According to the Monitoring Mission, interviews conducted with 60 recently released Ukrainian POWs painted a harrowing picture of their experiences in Russian captivity.
“Almost every single one of the Ukrainian POWs we interviewed described how Russian servicepersons or officials tortured them during their captivity, using repeated beatings, electric shocks, threats of execution, prolonged stress positions and mock execution. Over half of them were subjected to sexual violence,” said Danielle Bell, the head of HRMMU.
“Most POWs also recounted the anguish of not being allowed to communicate with their families and being deprived of adequate food and medical attention.”
The report documented “credible allegations” of executions of at least 32 Ukrainian POWs, in 12 separate incidents between December and February. HRMMU has independently verified three of these incidents.
HRMMU also noted findings from interviews with 44 Russian POWs in Ukrainian captivity, stating that while the POWs did not make any allegations of torture at established internment facilities, several provided credible accounts of torture and ill-treatment while in transit having been removed from the battlefield.
Violations in Russian-occupied territory
In addition to the findings on POWs, the report detailed continued violence against civilians in Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, citing, among other violations, killings, arbitrary detention and restrictions on freedom of expression.
The report highlighted the Ukrainian Government’s continued prosecution and conviction of individuals for activities allegedly conducted under Russian occupation.
Civilian casualties remained high during the December 2023-February 2024 period, with conflict-related violence leading to the deaths of 429 civilians and injuring 1,374.
A significant intensification of missile and other aerial munitions (such as suicide unmanned aerial vehicles), together with attacks by Russia in late December and January, caused a spike in civilian casualties in areas far from the frontline, while the overall civilian casualty numbers remained comparable to the previous period.
Ukrainian cities under attack
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine reported that attacks continued in the south and east of the country on Monday and Tuesday, impacting civilians and critical infrastructure.
Several people were injured in the cities of Odesa and Kharkiv, according to local authorities.
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power, mainly in Odesa and Kharkiv Regions. Authorities estimate that restoring the power to its full capacity will take months. Humanitarian organizations are on the ground, providing emergency aid to people affected.
“As of today, UNRWA, the main lifeline for Palestine refugees, is denied from providing lifesaving assistance to northern Gaza,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a social media post on X.
He called the decision “outrageous”, saying it was made to intentionally obstruct lifesaving aid deliveries during a man-made famine in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
He underlined the need to lift this ban, adding that UNRWA – the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza – is the largest relief agency in the Strip and has the greatest ability to reach displaced communities there.
“Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any UNRWA food convoys to the north. This is outrageous & makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine,” he wrote.
“These restrictions must be lifted,” he continued.
“By preventing UNRWA to fulfill its mandate in Gaza, the clock will tick faster towards famine & many more will die of hunger, dehydration + lack of shelter,” he warned. “This cannot happen, it would only stain our collective humanity.”
WHO slams fresh aid ban
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus slammed the new order.
“Blocking UNRWA from delivering food is in fact denying starving people the ability to survive,” he said in a social media post.
“This decision must be urgently reversed,” he continued.
“The levels of hunger are acute. All efforts to deliver food should not only be permitted but there should be an immediate acceleration of food deliveries.”
UN relief chief: UNRWA is ‘beating heart’ of aid in Gaza
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths echoed that message.
“I have urged Israel to lift all impediments on aid to Gaza. Now this – MORE impediments,” he wrote on social media.
“UNRWA is the beating heart of the humanitarian response in Gaza,” he stated.
“The decision to block its food convoys to the north only pushes thousands closer to famine,” he warned. “It must be revoked.”
Famine warnings
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report on Gaza Strip stated last week that famine is imminent in the northern part of the Strip and is expected to occur between now and May in the two northern governorates, which are home to about 300,000 people.
Upon the report’s release, UN Secretary General António Guterres described the findings as an “appalling indictment of conditions on the ground for civilians”.
“Palestinians in Gaza are enduring horrifying levels of hunger and suffering,” he said at the time. “This is an entirely man-made disaster, and the report makes clear that it can be halted.”
A UN mission to Al-Shifa Hospital in mid-March delivered fuel, medical supplies and food parcels.
In Egypt, UN chief calls for flooding Gaza with aid
The UN chief is currently in the region on his annual Ramadan solidarity trip, having visited with Palestinian women and children injured by Israeli attacks on Gaza, and strongly renewed his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. His trip included a visit to the Rafah border crossing into Gaza and planned meetings in Egypt and Jordan.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr. Guterres met the press in Cairo, reiterating that call.
“Palestinians in Gaza desperately need what has been promised: a flood of aid,” he said, “not trickles, not drops.”
He said some progress has been made, but much more needs to be done, and making that increasing aid flows requires very practical steps.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the media in Cairo.
Israel must remove ‘chokepoints to relief’
“It requires Israel removing the remaining obstacles and chokepoints to relief,” Mr. Guterres explained. “It requires more crossings and access points. All alternative routes are, of course, welcome, but the only efficient and effective way to move heavy goods is by road. It requires an exponential increase in commercial goods, and, I repeat, it requires an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”
He said efforts must ensure that ample aid shipments are delivered as soon as possible.
“The current horrors in Gaza serve no one and are having an impact around the globe,” he said. “The daily assault on the human dignity of Palestinians is creating a crisis of credibility for the international community.”
US financing situation
Early on Sunday, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General said that there will be widespread consequences for Palestine refugees in Gaza and the region following the newly passed United States foreign aid spending bill for 2024, which limits funding to the agency until March 2025.
He said the humanitarian community in Gaza is racing against time to avoid famine and that any gap in funding for UNRWA will undermine access to food, shelter, primary health care and education at an extremely difficult time.
Palestine refugees are counting on the international community to increase its support to meet their basic needs, he said.
