Thousands of Roman Catholics were descending on Rome Friday night as the Vatican prepared to celebrate the Pope's 80th birthday. The faithful from Benedict XVI's native Germany were arriving bearing gifts including bone china and teddy bears dressed in papal garb.
He looks exhausted but there can be no way to slow down for "God's rottweiler" as he faces a heavy workload and global challenges. This is a heavy agenda for an elderly German theologian who lacks the charisma and showmanship of his predecessor and has already suffered 2 mild strokes. But he is driven by a sense of urgency.
Benedict XVI criticizes the "cruelty" of capitalism and colonialism and the power of the wealthy over the poor in his first book as pope released on Friday. Benedict — a prolific and well-known theologian well before he became pope — thoroughly examined the Gospel accounts of Jesus' public ministry to arrive at the foundation of the Christian faith: that Jesus is God.
"The pastoral concerns of the Pope, and his exceptional theological doctrine, come together to focus on the central theme of the work: the conviction that, in order to understand the figure of Jesus Christ, it is necessary to start from His union with the Father."
They expected "God's rottweiler", the one-time Hitler Youth, to be a heretic-devouring, fire-breathing inquisitor. Not surprisingly. But 2 years into his papacy, liberals seem to have warmed to him, or at least come to recognise that the rottweiler was a media caricature. The Pope may still have those slightly sinister black circles under his eyes and that thin, off-centre smile, but he has not yet shown his fangs.
A diplomatic row is brewing between the Vatican and Israel over the conduct of a former pope, Pius XII, during WW2.
A small town in eastern Germany showcases the strengths of a resurgent economy.
German Tornado jets began a controversial mission in Afghanistan today, flying their first mission in support of NATO-led forces fighting the Taliban in the south of the country.
The Interior Minister has expressed concern that the danger of terrorist attacks against Germany could have risen as a result of the country's involvement in Afghanistan.
Campaigns alleging that a nation is being "swamped" by foreigners have always been part of the repertoire of right-wing extremist politics. The influx of immigrants, their culture and language is regarded as a threat to one's "own" people and—depending upon which version is being promulgated—Western or German culture. In recent times, the danger of being "swamped" has been replaced by that of a "Muslim-takeover," with the difference, however, that such agitation is not limited to right-wing extremist circles. Magazines such as Der Spiegel, Christian Democratic and Social Democratic politicians, and former liberals or leftwing intellectuals have now joined in the chorus.
This week the European Parliament's constitutional committee had debates with two former members of the convention – the body that drew up the EU constitution. Both presented different methods for getting the major parts of the rejected constitution approved, by the backdoor, with no referendums.
The CEO of Europe's biggest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, has announced plans to launch a transatlantic airline. His wants to offer tickets for as low as 10 euros for a flight to the US from Europe. But will it work?
Japan's lower house of parliament on Friday approved guidelines for amending the pacifist constitution, a key step in Prime Minister Abe's push to give the military a larger global role.
The lofty objective of a collective security arrangement in the Persian Gulf received a major boost when a representative of Ayatollah Khamenei unveiled a 10-point proposal that, if followed, will definitely boost stability in the the volatile, crisis-ridden region.
Bush and Blair have spent four years preparing an onslaught that is about oil, rather than non-existent nuclear weapons.
A GOP insider, former Bush 41 speechwriter and close friend of the Bush family writes in his new book that before 9/11, the Neo-Cons in control of the Bush administration were eager to seize upon a manufactured provocation to go to war. In his new book, Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Neo-Cons and Holy Rollers Destroyed the GOP, Gold slams the current administration and exposes their zeal for creating a pretext for a war that was planned many years in advance.
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz's hold on his job weakened as the UK and Germany declined to join the US in backing him. A French minister yesterday also refrained from backing Wolfowitz.
The woman at the center of the storm surrounding World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has spent the past few months trying to get one of the signature efforts of President Bush's Middle East democracy campaign off the ground.
If we are to continue to permit AIPAC to operate as an undeclared agent of a foreign nation, and to influence American foreign and national security policymaking at the expense of our Constitution, then we should acknowledge our true status as nothing more than a colony of Israel, pull down the Stars and Stripes and raise the Star of David over our nation's capitol.
The entrance of Jewish people into England, following William the Conqueror in 1066, and their subsequent dealings with the British Crown do not make for a pretty picture. In fact, it portrays a relentless Royal greed and exploitation of Jews, culminating in their 350-year expulsion from England.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French presidential front-runner, fended off allegations yesterday that he was plotting to form a secret pact with Jean-Marie Le Pen, the far-Right leader.
The euro rose to 1.3534 dollars on Friday in early European trading, reaching the highest level since January 3, 2005 on expectations of rising eurozone interest rates.
It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops.
It's been nearly a year since I asked rhetorically, whatever happened to the bird flu epidemic that never came? And, we're still waiting. To this date the has not been one single person who has caught this from another human. Virtually every reported case was in a third-world country in which those who were infected had close contact with sick birds.
Although it has already taken nearly four decades to get this far in building the Internet, some university researchers with the federal government's blessing want to scrap all that and start over. The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a "clean slate" approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up.
Yesterday in Scripture
"In the 37th year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison on the 25th day of the 12th month." (Jer 52:31)
But wait a minute ...
"In the 37th year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin from prison on the 27th day of the 12th month." (2Kings 25:27)
Which is correct?!!
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