"The WAR on error"
"Today, as in the two preceding catecheses, we again speak of St. Paul and his thought. We are before a giant, not only at the level of the concrete apostolate, but also at the level of theological doctrine, extraordinarily profound and stimulating."
Pope Benedict met top advisers today to discuss the status of celibacy among Roman Catholic clergy and requests by married priests who want to return to the active ministry. The meeting of more than 20 heads of Vatican departments was called to debate a Vatican strategy to deal with a renegade African archbishop who has founded a movement of men who left the active ministry to wed and want to return as married men. The unprecedented gathering comes some two months after Archbishop Emanuel Milingo, a former Vatican official, raised the specter of a modern schism when he ordained four married men as priests in Washington D.C. He was excommunicated.
Don't-a make-a fun of-a da pappa...
Forget the bloated deficit, forget the fact that Italy's national airlines and train network may go bust; the hottest debate in the country now is whether it is politically correct to make the Pope the butt of comic satire. That was the question on most front pages of Italy's newspapers yesterday after the Roman Catholic officials reacted to a spate of Italian television and radio programmes poking fun at Pope Benedict.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue issued the following statement today on Bill O’Reilly’s remarks about the Vatican that he made last night on his Fox News show.
Here is a Vatican translation of the address that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state, gave Oct. 11 at the inauguration of the exhibition "Petros Eni - Peter Is Here" for the 500th anniversary of St. Peter's Basilica.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reportedly planned a putsch against rival Angela Merkel shortly after Germany's 2005 elections to remain in power. A German news magazine said Schroeder, after scoring unexpectedly high voting results for his Social Democratic Party, on the sidelines of a TV show on election night approached Merkel's conservative ally, Edmund Stoiber, with plans to dethrone Merkel. A few days after the election, the former chancellor - via a non-political middleman - offered Stoiber to become the conservatives' top man in a grand coalition led by Schroeder. Merkel, who was then the conservatives' leader, was to be replaced, Schroeder's plan said. The magazine's sources said Stoiber declined that offer. Schroeder said the story was not true.
[WAR: Hmmm . . . Is this true? If so, then it shows that Stoiber a) knew a coalition wouldn't work anyway, so why bother; b) was loyal to the agreed-to CDU/CSU decision to have Merkel be chancellor. And this would also be the 2nd time that Stoiber has been offered a leadership position - the former time being when Schroeder offered him the presidency of the EU Commission. So maybe it's just not "his time" yet.
If the story isn't true, then what's the motive for the story? To have people see that Stoiber is trustworthy (didn't stab Merkel in the back) and isn't power-hungry - just a humble leader that would rather stay in Bavaria? Very intriguing ... ]
Before beginning the trip, Steinmeier stressed the importance for Germany and the EU of dialogue with the North African Mediterranean countries - and to continue developing what is known as the Barcelona Process, designed to integrate the Mediterranean countries in North Africa and the Middle East into to EU's free trade and economic development zone.
Angela Merkel said reminding Europeans of their common values is the key to creating a feeling of unity in the 25 nation bloc. Europeans need to keep basic, unifying values in mind, in order for the EU to succeed, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Luxembourg. This is why the EU needs a constitution, which will not only be a legal document, but a charter of basic rights for all EU citizens, she said.
Deutsche Börse dropped plans to buy Euronext, the operator of exchanges in Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris, removing a major obstacle to the New York Stock Exchange's bid for Euronext. But the decision does little to ease concerns among European politicians about a U.S. deal, which many fear presents a risk of importing cumbersome American regulations to the European Union.
After years of fierce debate the European parliament gave the final green light for a directive which will deregulate the service sector in the European Union. This means that the infamous Polish plumber will now be forced to work for German wages and under German rules in Germany.
Turkey has suspended military relations with France in a dispute over whether the mass killings of Armenians in the last century amounted to genocide, the land forces commander said. The European Union and the European media have criticized the French bill, saying it is not in line with the principle of free expression and does not promote dialogue with Turkey.
Pictures worth thousands of words...
Religious Jews opposed to Zionism and the so-called state of "Israel" and its secular government gathered in from of the "Israeli" Consulate on Second Avenue, New York City to protest the actions of the Zionist state.