UNRWA will continue its mandate
UNRWA supports about 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operations: Gaza, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Mr. Lazzarini expressed his appreciation for UNRWA’s supporters from members of the US Congress “who are speaking on behalf of the agency during this difficult period” and for US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s support last week with the European Union.
The UNRWA chief stressed that the agency will continue to work with the US on the path of joint commitment towards Palestine refugees and peace and stability throughout the region.
He said that UNRWA, along with donors and partners, will continue to implement its mandate entrusted to it by the UN General Assembly to protect the rights of Palestine refugees until a lasting political solution is reached.
Francesca Albanese was speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where she presented her latest report, entitled ‘Anatomy of a Genocide’, during an interactive dialogue with Member States.
“Following nearly six months of unrelenting Israeli assault on occupied Gaza, it is my solemn duty to report on the worst of what humanity is capable of, and to present my findings,” she said.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide…has been met.”
Citing international law, Ms. Albanese explained that genocide is defined as a specific set of acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
“Specifically, Israel has committed three acts of genocide with the requisite intent, causing seriously serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent birth within the group,” she said.
Furthermore, “the genocide in Gaza is the most extreme stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure of the native Palestinians,” she continued.
‘A tragedy foretold’
“For over 76 years, this process has oppressed the Palestinians as a people in every way imaginable, crushing their inalienable right to self-determination demographically, economically, territorially, culturally and politically.”
She said the “colonial amnesia of the West has condoned Israel’s colonial settler project”, adding that “the world now sees the bitter fruit of the impunity afforded to Israel. This was a tragedy foretold.”
Ms. Albanese said denial of the reality and the continuation of Israel’s impunity and exceptionalism is no longer viable, especially in light of the binding UN Security Council resolution, adopted on Monday, which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Arms embargo and sanctions against Israel
“I implore Member States to abide by their obligations which start with imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel, and so ensure that the future does not continue to repeat itself,” she concluded.
Special Rapporteurs and independent experts like Ms. Albanese receive their mandates from the UN Human Rights Council. They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.
Israel ‘utterly rejects’ report
Israel did not participate in the dialogue but issued a press release stating that it “utterly rejects” Ms. Albanese’s report, calling it “an obscene inversion of reality”.
“The very attempt to level the charge of genocide against Israel is an outrageous distortion of the Genocide Convention. It is an attempt to empty the word genocide of its unique force and special meaning; and turn the Convention itself into a tool of terrorists, who have total disdain for life and for the law, against those trying to defend against them,” the release said.
Israel said its war is against Hamas, not Palestinian civilians.
“This is a matter of explicit government policy, military directives and procedures. It is no less an expression of Israel’s core values. As stated, our commitment to uphold the law, including our obligations under international humanitarian law, is unwavering.”
The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, noted that the report provides the historic context of genocide against the Palestinian people.
He said Israel “continues its barbaric aggression” and refuses to abide by the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), issued in January, to take provisional measures in order to prevent the crime of genocide. Israel has also refused to abide by UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions, including the one adopted on Monday, he added.
“And this means that all recommendations in the report of the Special Rapporteur shall be implemented, and practical measures should be taken to prevent the export of weapons, to boycott Israel commercially and politically, and to implement mechanisms of accountability,” he said.
Displaced Palestinians walk through the Nour Shams camp in the West Bank.
Israeli settlement expansion
Separately, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, presented a report on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory during the period from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023.
“The reporting period has seen a drastic acceleration, particularly after 7 October 2023, of long-standing trends of discrimination, oppression and violence against Palestinians that accompany Israeli occupation and settlement expansion bringing the West Bank to the brink of catastrophe,” she said.
There are now around 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, who live in 300 settlements and outposts, all of which are illegal under international humanitarian law.
Expansion of existing settlements
The size of existing Israeli settlements has also expanded markedly, according to the report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
Approximately 24,300 housing units within existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank in Area C were advanced or approved during the reporting period – the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017.
The report observed that policies of the current Israeli Government “appear aligned, to an unprecedented extent, with the goals of the Israeli settler movement to expand long-term control over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to steadily integrate this occupied territory into the State of Israel,” Ms. Al-Nashif said.
Transfer of power
During the reporting period, Israel took steps to transfer administrative powers relating to settlements and land administration from the military authorities to Israeli government offices, whose primary focus is to provide services within the State of Israel.
“The report therefore raises serious concerns that a series of measures, including this transfer of powers to the Israeli civilian officials, could facilitate the annexation of the West Bank in violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations,” she said.
‘Dramatic increase’ in violence
There was also a dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, accelerating their displacement from their land, in circumstances that may amount to forcible transfer.
The UN recorded 835 incidents of settler violence in the first nine months of 2023, the highest on record. Between 7 and 31 October 2023, the UN recorded 203 settler attacks against Palestinians and monitored the killing of eight Palestinians by settlers, all by firearms.
Of the 203 settler attacks, more than a third involved threats with firearms, including shooting. Furthermore, almost half of all incidents between 7 and 31 October involved Israeli forces escorting or actively supporting Israeli settlers while carrying out attacks.
Blurred lines
Ms. Al-Nashif said the line between settler violence and State violence has further blurred, including violence with the declared intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians from their land. She reported that in cases monitored by OHCHR, settlers arrived masked, armed, and sometimes wearing the uniforms of Israeli security forces.
“They destroyed Palestinians’ tents, solar panels, water pipes and tanks, hurling insults and threatening that, if Palestinians did not leave within 24 hours, they would be killed,” she said.
By the end of the reporting period, Israeli security forces had reportedly handed out some 8,000 weapons to so-called “settlement defence squads” and “regional defence battalions” in the West Bank, she continued.
