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Pope lands in Ireland amid priest abuse scandal (Lead)

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Dublin, Aug 25 (IANS) Pope Francis arrived in Ireland on Saturday on the first papal visit to the majority Roman Catholic nation in almost 40 years amid one of the worst sexual abuse scandals the Church has yet faced.

In a relatively subdued reception compared to other papal visits, the Pontiff was greeted at the Dublin Airport by Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney with his wife and three young daughters, who gave him a bouquet, CNN reported.

The Pope, 81, was expected to meet victims of clerical sex abuse later in the day. He will also meet President Michael Higgins and Indian-origin Prime Minister Leo Varadkar during the 32-hour visit, which falls just a few days after the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of clerical pedophilia and coverups.

The Ireland that he is visiting is a different country to that which greeted Pope John Paul II in 1979. Since the Polish pope’s visit, there have been huge changes in public attitudes to social issues including abortion, contraception, divorce and same-sex marriage.

Still, the Argentine Pope remains highly popular in Ireland and tens of thousands of people were expected at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium for a concert-style event to mark the Catholic Church’s triennial World Festival of Families that falls this week.

Hundreds of thousands more will attend a Mass celebrated by the Pope at the city’s Phoenix Park on Sunday, with all 500,000 tickets for the free event booked out.

However, the Pope was also expected to face protests over the Church’s handling of the clerical abuse scandal. One, dubbed “Stand for Truth”, will take place at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin’s Parnell Square at the same time of the Mass.

Some protesters said they booked tickets for the Phoenix Park event but will deliberately not use them as a form of silent protest against the Church.

Organizers of the “Say Nope to the Pope” protest said they hoped to show solidarity to abuse victims and “show the Church they don’t have the control they used to”.

On Tuesday, the grand jury in Pennsylvania issued a report that 300 Catholic priests across the US state sexually abused children over seven decades, protected by church leaders.

The investigation, one of the broadest inquiries into church sex abuse in American history, identified 1,000 child victims, but said there were likely thousands more.

Amid rising international outrage, the Vatican confirmed this week that the Pope would meet privately with victims of clerical sexual abuse in Ireland during his visit.

–IANS
soni/mr

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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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