How 10-yr-old girls are sent to lose their virginities in sex initiation camps of Malawi

Girls as young as ten are being sent to initiation camps in Malawi to be taught about how to have sex and in some cases lose their virginity. Pictured: Grace who was sent to the camp aged 10

Girls as young as ten are being sent to initiation camps in Malawi to be taught about how to have sex and in some cases lose their virginity.
The girls are told by their families they are attending a camp with their friends, but when they arrive they are shown how to have sex and told they must lose their 'child dust' as soon as they can or they will get a skin disease.
The horrifying practice is not new - it is a time-honored ritual passed through generations and the girls are sent by their families to make sure they are accepted into their communities as adults. 

'You should be dancing and have a man on top of you, making him happy,' Grace was told

When she was aged 10 Grace was sent to an initiation camp which took place not far from her home in Golden Village, where Grace lives with her grandmother, reports CNN.

During her week-long stay she said she was taught her about respecting her elders and doing household chores, but also how to have sex by the women that led the camp who are known as he women, known as anamkungwi, or 'key leaders'.
She told a group of journalists visiting Malawi with the United Nations Foundation that the women  demonstrated sexual positions and encouraged girls to do 'sexual cleansing,' also called kusasa fumbi, which meant they should get rid of their inexperience with sex through practice.

A girl is often married soon after she is found to be pregnant, deferring the cost of caring for her and her baby from her parents to her husband

Children play at Lipunga village in Mchinji district. Harriet Chanza of the World Health Organization said that in many agrarian communities, 'There's nothing like adolescence. You are either a child or an adult'

CHILD MARRIAGE: THE FACTS

Harriet Chanza of the World Health Organization said that in many cases some parents may actually want their daughters to get pregnant at a young age.
A girl is often married soon after she is found to be pregnant, deferring the cost of caring for her and her baby from her parents to her husband.
But a child marriage is seriously dangerous for young girls.

• One third of the world’s girls are married before the age of 18
• One in nine are married before the age of 15.
• If present trends continue, 142 million girls will be married before their 18th birthday over the next decade. That’s an average of 14.2 million girls each year
• Girls living in poor households are almost twice as likely to marry before 18 than girls in higher income households.
• Girls younger than 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s. 
• Pregnancy is the leading cause of death worldwide for girls ages 15 to 19.
• Child brides face a higher risk of contracting HIV because they often marry an older man with more sexual experience.
• Girls aged between 15 and19 are two to six times more likely to contract HIV than boys of the same age in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: International Centre for Research on Women

'You should be dancing and have a man on top of you, making him happy,' she was told.
She said she was not told about the risks of pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases or how to protect herself.
She was also forbidden from using a condom, although Grace did not refused to do her sexual cleansing.
Joyce Mkandawire, the communications advisor for the Girls Empowerment Network said many girls are often not given the choice and sometimes adult men (known as hyenas) are hired by the girl’s own parents.
'A hyena moves at night. Likewise, this hyena man comes at night into the girl’s bedroom,” Mkandawire said,
'The girl doesn’t even know who is the ‘hyena’ coming to have sex with her.'
Malawi, like most countries is Southern Africa is facing an AIDS crisis that has orphaned at least half a million children so far.
During the initiation ceremonies, many girls have to unprotected sex with a man to prepare them for womanhood.
Without undergoing this process, a girl was considered to be a child and was therefore illegible for marriages.
Harriet Chanza of the World Health Organization told The Atlantic that in many agrarian communities: 'There’s nothing like adolescence. You are either a child or an adult.'
She says the emphasis on having sex may also have a darker purpose in a country where nearly three-fourths of the population lives below the poverty line.
She says that some parents may actually want their daughters to get pregnant at a young age.
A girl is often married soon after she is found to be pregnant, deferring the cost of caring for her and her baby from her parents to her husband.
Malawi rates 10th for the highest rate of child marriages in the world.
According to World Health Organisation figures, 14.2 million girls under the age of 15 are forced into marriage each year.
The consequences are appalling. Along with an education and childhood cut short, girls suffer a traumatic initiation into sexual relationships, are put at risk of domestic violence and STI's, and have the chance of a career or better life taken away.
Worse, many also die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications - the leading cause of death for girls aged between 15 and 19 years old in developing countries, according to UN figures.'
Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects,' comments Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of UNFPA.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Pope Benedict XVI sacked 400 priests for sexual assault on children in just two years