“After 7 October, the United Nations human rights office documented cases of settlers wearing full or partial Israeli army uniforms and carrying army rifles, harassing and attacking Palestinians, including shooting at them at point-blank range.”
Evictions and demolitions
Israeli authorities also continued to implement eviction and demolition orders against Palestinians based on discriminatory planning policies, laws and practices, including on the grounds that properties lacked building permits.
Ms. Al-Nashif said Israel demolished 917 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including 210 in East Jerusalem, again one of the fastest rates on record. As a result, more than 1,000 Palestinians were displaced.
“It is noteworthy that out of the 210 demolitions in East Jerusalem, 89 were self-demolitions by their owners to avoid paying fines from the Israeli authorities. This epitomizes the coercive environment that the Palestinians live in,” she said.
The human rights report also documented Israel’s ongoing plan to double the settler population in the Syrian Golan by 2027, which is currently distributed among 35 different settlements.
Beside settlement expansion, commercial activity has been approved, which she said may continue to limit the access of the Syrian population to land and water.
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Reviewing software code on a laptop computer. Image credit: Luca Bravo via Unsplash, free license
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Chapter 16. 1 – 13. The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward. 14 – 31. The Parable of the Rich Man and the Poor Lazarus.
Luke 16:1. And he said to his disciples: a certain man was rich and had a steward, about whom it was brought to him that he squandered his property;
The parable of the unrighteous steward is found only in the evangelist Luke. It was said, no doubt, on the same day that the Lord spoke the three previous parables, but this parable has no connection with them, as they were spoken by Christ in reference to the Pharisees, while this one refers to the “disciples.” of Christ, i.e. many of His followers who had already begun to serve Him, leaving the ministry of the world – mostly former publicans and sinners (Prot. Timothy Butkevich, “Explanation of the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward”. Church Bulletins, 1911, p. 275 ).
“one person”. This was evidently a rich landowner who lived in the city, quite far from his estate, and therefore could not visit it alone (whom we must understand here figuratively – this becomes clear immediately after the literal meaning of the parable is explained ).
“ikonom” (οἰκονόμον) – lit. a butler, a house manager, who was entrusted with the entire management of the estate. This was not a slave (with the Jews, stewards were often chosen from among the slaves), but a free man, as is evident from the fact that, after being released from the duties of a steward, he intended to live not with his master, but with others people (verses 3-4).
“was brought to him”. The Greek word διεβλήθη (from διαβάλλω) standing here, although it does not mean that what was brought was a simple slander, as our Slavonic translation implies for example, yet makes it clear that it was done by persons who were hostile towards the house manager/janitor.
“disperses”. (ὡς διασκορπίζων – cf. Luke 15:13; Matt. 12:30), i.e. spends on a wasteful and sinful life, squanders the master’s property.
Luke 16:2. and when he called him, he said to him: what is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your decency, because you will no longer be able to be a decency.
“what is this I hear”. The owner of the land, calling the house manager to him, said to him with some irritation: “What are you doing there? I hear bad rumors about you. I don’t want you to be my manager anymore and I will give my property to someone else. You must give me an account of the property” (ie any leases, debt documents, etc.). This is the meaning of the property owner’s appeal to the manager. This is precisely how the latter understood his master.
Luke 16:3. Then the steward said to himself: what shall I do? My master takes away my decency; to dig, I cannot; to beg, I am ashamed;
He began to think how to live now, for he realized that he was really guilty before his master and had no hope of pardon, and he had not saved any means of living, and he could not or would not work in the orchards and vegetable gardens. his powers. He could still live on alms, but to him, who was used to leading a lavish, extravagant life, this seemed very shameful.
Luke 16:4. I thought of what I should do to be received into their houses when I am removed from the decency.
At last the usher thought of what he could do to help him. He found the means by which the doors of homes would be opened to him after he had no place (he meant the “homes” of his master’s debtors). He summoned the debtors, each one separately, and began negotiations with them. Whether these debtors were tenants or merchants who took various products from the estate for sale is difficult to say, but that is not important.
Luke 16:5. And when he called his master’s debtors, each one by himself, he said to the first: How much do you owe my master?
Luke 16:6. He answered: a hundred measures of oil. And he said to him: take the receipt, sit down and quickly write: fifty.
“a hundred measures”. The bailiff asked the debtors one after another: how much do they owe his master? The first answered: “a hundred measures” or more precisely “baths” (bat – βάτος, Hebrew בַּת bat̠, a unit of measure for liquids – more than 4 buckets) “oil”, referring to olive oil, which was very expensive at the time , so 419 buckets of oil cost at that time in our money 15,922 rubles, which corresponds to approx. 18.5 kg. gold (Prot. Butkevich, p. 283 19).
“faster”. The butler told him to quickly write a new receipt in which the debtor’s debt would be reduced by half – and here we see how quick everyone is to the bad.
Luke 16:7. Then he said to the other: how much do you owe? He answered: a hundred lilies of wheat. And he said to him: take your receipt and write: eighty.
“a hundred lilies”. The other debtor owed “a hundred lilies” of wheat, which was also valued dearly (the lily – κόρος – is a measure of bulk bodies, usually of grain). One hundred krina of wheat cost at that time in our money about 20,000 rubles (ibid., p. 324), the equivalent of approx. 23 kg. gold. And with him the governor acted in the same way as with the first.
In this way he did a great service to these two debtors, and afterwards probably to others, and they, in their turn, felt themselves forever indebted to the bailiff, on account of the large amount of the remission. In their homes shelter and sustenance would always be found for him.
Luke 16:8. And the master praised the unfaithful usher for having acted ingenuously; for the sons of this age are more discerning in their kind than the sons of light.
“intelligent”. The lord of the manor, hearing of this action of the guardian, praised him, finding that he had acted shrewdly, or, better translated, wisely, thoughtfully, and expediently (φρονίμως). Doesn’t this praise seem strange?
