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Earlier this month, a Florida woman locked her minivan's doors and rolled up the windows.
Then, she told her three children that was "trying to take them to a better place" and
drove her vehicle straight into the ocean. People on Daytona Beach heard the children's
cries for help and rushed to the rescue.
According to one of the witnesses, "I saw the son was snatching at the wheel trying
to get (his mother) to come back toward the shore. Here was one kid in the backseat screaming
'Help US! Help Us! My mon's trying to kill us!'"
The reason Ebony Wilkerson acted this way appears uncertain. Earlier in the day, her
sister had called 911, requesting that her sister be psychologically evaluated because
she kept talking about demons. Wilkerson was stopped by the police but seemed lucid enough
to be released on her own cognizance.
Although it is not certain, the demon in question may have been her own husband as she told
investigators that she had "endured 14 years of agony" because of him. However, according
to court records, she did appear confused and kept going on about various religious
topics.
Charged with three counts of attempted first degree *** and three counts of child abuse
causing great bodily harm, she remains in jail with her bail set at $1.2 million.
March 2014 marks the first anniversary since Pope Francis' election to the Roman Catholic
papacy. In an interview granted to Italian and Argentinian newspapers, Pope Francis reflects
on the past 12 months, his popularity, and the future of the church.
Notably, Francis suggests that women should have a larger role in the Roman Catholic Church.
Some Vatican experts are already discussing the idea that the Pope intends to appoint
women to positions of power in the administration. Francis himself seems to be thinking bigger,
having appointed a senior cardinal to explore the options, but the pontiff didn't go so
far as to mention the possibility of women being ordained clergy.
The Pope also addresses criticism that the church has not done enough to respond to charges
of child sex abuse. Following a United Nations report detailing how allegations of molestation
were hidden while the offenders were hidden from justice, Pope Francis created a Vatican
committee to prepare a response.
Victim advocacy groups say this is not enough. In the interviews, Pope Francis calls the
cases of abuse "terrible" and admits that the Church has a responsibility, but thinks
it is being singled out, claiming that statistically, most child molesters are not priests.
On the topic of his popularity, the pope seems put off, calling the notion of a celebrity
pope "offensive", and saying that he is just "[a] normal person." But it may be that very
'normalcy' that has made him so popular. Pope Francis' tolerant approach to second marriages,
family equality, human rights, and his emphasis on service to the poor are unprecedented in
recent Vatican history.
The movie isn't in full release yet but it's already making waves. Noah, the movie starring
Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins is not due in theaters
worldwide until the end of the month but a lot of Christians have decided they're not
going to watch it and several Middle Eastern countries have banned it from their theaters.
The world premiere was in Mexico City on the 10th, earlier this month. Before the showing,
the director Darren Aronofsky warned the audience that it was "the least biblical biblical film
ever made. Anything you're expecting, you're *** wrong."
Paramount tried to reach pastors and even numero uno himself, Pope Francis, to come
and watch the movie... but to little avail. In the United States, the National Religious
Broadcasters announced that it wouldn't recommend Christians go see Noah unless the studio put
in the "inspired by" disclaimer.
As mentioned earlier, Christians are not the only ones who are weary. Muslims are also
upset at the way one of Allah's messengers has been depicted. In Egypt, for example,
the Al-Azhar Sunni organization announced that the movie "contradicts the stature of
prophets and messengers (...) and antagonizes the faithful."