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI removed nearly 400 priests in two years for molesting children, it has been revealed.
The shocking statistics for 2011-12 represent the first time the Vatican has revealed how many priests who have been defrocked.
Prior to that, the Catholic Church only revealed the number of alleged sexual abuse cases it had received.
The revelations come after centuries of tradition which saw the Vatican dealing with cases internally, without the involvement of police.
The document was prepared from data the Vatican had been collecting to help the Holy See defend itself before a UN committee in Geneva, Switzerland, this week.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's UN ambassador in Geneva, referred to just one of the damning statistics during eight hours of criticism and questioning from the UN human rights committee.
The rise in the number of defrockings is in stark contrast to 2009, when only 171 priests were removed following allegations.
Changes were brought in by Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, after suggesting bishops around the world were not following church law, while officials used ways to keep the accusations from surfacing.
Prior to that, Bishops routinely moved problem priests from parish to parish rather than subject them to trials - or turn them into police.
There has since been a remarkable evolution in the Holy See's in-house procedures to discipline pedophiles since 2001.

One of the chief accusations from victims is that bishops put the church's own procedures ahead of civil law enforcement by often suggesting victims keep accusations quiet while they are dealt with internally. 

Development: Pope Benedict brought in changes to the system when he was Cardinal Ratzinger after suggesting church law was not being followed

The maximum penalty for a priest convicted by a church tribunal is essentially losing his job: being defrocked, or removed from the clerical state. There are no jail terms and nothing to prevent an offender from raping again.
In 2005, the Congregation authorised bishops to launch church trials against 21 accused clerics, but the verdicts were not recorded, according to the annual reports cited by the spreadsheet.
In 2006, the number of canonical trials doubled to 43 and and for the first time publicly revealed the number of cases reported to it: 362.
Vatican officials, however, have said that it received between 300-400 cases annually following the 2002 explosion of U.S. sex abuse cases.
In 2008, Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, traveled to the scandal-hit United States in and is quoted in the annual report as telling reporters en route that he was 'mortified' by the scale of abuse and simply couldn't comprehend 'how priests could fail in such a way'.
That year's entry was also notable for another reason: For the first time, an official Vatican document made clear that nothing in the church process stopped victims from reporting abuse to the police.
For the first time, the Vatican revealed 68 priests had been defrocked while 191 new cases were reported.
A year later, the number of defrocked priests rose to 103, while some 223 new cases were received, the vast majority of them abuse-related. 

Breaking tradition: For centuries, the Vatican had their own internal way of dealing with sexual abuse cases

In 2010, 527 cases were reported to the Congregation. No figures were given that year for the number of defrocked priests, rather the Congregation described new church laws put in place to more easily and quickly remove them.
By 2011, with the new streamlined laws in place, the number of defrocked priests rose dramatically: 260 priests were removed in one year only, while 404 new cases of child abuse were reported. In addition to those defrocked, another 419 priests had lesser penalties imposed on them for abuse-related crimes.
In 2012, the last year for which statistics are available, the number of defrockings dropped to 124, with another 418 new cases reported.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Italian 'stabs Irish landlord to death and ate his heart after quarrel during game of chess

Tom O'Gorman (right) was murdered at his home in north Dublin and Saverio Ballante (left) has been arrested

A Sicilian expatriate has allegedly confessed to the brutal murder of his landlord, in an argument over an illegal chess move, before eating part of his body.

Catholic lobbyist Tom O’Gorman’s body was found badly mutilated, with dozens of knife wounds, at his home in Dublin on Sunday.

Police sources said the murder was 'one of the most horrific acts of violence committed against an innocent person in Irish history.’

