hMany flock to statue, proclaiming a miracle

hMany flock to statue,proclaiming a miracle
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Carrying rosary beads and cameras, the faithful have been coming in a steady stream to a church on the outskirts of Sacramento for a glimpse of what some are calling a miracle: a statue of the Virgin Mary they say has begun crying a substance that looks like blood. It was first noticed more than a week ago, when a priest at the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church spotted a stain on the statue's face and wiped it away. Before Mass on Nov. 20, people again noticed a reddish substance near the eyes of the white concrete statue outside the small church, said Ky Truong, 56, a parishioner. Since then, Truong said he has been at the church day and night, so emotional he can't even work. He believes the tears are a sign. "There's a big event in the future -- earthquake, flood, a disease," Truong said. "We're very sad." On Saturday, tables in front of the fenced-in statue were jammed with potted plants, bouquets of roses and candles. Some people prayed silently, while others sang hymns and hugged their children. The Diocese of Sacramento has so far not commented on the statue.
22 gay Arab men facecharges in Muslim nation
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Almost two dozen gay Arab men -- arrested at what police called a mass homosexual wedding -- could face government-ordered hormone treatments, five years in jail and a lashing, authorities said Saturday. The Interior Ministry said police raided a hotel chalet earlier this month and arrested 22 men from the Emirates as they celebrated the wedding ceremony, one of a string of recent group arrests of homosexuals here. The men are likely to be tried under Muslim law on charges related to adultery and prostitution, said Interior Ministry spokesman Issam Azouri. Outward homosexual behavior is banned in the United Arab Emirates, and the gay group wedding has alarmed leaders of this once-isolated Muslim country as it grapples with a sweeping influx of Western residents and culture. The Arabian peninsula, nevertheless, has a long tradition of openly homosexual wedding singers and dancers.