“praise”. The master has been harmed, and much, and yet he praises the unfaithful governor, marveling at his prudence. Why should he praise him? The man, it seems, should file a complaint against him in court, not praise him. Therefore, most interpreters insist that the master really marvels only at the dexterity of the householder, without at all approving the character of the very means which the latter has found for his salvation. But such a solution of the question is unsatisfactory, because it assumes that Christ further teaches His followers also only dexterity or the ability to find a way out of difficult circumstances by imitating unworthy (unrighteous) people.
That is why the explanation given by Prot. Timotei Butkevich of this “praise” and of the behavior of the house manager, seems more credible, although we cannot fully agree with him either. According to his interpretation, the householder deducted from the accounts of the debtors only what was due to himself, since he had previously recorded in his receipts both the amount for which he had let the land to tenants by agreement with his master, as well as that which he intended to obtain for himself personally. Since he now no longer had the opportunity to receive the agreed amount for himself – he was leaving the service – he changed the receipts without causing any harm to his master, because he still had to receive his (Butkevich, p. 327).
But it is impossible to agree with Prot. T. Butkevich, that now the house manager “turned out to be honest and noble” and that the master praised him precisely for refusing the opportunity to receive his income.
Thus, indeed, the master, as an honorable man, was not compelled to insist on the debtors paying him all that was exacted from them by the governor: he considered that they owed a much smaller sum. The manager did not harm him in practice – why should the master not praise him? It is precisely such approval of the expediency of the steward’s conduct that is spoken of here.
“the sons of this age are more discerning than the sons of light.” The usual interpretation of this sentence is that worldly people know how to organize their affairs better than Christians and to achieve the high goals they set for themselves. However, it is difficult to agree with this interpretation, firstly, because at that time the term “sons of light” hardly denoted Christians: in John the Evangelist, who is referred to by Bishop Michael and who joins the other interpreters in this place, although if this expression is used once, it is not to denote “Christians” (cf. John 12:36).
And secondly, how are worldly people, attached to the world, more resourceful than people devoted to Christ? Did not the latter show their wisdom by forsaking all and following Christ? That is why in the present case we are again inclined to accept the opinion of Prot. T. Butkevich, according to which the “sons of this age” are the publicans, who, according to the Pharisees, live in spiritual darkness, occupied only with petty earthly interests (collecting taxes), and the “sons of light” are the Pharisees who consider themselves enlightened ( cf Rom 2:19) and whom Christ calls “sons of light”, ironically of course, according to their own self-image.
“in its own kind”. The expression added by Christ: “in his own kind” also fits this interpretation. With these words He shows that He does not mean “sons of light” in the proper sense of the word, but “sons of light” in a special, their own kind.
Thus, the meaning of this expression would be: because the publicans are more reasonable than the Pharisees (prot. T. Butkevich, p. 329).
But on this explanation—and this we should not gloss over—the connection of the last words of the verse in question with the remark that the master praised the unfaithful guardian remains unclear.
It remains to be admitted that the thought of the second half of verse 8 does not refer to the whole expression of the first half, but explains only one “discreet” or “discreet” thing.
The Lord ends the parable with the words: “And the Lord commended the unfaithful steward for acting shrewdly.” Now He wants to apply the parable to His disciples and here, looking at the publicans approaching Him (cf. Luke 15:1), as if to say: “Yes, wisdom, prudence in seeking salvation for oneself is a great thing, and now we must I admit that, to the surprise of many, such wisdom is shown by publicans, and not by those who have always considered themselves the most enlightened people, i.e. the Pharisees”.
Luke 16:9. And I say to you: make friends with unrighteous wealth, so that when you become poor, they will receive you in the eternal abodes.
The Lord had already praised the tax collectors who followed Him, but He did so with a general sentence. Now He speaks directly to them in His own person: “And I – as that master to whom men owed much – I say to you that if anyone has wealth – as the steward had in the form of receipts – then you are bound, like him, to make friends who, like the guardian’s friends, will welcome you into the eternal abodes”.
“unrighteous wealth”. Wealth the Lord calls “unrighteous” (μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας), not because it was acquired by unrighteous means – such wealth must by law be returned as stolen (Lev. 6:4; Deut. 22:1), but because it is vain, deceitfully, transiently, and often makes man greedy, miserly, forgetting his duty to do good to his neighbors, and serves as a great obstacle on the way to attaining the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 10:25).
“when you become poor” (ἐκλίπητε) – more correctly: when it (wealth) is deprived of its value (according to the better reading – ἐκλίπῃ). This points to the time of Christ’s Second Coming, when temporal earthly wealth will cease to have any meaning (cf. Luke 6:24; James 5:1ff.).
“to accept you”. It is not said who they are, but we must assume that they are the friends who can be acquired by the right use of earthly wealth, viz. when it is used in a manner pleasing to God.
“eternal abodes”. This expression corresponds to the expression “in their houses” (verse 4) and denotes the Kingdom of the Messiah, which will endure forever (cf. 3 Esdras 2:11).
Luke 16:10. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
Developing the idea of the need for prudent use of wealth, the Lord first quotes, as it were, the proverb: “He who is faithful in a little is faithful also in much.”
This is a general thought that needs no special explanation. But then He directly addresses His followers among the tax collectors. They undoubtedly had great riches at their disposal, and were not always faithful in their use: often, in collecting taxes and dues, they took for themselves a portion of the collected. Therefore, the Lord teaches them to abandon this bad habit. Why should they accumulate wealth? It is unrighteous, foreign, and we must treat it as foreign. You have the opportunity to get a real, ie. a precious treasure indeed, which should be especially dear to you, as it well suits your position as disciples of Christ. But who will entrust you with this higher wealth, this ideal, true good, if you are unable to rule the lower? Can you be honored with the blessings that Christ gives to His true followers in the glorious Kingdom of God that is about to be revealed?