Mr Bellante, who moved to Ireland from Palermo to work in a pharmaceutical company, allegedly confessed to police, claiming that the pair had fallen out over a late night chess game after his landlord had attempted to move the king in a way that was not allowed, it has been reported.
Worldcrunch.com says O'Gorman then asked him to move out.
The crime scene was said to be so shocking that the two officers who found the body will be sent for trauma counselling.
A police source told the Daily Star: 'It was like walking through the gates of Hell.'

Mr Bellante's face and clothes were said to have been covered in blood when officers arrived shortly before 2am on Sunday.
Pathologists say the victim suffered dozens of knife wounds to his head and chest and officials have confirmed that Mr O'Gorman's lung is missing.
In custody on Sunday night, Bellante told officers that a row stemmed from Mr O’ Gorman engaging in a chess move that was against the rules.
At yesterday’s hearing Mr Bellante said he wanted to represent himself. A policeman testified that, when charged with murder, Bellante replied: 'I am guilty.' 


A Dublin judge ordered Bellante to be held without bail and to receive a psychiatric evaluation.

RULES OF CHESS

In chess, the king is the most important piece on the board.
Capturing the king, "checkmate", will end the game.
Players can move their other pieces in set moves across the board to trap the king, "check".
Both kings start on the back row of the board next to the queen and flanked by bishops.
The king can only move one square in any direction on the board.
A king cannot move onto a space where another piece is already.
The king can make a special move in conjunction with a Rook, called a Castling, which allows it to move two squares and jump over another piece on the board in special circumstances.

Last night, friends of Saverio Bellante were incredulous, saying that of all his friends he was ‘the most sane’.
Vincenzo Lo Nardo, a close friend since infancy, said he couldn’t believe it was true. He told the website Palermo Today: ‘He sacrificed everything to study, to get to where he is now. I can’t believe he would do such a thing.
‘I’ve known him since I was born and we grew up in a rough area. Out of our gang he was always the most sane. He always had a good head on his shoulders, he never had a fight or did anything out of the ordinary.
‘We spoke all the time, mostly on Facebook. Last time I saw him he told me that he was really happy in his job and that finally after sacrificing so much he had got he had begun to settle down.’
Mr Lo Nardo said his friend was not a hard drugs user (although he smoked the occasional cannabis spliff) but that it was the only possible explanation for such an act.
‘The only explanation that comes to me is that he was under the effect of a drug that had caused him to lose his powers of reason.’
Mr Bellante is a customer service representative at Allergan pharmaceuticals, according to his Facebook page. It says he has a masters in business ethics, consumption and social responsibility from the University of Siena – Arezzo.  

Arrested: Saverio Bellante was arrested at the scene. His friends say he was 'the most sane'

Mr O’Gorman, 39, and the man were said to be on ‘very friendly terms’ and were friends on Facebook.
The devout Catholic previously worked as a journalist for the Catholic newspaper The Voice Today, but for the past seven years he worked as a researcher for the Iona Institute, the conservative organisation which promotes religion in society. He also served as a church minister.  
In his most recent article for the Iona Institute published Friday, O'Gorman described ‘the homosexual lobby’ and ‘sexual license’ as major threats to religious freedom.
Institute director David Quinn spoke of the organisation’s ‘total shock and deep sorrow’.
He said: ‘He was a fond and dear friend and we will all miss him. We extend our deepest commiserations to his family and above all to his sister and brother, Catherine and Paul. May Tom rest in peace.’

Quinn said O'Gorman sometimes traveled to Italy to attend retreats run by a Catholic group called the Focolare movement, which seeks to promote Christian unity.
He said O'Gorman loved history, the subject he studied at bachelor's and master's level at University College Dublin, but was most passionate about the fortunes of Ireland's rugby team and the Liverpool soccer club.
‘He had lots of opinions and liked a good argument,’ Quinn wrote in a tribute published Monday, ‘but he was good fun.’
The alleged cannibal has a brother who is a policeman, according to reports in the Italian media. As well as his elder brother Paolo, who is a traffic policeman in Palermo, Bellante also has a younger sister. His father is a pensioner and his mother a housewife.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Pope Francis baptises baby of an unmarried couple during Baptism Of The Lord mass at the Vatican

Pope Francis today baptised the child of an unmarried couple (not pictured) during a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel in Rome

Pope Francis yesterday, baptised the child of an unmarried couple during a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel, in Rome.
The unnamed parents and their child took part in the traditional Baptism Of The Lord mass with 31 others, commemorating the day St John baptised Jesus.
The Pope has previously spoken out to encourage priests to baptise the children of unmarried women in order to pass on the Christian faith, calling those who refuse 'hypocrites'.

