2+ day, 2+ hour ago (826+ words) Pope Leo lamented during his first trip outside Italy as Catholic leader on Thursday that the world was seeing an unusual number of bloody conflicts, and warned that a third world war was being "fought piecemeal" with humanity's future at risk. In his first speech given overseas since his election in May to lead the 1.4 billion-member Church, Leo, the first U.S. pope, said "ambitions and choices that trample on justice and peace" were destabilising the world. He told political leaders in Turkey that the world was experiencing "a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fuelled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power". Trip marks 1,700th anniversary of Nicene Creed "We must in no way give in to this," he pleaded at an event with President Tayyip Erdogan after they held a private meeting. "The future of humanity is at…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (629+ words) After six years of repairs and renovations, Hawaii's oldest Christian church is holding a grand reopening of its sanctuary doors. Mokuaikaua Church in Kailua-Kona is holding a three-day ho'olaule'a themed "E Ho'i Mai! Return!" The event begins Friday night and continues Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the sanctuary's reopening, as well as the 205th anniversary of the historic house of worship. Mokuaikaua's congregation was established by Christian missionaries in 1820, with the church building completed in 1837. "So he said you'd better call a structural engineer and have him evaluate the structure for you. So we brought in a structural engineer, and he confirmed that we had to do something or we would lose the building if there was another earthquake like the one we had, or a big hurricane." Ndecheck said the church held its services outside "where we normally drink our…...