Luke 16:11. Therefore, if you were not faithful in unrighteous riches, who will entrust you with the true?
“who will entrust you with the real thing”. Christ tells them: you have an opportunity to get a real, i.e. a precious treasure indeed, which should be especially dear to you, as it well suits your position as disciples of Christ. But who will entrust you with this higher wealth, this ideal, true good, if you are unable to rule the lower? Can you be honored with the blessings that Christ gives to His true followers in the glorious Kingdom of God that is about to be revealed?
Luke 16:12. And if you were not faithful in the foreign, who will give you yours?
Luke 16:13. No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will please the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
From faithfulness in the use of earthly riches, Christ passes to the question of the exclusive service of God, which is incompatible with the service of Mammon. See Matthew 6:24 where this sentence is repeated.
In the parable of the unjust governor, Christ, who in this teaching has in mind above all the publicans, also teaches all sinners in general how to achieve salvation and eternal bliss. This is the mysterious meaning of the parable. The rich man is God. The unrighteous owner is a sinner who carelessly wastes God’s gifts for a long time, until God calls him to account through some threatening signs (disease, misfortune). If the sinner has not yet lost his sanity, he repents, just as a steward forgives his master’s debtors whatever debts he thought they owed him.
There is no point in going into detailed allegorical explanations of this parable, because here we will have to be guided only by completely random coincidences and resort to conventions: like any other parable, the parable of the unrighteous steward contains, in addition to the main idea, additional features that do not need explanation.
Luke 16:14. The Pharisees, who were money lovers, heard all this and mocked Him.
“they scoffed”. Among the listeners of the parable of the unrighteous owner were the Pharisees, who mocked (ἐξεμυκτήριζον) Christ – apparently because they thought that His opinion about earthly wealth was ridiculous. The law, they said, looked upon riches in a different way: there riches are promised as a reward to the righteous for their virtues, therefore it cannot in any way be called unrighteous. Besides, the Pharisees themselves loved money.
Luke 16:15. He said to them: you present yourselves righteous to men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is high among men is an abomination before God.
“you present yourselves as righteous.” It is precisely this understanding of riches that Christ has in mind, and seems to say to them: “Yes, there are promises in the law also of earthly rewards, and especially of riches for the righteous way of life. But you have no right to look upon your riches as a reward from God for your righteousness. Your righteousness is imaginary. Even if you can find respect for yourself from men by your hypocritical righteousness, you will not find recognition from God, Who sees the true state of your heart. And this state is most terrible. “
Luke 16:16. The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the kingdom of God was preached, and everyone tried to enter it.
These three verses (16 – 18) contain words that have already been explained in the commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew (cf. Matt. 11:12 – 14, 5:18, 32). Here they have the meaning of an introduction to the following parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus. Through them, the Lord confirms the great importance of the law and the prophets (which will also be mentioned in the parable), which prepare the Jews to accept the kingdom of the Messiah, whose herald is John the Baptist. Thanks to them, the longing for the revealed Kingdom of God awakens in the people.
Luke 16:17. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one iota of the Law to fail.
“one dash of the Law”. The law is not to lose any of its features, and as an example of this vindication of the law Christ points out that he understood the law of divorce even more strictly than it was interpreted in the Pharisaic school.
Luke 16:18. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced by a man commits adultery.
B. Weiss gives a particular interpretation of this sentence in this verse. According to him, Evangelist Luke understands this statement allegorically, as characterizing the relationship between the law and the new order of God’s Kingdom (cf. Rom. 7:1-3). He who, for the sake of the latter, forsakes the former, commits the same sin of adultery before God, as he who, after God has freed man from obedience to the law by the proclamation of the gospel, still wishes to continue his former relations with the law. One sinned in regard to the immutability of the law (verse 17), and the other sinned in not wanting to participate in people’s pursuit of the new life of grace (verse 16).
Luke 16:19. There was a certain man who was rich, dressed in purple and fine linen, and feasted lavishly every day.
In the following parable of the rich Lazarus and the poor Lazarus, the Lord shows the terrible consequences of the misuse of wealth (see v. 14). This parable is not directed directly against the Pharisees, for they could not be likened to the rich man who was careless of his salvation, but against their view of wealth as something completely harmless to the work of salvation, even as a testimony of man’s righteousness , who owns it. The Lord shows that wealth is no proof of righteousness at all, and that it often does the greatest harm to its possessor, and casts him down into the abyss of hell after death.
“marigold”. It is a fibrous, woolen fabric dyed with an expensive purple dye used for outerwear (red in color).
“Vison”. It is a fine white fabric made from cotton (therefore not linen) and used to make underwear.
“every day he feasted brilliantly”. From this it is clear that the rich man was not interested in the public affairs and needs of his fellowmen, nor in the salvation of his own soul. He was not a violent man, an oppressor of the poor, nor did he commit any other crimes, but this constant carefree feasting was a great sin before God.
Luke 16:20. There was also a poor man named Lazarus, who was lying in a heap at his door
“Lazarus” is a shortened name from Eleazar, – God’s help. We may agree with some interpreters that the name of the beggar was mentioned by Christ in order to show that this poor man had hope only in God’s help.
“lay down” – ἐβέβλέτο – was cast out, not as in our translation “lay down”. The poor man was cast out by the people at the rich man’s gate.
“his door” (πρὸς τὸν πυλῶνα) – at the entrance that led from the courtyard into the house (cf. Matt. 26:71).
Luke 16:21. and it was five days to eat from the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, and the dogs came and licked his scabs.