President George Bush has told senior advisers that the US and its allies must make "a last big push" to win the war in Iraq and that instead of beginning a troop withdrawal next year, he may increase US forces by up to 20,000 soldiers, according to sources familiar with the administration's internal deliberations.
Whatever the rationale provided by the Bush administration to justify the war in Iraq, there should be no mistake that oil and securing its sources were the main catalysts of both this war and the previous one. To keep a steady flow of oil, a supply that remains vulnerable at best, the United States will have to stay militarily vigilant at an enormous cost while sending American soldiers in harms' way to protect its national strategic interests.
Kingdom of the South update...
A Chadian diplomat has accused its neighbour, Sudan, of invading his country and destabilising the region. The Chadian government has declared a state of emergency in the south-east where escalating violence has forced some 70,000 villagers from their homes.
Editorials in Iranian newspapers claim '50% of Israel already destroyed,' say 'Israel must collapse'. "For the first time in the 60 years of its disgraceful life, the Zionist regime - the West's beloved in the Middle East - tasted the taste of defeat, and the citizens of this regime trembled at the menace of Hizbullah's missiles… The nation of Muslims must prepare for the great war, so as to completely wipe out the Zionist regime, and remove this cancerous growth."
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this morning that the Iranian nation will not retreat "an iota" from its nuclear right in spite of mounting pressure from enemies.
Iran may have signed a virtual "death warrant" by openly declaring a governmental decision to move away from the dollar in the country's foreign-exchange transactions. "The Bush administration will see Iran's decision as economic warfare, a move calculated to weaken the dollar in retaliation for the U.S. seeking U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran's continued uranium enrichment."
President Bush will not hesitate to use force against Iran to halt its nuclear program if other options fail, Israel's outgoing US ambassador Danny Ayalon has said in an interview. "I have been priviledged to know him well, he will not hesitate to go all the way if there is no choice."
The Combined Task Force 152 operating out of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf in support of maritime security operations has received an additional asset. The Navy Newsstand reported that the guided missile destroyer USS Mason, part of the Eisenhower Strike Group, joined Combined Task Force 152 earlier in the month.
Bush goes and nominates Robert Gates to be the new Defense Secretary. It's a pretty clever desperation move - a trap really. Gates and Rummy sip from the same ideological Kool-Aid jug.
When I saw the Newsweek cover featuring Big Daddy Bush muscling toward the front with a diminished little Dubya skulking in the background, my first thought was: How is Junior going to react to this? What we are seeing today with Bush II's petulant pushback against the Baker Commission is part of what was earlier described here as a "war in Heaven" – an ongoing move by parts of the American Establishment to rein in the worst excesses of the Bush Faction before they kill the golden goose that keeps the elite ensconced in power and privilege.
For years, I have thought about how I would write a textbook history of the United States. It would begin with the most culturally creative period of American history: the disunited states. Most high school American history textbooks devote one chapter to this period, lasting from 1609 (in the British colonial version) to 1788. Why is there this short-changing of the colonial era?
Nazar-Mohammad Molla-Zehi, a 142-year-old man, is living here in good health. The aged man said herbal drugs, farming, and living in the countryside have guaranteed his health. "I have never gone to a doctor's office as I have used animal fat," he boasted. The Baluch man has 6 children and 115 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
In the next 22 minutes, 100 Americans will die under the care of sincere conventional MDs. But during that time, you can discover the safe, natural, yet virtually unknown alternatives that could have saved 95 of them. And one of them might be YOU. Save yourself a lot of pain, money-and maybe even your own life.
An alpha girl, he explains, is "a young woman who is destined to be a great leader. She is talented, highly motivated and self-confident." They are no longer slowed down by empathy or emotionality, and are now free to pursue success with rabid dog competitiveness.
For all my WARriorettes out there...
The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you had as a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman - they are telling you of the life God created women to live. He offers to come now, as the Hero of your story - to rescue your feminine heart and release you to live as a woman, fully alive. A woman truly captivating! What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating will do for you.
[WAR: I'm in the middle of listening to the CD version of this book. It is quite eye-opening! I suggest that every man listen to/read this as well.]
Today in Scripture
"On the 23rd day of the 7th month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things YAHWEH had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel." (2Chron 7:10)
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