According to the Vatican Network, he said: 'You parents have the baby boy or girl to be baptised, but in a few years it will be they who will have a baby to be baptised, or a grandchild... And so goes the chain of faith.
'What does this mean? I would just tell you this: you are the ones that transmit the faith, the transmitters, you have a duty to pass on the faith to these children. It 's the most beautiful legacy that you leave to them: the faith.'

Speaking in the relaxed manner that has become his trademark, Francis broke with the tradition of delivering a long and formal speech, instead reading a short script he had written himself.

The Baptism of the Lord mass is a traditional feature of the Vatican calendar and marks the anniversary of St John the Baptist washing Jesus in the river of Jordan

During the mass Pope Francis baptised 32 children in the same room in which he was elected in March last year

The mass took place under the famous fresco painted by Michelangelo, the same room in which Francis was elected on March 13 as the first non-European pope in 1,600 years.
In September the pontiff telephoned an Italian woman to tell her he would personally baptise her child after she became pregnant by a man who was already married.
Shop worker Anna Romano, 35, was on holiday when she received the call from the Argentinian Pope.

Pope Francis has previously spoken out to criticise priests who refuse to baptise the babies of unmarried women, calling them 'hypocrites' and emphasising the duty parents have to pass on faith to their children

At the time she said: 'I addressed the letter simply to Pope Francis, the Vatican and put it in the post. I didn't even send it recorded delivery. I didn't really expect to get a reply but then out of the blue when I was on holiday I had a phone call from him.
'The number was from Rome, with a 06 dial code, and as soon as he started speaking I recognised the voice as his.
'I was just so surprised that he had telephoned me. He said that he had read my letter and he wanted to speak to me personally about it and reassure me that someone was worried about me.
Culled from DAILY MAIL

Cannibal called 'Mad Dog' sets Muslim alight and eats his leg 'to avenge murder of pregnant wife'

Ouandja Magloire told the BBC he was at the head of a mob

Horrific footage has emerged of a cannibal eating the leg of a Muslim slaughtered by a rampaging Christian mob in the Central African Republic.

The victim was hauled from a bus, battered and then stabbed before being set on fire in the capital city Bangui, according to the BBC.

In the aftermath of the incident, one of his attackers grabbed hold of his leg and then began to devour it.

People throw stones at a car transporting two children of an ex-Seleka colonel at the 'UN crossroad' on Sunday in Bangui

The cannibal, Ouandja Magloire - who also calls himself ‘Mad Dog’ - told a BBC reporter that his action was revenge for the murders of his pregnant wife, his sister-in-law and her baby.

He claimed that Muslims were responsible and he was angry with them.   

‘Mad Dog’ spotted his victim on a minibus and gathered a crowd of about 20 Christian youths who forced the bus driver to stop.

Witnesses did not intervene but recorded the footage on mobile phones, including the act of cannibalism.

Men brandish machets and knives to threaten Muslim people in Bangui

Witness Jean-Sylvestre Tchya told news agency AFP: 'One of the individuals took hold of an arm and went and bought some bread and starting chewing on the flesh, along with his bread.
'The scene made many people vomit, and some cried out in horror.'
Another witness, Alain Gbabobou, said he watched a man wrapped the head up and proclaim that he would 'feast on it'.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, this may not have been an isolated incident, with a source speaking of more than one person being eaten.
An aid worker told the paper: 'They were taking machetes to people and burning the bodies and eating them.'
Sectarian violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been rife in the past month and flared up again following the resignation on Friday of president Michel Djotodia, the first Muslim to rule the Christian-majority nation.
So far it has claimed around 1,000 lives, with the reports of cannibalism bringing to mind the macabre tales associated with Jean Bedel Bokassa, who ruled the CAR with an iron fist between 1966 and 1979.
He was regarded by many as a brutal dictator and was accused of eating human flesh, incorporating it in meals for visiting officials and feeding slain opponents to animals.
He died in 1996 and received a posthumous pardon in 2010.
Some Christian fighters believe that human flesh makes them invincible and put chunks of it in amulets that they wear.
Culled from DAILY MAIL

