The Gospel preached by St. Irenaeus is the one he received from Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and the Gospel of Polycarp goes back to the apostle John, Polycarp having been John's disciple. The Church of the 2nd century was threatened by so-called gnosticism, a doctrine which claimed that the faith taught by the Church was nothing more than symbolism for the simpleminded, those unable to grasp more difficult things.
[WAR: The church might have been threatened by gnosticism, but paganism won out - as is clearly evident in the God-man/Incarnation doctrine!]
Pope Benedict's Bavarian home town of Marktl am Inn is preparing for his 80th birthday. Topping the celebration will be the opening of a museum in the house where he was born. It will be dedicated to Joseph Ratzinger's life and works.
The Press Office of the Holy See released a brief statement expressing its regret after the Israeli delegation to the Vatican's Permanent Bilateral Working Commission suddenly cancelled its participation in a meeting which was scheduled to take place today. The Israeli delegation said it was unable to attend due to "the current international political situation."
A German politician who helped to topple Bavarian premier Edmund Stoiber has been attacked by her colleagues for posing in latex gloves for a magazine. Gabriele Pauli, a 49-year-old local politician in the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union, is featured in Park Avenue magazine wearing the long, black gloves.
German papers...
The Siemens scandal just keeps getting deeper. Authorities on Tuesday took a board member into custody on suspicion of irregular payments. The case, say German commentators, shows that corruption is systemic at one of Germany's biggest companies.
Chancellor Merkel said she understands Pope Benedict XVI's criticisms of the EU for not mentioning God or its Christian roots in the Declaration of Berlin, and she said Europe should recognize in some way its Judeo-Christian heritage even if through a document separate from the European Constitution.
Chancellor Merkel warned EU governments that voters could be further alienated from the bloc if they did not move swiftly to overhaul its institutions.
Poland plans to propose a new voting system in the upcoming EU treaty talks that will be based on square roots of populations instead of simple populations. The so-called "Penrose square root law" would give Warsaw more say against Berlin, with one Polish official already talking about potential Polish vetoes.
EU delegates met with leaders in Central Asia to launch a series of initiatives aimed at improving energy and regional security. The meetings in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, are to open a new chapter in the relations between the EU and the states of Central Asia and are expected to culminate in a Central Asia strategy to be adopted at the June EU leaders' summit.
Teddy Kollek, the legendary mayor of Jerusalem, lent a hand to the British authorities in their 1940s in their crackdown against right-wing underworld movements that sought to drive the British out of Palestine, secret MI5 documents have shown. Kollek, who died 3 months ago, supplied the British intelligence agency with information about the activities Irgun and Stern Gang. Beyond intelligence about the clandestine activities of the two groups, Kollek tried to help the British capture one of their most wanted men: Irgun leader Menachem Begin.
Arab leaders gathering for a two-day summit in Saudi Arabia unanimously approved Wednesday the Saudi peace initiative originally launched in 2002.
Home of the wise men...
Ethiopia's Orthodox Christians are among the oldest Christian communities in the world. Their hymns and prayers have been preserved and passed down over the ages. But with its numerous religious holidays, the Christian tradition also worsens the country's grinding poverty.
The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad has announced several updates in its Iraq activities, including a shift of its major currency from dollars to euros.
Former Iranian president and head of the International Institute for Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations Mohammad Khatami declared that since the beginning of its nuclear program, Iran has never intended to produced nuclear weapons or bombs. "Iran's nuclear issue aims to provide a substitute energy source for oil to respond to the demands of future generations."
The Iranian Ambassador to Germany termed the violation of Iranian border by British navy as an provocative act. British forces had already committed similar border violations in the past.
Britain froze all official business with Iran yesterday after Tony Blair told Parliament it was time to "ratchet up'' pressure on Teheran to secure release of the 15 abducted British service personnel. A clearly furious Mr Blair condemned their detention as "completely unacceptable, wrong and illegal".
FOX News wasted no time jumping on the dispute over British captives in Iraq in order to ramp up the level of rhetoric against Iran. Contrary to its "We report, you decide" motto, it was clear from the last two Hannity & Colmes programs that FNC execs have already decided that Americans should hate Iranians more than ever while not bothering to report the possible ramifications of an increased conflict or heightened tensions.
The Federal Minister for Railways, while expressing fear of a US attack on Iran, has categorically stated that Pakistan would never offend a Muslim neighbour at the cost of a fair-weather friend, the US. "We would support Iran if attacked by the United States and would not provide airbases to America," he stated in categorical terms. "The US is sitting ready to attack Iran but Pakistan will never allow Washington to use its territory for launching an attack."
The Bush administration continues moving closer to a nuclear attack on Iran, and we ignore the obvious buildup at our peril. Russian media are sounding alarms. The clock is ticking, and there's far too much at stake. We could be looking at WW3.
Suddenly, France's presidential campaign is seized by a subject long monopolized by the extreme right: how best to be French. The far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen chortles that his rivals in the two main parties have stolen, and therefore validated, his message of "France for the French." If politicians everywhere are compelled to show off their patriotism at election time, this campaign has stirred alarm by summoning unpleasant ghosts of the past.
Oil prices rebounded above $64 a barrel today, reflecting an upward blip in tensions over Iran's detention of 15 British navy personnel, after London said it would take the issue to the UN Security Council. Iran, the world's 4th-largest oil producer, is located along the Strait of Hormuz, through which about two-fifths of the world's oil is transported. Traders worry that oil supplies could be disrupted if unrest escalates there.
Estimates of how expensive oil could become in the event of a US attack on Iran have ranged as high as $200/barrel—a level that would bring the global economy to a screeching halt. Well, there are new reports circulating now that an attack by US air and naval forces could come in early April, and this time, the oil traders are taking them seriously. Do the oil traders know something that we in America should be knowing? And why aren't Congress and the US media discussing all this?
The chairman of the Federal Reserve acknowledged that "uncertainties" surrounding the economic outlook had "increased somewhat in recent weeks" and that "turmoil" in the market for subprime home mortgages had created "severe financial problems for many individuals and families."
The automaker's stock could plummet unless Daimler Chief Dieter Zetsche sends a clear "sell" message at the Apr. 4 annual meeting.
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