"Today too, as the declaration 'Dominus Iesus' reaffirmed, we must be fully aware that from the mystery of Jesus Christ, true God and true man living and present in the Church, comes the unique salvific and universal nature of Christian revelation and, consequently, the essential task of announcing Jesus Christ to everyone."
[WAR: It is utterly impossible to be both God/Elohim and man at the same time - one is either one or the other. But if you have the spirit of antichrist, then you'll believe that one - especially Yahshua - could be both.]
Pope Benedict is coming under mounting criticism from his former German theologian colleagues, one likening the Catholic Church's doctrinal office, that the pontiff once headed, to a 19th century censorship bureau.
Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.
[WAR: The Whore celebrates Pentecost today, as well as most in the COGs. Should this be so? Should the COGs be "in one accord" with Mystery Babylon the Great on this day? Is this not why we're told to "come OUT of HER my people"? You can sincerely call and consider today Pentecost until your blue-in-the-face, but this does not make it so. The true Pentecost is still 4 weeks away.]
Is Germany's economic boom bypassing its eastern states?
A major raid in the Cologne area has uncovered a record haul of counterfeit dollars, along with weapons and drugs. The bills, say experts, were of excellent quality.
Germany's leftist subculture is realigning itself in the run-up to the G-8 summit. The fight against the annual meeting of the world's greatest economic powers in the Baltic sea resort town of Heiligendamm is also a struggle over new forms of resistance that borrow heavily from the battles of the past.
Combat escalation in Afghanistan is causing the first fissures among German war parties. According to a politician of the Green Party, a change of course with the eventual withdrawal of German troops has to be considered, in light of the destabilization of the north of Afghanistan.
The new President Sarkozy storms ahead, after a surprisingly good start.
A new minister signals a new foreign policy. Kouchner's appointment is more than just a deft political gesture. It reflects Sarkozy's desire for a new French "doctrine", based on values, designed to strengthen France's voice.
The unconvincing versus the self-serving. That pretty much describes the two sides limbering up for a political scrap over the European Union's constitutional treaty. And which side is favourite to win? That's easy. In the EU, it will always be self-interest.
President Yushchenko of Ukraine issued a decree Friday putting Interior Ministry troops under presidential command, but the ministry, joined by Prime Minister Yanukovich, declared the move unconstitutional and defied it.
Do what?!...
A member of the Knesset has announced the findings of a poll showing 56% support amongst Israelis for his proposed legislation making Sunday a day of rest and allowing some public transportation and entertainment on the Sabbath. His bill would change the official approach to Sabbath as the country's day of rest. Though businesses and government offices would continue to be closed, places of entertainment would be permitted to open - and public transportation, now banned in most cities on the Sabbath, would be available. The bill stipulates that such transportation and entertainment would be carried out with maximum sensitivity to the religious public.
The aftermath of the war of 1967 has been a story of squandered opportunities and deepening divisions among Israelis and Palestinians alike.
(Op-ed: Israel's wasted victory)
The BBC News website is publishing a series of articles about the attempts to achieve peace in the Middle East and the main obstacles. Martin Asser looks at the question of Israel's borders and settlements.
A group of Muslim fanatics are pinned down in a Lebanese refugee camp threatening a fight to the death in a terrifying stand-off.
The Yemeni Foreign Minister sees danger increasing in the Middle East in light of Iraq's deteriorating conditions, the internecine Palestinian struggle, the fear of a Sunni-Shiite conflict and a possible US strike on Iran. Speaking during an interview with UPI about the impact of an unstable Iraq and the Fatah-Hamas Palestinian conflict, he said the Arab countries would be able to face "these challenges ... But if (Arabs) remain divided, the dangers are increasing."
No he doesn't!...
Iran's president is at it again, threatening Israel with destruction should it intervene in Lebanon again. The bellicosity comes as the UN nuclear watchdog warns that Iran may be as little as three years away from a nuclear weapon.
Across the world, a dangerous rumor has spread that could have catastrophic implications. According to legend, Iran's president has threatened to destroy Israel, or, to quote the misquote, "Israel must be wiped off the map." Contrary to popular belief, this statement was never made. Ahmadinejad did not refer to Israel the country or Israel the land mass, but the Israeli regime. This is a vastly significant distinction, as one cannot wipe a regime off the map.
Iran wants to develop previously untapped oil fields shared with neighboring Iraq, a move that will benefit the two countries, an Iranian oil official said on Saturday. "We hope to start working together. Both countries stand to gain. We would strengthen investment and make the best use of our shared fields." Iraq has already invited Iranian firms to bid for contracts to build at least 4 oil refineries in the country, Iraq's Oil Ministry said this month.
