With today's catechesis we continue to talk about the great personalities of the ancient Church: They are masters of the faith for us even today and witnesses of the perennial actuality of the Christian faith. Today we speak about an African, Tertullian, who at the end of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd inaugurated Christian literature in Latin. With him we see the beginning of theology in that language.
A senior Vatican official has confirmed that sometime soon Pope Benedict XVI will expand permission for use of what's popularly known as the Latin Mass. Benedict's intent, according to Vatican authorities, is to make the pre-1960s Mass optional, leaving Catholics free to choose which Mass they want to attend. Because the older Tridentine Mass, named for the 16th-century Council of Trent, has come to symbolize deep tensions in Catholicism, the pope's decision is sure to trigger an avalanche of commentary.
On May 8, members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes voted unanimously to recommend that Benedict XVI formerly declare Pope Pius XII "Venerable." Hopefully this recognition that Pius XII lived the Christian virtues in a heroic manner will bring an end to the controversy over whether he did enough in defense of the Jews and other victims of the Nazis.
The Vatican's Secretary of State has signaled that the Holy See will support Turkey's bid for membership in the European Union ... as long as the Ankara government respected the principles of religious freedom and equal justice under law.
Despite denials of formal talks, an acquisition of Volvo would make sense for BMW and help struggling current owner Ford.
One week ahead of the G-8 summit in Heiligendamm, the US is still refusing to agree on concrete emissions reductions goals. Now, the German environment minister has had enough.
The issue of cutting greenhouse gases is set to prove divisive at the upcoming G8 summit. Sparks are already flying between US and Germany, as Washington accuses Berlin of intolerance towards other viewpoints.
German press...
For good historical reasons, Germans tend to get easily nervous about war, and recent violence in Afghanistan and Iraq has caused the nation to reconsider its role in the war on terror.
Germany has criticised the latest plans by the European Commission on how to split giant energy companies so that they do not control both supply and distribution.
EU policy based on competitiveness will result in higher environmental and social costs in the future, while a cohesion-oriented policy will have a softer territorial impact but fewer economic benefits, a new study shows. Until now, Europe has struggled to find a middle way amid a shrill debate on the issue. Proponents of free markets accuse critics of trying to build a protectionist fortress Europe, while those on the other side of the fence say neoliberalism will trample on EU basic social values and rights.
President Sarkozy remains skeptical of allowing Turkey into the EU. But he is not willing to let this opposition get in the way of his plan to find an agreement to replace the moribund EU constitution. Now, he has agreed to support further EU negotiations with Ankara.
Croatia's Prime Minister spoke with the delegation of Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union club representatives from the Lower Saxony province in German Bundestag on Wednesday of Croatia`s path of becoming a full EU and NATO member, as well as reforms which the Croatian government is implementing and the support of Germany.
Even though the 1995 Dayton Accords stopped more than 3 years of brutal interethnic warfare, the conflict between communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina has continued ever since, through politics and media. Despite the near-dictatorial oversight of the "international community," embodied in the Office of the High Representative and the NATO (now EU) occupation force, the fundamental question of Bosnia's identity and organization remains as contentious today as it was in 1992.
Ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko was a British spy, the man suspected of killing him said. British authorities are trying to extradite Andrei Lugovoi over the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko with radioactive polonium last year. But Mr Lugovoi has hit back claiming Mr Litvinenko's murder happened under the "control" of British intelligence and that he is being made a "scapegoat".
Following the Winograd Committee's scathing criticism of his performance in the Second Lebanon War, Prime Minister Olmert was compelled to explain his decision not to resign to the Knesset. Former Prime Minister and Opposition Chief Binyamin Netanyahu took the podium following Olmert, saying that although he agreed with the decision to go to war, the way which it was carried out eroded Israel's deterrence.
Turkey has sent large contingents of soldiers, tanks, guns and armored personnel carriers to reinforce its border with Iraq, amid heated debate over whether to stage a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebel bases.
