Page 24
www.celtic-connection.com
FEBRUARY 2009
UK Nurse Suspended for Prayer Offer
SOMERSET, UK - British community nurse, Caroline Petrie, has been suspended without pay and faces firing and possibly being struck off after she offered to say a prayer for an elderly patient.
Petrie, a devout Christian, has already been suspended for an alleged breach of her code of conduct on equality and diversity, the UK Daily Mail reports.
She now faces disciplinary action, even though the patient involved did not make a formal complaint.
The case has outraged the Christian community, which warns its members are becoming "the most discriminated against people in society."
They cited previous instances including that of Heathrow check-in worker Nadia Eweida, who in 8006 was banned from wearing a cross around her neck at work.
Petrie, 45, insisted she was not trying to force her beliefs on others. She said, "I have trouble understanding how offering to pray for someone could be upsetting. I feel it's a nice thing to ask and a way to give hope that circumstances can change."
She made the prayer offer to May Phippen, 79, in December, at the end of a home visit.
Phippen, a widow who lives with relatives, mentioned the offer in passing to another nurse the next day.
Petrie denies forcing her faith on anyone and said she was only trying to help by politely offering to pray for a patient.
The great grandmother told the Mail: "It didn't worry me, it just struck me as a strange thing for a
nurse to do. She finished dressing my legs and before she left the last thing she asked was would you like me to say a prayer for you? I said 'no thank you' and then she went.
"I have Christian beliefs myself and maybe she meant well. But it could perhaps be upsetting for some other people if they have different beliefs or thought that she meant they looked in such a bad way that they needed praying for."
The next day Petrie received a message on her home phone from her coordinator telling her that disciplinary action would be taken. She was then suspended.
Petrie, who qualified as a nurse in 1985, said she became a Christian following the death of her mother.
"My faith got stronger and I realised God was doing amazing things in my life. I saw my patients suffering and as I believe in the power of prayer, I began asking them if they wanted me to pray for them. They are absolutely delighted."
A spokesman for North Somerset Primary Care Trust said, "Caroline Petrie has been suspended pending an investigation into the matter.
"She is a bank nurse and has been told we will not be using her in this capacity until the outcome of our investigation is known.
"We always take any concerns raised by our patients most seriously and conscientiously investigate any matter of this nature brought to our attention.
"We are always keen to be respectful of our patients' views and sensitivity as well as those of our staff."
Petrie says that she has taken advice from the Christian Legal Centre, which aims to protect the religious freedom of people who follow the Christian faith.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Integrated Education Continues to Help Belfast Children
Dear Editor:
Many years ago I visited my cousin Jacquie in Vancouver and came across your excellent paper. You subsequently kindly published an article I wrote on the charity I work with here, The Integrated Education Fund.
As a result of the article, we here in Belfast receive a donation every year from Adrian and Lee Geraghty. In fact, we say here that Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a present from the Geraghtys.
I have never met, nor have I ever spoken to Adrian and Lee but from me and all of us here in our charity I would like to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their continued support.
We are getting there in our efforts to allow Catholic and Protestant children to go to school together - we now have over 20,000 children from all the traditions here sharing their schooldays right from nursery school through to college.
It is people like Adrian and Lee who for sure have helped make this possible. They deserve recognition.
Slan, Brian Small
Fundraising Manager (Northern Ireland) Integrated Education Fund 41 University Street, Belfast BT71FY e-mail: Brian@ief.org.uk Tel: 44-28-9033-0031 I Fax: 44-28-9033-0061 Visit our website at www.ief.org.uk
Celebrating Scotland's Treasures to Support National Trust for Scotland
NEW YORK — A Celebration of Scotland's Treasures will be held at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on April 15.
This will be an evening of dinner and festivities which will culminate with the Great Scot Award being presented to the award-winning Scottish actor, writer, producer, director, and author Alan Cumming.
Afterwards, Alasdair Nichol of PBS' Antiques Roadshow will conduct a short live auction of exciting prizes, including custom trips in Scotland.
The evening will conclude with Scottish dancing in the Great Hall, accompanied by a special whisky by The Macallan.
