Bishop Barbara L. King, founding pastor of Hillside International Truth Center, dies at 90

 She kept a collection of artwork with butterflies in her home. A few years ago, she launched a specialized clothing line that included the image of a butterfly on many of the items.

Like the butterfly, “she believed that all of us were continually evolving,” said her close friend and “spiritual daughter” Alicia M. Ivey, CEO of Goldbergs Concessions Corp. “Sometimes we go through a very painful time but we evolve into something that is great and eternal.”

The influential King, founding minister of Hillside International Truth Center in Atlanta, died Sunday at her home after an illness.

She was 90.

The 6-foot-5-inch Houston native was a towering presence in Atlanta and in the faith community with her ministry reaching audiences in several nations including Germany and Ghana.

She led a New Thought, affirming, healing ministry, according to her church bio. She was among the first Black ministers who openly embraced the LGBTQ community and helped people with HIV/AIDS.

She started the ministry with a prayer group of 12 people in her home in 1971, which grew to include more than 3,000 members.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called King “an indelible source of inspiration and enlightenment.”

During a time when the societal virtue is “being tested, we will lean on Dr. Barbara’s legacy of peace, humanity and love,” Bottoms said in a statement.

In 2018, the city approved the renaming of the Interfaith Chapel to the Dr. Barbara Lewis King Interfaith Chapel at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Michael King said his mother, who was also an author and businesswoman, developed what he thought was a stomach virus several weeks ago, was hospitalized and, eventually, released from the hospital.

“She was truly loved,” he said. “All of the people she wanted to see were around her,” even her beloved two dogs.

Bishop Jack Bomar, executive bishop at Hillside said King’s legacy is one of “truth telling, truth teaching, truth preaching and truth living … She would never do anything without going to Spirit first.”

It wasn’t surprising to see celebrities and well-known political and business figures at her Cascade Road church, which sits atop a hill.

In 2019, Marianne Williamson, the bestselling author and activist, made a stop at Hillside during her presidential campaign. Oprah Winfrey visited, as did comedian George Wallace.

Minister Louis Farrakhan, who leads the Nation of Islam, played the violin at King’s second wedding.

She counted among her friends Della Reese, Quincy Jones, Maya Angelou, Gladys Knight and Iyanla Vanzant, another of her “spiritual daughters.”

Vanzant, a bestselling author, inspirational speaker and host of “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” said she met the minister at a conference in 1994 and King invited her to visit her church in Atlanta.

She described King as “powerful, no nonsense, caring.”

If you messed up and went to King, said Vanzant “She’d want to make sure you were taken care of, then she would want to know, ‘what were you thinking’?”

Vanzant posted a video about King’s death saying she had “joined the ancestors” and that she made the transition from “this experience to the eternal experience.”

She said the two loved to eat together and both loved fried chicken, would often pray together and shared the same astrological sign.

“To find a minister who would even discuss an astrological sign, that was like mind-blowing to me,” Vanzant said.

Chuck Day, a member and owner of a computer company, met King nearly a decade ago at a scholarship fundraiser. One of the auction items was a dinner with King. He didn’t know how but “her spirit drew me to her.”

They had such a good time talking that King asked Day whether he would be interested in listening to some jazz at a nearby club. They became fast friends.

“She was so kind and giving of herself to everyone,” he said. “She would really do anything for you.”

Once King asked Day to accompany her to California, but his mother’s birthday was around the same time. He was surprised when King invited his mother and sister along.

It became ever more special when she invited the three of them to join her at the home of good friend Della Reese.

King earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas Southern University, a master’s of social work from Atlanta University and — at 81 — received a doctorate of ministry from the Ecumenical Theological Seminary of Detroit.

Elisabeth Omilami, CEO of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, said in a statement that King once told her ” that she had to fight the church all her life because she was a woman and many denominations didn’t believe in female ministers. … banks didn’t give loans to women, especially women of color, and she had to literally intentionally imagine that building into existence.”

