A Croatian bishop accidentally shot and badly wounded a man while hunting wild boar, reports and officials said Tuesday, igniting criticism on social media in the mainly Catholic country. &nbsp;

Bishop Vjekoslav Huzjak was on an organised hunting trip in eastern Croatia on Friday when he misfired his rifle and struck another hunter in the thigh, the &nbsp;Vecernji List daily paper said.

The bishop's Bjelovar-Krizevci diocese said in a statement that "he voices his deep sorrow for what has happened and wishes a quick recovery to the wounded hunter".

Police, without identifying the bishop, said they "completed a probe of a 58-year-old man" who "shot at a wild boar but missed and the bullet hit a 64-year-old man".

He was hospitalised in Zagreb with serious injuries but his life was not in danger, police said, adding that they would file a criminal complaint against the shooter.&nbsp;

"This is something unusual and such a thing has never happened in the recent history of our Church," the Vecernji List paper quoted an anonymous church source as saying.

According to local media, the bishop has a reputation as an avid hunter.

The accident sparked many, mostly negative, comments on social media in Croatia, where nearly 90 per cent of the 4.2 million population is Roman Catholics.&nbsp;

"This is what happens when priests instead of sticking to altar get hold of a rifle ... Amen!," one woman commented on Facebook.

"What is a bishop doing hunting? Killing creatures of God?" another man wrote. "Isn't that against his service and faith he preaches?"

A Croatian bishop accidentally shot and badly wounded a man while hunting wild boar, reports and officials said Tuesday, igniting criticism on social media in the mainly Catholic country.

A Croatian bishop accidentally shot and badly wounded a man while hunting wild boar, reports and officials said Tuesday, igniting criticism on social media in the mainly Catholic country. Bishop Vjekoslav Huzjak was on an organised hunting trip in eastern Croatia on Friday when he misfired his rifle and struck another hunter in the thigh, the Vecernji List daily paper said. The bishop's Bjelovar-Krizevci diocese said in a statement that "he voices his deep sorrow for what has happened and wishes a quick recovery to the wounded hunter". Police, without identifying the bishop, said they "completed a probe of a 58-year-old man" who "shot at a wild boar but missed and the bullet hit a 64-year-old man". He was hospitalised in Zagreb with serious injuries but his life was not in danger, police said, adding that they would file a criminal complaint against the shooter. "This is something unusual and such a thing has never happened in the recent history of our Church," the Vecernji List paper quoted an anonymous church source as saying. According to local media, the bishop has a reputation as an avid hunter. The accident sparked many, mostly negative, comments on social media in Croatia, where nearly 90 per cent of the 4.2 million population is Roman Catholics. "This is what happens when priests instead of sticking to altar get hold of a rifle ... Amen!," one woman commented on Facebook. "What is a bishop doing hunting? Killing creatures of God?" another man wrote. "Isn't that against his service and faith he preaches?"

Oh sweet lord! Croatian bishop accidentally shoots hunter

Ireland will hold a referendum on liberalising its restrictive abortion laws at the end of May, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced Monday.

Accepting it would be a difficult decision for voters to make in the traditionally deeply Catholic country, Varadkar said he would be advocating a Yes vote, convinced that abortion no longer had a place in the republic&#39;s constitution.

&quot;This evening, the cabinet gave formal approval to the holding of a referendum on abortion, which will be held at the end of May,&quot; Varadkar said at a press conference in Dublin, following a lengthy meeting with ministers.

He said the exact date would be known following the conclusion of debates in parliament.

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland and in 1983 an eighth amendment was added to the constitution after a referendum, giving equal rights to the life of the unborn child and the mother.

The law was changed three decades later to allow terminations when the mother&#39;s life is at risk, following public outrage at the death of a pregnant woman in 2012 who was refused an abortion.

Varadkar said debates and votes would be held in the lower and upper houses of parliament, but he was &quot;confident this timeline can be met&quot; for a referendum in late May.

The Irish Times newspaper said its research in recent weeks found comfortable majorities in both houses in favour of a referendum.

&quot;I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make,&quot; said Varadkar, who leads the centre-right Fine Gael party.

&quot;It is a very personal and private issue and for most of us, it&#39;s not a black and white issue; it&#39;s one that is grey. A balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn.

&quot;And it&#39;s a matter for people to make their own decision, based on the evidence they hear, compassion and empathy.

&quot;I want the debate to be respectful on all sides and it should never be personalised.&quot;

The referendum would be held ahead of a visit by Pope Francis in August.

Varadkar, who trained as a doctor, believes the current laws are too restrictive.

Thousands of Irish women currently travel abroad for abortions every year, mainly to England.

In a referendum in May 2015, Ireland voted by a landslide in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, a watershed moment which showed how the country had dramatically changed, confirming its emergence from the shadow of the traditionally powerful Catholic Church. 
&nbsp;

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland

Ireland will hold a referendum on liberalising its restrictive abortion laws at the end of May, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced Monday. Accepting it would be a difficult decision for voters to make in the traditionally deeply Catholic country, Varadkar said he would be advocating a Yes vote, convinced that abortion no longer had a place in the republic's constitution. "This evening, the cabinet gave formal approval to the holding of a referendum on abortion, which will be held at the end of May," Varadkar said at a press conference in Dublin, following a lengthy meeting with ministers. He said the exact date would be known following the conclusion of debates in parliament. Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland and in 1983 an eighth amendment was added to the constitution after a referendum, giving equal rights to the life of the unborn child and the mother. The law was changed three decades later to allow terminations when the mother's life is at risk, following public outrage at the death of a pregnant woman in 2012 who was refused an abortion. Varadkar said debates and votes would be held in the lower and upper houses of parliament, but he was "confident this timeline can be met" for a referendum in late May. The Irish Times newspaper said its research in recent weeks found comfortable majorities in both houses in favour of a referendum. "I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make," said Varadkar, who leads the centre-right Fine Gael party. "It is a very personal and private issue and for most of us, it's not a black and white issue; it's one that is grey. A balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn. "And it's a matter for people to make their own decision, based on the evidence they hear, compassion and empathy. "I want the debate to be respectful on all sides and it should never be personalised." The referendum would be held ahead of a visit by Pope Francis in August. Varadkar, who trained as a doctor, believes the current laws are too restrictive. Thousands of Irish women currently travel abroad for abortions every year, mainly to England. In a referendum in May 2015, Ireland voted by a landslide in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, a watershed moment which showed how the country had dramatically changed, confirming its emergence from the shadow of the traditionally powerful Catholic Church.

Ireland to hold abortion referendum at end of May

catholic-country

Catholic Country, News on Catholic Country, stories on Catholic Country, articles on Catholic Country, Catholic Country stories at Wion, Catholic Country news, Catholic Country latest news

catholic country

Oh sweet lord! Croatian bishop accidentally shoots hunter

Ireland to hold abortion referendum at end of May