分类： society

As a record-shattering heat wave that has already parched Western Europe rolls across the Balkan Peninsula this week, a long-neglected crisis has been thrown into sharp relief in the small Adriatic nation of Montenegro: the persistent lack of protections for thousands of abandoned animals, left to roam unprotected in deadly triple-digit temperatures.

Just 2.5 miles outside central Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital, dozens of unclaimed horses have been spotted wandering open terrain adjacent to an unregulated landfill and informal settlements. With no access to shade, clean drinking water or sufficient food as temperatures climb close to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, animal welfare activists warn the animals face a growing risk of heat exhaustion and death.

Activists stress that this crisis is unfolding not in a remote, unpopulated region, but within a short distance of the capital’s core. “This is only 4 kilometers from the city center. It is not in the middle of nowhere,” said Marta Darmanovic, a prominent Montenegrin animal protection advocate. Darmanovic blasted the national government for failing to address the decades-old problem of abandoned animals, pointing out that Montenegro still lacks any dedicated shelter infrastructure for large animals — including stray livestock, confiscated animals and wild species.

“Montenegro has effectively legalized animal abuse because it has failed to provide even minimum infrastructure needed for the regulations to be enforced,” Darmanovic added.

This year’s heat wave is one of the most severe on record across Europe, breaking all-time temperature benchmarks in dozens of nations, overwhelming public health systems, and forcing millions of people to seek emergency relief from the swelter. In France, this week’s high temperatures have already outpaced those of the devastating 2003 heat wave, which killed an estimated 15,000 people, most of them elderly.

The issue of animal welfare carries particular weight for Montenegro, a country of just 620,000 people that has set a target of completing accession negotiations and joining the European Union by 2028. As an official EU candidate country, Montenegro is required to implement and enforce comprehensive animal welfare regulations to meet membership standards.

Local authorities have pushed back against criticism, noting that the city of Podgorica has already built dedicated shelters for stray dogs and cats, and municipal inspectors are working to address the issue of abandoned large animals within existing legal frameworks. Branko Kovacevic, head of Podgorica’s Municipal Inspection Administration, told reporters that abandoned horses and other large domestic animals keep reappearing even after interventions, and that agencies are acting within the limits of current legislation. “As far as the law allows us, we deal with the problem,” Kovacevic said, but acknowledged a critical gap: “unfortunately, nobody is responsible” for providing ongoing food and water to the roaming animals.

While the Balkans is accustomed to hotter summer temperatures than much of Northern and Western Europe, national authorities have still issued public health warnings urging residents to stay indoors in the peak heat hours and stay hydrated. Meteorologists forecast that temperatures across the region will begin to cool starting Tuesday, bringing some relief.

Across the border in eastern Croatia’s Osijek, local zoos have taken proactive steps to keep their resident animals cool during the heat wave, with keepers serving custom frozen treats made from fruit and meat. Zeljko Busljeta, an employee at Osijek Zoo, told Croatia’s national public broadcaster HRT that many primate species have chosen to stay in climate-controlled indoor enclosures to rest, and staff offer cold watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, lemonade and iced tea to help the animals beat the heat.

VATICAN CITY — One day ahead of a planned ceremony that church leadership calls a fundamental break from Catholic teaching, Pope Leo XIV has issued an urgent, heartfelt appeal to the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a breakaway traditionalist Catholic group, to abandon their plan to consecrate four new bishops without Vatican approval. In a public letter addressed to SSPX Superior General Rev. Davide Pagliarani, the pope labeled the proposed act as schismatic and a “sin of extreme gravity.”

“I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back,” Leo wrote in the missive, released by the Vatican a day before the scheduled consecration ceremony at the SSPX’s seminary in Econe, Switzerland. Under longstanding Catholic canon law, any episcopal consecration carried out without explicit papal approval automatically incurs a sentence of excommunication for all parties involved: the four bishop nominees and the prelate who will lead the ceremony. The Vatican has already confirmed that the same penalty imposed during the group’s 1988 schism will apply to this new act if it proceeds.

The SSPX has stood in opposition to the Catholic Church since its founding, formed to push back against the sweeping modernizing reforms of the 1960s Second Vatican Council. The landmark council reshaped core tenets of Catholic life, updating the church’s approach to interfaith relations, expanding the role of lay worshippers in parish life, and allowing the celebration of Mass in local vernacular languages instead of the traditional Latin that had been standard for centuries.

The original rift between the SSPX and the Holy See dates back to 1988, when group founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without formal papal consent — an act classified as a grave canonical offense in church law. The Vatican moved immediately to excommunicate Lefebvre and all four new bishops, and the SSPX has remained without official legal status within the global Catholic Church to this day. Even without that formal recognition, the group has expanded steadily over the past three and a half decades, according to the SSPX’s own published statistics. It now counts 2 active bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates, and 250 religious sisters across 50 countries, operating as a parallel ultra-traditional Catholic institution aligned with pre-Vatican II teachings that poses an ongoing challenge to papal authority.

In his letter, Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Vatican’s longstanding offer of open dialogue to reconcile the SSPX with the global church, arguing that moving forward with the consecrations would undermine the spiritual interests of the SSPX’s own followers. “I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit, and in some cases, even valid reception of the sacraments,” the pope wrote.

This report is based on original coverage from the Associated Press, which receives funding for religion reporting through a collaboration with The Conversation US, supported by the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP retains full editorial responsibility for all its content.

A suspected arson attack at an Islamic prayer facility in central Dublin has led to the arrest of a man in his 40s, Irish law enforcement confirmed Tuesday. The incident unfolded at approximately 3:35 p.m. local time on Monday at Al Madinah Hall, located on Dublin’s busy Talbot Street.

Thankfully, no people inside or around the building at the time of the blaze suffered injuries, according to updates from Gardaí, the Republic of Ireland’s national police service. Emergency response teams from the Dublin Fire Brigade were quickly dispatched to the scene, where they contained and fully extinguished the fire before it could spread beyond the targeted property. The blaze did leave visible structural and property damage to the prayer hall, though no further details on the extent of the damage have been released to the public.

The suspect taken into custody is currently being held for questioning at a police station in Dublin’s north city district, as investigators continue to piece together the details of the attack. Irish national public broadcaster RTÉ cited sources close to the investigation noting that Gardaí are working along a clear line of inquiry, and have already ruled out any connection between the attack and racist or far-right extremist groups.

In a public appeal for community cooperation, Gardaí have urged any members of the public who were in the area around the time of the incident, or who have relevant surveillance camera footage or information that could advance the probe, to contact the investigation team immediately. The investigation into the suspected arson remains active and ongoing as of this report.