Vanzant said King’s legacy was “self-realized empowerment because that is what she taught” and she made a bridge between Scripture, spirituality and African culture.

A private burial is planned for King, with a public celebration of life scheduled for Nov. 7 at Hillside

Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for COVID-19

 Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Portuguese soccer federation said Tuesday.

The federation said Ronaldo was doing well and had no symptoms. It did not say when he tested positive.

Ronaldo played in the 0-0 draw at France in the Nations League on Sunday, and also in the 0-0 draw against Spain in a friendly last week.

Ronaldo is in isolation and has been dropped from the country’s Nations League match against Sweden on Wednesday in Lisbon.

On Monday, the Juventus forward posted a photo on Twitter showing him and the rest of the Portugal squad having a meal together. The players were all close to each other at a table, with Ronaldo apparently taking the photo himself at the front end.

Along with the tweet, Ronaldo wrote, in Portuguese, “United on and off the field!”

The 35-year-old Ronaldo last month became only the second male soccer player to reach 100 goals for a national team, after former Iran striker Ali Daei.

The federation said Ronaldo’s result prompted another round of tests for the rest of the Portugal squad. It said everyone else in the team tested negative.

Tuesday’s practice session was moved from the morning to the afternoon so there was time for all the results to come back.

Two other Portugal players had tested positive for COVID-19 recently, José Fonte and Anthony Lopes.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos said last week the positive results among players were “happening everywhere in the world.”

“We are the most tested people and we have the guarantee that everyone who will be traveling to France with us are negative,” Santos said before the match against France.

Portugal and France lead Group 3 with seven points each after three matches.

The Portuguese federation did not immediately release details about where Ronaldo was in isolation, or for how long he would stay there.

He could miss Juventus’ Serie A match at Crotone on Saturday and the team’s Champions League opener at Dynamo Kyiv next Tuesday. And depending on his condition and the results of future tests, he could also miss the much-anticipated match against Barcelona on Oct. 28.

Juventus had been in isolation following positive tests for two staff members with the club. There has been some controversy that Ronaldo and six other players were allowed to leave the isolated group and join their national teams.

Covid-19: Angola reports 192 new infections, 17 recoveries

 The Angolan health authorities Tuesday announced the recording of 192 new cases, 17 recovered patients and three deaths.

According to the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, speaking at the usual update session, there were 12 cases registered in Kwanza Sul, four in Bengo, one in Huíla, one in Uíge, one in Huambo and 173 in Luanda.

The three deaths, Mr. Mufinda said, were registered in Luanda, with one, and Benguela, with two.

Of those recovered, 14 in Luanda and three in Benguela.

Angola has 6,680 positive cases, with 222 deaths, 2,761 recovered and 3,697 active patients.

Of the active cases, 13 are in critical condition with invasive mechanical ventilation, 19 severe, 98 moderate, 440 present mild symptoms and 3,127 asymptomatic.

Angola wants debt payment deadline extension

 Angola will reduce spending and optimize tax management if the initiative to extend payment of its debt is not accepted by international creditors, the Finance Minister, Vera Daves de Sousa said Tuesday.

The Paris Club suspended Angola's debt between September and December of this year. During this period, the country will not pay capital and interest. At the end of the period, the country will have about three years to pay for the suspension period.

According to Vera Daves, who made those statements after attending a workshop on "Post-Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience," promoted through video conference by the IMF, the country is negotiating with international creditors to postpone payment.

She told the press at the end of the meeting at 7 p.m. that there is an opening for dialogue with creditors, which has been done with the World Bank and the Paris Club - the latter in turn leads the process by interacting with its members.

Without prejudice to the negotiations with those institutions, the minister said that if there is room for bilateral agreements, this will be done.

She also explained that there is coordination in debt negotiations between the main African debtors in the Paris Club, but stressed that in addition to more time to repay the debt, they need more financial flows into their economies.

"There is consensus that postponement or extension among African debtors is welcome," the Finance Minister said, adding that during the meeting there was no talk of debt forgiveness.