“the crumbs that fell from the table”. In the eastern cities it was customary to throw all the leftovers of the food directly into the street, where they were eaten by the dogs that roamed the streets. In the present case, the sick Lazarus had to share these scraps with the dogs. The dogs, filthy, unclean animals from the Jewish point of view, licked his scabs—treated the unfortunate man who could not drive them away as one of his kind. There is no hint of regret on their part here.
Luke 16:22. The poor man died, and the Angels carried him to Abraham’s bosom; the rich man also died, and they buried him;
“he was carried away by the Angels”. It refers to the beggar’s soul, which was carried away by the angels who, according to the Jewish conception, carry the souls of the righteous to heaven.
“Abraham’s bosom”. It is the Hebrew term for the heavenly bliss of the righteous. The righteous remain after their death in the closest communion with the patriarch Abraham, laying their heads on his bosom. However, Abraham’s bosom is not the same as paradise – it is, so to speak, a chosen and better position, which was occupied in paradise by the beggar Lazarus, who found here a quiet refuge in the arms of his ancestor (the image here is taken not from the dinner or the table, for example, spoken of in Matt. 8:11 and Luke 13:29-30, and from the custom of parents to warm their children in their arms; cf. John 1:18).
Of course, heaven is not understood here in the sense of the kingdom of glory (as in 2 Cor. 12:2 ff.), but only as designating the happy state of the righteous who have left the earthly life. This state is temporary and the righteous will remain in it until the second coming of Christ.
Luke 16:23. and in hell, when he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom
“in hell”. The Hebrew word “sheol,” here rendered “hell,” as in the Septuagint, denotes the general abode of departed souls until the resurrection, and is divided into heaven for the godly (Luke 23:43) and hell for the wicked. Moreover, the Talmud says that heaven and hell are arranged in such a way that from one place one can see what is being done in the other. But it is hardly necessary to derive any dogmatic thoughts about the afterlife from this and the following conversation between the rich man and Abraham, for undoubtedly in this part of the parable we have before us a purely poetic representation of a well-known thought similar to that which meeting, for example, in 3 Sam. 22, where the prophet Micaiah describes the revelation about the fate of Ahab’s army that was revealed to him. Is it possible, for example, to take literally what the rich man says about his thirst? Well, he has no body in hell.
“saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom”. This, of course, added to his anguish, for he was extremely annoyed to see a despicable beggar enjoying such intimacy with the patriarch.
Luke 16:24. and, crying out, said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to wet the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering in this flame.
Seeing Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom, the suffering rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to help him with at least a drop of water.
Luke 16:25. Abraham said: child, remember that you already received your good during your lifetime, and Lazarus – the evil: and now he is comforted here, and you are tormented;
“your good”. However, Abraham, flatteringly calling the rich man his “child”, refuses to fulfill his request: he has already received enough of what he considered good (“his good”), while Lazarus saw only evil in his life (here no pronoun is added “his”, indicating that suffering is not a necessary lot of the righteous man).
From the opposition of Lazarus to the rich man, who was undoubtedly to blame for his own bitter fate because he lived wickedly, it is clear that Lazarus was a pious man.
Luke 16:26. besides, there is a great gulf between us and you, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot, so also they cannot cross over from there to us.
“sees a great chasm”. Abraham points out God’s will that man should not pass from heaven to hell and vice versa. Figuratively expressing this thought, Abraham says that between Gehenna and Paradise there is a great gulf (according to the rabbinical opinion, only one inch), so that Lazarus, if he wanted to go to the rich man, could not do so.
“that they cannot”. From this answer of Abraham, we can conclude about the falsity of the teaching of spiritualism, which admits the possibility of apparitions of the dead, who can supposedly convince someone of some higher truth: we have the Holy Church as our guide in life and we do not need others means.
Luke 16:27. And he said: I pray thee then, father, send him to my father’s house,
Luke 16:28. for I have five brothers, so that I may testify to them, so that they also do not come to this place of torment.
“to testify to them”, namely to tell them how I suffer because I did not want to change my carefree life.
Luke 16:29. Abraham said to him: they have Moses and the prophets: let them listen to them.
Here it is stated that there is only one way to escape the fate of the rich man who sinks into hell, and that is repentance, a change of idle, pleasure-filled life, and that the law and the prophets are the means indicated to all who seek instruction . Even the return of the dead cannot do as much good to those who lead such a carefree life as these ever-present means of instruction.
Luke 16:30. And he said: no, father Abraham, but if one of the dead goes to them, they will repent.
Luke 16:31. Then Abraham said to him: if Moses is a prophets if they do not listen, even if someone rises from the dead, they will not be convinced.
“they will not be convinced”. When the evangelist wrote this, the idea of unbelief with which the Jews met the resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:10) and the resurrection of Christ Himself may have arisen in his mind. Besides, Christ and the apostles had already performed the resurrection of the dead, and did this work for the unbelieving Pharisees? They tried to explain these miracles with some natural causes or, as it really happened, with the help of some dark force.
Some interpreters, in addition to the direct meaning mentioned above, see in this parable an allegorical and prophetic meaning. According to them, the rich man, with all his behavior and destiny, personifies Judaism, which lived carelessly in the hope of its rights in the Kingdom of Heaven, and then, at the coming of Christ, suddenly found itself outside the threshold of that Kingdom, and the beggar represents paganism, which was estranged from Israelite society and lived in spiritual poverty, and then was suddenly received into the bosom of Christ’s Church.
Source in Russian: Explanatory Bible, or Commentaries on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments: In 7 volumes / Ed. prof. A.P. Lopukhin. – Ed. 4th. – Moscow: Dar, 2009. / T. 6: Four Gospels. – 1232 pp. / Gospel of Luke. 735-959 p.