All proceeds will benefit The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA and its efforts to support the work of the National Trust for Scotland.
The USA Foundation's goal is to increase the recognition of the National Trust for Scotland within the United States and to help raise funds to support specific projects and the general operations of the Trust.
The USA Foundation has sent over S3.8 million in grants to Scotland to help in the preservation of Scotland's built and natural heritage.
For more information, call (617) 827-7500 or visit: www.ntsusa.org.
North Sea Super Grid?
It is claimed that Scotland lias the capacity and capability to become the "green energy capital of Europe."
The country does have a competitive advantage across a wide range of renewable technologies -with up to 25 percent of Europe's offshore wind, wave and tidal energy potential.
Now Scotland is to participate in the European Union North Sea Offshore Grid, which will help export surplus renewable energy via the electricity supergrid.
The European Union's North Sea Grid Co-ordinator has had a recent meeting with Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, to discuss opportunities and possible programs around developing the offshore grid in the North Sea.
The First Minister pointed out that the new Scottish European Green Energy Centre, based in Aberdeen, will be operational from April 2009.
It will provide a focus for Scottish based industry and research with the aim of putting Scotland at the forefront of European and world developments in the green energy field.
David Cameron Vows to Publish Secret UFO Files
LONDON - Conservative Party leader David Cameron has vowed that if he was elected prime minister he would bring an end to the era of government secrecy over UFOs and extra-terrestrial activity.
Speaking at one of his "Cameron Direct" public meetings, he pledged that a Tory government would be "entirely open and frank" in sharing any information about alien life-forms.
At the meeting in Tynemouth, North-East England, he was questioned about a string of recent mysterious incidents.
"I have no idea if there is intelligent life out there," he replied. "I do believe in freedom of information and openness and this question has been asked from time to time, and I think we should be as open and clear as possible.
"What has tended to happen when people have looked at the Roswell incident, or when people have looked at pictures, is a rational explanation tends to be produced to try and show what has happened is not what those who believe in UFOs suggest.
"But I think we should be as open as possible, so I would be quite happy to give you a guarantee that if I became prime minister I would always be entirely open and frank about these things.
"I don't think any of us have any clue whether there's intelligent life out there and it is certainly not something that any Government should seek to hide from anyone."
Conservative Party officials were not immediately able to clarify whether the new government would release the cache of existing classified documents or simply introduce a more relaxed policy towards the publication of future discoveries or investigations.
BRITISH Conservative Party leader David Cameron.
During the question and answer session, a member of the audience said to the MP for Witney: "In July last year the respected scientist and astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, who was the sixth man to walk on the moon, spoke on a British radio station.
"He said the American government had had contact with extra terrestrials on multiple occasions and that these were ongoing.
"He spoke about the Roswell event in 1947, where wreckage of a downed UFO was recovered and found to contain alien bodies.
"He said this event was real but was covered up by the Government for many years.
"Do you agree with me that the British people have a right to know if we have been visited, and if so, when you become prime minister will you seek to lift the veil of secrecy and give the public the truth that they deserve and that has been covered up for all these years?"
Cameron laughed and replied: "I'm convinced we have been visited by alien life forms - and one of them is the trade secretary Peter Mandelson."
He later apologised to the man for the joke, but offered no apology to Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary.
Ryanair Announce New Edinburgh Routes
Irish budget airline Ryanair has announced that it is to launch seven more routes from Scotland's capital, beginning on March 30. The company is also adding two more Boeing 737-800 aircraft to its Edinburgh base.
The new destinations are Carcassonne, Limoges, Leipzig (Altenburg), Malta, Poitiers, Rome and Zadar. Ryanair claimed that the new routes would add another two million to Edinburgh's passenger numbers, sustain 2,000 jobs and bring £210 million in tourism cash to the capital.
New Border Restrictions Between Ireland and Britain
New travel restrictions are expected to be introduced before May 2010 which will see air and sea passengers between Britain and the Republic having passport checks. The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill, published in Westminster, is part of an effort to improve security in the Common Travel Area.
The effectiveness of the scheme is open to question as passport controls will not apply to travellers crossing the border or to passengers on ferries and planes between the North and Britain.