Iran, embroiled in a row with Washington over its nuclear program, has increased the amount of its oil export earnings in currencies other than US dollars to about 70%, an Iranian official said on Saturday. "If the dollar gets weaker, we will increase that percentage."
President Ahmadinejad said today that the Iranian nation is determined to use nuclear energy in a proper way against the wish of the big powers. "The best way for these powers is friendship with the Iranian nation instead of confrontation."
Iran's nuclear envoy said on Saturday that France could operate as a mediator between the West and Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
Iran has uncovered spy networks on its territory organized by occupying forces in Iraq and Iraqi groups, the Intelligence Ministry said in a statement published on Saturday. "The Intelligence Ministry succeeded in finding, recognizing and confronting some spy networks of infiltrating elements from the Iraqi occupiers in west, southwest and central Iran. These spy networks were guided by the intelligence services of the occupiers and were supported by some influential Iraqi groups. The detailed news will be announced in the next few days."
A US navy show of force on Iran's doorstep is "greatly alarming" for the region and the US risked a bloody quagmire if it invaded Iran, a state-run Afghan newspaper said on Saturday.
When representatives of the US and Iran meet in Baghdad on Monday, it will mark the first substantive encounter between the two sides since before the US invasion of Iraq. Officially, the agenda is supposed to include security in Iraq, avoiding the nuclear standoff between Iran and the West, and other contentious issues. But the talks are occurring in an atmosphere of mutual suspicion, in which confrontational invective is growing.
The alternative for Iran? Apparently, the Cheney Cabal gets to launch Gulf War 3.
Even as the US and Iran seem to be moving toward direct talks over the security situation in Iraq, the symbiotic relationship between President Bush and President Ahmadinejad is flourishing in ways that seem to guarantee continued hostility.
The case of Haleh Esfandiari's imprisonment in Iran is sparking the kind of commotion that periodically grips America's intellectual class and, more ominously, is providing reasons for America's right wing to attack Iran. The US Navy is conducting extensive exercises in the Persian Gulf, what William Arkin tartly calls "dumbboat diplomacy," but is clearly meant as a signal that the US is ready to strike.
Fidel Castro called George W. Bush "an apocalyptic person" on Friday. In his latest comments, the 80-year-old Cuban leader accused Bush of "faking rationality" and manipulating US public opinion. "Bush is an apocalyptic person. Look at his eyes, his face and his obsessive preoccupation with pretending that all he sees on the 'invisible screens' is spontaneous," Castro wrote in an apparent reference to the use of teleprompters.
While Americans are still recovering from a scandal over poison pet foods imported from China, FDA inspectors report tainted food imports intended for American humans are being rejected with increasing frequency because they are filthy, are contaminated with pesticides and tainted with carcinogens, bacteria and banned drugs.
Political tensions between the US and Germany over climate change have worsened sharply, with Washington threatening to no longer "tread lightly" in negotiations on global warming ahead of the G-8 rich nations' summit next month. The US has sent Germany a harshly worded statement in which it accuses Berlin of ignoring of Washington's "serious, fundamental concerns" with Germany's draft climate change communiqué for the Baltic coast summit.
Turmoil among Europe's corporate champions.
Germany leads a lonely charge for tougher rules. The German finance minister, will not give up. "Don't believe everything you hear from New York and London," he told The Economist. He was referring to differences of opinion on how to reduce the risk that the $1.6 trillion hedge-fund industry poses to global financial stability.
Chinese authorities are also nervous about social and political instability among angry students who have bet their tuition money on shares, or pensioners who have blown their life savings. Another indirect threat is the impact of a collapse in Chinese shares on other markets. A 9% drop in Chinese share prices in late February triggered a brief global sell-off. Given the frothy state of many global financial markets, a full-blown crash in China might thus do more harm abroad than at home. Financial instability could be China's next unwelcome export.
China's investment in Blackstone shows how government investors are flourishing at the heart of the financial system.
The Bolivian President criticized the historic role of foreign business in Latin America. The transnational corporations always provoke conflicts to accumulate capital, and the accumulation of capital in a few hands is no solution for humanity. And so I have arrived at the conclusion that capitalism is the worst enemy of humanity."
A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.
Nearly 3 decades dead, but John Wayne remains larger than life. Was there ever a US citizen who more persuasively bottled the bold, brash, bullish spirit of America than John Wayne?
(LX blog: Where the cottonwoods grow)
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