Here we are at the start of another week so we kicked off today’s programme with a trip to a nunnery, which has just been the scene of a bit of trouble.
Back in 2018, and needing to find an urgent solution to their serious financial problems, a nunnery in northern Italy brought in a new Mother Superior, Aline Pereira Ghammachi, who it was thought might prove to be the answer to their prayers.
Among Mother Aline’s more novel ideas was to order the sisters to begin brewing and bottling their own Prosecco.
Unfortunately this solution did not go down too well with some members of the convent belonging to the Cistercian Order, a more traditionalist group seeking an austere life of solitude and isolation far removed from the outside world.
So when the Abbess was pictured holding a bottle of the holy plonk alongside the local mayor at a charity do, they went completely berserk.
Four of them fled the convent and wrote a letter to Pope Francis in 2022 accusing Mother Aline of mistreatment and violating their cloistered principles.
After an exchange of correspondence with the Vatican over a couple of years, it emerged on Easter Monday – the same day the pontiff died – that the abbess had been sacked and replaced by an 81-year old traditionalist, who is expected to scrap the entrepreneurial ventures.
Following her dismissal, five supporters of Mother Aline, have stormed out of the convent to find a new home, saying that her dismissal was anything but divine and that in spite of the Vatican installing a pontifical commissioner and advisors, the climate in the nunnery had become unbearable.
Meanwhile Mother Aline says she will consult with God – and a few lawyers – to work out her next steps.
In an interview with the press, she said no evidence of her alleged shortcomings had been provided and that she’s praying that the truth will come out, adding that they had always been a united group, with a single purpose, to help the community and support the monastery.
Leaving the nuns to sort out their differences, we returned back home to these shores in the second hour of today’s show to head off to visit a tourist attraction in Hastings, home of the TRUE CRIME MUSEUM, which is conveniently located there right on the seafront.
In order to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary, curator Joel Griggs, has just splashed out £2,500 so he can display a pair of knickers once worn by notorious serial killer, Rose West.
The undergarments were uncovered at Europe’s largest female prison – HMP BRONZEFIELD.
A now retired prison officer had originally tried to flog the knickers for sale on e-bay, but because the proposed sale contravened eBay’s rules and procedures, the knickers were taken down(!) and the sale never proceeded.
Having been thwarted by e-bay’s rules, that same prison officer then contacted the TRUE CRIME MUSEUM in an effort to offload the garment.
However the price quoted was considered to be exorbitant so his offer was politely declined.
When the 10th anniversary of the opening of the museum came round, Mr Griggs thought it might be worthwhile re-contacting the seller to see if there might be a possibility of reaching a more acceptable price.
An agreement was indeed reached which means that you now have the opportunity to take a peek at a murderesses underwear!
The same museum also offers you the chance to peruse such delights as the bathtub used by contract killer Bruce Childs to dismember six people, acid bottles used to dissolve victims, a variety of shanks, and triple murderer Louis Lefevre’s skull.
Can hardly contain myself!
I very much hope to have the pleasure of your company again tomorrow, and although I am unable to offer you any similar attractions to those detailed above – I can guarantee to provide you with two hours of sensational music, a smidgen of history and news of a man who had to be rescued twice in the space of just 4 days, from a mountain in Japan!
Hope to see you tomorrow,
Scott