She was just participating in a religious worship online. Earlier, her husband Vladimir received six years in prison on similar charges.
Tatyana Piskareva, a pensioner from Oryol, was found guilty of participating in the activities of an “extremist” organization because of her faith. On March 1, 2024, Dmitriy Sukhov, judge of the Sovetskiy District Court of Oryol, sentenced her to 2 years and 6 months of forced labor.
Her case is part of the persecution of other family members: Tatyana’s husband, Vladimir, received 6 years in prison under an anti-extremism article of the criminal code and is now awaiting an appeal. He was arrested after searches in December 2020 and has been behind bars ever since. There he suffered several hypertension crises and a stroke; he was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Tatyana said: “I wanted to help my husband when he had a crisis, and I could not help in any way. It was painful to watch the inaction of the pre-trial detention center.”
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a case against Piskareva in October 2021. She was accused of participating in worship services via a video conference. The trial began a year and a half later. At the hearing, it turned out that 11 of the 13 prosecution witnesses did not know the believer.
“I love all people regardless of their nationality, race, color and language, religion and other beliefs. I hate extremism in any of its manifestations,” Tatyana said during the trial. “I am a Jehovah’s Witness, and this is not a crime.” The decision of the court may be appealed in higher instances.
“The need is urgent,” Mr. Guterres said in Amman, alongside Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safady, as he pledged to keep pushing “for the removal of all obstacles to life-saving aid, for more access and more entry points” into Gaza.
The UN chief’s appeal came amid increasingly dire scenes reported by UN humanitarians and other aid partners, particularly in northern governorates, where the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 27 children have now died from complications linked to severe malnutrition.
“We must face facts. There will be no sustainable humanitarian solution with an ongoing war as bloody as this,” the UN chief stressed.
“Let me repeat: nothing justifies the abhorrent October 7 attacks and hostage-taking by Hamas and nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
The Secretary-General’s appeal for a lasting peace and a humanitarian ceasefire to enable the effective delivery of food, fuel and medicines came as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, confirmed that it had been barred by the Israeli authorities from transporting assistance to northern Gaza.
At the same time, the UN agency – which is the largest international aid provider in the enclave – reported that basic commodities in northern governorates were now “25 times more expensive than they were before the war”, with a 25-kg sack of flour costing more than $400.
Despite the warnings that famine is imminent in Gaza, “there has been no significant change in the volume of supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north,” UNRWA insisted.
It noted that during the first 23 days of March, just 157 aid trucks per day crossed into Gaza, on average. This is “well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 per day”, according to UNRWA.
Delays continue to happen at Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel and at Rafah from Egypt, the UN agency noted, adding that the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the crossings in early February had “severely impacted” the delivery of aid.
Help and hope for millions
Earlier, the UN Secretary-General stressed once again UNRWA’s positive impact in millions of people’s lives, while on the latest leg of his annual solidarity visit marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“We must strive to keep the one-of-a-kind services that UNRWA provides flowing because that keeps hope flowing,” he said after meeting residents at Wihdat Palestine refugee camp, home to some of Jordan’s 2.4 million Palestine refugees – the largest number in the region.
Insisting that that the UN agency remained “a lifeline of hope and dignity” for many, Mr. Guterres underscored the “real difference” that its schools and health centres make to the lives of Palestinian refugees of all ages.
Peacebuilding role
In addition to providing education to over 500,000 girls and boys, some two million people receive health care and work opportunities, the UN chief explained, while half a million of the poorest Palestinians also benefit from its assistance. All of these factors contribute to UNWRA’s key role in “advancing social cohesion, promoting stability and building peace”, he said.
“Imagine if all of this was taken away. It would be cruel and incomprehensible, especially as we honour the 171 women and men of UNRWA who have been killed in Gaza – the largest number of deaths of UN staff in our history.”
Across Gaza, meanwhile, conflict continued unabated at the weekend, with Israeli bombardments and airstrikes reported in southern Gaza, including in Rafah, where UNRWA estimates that 1.2 million people now live, “the vast majority in formal and informal shelters”.
Veterans’ horror
Describing his visit to the Rafah border crossing at the weekend, the UN Secretary-General said that the veteran humanitarians he had met “have never seen anything as horrible” as what has unfolded in Gaza.
“The scale and speed of the death and destruction are on an entirely different level, and now, starvation is bearing down on Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.
Insisting that there was “a growing consciousness around the world that all of this must stop”, the UN chief said a two-State solution was the only way to ensure a lasting end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Israelis must see their legitimate needs for security materialized, and Palestinians must see their legitimate aspirations for a fully independent, viable and sovereign State realized, in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements,” Mr. Guterres said.
Tedros concern amid new hospital raids
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed deep concern on Monday amid reports that Israeli forces had “besieged and attacked” Al-Amal Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis on Sunday.
Tedros noted that a Palestinian Red Crescent worker and another individual sheltering at the hospital had been killed.
“Another reported attack on Al-Amal Hospital in Gaza, another situation where patients and health workers are in great jeopardy,” Tedros said on X, formerly Twitter. “We appeal for their immediate protection and repeat our call for a ceasefire.”
The UN health agency previously said that a WHO team “was not given clearance” to reach the hospital to assess needs nor ensure patient referrals, although it was able to give water and first aid to nine health workers “who walked from Al-Amal to south Gaza”.
Media reports on Sunday indicated that Israeli military vehicles reached Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis. Such raids have been previously justified by the Israel Defense Forces as necessary to search for Hamas fighters.
“It is inconceivable that the enslaved were cruelly regarded as mere commodities for sale and exploitation,” he said.
“Together with their children born into slavery, perpetuating the vicious cycle of bondage and suffering – enduring untold horrors at the hands of their oppressors,” he added.
