including the college - to more deeply consider Pope Francis' call to look at different ways conflict could be resolved using active non-violent protest.

St Patrick's rector Neal Swindells said the school had hosted the Militaria auctions for about 25 years without incident or outcry from parents or students.

Police would be present at the auction, which took place on a weekend during the school holidays.

Swindells said the hosting of the arms auction was a non-issue that sent no message at all to students about gun culture.

Education Ministry deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the ministry had not received any complaints about the event, and policies around the hiring of school halls were for boards of trustees to make, in compliance with relevant laws.

Burns made his appeal after attending Tuesday's blockade of the annual New Zealand Defence Industry Association forum at Westpac Stadium with about 300 other activists.

As well as being the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Wellington, Burns has a lifelong commitment to the social justice movement, to the rights of indigenous peoples and involvement with actions for peace.

For some years, he worked as a priest among the poor in Peru.

He was an official observer at the first free elections to be held in East Timor after the withdrawal of Indonesia.

He has visited Gaza on two occasions, once as a tourist and once as part of an official delegation.

In 2009 he took part in a controversial Wellington protest against Israeli killings in the Palestine territory of Gaza. The protest saw a mixture of blood and red paint spread on an Israeli memorial plaque.

Burns is a Master of International Relations (Victoria University) and has a Diploma in Te Ara Reo Maori (Te Wananga o Aotearoa).

He is on the governance board of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand and President of Caritas Oceania, a member of the Representative Council of Caritas Internationalis.

He has been appointed by Pope Francis to the Executive Board of Caritas Internationalis.

Source

• Newshub
• Stuff
• The Archdiocese of Wellington
• RNZ
• Catholic Worker
• Image: Flickr

New Zealand representative pistol shooter Raymond O'Brien and his wife Victoria Pichler are opening what they say will be the southern hemisphere's best shooting facility.

"The Mediation Centre hosts up to 1,500 meditators a year. They attend a 10-day residential courses and are not meant to talk for the first nine days.

"This is a very beautiful valley and extremely quiet. It offers a pristine and tranquil environment for our students. We don't know how it will affect us," head meditation teacher Ross Reynolds said.

The gun club, two valleys away, will eventually sport 30 gun ranges - including two shotgun ranges and a 300 metre rifle range.

Residents in the wider rural community of Makarau are also concerned.

"We can hear their bell as they start meditation classes so they will certainly be able to hear any gun fire," said Lesley Rowntree, one of the 15 lifestyle block residents and immediate neighbours of the new gun club.

Another neighbour, Chris Allen, fears for the safety of his two young children and is also angry at the prospect of the noise.

"They say the sound would be like rainfall on the roof, but who wants to listen to that all weekend."

O'Brien say he is between a rock and a hard place - wanting to be a good neighbour, while growing shooting as a sport in New Zealand.

"I approached the council asking where an appropriate piece of land with the right zoning would be.'

"Acoustic testing has been carried out and we're below the threshold."

"A bird call from 10 metres away is 60 decibels, while our readings were 48 and lower."

"There is a demand for a facility like this - it's a growing sport and if we want to be competitive in it we need a facility that will foster training and growth."

Source

• www.stuff.co.nz
• m.nzherald.co.nz
• Image: nz.pinterest.com

Mr Key said he hoped anti-Muslim comments such as those by presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump would not escalate the situation.

"This is the time for the United States to ask itself difficult questions about why there are so many attacks of this nature using weapons. Continue reading

The representative Student Association General Assembly voted 16-11 in favour of a motion supporting students carrying legal firearms.

The vote came in the wake of fierce debate following the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, which saw 32 people killed, and the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.

But a spokesperson for the university's administration said there are no plans to change the rule that bans the carrying of firearms on campus.

Even the campus security at the Catholic University of America is not armed.

But a sponsor of the student motion, Matt Hanrahan, said even if students won't be allowed to carry guns, at least a conversation about safety on campus will have been started.

"We don't live in the safest place," Mr Hanrahan said.

"There have been armed robberies in the area around the school. Who knows who can come onto our campus?

"Metro police could be on campus within minutes, and lock the campus down, but police are only going to be able to react to a situation that has occurred."

Another student, Kyle Phanard, said he would back security guards being armed on campus rather than students.

But student Katie Bogdan said the student association proposal is polarising.

"The student body as a whole did not know about this until the decision was made," she said.

But the parent of a prospective student said the university should consider the allowing the motion.

"With the Second Amendment, it should be considered. And if the right security practices are put in place, perhaps it could be allowed," said Paul Eells

Because campus police are not armed, the school works closely with the city police department.

Carrying a legally purchased firearm is legal in the District of Columbia.

Sources

• Washington Post
• CBS Baltimore
• Image: Prairie Village Post

"Intuitively, we understand that acts of violence, destruction, and murder are antithetical to the message and person of Jesus Christ and have no rightful place in our society, especially sacred places," the bishops said in a statement.

"Whatever an individual parish decides to do regarding its policy on concealed weapons, we ask that all people seriously consider not carrying weapons into church buildings as a sign of reverence for these sacred spaces."

Permitted under the new concealed weapons law are handguns, electric weapons such as stun guns or tasers, knives other than switchblades, and billy clubs. Machine guns, short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns are prohibited.

The bishops said a decision on whether to ban concealed weapons was up to individual churches.

Catholic Mutual Insurance group says that a parish's insurance cover is no altered by the new law, but recommends a complete weapons ban for parishioners, employees and volunteers.

The Wisconsin law leaves Illinois as the only state that does not allow residents to carry concealed firearms.

Sources

• National Post
• The Register
• Image: Daily Caller