Indonesian man attacked by hundreds of tumours after he removed one from his waist, as doctors fear for his sight

Desperate: A man whose body has been disfigured by hundreds of tumours has made a final plea for help as the rare condition robs him of his sight

An Indoneisian man whose body is covered by hundreds of tumours has made a final plea for help as the rare condition robs him of his sight. 

Slamet, from East Java, is believed to be suffering from neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition which causes uncontrollable growths along the nerves.
According to his brother Suwadi, the 59-year-old had a tumour removed from his waist in 1991.

Slamet, 59, is believed to be suffering from neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition which causes uncontrollable growths along the nerves

Despite their alarming appearance, the growths and swellings - called neurofibromas and caused by a growth of cells - are not cancerous or contagious

But six months later tumours began to form all over his face and body.
Years later the condition has become intolerable and Slamet suffers constant pain throughout his body.
Recently the tumours have started blocking his nostrils, making it difficult for him to breath.

 

Slamet suffers constant pain and the tumours have started blocking his nostrils, making it difficult to breath

Slamet points at his eyes which had becomes covered in the tumours

Slamet's body is covered in lumps as he walks around a field outside his home in the village of Nguntoronadi

Slamet is now unable to work and relies on handouts.

Neurofibromatosis is the name for a number of genetic conditions that cause swellings or lumps.
Although many people who have the condition inherit it from one of their parents, up to 50 per cent develop it randomly from a gene mutation before they are born.
Despite their alarming appearance, the growths and swellings - called neurofibromas and caused by a growth of cells - are not cancerous or contagious.

Slamet arrives at Regional Hospital to consult Dr. Sayidiman Magetan in East Java, Indonesia

Dr. Sayidiman Magetan examines the patient. Slamet is now unable to work and relies on handouts

His kind-hearted neighbours in Nguntoronadi, Magetan, East Java, have started a Facebook group to try and raise enough money to fund the removal of the tumours

Slamet's kind-hearted neighbours in Nguntoronadi, Magetan, East Java, have started a Facebook group to try and raise enough money to fund the removal of the tumours.
In November a photo of Vinicio Riva, who also has neurofibromatosis, spread across the world when he was warmly embraced by Pope Francis at one of the pontiff's weekly audiences in St Peter's Square.

Slamet sits on the floor at his home with some companions

Slamet, far left, with family at his home in the village of Nguntoronadi. His family are desperate for him to be helped

 

 

In November a photo of Vinicio Riva, who also has neurofibromatosis, spread across the world when he was warmly embraced by Pope Francis at one of the pontiff's weekly audiences in St Peter's Square. Both pictured

WHAT IS NEUROFIBROMATOSIS?

Neurofibromatosis has long been associated with the 'Elephant Man,' the name given to Joseph Carey Merrick, who was severely disfigured. But evidence now suggests he was suffering from another rare syndrome

