Loving the enemy is the nucleus of the "Christian revolution," a revolution not based on strategies of economic, political or media power.
The bishop of Paisley says that something sinister is happening in the United Kingdom. "For the first time in the modern era in this country, the Catholic Church is facing the prospect of being forced to act against her faith and against her convictions, or else face legal challenge and possible prosecution. This is a deeply disturbing turn of events and it is not yet clear what kind of precedent this may set for other areas of the pastoral and social activity of the Catholic Church."
(LT: Political cartoon ;-))
Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope are to be published this year. The statement, leaked to The Times, is being considered by the Vatican, where Catholic bishops are preparing a formal response.
The worldwide Anglican Church was battling to survive last night after talks broke down amid acrimony during the final stages of the primates' meeting in Tanzania. A group of leading conservatives may issue a minority statement today separating themselves from the rest of the Church if they do not win significant concessions.
At the heart of Anglicanism lies a terrible dilemma. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, as the commission exploring the possibility of unity between the two traditions reminds us, the Anglican Communion is not a single Church demanding adherence to a disciplined codex of canon law. It is a fellowship of 38 provinces, each with its own prayer book, traditions and legal structure, bound together only by bonds of trust and fellowship.
Why do Catholics fast and give things up during Lent? Why are there ashes on Ash Wednesday and palms on Palm Sunday? When does Lent end? Find the answers to these and other frequently asked questions here.
Germany wants to increase the number of young men that are drafted, according to the country's defense minister.
German prosecutors are probing the mysterious death of a high-ranking German intelligence agent - a 57-year-old BND agent responsible for cooperation with foreign intelligence services, mainly with the US service.
Foreign Minister Steinmeier began a series of visits to the southern Caucasus states of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia to discuss energy issues with the oil-rich former Soviet republics. The region is important as a source of energy and a transit point for supplies of oil to Europe.
A new NATO Special Operations Coordination Center aimed at directing training of special operations forces from NATO's 26-member countries will be headquartered at a US base in the south German city of Stuttgart.
Franz Ferdinand's great-granddaughter, Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie von Hohenberg, is trying to right what she sees as one of the wrongs from those years. She hopes to get Franz Ferdinand's castle back in the bargain.
Tens of thousands of people converged Saturday on this small city in the Veneto region of northern Italy for a peaceful protest against the planned expansion of a US military base here.
EU disunity is looming over US plans to build an anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech republic, with Germany saying over the weekend that Russia should be consulted over the scheme.
Prime Minister Olmert's reported decision to allow Muslims to construct a massive minaret on the Temple Mount will "serve to solidify Islam's take over of Judaism's holiest site."
The truth about the Temple Mount controversy.
German Foreign Minister Steinmeier dismissed US claims which regard Iranian missiles as a danger to Europe. He seriously questioned statements by US officials, who allege the deployment of an anti-missile system in East Europe was aimed at intercepting incoming Iranian missiles.
German Foreign Minister Steinmeier opposes a swift tightening of Iran sanctions ahead of the February 21 UN Security Council meeting over Tehran's nuclear program. "The last UN Security Council resolution does not contain any automatism in case Iran does not abide by its commitments." He expressed hope that another solution - other than economic sanctions - could still be reached.
Foreign Minister Mottaki said today that Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana have agreed to resume talks on the Iran nuclear issue. "The agreement was reached during a meeting between Larijani and Solana last week. They agreed to continue negotiations from where it was stopped."
All in all, observers noted a better climate in EU-Iran ties after weeks of stress following the adoption of the resolution on Iran's nuclear program by the UN Security Council in December. Suddenly the next day, the leading British daily " Financial Times" published a front-page report titled "Too late to halt Iran's N-bomb, EU is told." The same day, senior EU officials arranged a hurried press conference to counter the suggestion by the "Financial Times". There is a widespread conviction among observers in Brussels that the document was leaked by the UK to the British paper to spoil the positive developments in EU-Iran ties. London is a strong ally of Washington and any rapprochement between the EU and Iran would not only isolate it in Europe but also weaken its position in the Middle East, especially in Iraq.
Iran began its largest war games in almost a year today, just 2 days ahead of a UN Security Council deadline for Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face further economic sanctions. The elite Revolutionary Guards began 3 days of ground maneuvers.
A slew of articles has recently appeared in the international media warning that the US — or more accurately the Bush administration — is preparing for an imminent and catastrophic military attack on Iran.
Bullet cartridges bearing a US insignia and English lettering were among the weaponry seized last week from Sunni militants suspected of killing 11 members of Shiite-dominated Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, Iranian officials said.
American military operations for a major conventional war with Iran could be implemented any day. They extend far beyond targeting suspect WMD facilities and will enable President Bush to destroy Iran's military, political and economic infrastructure overnight using conventional weapons. The US army, navy, air force and marines have all prepared battle plans and spent 4 years building bases and training for "Operation Iranian Freedom". The whole of Iran is now less than an hour's flying time from some American base or carrier.
(WND op/ed: Inevitable failure)
Every one of the 535 members of the 110th Congress is liable to face criminal indictment from the International Criminal Court if the US uses nuclear weapons in the impending conflict with Iran. Following an indictment, every country that is a State Party to the ICC will be required to take into custody any members of Congress that are temporarily on their soil and surrender them to the Court.
Once upon a time, you could trace the spread of imperialism by counting up colonies. America's version of the colony is the military base; and by following the changing politics of global basing, one can learn much about our ever more all-encompassing imperial "footprint" and the militarism that grows with it.
If it is true, as Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914) said, "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography," then empire must be God's way of making Americans masters of the subject since the US now has troops in 159 different regions of the world.
The language of diplomacy is normally as delicate as it is purposeful. That's why President Putin's recent strong comments about the US undermining global stability must not be taken lightly. The U.S. is making this world a more unstable place. But, our leaders just don't get it.
The "Bed-wetting Conservative" is always fretting Democrats will take over the White House, especially whenever the Republican Caesar is criticized. They're always saying things like "If you think it's bad now, it'll be a lot worse with (insert Democrat here) in the White House." The bed-wetters consider Democrats in the White House as the worst of all possible nightmares, and virtually wet themselves in fear of that event. And here's the most important point: they like – and need – to be scared to the level of bed-wetting. The "bed-wetting conservative" is not really a conservative; he is a concubine of the Republican Party.
If Ecuador fails to pay interest on its debt this week the move could resonate far beyond its borders. Investment bankers, hedge funds and other investors around the world are watching developments closely - for the potential impact on the broader emerging markets and on a new, but fast-growing, sector of the financial world known as credit derivatives.
The month of April will account for the inflexion point of the impact phase of the global systemic crisis, that is to say the moment when all negative consequences of the crisis pile up exponentially. More precisely, April will be the time when negative trends will converge, transforming many "sectorial crises" into a generalised crisis, a "very great depression", involving all economic, financial, commercial and political players.
Instead of moving into a new era of ascendancy, the world capitalist system has entered a period of war and revolution. Following the end of the Cold War, no major power, including emerging ones such as China, India and Russia, is capable of establishing a new equilibrium of world capitalism. On the contrary, their emergence, along with the more aggressive military posture of imperialist powers such as Germany and Japan, is a profoundly destabilising factor.
People in the US know more about basic science today than they did two decades ago, good news that researchers say is tempered by an unsettling growth in the belief in pseudoscience such as astrology and visits by extraterrestrial aliens.
