With donations to the Church from around the world almost doubling and pilgrims pouring into Rome in ever-greater numbers, Vatican watchers are beginning to reassess the 2-year-old pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI and noting a positive "Ratzinger effect". The unassuming and scholarly Benedict does not have the star appeal of John Paul II. It was increasingly clear that although Benedict lacked the showmanship and charisma of his predecessor, his "simple and direct" assertion of values struck a chord with believers.
This year's decreased surplus in the Holy See's finances is a reflection of the weakening dollar. The Holy See bank accounts in dollars for financial reasons, one of which is that fact that donations of the faithful from various parts of the world arrive in dollars, but its expenses are mostly in Euro.
(Zenit: Note on '06 financial statement)
There has always been discussion about what, precisely, Jesus meant by the expression "kingdom of God." For some it would be a purely interior kingdom consisting in a life conformed to the law of God; for others, on the contrary, it would be a social and political kingdom to be realized by man, even by struggle and revolution if necessary.
The Chaldean Church, the largest Christian group in Iraq, is in communion with the Pope. The Church in the East is the next biggest group. It derives from Christians who were not present at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, which agreed some important teaching about the nature of Jesus Christ. As a consequence, and through geographical isolation, divisions grew between the Church of the East and the Chaldeans. Only in 1994 did real hopes for reunion rise, with an agreed statement on Christology.
Puh-leaze!...
We live in a world filled with many gods. They come in all shapes and sizes and are really impossible to wrap our minds, and our hearts, around. That's where Jesus comes in. He was God with "skin on."
The German government has said it will grant subsidies for the production of a film starring Tom Cruise about a failed assassination plot against Hitler. The film has been the subject of great controversy because Cruise is a member of the Church of Scientology cult.
Revived threats of a 2-speed Europe need not be taken too seriously.
Following failed car bomb attacks at 2 UK airports leading to the arrest of Muslim suspects, Brussels is pooling ideas on how to tackle radical Islam and create a more tolerant "European" branch of the faith. The EU home affairs commissioner is set to pursue and further the idea of establishing a so-called "European Islam" or "Islam de l'Europe".
(LT op-ed: We must make Muslims loyal subjects again)
In an interview published Friday, the Polish Prime Minister has defended playing the WW2 card ahead of lasst month's EU summit, saying that the Poles have as much right as the Jews to mention the war.
German press...
On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee announced that Russia had won hosting rights for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The decision has proved less than popular. On Friday, German commentators vent their collective spleen.
Two months after a bungled presidential poll, Turkey is heading towards fresh parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Erdogan has given his conservative Islamic party a new image in an attempt to appeal to centrist voters. But his biggest threat is from the nationalists on the right.
Playing politics with religion is dangerous anywhere but nowhere more so than in the north Indian state of Punjab, homeland of the Sikhs.
Nigeria's restive Delta threatens to destabilise the whole country.
It may be partly a consequence of the "terrorist" attacks of September 11, 2001, and the perceived rising external threat coming from fanatical Islamists, but it is undeniable that imperialism abroad and fascism at home are on the rise in 21st Century America. Technically, there is still a fair amount of personal liberty and freedom in the US for the average person, but this could change at the drop of a hat, or more likely, at the stroke of a pen. All the necessary apparatus has been set into place to suspend liberties and freedoms and impose a fascist-like regime upon the American people when the pretext presents itself.
Some ideas for improving Britain's governance are better than none.
Private equity has come in for much political criticism, but its more serious problems are financial.
Men with a lot of testosterone make curious economic choices.
The early followers of the Prophet owed their astounding success in spreading the faith to intelligence and restraint as well as to zeal.
From the origins of agriculture about 11,000 years ago to the spread of Big Macs and Chinese restaurants around the world today, the story of food is also one of globalisation.
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