Slamet is believed to be suffering from a condition called neurofibromatosis – the name for a number of genetic conditions that cause swellings or lumps.
Although many people who have the condition inherit it from one of their parents, up to 50 per cent develop it randomly from a gene mutation before they are born.
There are two types of neurofibromatosis and this man is suffering from type one, Dr Anand Saggar, a London-based genetics expert, told MailOnline. 
Despite their alarming appearance, the growths and swellings - called neurofibromas and caused by a growth of cells - are not cancerous or contagious.
The condition has long been associated with the ‘Elephant Man,’ the name given to Joseph Carey Merrick, who was severely disfigured.
However, in 1986, a new theory emerged that Mr Merrick may actually have had Proteus syndrome, a condition which involves symptoms such as abnormal growth of the bones, skin and head.
The confusion was again compounded in 2001 when it was proposed that he had suffered from a combination of neurofibromatosis type one (NF1) and Proteus syndrome.
However, DNA tests on his hair and bones have proven inconclusive.
Other symptoms of neurofibromatosis type one include flat, light brown spots on the skin.
These harmless marks, also called cafe au lait spots, are common in many people. People who have more than six spots that are bigger than half a centimetre wide should get investigated for NF1. 
NF1 is a condition someone is born with, although some symptoms develop gradually over many years. The severity of the condition can vary considerably from person to person.
People with NH1 are more likely to suffer from learning difficulties and behavioural problems, a type of cancer known as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours, which affect around 10 per cent of people with NF1 over their lifetime, vision problems, high blood pressure and a curved spine. 

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Man who thinks he's 'Jesus' has hundreds of young women who follow him across the world

I am Jesus: Inri Cristo speaks to his disciples from one of his mobile pulpits at his church compound outside the capital of Brasilia

A 66-year-old Brazilian man has spent 35 years preaching the word of God - because he believes he is the reincarnation of Jesus.
Inri Christo has ‘hundreds of followers’ from around the world, including the UK, Britain and France, some of whom live with him at his ‘church’ compound outside Brasilia.
Since 1979 he has travelled for 27 countries to spread his word, however his controversial views has seen him expelled from the US, Britain and Venezuela.

They see me rollin', they hatin': When not giving sermons and tending to his flock at his Soust church, Inri Cristo likes to get around the grounds of his compound aboard his motor scooter

Son of god: Inri - which is a Latin acronym that in English means 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews', believes that the location of his 'church' is the 'New Jerusalem'

Most of the disciples who live at his church – mostly women - have followed Inri for decades, the eldest, Abevere, 86, has been following him for 32 years.
His youngest disciple is now 24 years old and first met Inri when she was just a two years old.

 

As ‘Jesus reborn’ he has even taken the name of Inri, which derives from the latin acronym said to have been written on the cross during Jesus' crucifixion, and stands for Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, or in English: Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews' and Christo, meaning Christ.
His Jesus-like dressing and unorthodox views on capitalism, abortion and even Christmas has seen him detained by police more than 40 times.

Faithful followers: A group of Inri Cristo's devoted disciples who live at the Soust compound gather to greet 'Jesus' in Brasilia, Brazil. Most of the disciples who live there have known Inri for over 20 years; the oldest now 86, and the youngest 24

Leader's greetings: Despite being the home of Jesus, and home of a religious organisation, Inri Christo still has a kennel of dogs to protect them

Uniform uniform: Inri Christo's female disciples wear simple blue gowns with the compound's logo on, tied with a rope, and knitted hats

He said: ‘I know that there are countless people scattered throughout Brazil and the world whose hearts beat together with mine.’
But despite seeing himself as Jesus reborn, Inri refuses to celebrate Christmas saying it is just a day where 'the rich humiliate the poor'.
‘It is a day when the little sons of the rich can show the gifts they received while the poor children only get a crumb,’ he said. ‘So it is a very sad day for anyone who sees things with the eyes that I see.’
Inri says he first experienced the 'revelation' that he was Christ during a religious fast in Santiago, Chile, in 1979.
Since childhood he had been following a powerful voice that 'speaks in his head' but it was only on this occasion that it told him: ‘I am your Father. The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.’

