THE HOLY ROMAN ...
Here is a Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI prepared, but did not deliver -- as he preferred to give a spontaneous reflection -- to the priests and deacons whom he met with in the cathedral of Freising.
Here is Benedict XVI's address at the farewell ceremony held at Munich's international airport.
A wave of Muslim outrage swept the globe after Pope Benedict XVI linked Islam with violence, while reactions within Germany have been mixed.
(Daily Mail: Muslim fury grows at B16's speech)
Pope Benedict XVI did not intend to offend Muslims with remarks about holy war, the Vatican said Thursday, scrambling to defend the pontiff as anger built in the Islamic world over his comments during a trip to Germany.
(VIS: Vatican declaration)
(First Post: This was no insult to Islam)
The German media’s coverage of the Pope’s six-day visit to the German state of Bavaria has been, to put it bluntly, scandalous. With the growth of social tensions and increasing disillusion with all of Germany’s official political parties, the ruling elite - whether Catholic, Protestant or atheist - is urgently in need of the “faith” and “values” offered by the Pope.
Benedict XVI's trip to his native Bavaria turned out to fulfill his hopes, says a Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, reflected on the highlights of the papal trip.
... EMPIRE OF THE GERMAN NATION
Germany took another long stride out of the shadows of its history on Thursday as three men became the first rabbis ordained in this country since WW2.
A leading German foreign trade official warned against imposing sanctions on Iran, saying Germany could in the long-term lose the lucrative Iranian market to competitors from the Far East.
The US Army's main new ready reaction force in Europe, the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, moved officially into its new military base near the south German town of Vilseck.
EUROPE/RUSSIA
Over the past week, the two most prominent contenders for the French presidency went to Brussels and asked the same question: Who is European and who is not? But beyond French politics, the question of Europe's borders is emerging as a central issue in a quest for a collective identity that can overcome the rift between European citizens and their leaders. Deceptively simple and yet fraught with controversy over how to translate an elusive cocktail of geography, history and common values into frontiers, the debate goes to the heart of the EU's bid to secure its place in the 21st century.
MIDEAST/AFRICA/ASIA
Israel's former military chief launched a devastating attack on the country's leadership yesterday, calling for the prime minister and the top general to quit over failings in the Lebanon war.
The other potential consequences? The breakup of Iraq, a Shia-Sunni bloodbath spreading across the Middle East, the massacre of the men and women who cast their lot with America, a Turkish invasion of Kurdistan, an Islamic perception the United States had been routed and a Shia-dominated Iraq under the influence of Iran. Germany, Turkey, Spain and Italy are refusing a U.S.-NATO request for 2,500 more troops. The French, too, are balking. Yet Afghanistan is the decisive test of the post-Cold War NATO alliance.
UN inspectors have protested to the U.S. government and a Congressional committee about a report on Iran's nuclear work, calling parts of it "outrageous and dishonest."
Provisional Friday Prayer Leader of Tehran Seyyed Ahmad Khatami here in his second sermon advised the Europeans not to permit the Americans to pull their legs. "You Europeans have so far been cheated by the US a couple of times, but it seems as if you have not got the necessary lesson yet."
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged that Venezuela will support Iran if it is invaded as a result of the Middle Eastern nation's high-stakes nuclear standoff with the United Nations Security Council. "Iran is under threat; there are plans to invade Iran, hopefully it won't happen, but we are with you," Chavez told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
HOUSE OF ISRAEL
The bad dream goes like this. It’s some time in the near future, 2007, 2008 or soon after. Guided by a religious fanatic whose goal was to spread American Style Democracy throughout the world, the USA has lost its financial and moral standing. In the nightmare, America stands on the brink of a Third World War. Indeed, much of the world views America as the greatest threat to global security.
Evidence has emerged in the grounds of Windsor Castle of a building that may be linked to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
ECONOMY
The recent sharp drop in the global price of crude oil could mark the start of a massive sell-off that returns gasoline prices to lows not seen since the late 1990s — perhaps as low as $1.15 a gallon.
[WAR: Enjoy the low prices while they're here, because they will be going through the roof when we attack Iran.]