Assembly President Francis paid tribute to revolutionary figures such as Samuel Sharpe, Sojourner Truth, and Gaspar Yanga, who bravely fought for freedom, paving the way for abolitionist movements and inspiring generations to challenge injustice.
He emphasized the ongoing impact of slavery’s legacy, calling for accountability and reparations as essential components of pursuing true justice, stressing the urgent need to address systemic racism and discrimination faced by people of African descent, both historically and in contemporary society.
“It is incumbent upon States, institutions, and individuals to acknowledge their roles in perpetuating these legacies of injustice – and to take meaningful steps towards reparatory justice,” he said.
Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, addresses a commemorative meeting to mark the International Day of Remembrance of The Victims of Slavery and The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Echoes continue today
Also on Monday, Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General, delivered a message on behalf of the UN chief, further amplifying the call for remembrance and justice.
Reading the Secretary-General’s message, Mr. Rattray echoed the sentiments of honouring the millions who suffered under the brutal regime of slavery.
“For four hundred years, enslaved Africans fought for their freedom, while colonial powers and others committed horrific crimes against them,” he said.
“Many of those who organized and ran the Transatlantic slave trade amassed huge fortunes,” he continued, noting that the enslaved were deprived of education, healthcare, opportunity, and prosperity.
“This laid the foundations for a violent discrimination system based on white supremacy that still echoes today.”
Mr. Rattray underscored the need for reparatory justice frameworks to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination, urging united effort towards a world free from racism, discrimination, bigotry and hate.
“Together, as we remember the victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, let’s unite for human rights, dignity and opportunity for all.”
Carrying on legacy to end racism
Also addressing the General Assembly, 15-year-old activist Yolanda Renee King of the United States said she was at the UN to be a changemaker.
“I stand before you today as a proud descendent of enslaved people who resisted slavery and racism,” she said.
“Like my grandparents, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, my parents, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, have also dedicated their lives to putting an end to racism and all forms of bigotry and discrimination. Like them, I am committed to the fight against racial injustice and to carrying on the legacy of my grandparents.”
‘We shall overcome’
Calling on young people to lead the way to a better world, she said “we must connect via the internet and organize across national boundaries around the world.”
This will open up new possibilities for global campaigns to advance human rights and social justice for all nations, she added.
“Let’s today affirm the bonds on interdependence that unite freedom and justice loving people everywhere,” she said. “All the young people in the world should embrace the future with hope, optimism and radiant assurance that we shall overcome, as sisters and brothers of all races, religions and nations.”
Officials have reported that Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, stretching 1.6 miles (2.57 km) in Maryland, collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday following a collision with a container ship.
According to officials, the crash left up to seven individuals in the water. A live video uploaded on YouTube depicted the ship striking the bridge, leading to the collapse of several spans into the Patapsco River.
The Baltimore City Fire Department categorized the incident as a mass-casualty event and initiated search efforts for the missing individuals in the river. Kevin Cartwright, the director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, informed Reuters that multiple 911 calls were received around 1:30 am, reporting a vessel collision with the Key Bridge, resulting in its collapse.
Baltimore police were alerted to the situation at 1:35 a.m. ET (535 GMT) on Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, several vehicles plunged into the water as a result of the accident.
Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at the time of the impact (screenshot from the YouTube video)
Ship tracking data provided by LSEG indicates the presence of a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali, at the Key Bridge location where the incident unfolded. Grace Ocean Pte Ltd is listed as the registered owner of the ship, while Synergy Marine Group serves as the manager, as per LSEG records.
Synergy Marine Corp reported that the container ship “Dali,” flying the flag of Singapore, collided with one of the bridge pillars. They confirmed that all crew members, including the two pilots, have been located, and no injuries were reported.
Baltimore’s port terminals, both private and public, handled 847,158 automobiles and light trucks in 2023, the highest among all U.S. ports. Additionally, the port manages the transportation of agricultural and construction machinery, sugar, gypsum, and coal, as per information available on a Maryland government website. The Baltimore port authorities did not respond immediately to Reuters’ request for comment.
The Key Bridge, named after Francis Scott Key, was inaugurated in 1977, with an estimated construction cost of $60.3 million.
Apollo performs physically demanding and routine tasks that one would not want to do
Apptronik, a leader in the field of creating the next generation of humanoid general purpose robots tasked with changing the way we live and work, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Mercedes-Benz. As part of it, Apptronik and Tristar will collaborate to identify applications for highly advanced robotics in manufacturing.
The partnership represents the first publicly announced commercial deployment of the Apollo robot and the first application of humanoid robotics for Mercedes-Benz
The test introduction of Apollo, one of the most advanced commercial humanoid robots in the world, gives Mercedes-Benz the opportunity to explore the potential applications for the use of humanoid robots in logistics. It will test whether Apollo can carry parts to the assembly line where they can be assembled by workers while inspecting the components.
The general idea is to put an emphasis on automating some physical, repetitive and boring tasks for which it is increasingly difficult to find reliable workers.
Apollo is the size of an average man – height of 170 cm, weight 73 kilograms. The robot can lift a weight of 25 kilograms, and one battery pack provides operation for up to 4 hours.
Mercedes-Benz is looking for a way to free specialists from burdensome tasks and concentrate on production until low-skilled labor is replaced.
We are exploring new opportunities with the use of robotics to assist our skilled manufacturing workforce. This is a new frontier and we want to understand the potential of both robotics and automotive manufacturing to fill the workforce gaps in low-skill, repetitive and physically demanding areas and free up our highly skilled assembly line workers.” , commented Jörg Burzer, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
Apollo’s computing power enables leading AI companies to use it for a variety of applications beyond what Apptronik originally envisioned, similar to the concept of the iPhone: easy-to-use, world-class hardware that comes with some pre-built applications and can add applications , developed by third parties.