His holy word: Cristo speaks to his followers every Saturday morning from his pulpit at the 'New Jerusalem' compound

Long career: Inri Cristo, who has been preaching as 'Jesus' since 1979, surrounded by followers circa 1982 at Belem cathedral in Lisbon, Portugal

On display: Artifacts from the life of Inri Cristo are kept in glass cabinets at his chapel at the Soust compound near Brasilia

He's alive! Inri Cristo in a photo of himself wearing his own version of the Shroud of Turin, circa 1993, set to prove that he is the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself

Uncomfortable truths? Inri Christo's controversial views on everything from Christmas to capitalism has seen him arrested 40 times, and expelled from several countries

He now runs his own church, the 'Soust' (Suprema Ordem Universal da Santmssima Trindade), located on a lush farmland outside of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, which he calls the 'New Jerusalem'.
He and his followers survive on homegrown fruit like bananas, avocados and mangos as well as a vegetable garden.
There's also a chapel where Ingra speaks to his followers every Saturday morning and a kennel for the dogs that guard the complex.
His quirky life has led to critics saying he is mentally ill - an accusation he firmly denies.
‘I can be crazy but not dumb,’ he said.
‘Madness is different from dementia. It is the mother of philosophers, prophets and inventors.
‘My mission is to prepare the elect, the survivors of the inevitable nuclear hecatomb that will culminate in the end of this chaotic world, for the formation of the new earthly society, which will strive to fulfill the Creator's will.’

Preacher and leader: Inri Christo's loyal followers push his pulpit out into the garden in order to listen to his words as 'Jesus'

Biker Jesus: Inri Christo takes his scooter for a spin around his vast compound where he lives with his followers, preaching 'the word of Jesus'

Culled from DAILY MAIL

First 1,000 space flyers hoping to live on the Red Planet selected by Mars One project (with the oldest aged 81)

The first group of people to have the chance of starting a new colony on Mars by 2023 have been selected.
Mars One picked 1,058 people to progress to the next round in its search for humans who want to be the first to live, and die, on the Red Planet.
The hopefuls, who are all over the age of 18, will be shortlisted into a final group of 40 before training starts in 2018.

Among those to make the first cut were 297 applicants from America. Hopefuls will be shortlisted into a final group of 40 before training begins. The robotic mission to the Red Planet will launch in January 2018 with plans to send a colony of humans to Mars by 2023. This illustration shows what the settlement would look like

THE MARS ONE LAUNCH SCHEDULE

The Mars One project needs to raise $400,000 (£245,000) by 25 January to fund its plans.
Once enough funding has been raised, the Dutch firm plans to launch a supply mission to land on Mars as soon as October 2016.
A ‘settlement rover’ will then land in 2018.
The landing systems will be tested eight times before they are used to transport humans - a move that Mars One said will make the trips ‘much safer than moon missions’.
The group said it aims to have a human settlement on Mars within a decade.
Journey time to Mars, which is approximately 40 million miles away depending on its position in orbit, would be around 200 days.
The £4bn project, founded in 2010 by engineer Bas Lansdorp, is set to recoup its costs by selling the broadcasting rights to the mission - by comparison, Nasa's rover Curiosity cost £1.8 billion.

More than 200,000 people applied for a one-way ticket to Mars in a bid to become one of the first colonists, who are expected to settle on the planet by 2023.

 

A total of 297 of the candidates to make the first cut are from the U.S. while 75 are Canadian.
India was the next best represented country with 62 candidates, followed by Russia with 52, although the project originally set out to source applicants from 107 different countries.
Almost 77 per cent of the people selected are employed, while 15 per cent are still at school, CBS reported.
Some 357 people are not yet 25, while 415 have not yet celebrated their 35th birthday.
The oldest person to make it to the next round is 81, which means they will be 90 when the settlement lands.
Each was asked to explain why they would leave behind their loved ones and revealed what they would take in their suitcase if they were chosen to be shortlisted.
Bas Landorp, co-founder of the Mars One project, said the candidates are the first tangible glimpse of what a new human settlement will look like.
‘We’re extremely appreciative and impressed with the sheer number of people who submitted their applications,’ he said.
‘However, the challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously.
'We even had a couple of applicants submit their videos in the nude!’