Arab officials and commentators said they feared the budding dialogue between Washington and Iran could cut them out of the debate over the future of Iraq, one of the region's most important countries. Many of Iraq's Sunni Muslim-dominated neighbors worry that the US-Iran dialogue could boost Iran's already enormous influence over the Iraqi government and security forces. Iraq and Iran are both majority Shiite nations. But unlike Iran, which is Persian, most of Iraq's 27 million people are Arabs.
Adam Pearlman, the Jewish Mossad agent who once wrote stinging essays condemning Muslims as "bloodthirsty terrorists", has once again popped up as an "Al-Qaeda spokesman" to frighten the dwindling number of Americans who still believe Al-Qaeda exists outside of US intelligence circles.
The US demand for new UN sanctions against Sudan faces an uphill struggle. The strong desire among many Security Council members to support the secretary-general coupled with the opposition of some members to sanctions in general - including China which has strong commercial ties with Sudan - signals a difficult road ahead for the US and Britain.
China is conquering Africa as it becomes the preferred trading partner of the continent's dictators. Beijing is buying up Africa's abundant natural resources and providing it with needed cash and cheaply produced consumer goods in return.
World powers, including Russia, threatened "further appropriate measures" on Wednesday if Iran failed to comply with UN resolutions demanding that it suspend nuclear enrichment. Iran reiterated it would not bow to Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment over Western fears it is developing nuclear arms.
Tehran recently suggested a readiness to discuss a partial suspension of uranium enrichment, but the US and key allies rejected the overture and Iran pulled back from the idea for starting talks on its nuclear program, diplomats said Wednesday.
In for a very rude awakening...
President Ahmadinejad extolled what he described as Iran's self-sufficiency in producing army equipment and said Iran was so powerful now that no other country would dare launch a military strike against it. "We have passed our point of vulnerability. This means nobody would dare stage a military assault against our nation."
Kristol and Kagan aim for a single objective: more war. As Glenn Greenwald noted, "What they [Kristol and Kagan] seek — by their own acknowledgment — is a conflict with Iran and Syria, and they want to stay in Iraq because that is how that goal can be achieved."
It now remains to be seen whether this president, battered more mercilessly and with less justification than any other in living memory, and weakened politically by the enemies of his policy in the Middle East in general and Iraq in particular, will find it possible to take the only action that can stop Iran from following through on its evil intentions both toward us and toward Israel. As an American and as a Jew, I pray with all my heart that he will.
In a speech before the Naval Academy's graduating class May 25, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued pointed advice to the newly minted officers that they must respect the Constitution and not view the Congress and the media as their enemies. Gates's speech in Annapolis, however, deserves more serious consideration. That an American secretary of defense feels obliged to make such a pitch to the latest crop of professional naval officers has serious political implications.
June 1 is the 227th anniversary of the birth of Carl von Clausewitz, the influential Prussian military theorist and historian. Clausewitz is best known for writing in his book, On War, "War is not merely a political act, but also a real political instrument, a continuation of political commerce, a carrying out of the same by other means."
Over time and in different places, they have been known by a myriad of names. But their function is always the same. They protect, guide, plan, reward and punish. Their family name – and in the rarest of cases, their own accomplishments – give them the presumption of leadership in a wider sphere. We know them as the elites.
More than any other single person, Jerry Falwell was the embodiment and single most recognizable icon of the Religious Right. However, the association is even deeper than that. In many respects, Jerry Falwell was the heart and soul of the Religious Right, which is why many people hated him so much. They fully understood that without Jerry Falwell there was no Religious Right. And make no mistake about it: liberals hate the Religious Right.
The recent sharp rise in US gasoline prices and the accompanying hardship for millions of people underscore once again the consequences of an energy market dominated by a few giant corporations. The price increase has been attributed to limited refining capacity, which has generated a sharp rise in refinery profits while facilitating market manipulation.
Thirty years ago, Biggs Darklighter articulated perhaps the most uncompromisingly libertarian critique a government has faced on film.
The following 147 tips, broken down into ways you can improve your life through your job, around the house, in financial matters, in your goals and beliefs, in romance, in your social life, and through your health and diet, will lead you to a healthier, happier, greener, and better lifestyle.
=========================
