"Pastor Daniel brought his church members to show them that nothing can happen to a man of God," a Nigerian blogger wrote on Instagram.

In the short film, a man in a blue suit can be seen playing with the lions, at one point putting his hand inside the mouth of one of them.

However, the BBC has investigated the veracity of the story by using a reverse image search. They found a news story on YouTube from 2021 filmed at a tourist park in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in which an enclosure matched that holding the lions in the viral video. Read more

In Christianity and Judaism, red heifers feature in tales about the "end of times". The birth and sacrifice of the red cow is said to precede the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. In mainstream Orthodox Judaism, the rebuilding of the Temple will happen before the coming of the Jewish Messiah.

However, this particular calf is not an accident; the Temple Institute has been working on breeding a sacrificial cow for years after importing red Angus cows from Nebraska. The most recent calf is not the first birth that has been announced with great excitement, and several have also been shipped in from the U.S., where Evangelical Christian farmers support the Jewish efforts

.The Temple Institute, a Jerusalem-based organisation led by American-born Orthodox rabbi Chaim Richman, advocates for building the Third Temple. They have said they will examine the calf carefully as it grows for blemishes to see if it is right to start construction. Read more

Stuff reports, 11 November, that the scammer created a similar email address to Timaru Presbyterian minister, Reverend Rory Grant (pictured) and asked recipients to buy gift vouchers for a non-existent cancer patient.

Grant discovered the scam when his office phoned asking about an unusual email they had received from him!

Those who only had a quick look at the email address may have thought it was legitimate because the scammer used an email address similar to Grant's real email address.

Grant is unsure how many people received the scam email but was certain the parish website had not been hacked and all the accounts were secure.

Stuff reports the fake emails were personalised and written in English using correct grammar and without spelling errors.

They told the recipient Grant was in a meeting but needed Steam Wallet gift cards which he promised to a cancer patient for their birthday and that Grant would reimburse them.

Grant doubts people will have been duped by it but has reported the incident to the national office of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church.

He also placed a warning notice of the scam on the parish website.

Grant's is not the only Church email address to be scammed and a New Zealand Police spokesperson said cyberattacks were becoming increasingly more common and in varying forms.

"Don't believe everything you read make sure it comes from a reliable source," the spokesperson said.

An independent security advisor told CathNews that if an email seems out of the blue or is too good to be true, be very careful, do not click a link in the email, do not open an attachment and never reply to an unsolicited or untrusted sender.

She says these sorts of messages ought be forwarded to the Department of Internal Affairs via their website: www.reportspam.co.nz.

Netsafe, New Zealand's independent, non-profit online safety organisation is urging people to be extra vigilant at the moment during COVID-19 as scammers look to be extra creative and lure people in and engage with them.

The online safety organisation advises that a person contacting makes contact saying they are from a legitimate organisation and you're not sure, contact the organisation using the organisation's official website and not the one provided in the email.

Sources

• Stuff
• Netsafe

The church says it has never heard of the man who stole thousands of dollars and administered sacraments.

The man says he worked in a priest in a church where he wasn't known. He celebrated fake masses in various places. Read more

The cards will be issued in Tlalnepantla and Mexico ecclesiastical provinces.

The phenomenon of "false priests" is on the rise across the nation.

The scammers go to hospitals, cemeteries and churches outside city centres, and they try to celebrate the sacraments in return for large payments.

Examples include weddings and baptisms celebrated in private homes.

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Fr Michael Ortiz got a cheque in the mail for $1.6 million, and responded to a form he also received to enter a sweepstake.

The retired priest had planned on donating half his winnings to Cathedral Catholic High School in Carmel Valley.

He wanted to help families with enrolment fees and give scholarships to students.

After receiving the cheque, Fr Ortiz said a man claiming to be an attorney pestered him often, but was interested in his plans for the school.

The man told him that before he could cash the cheque, the priest had to send US$41,000 to cover taxes.

After much hesitation, Fr Ortiz sent the money, as he really wanted to help the school.

But after sending all of his life savings, the man stopped calling.

Last week, Earl Roberts Jr. pleaded guilty to stealing from an elderly person. He was extradited from South Carolina to San Diego.

"I forgive the man, but pay for it, give me back my money or serve the jail sentence," said Fr Ortiz.

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Holding a sign which asks "Which religion cares the most about the homeless?", he set out nine receptacles, each assigned to a different faith.

A photograph on Huffington Post, showed that to bowls labeled "atheist" and "agonistic" seemed to have the most money in them.

One eagle eyed observer commented "I clicked on the photo to enlarge....look behind blue bag; is he charging a cell phone?" Have a look

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The group paid a fraudulent immigration adviser $250 each for return airfares from Auckland to Tonga.

Waikato police today said they had been contacted by 15 people who had bought the tickets but were aware of many more in Auckland and others as far away as Wellington and the South Island.

Police are working to establish the extent of the scam and want to hear from anyone who fell victim to it.

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