The Dutch-based project wants to launch a supply mission to land on Mars by October 2016. The landing systems will be tested eight times before they are used to transport humans - a move that Mars One said will make the trips 'much safer than moon missions'

Chief Medical Officer of Mars One, Dr Norbert Kraft, said the next selection phases this year and in 2015 will include ’rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of our remaining candidates’.
‘We expect to begin understanding what is motivating our candidates to take this giant leap for humankind.
‘This is where it really gets exciting for Mars One, our applicants and the communities they’re a part of,’ he added.
Mr Lansdorp said: ‘We fully anticipate our remaining candidates to become celebrities in their towns, cities, and in many cases, countries. It’s about to get very interesting.’
Applicants who were not selected can still reapply at a later date, which has not yet been announced.

The Mars lander and rover, illustration pictured, will be built by Lockheed Martin. This lander design will be based on the successful Mars lander used in the 2007 NASA Phoenix mission, which was also built and tested by Maryland-based firm

Mr Lansdorp said: ‘U.S. astronaut Clayton Anderson was rejected by Nasa for its astronaut training programme 15 times, yet in 2007 he boarded the Space Shuttle Atlantis for a trip to the International Space Station. He proved anything can happen and the door is never completely closed.’
It was announced just before Christmas that in less than five years, a communications satellite could be installed on Mars to stream live images from the settlement into homes on Earth.
This would mean millions of eagle-eyed space enthusiasts could scour the live images for signs of alien life, or track changes in the weather, according to Mr Lansdorp.
The satellite is part of the wider Mars One mission set to launch in January 2018 and will be built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) - the company which was announced as one of the official partners of the plans just last week.

In less than five years we could be live streaming images from Mars straight into our homes under plans to install a communications satellite, artist illustration pictured, on the Red Planet. The satellite is part of the wider Mars One mission set to launch in January 2018

It will provide a 'high bandwidth communications system in a Mars synchronous orbit' and will be used to relay data and a live video feed from the lander on the surface of Mars back to Earth.
Mars One is said to have paid SSTL $60,000 (£36,00) to design what will be the first 'geostationary' satellite on the planet.
The Mars lander will then be built by Lockheed Martin.
This lander design will be based on the successful Mars lander used in the 2007 NASA Phoenix mission, which was also built and tested by Maryland-based firm. 

 

 The satellite, artist impression pictured, will provide a 'high bandwidth communications system' to send data and live video back to Earth

 

Speaking at a news conference in December, Mr Lansdorp said: 'Anyone with internet access will be able to see what the weather's like on Mars.'
The robotic mission to the Red Planet will launch in January 2018 - two years later than initially planned.
This unmanned mission is designed to explore and collect information about the planet with a view to launching a manned mission and setting up a Mars colony.  

Mars One recently launched an IndieGoGo crowd-funding campaign.
The project raised $10,000 (£6,121) in the first hour and is currently at $111,881 (£67,496). The project is asking for a total of $400,000 (£245,000) and needs to raise this by 25 January.
The £4bn project, founded in 2010 by engineer Bas Lansdorp, is set to recoup its costs by selling the broadcasting rights to the mission.
By comparison, Nasa's rover Curiosity cost £1.8 billion.
The landing systems of the craft will be tested eight times before they are used to transport humans - a move that Mars One said will make the trips ‘much safer than moon missions’.
The applicants have agreed to stay on the red planet for the rest of their lives - and be filmed for a reality TV programme.
Viewers would vote for who should be on the first team of four to leave Earth in ten years’ time. By 2033 the colony would reach 20 settlers.

The hopefuls, who will be shortlisted into a group of 40 before their training starts, said why they would leave behind their loved ones and revealed what they would take in their suitcase if they were chosen.
By 2015, the selected candidates will start an eight-year training regime where they will learn to deal with long periods of isolation.

In 2021 all the components of the settlement reach their destination in six separate landers. Two living units, two life support units, a second supply unit, and another rover arrive on Mars

The majority of applicants for the one-way trip to Mars came from the United States, with India and China coming in second and third place.
The second round will include an interview with Mars One committee members, and candidates advancing to the third round will compete against one another.
The third round will include a series of challenges to prepare candidates for the potential mission and will be broadcast on television and online.

The group said it aims to have a human settlement on Mars within a decade.

Journey time to Mars, which is approximately 40 million miles away depending on its position in orbit, would be around 200 days.

 Culled from DAILY MAIL