The superior general of the Lefebvrites said Benedict XVI's Motu Propio allowing universal use of the Missal of 1962 as an extraordinary form of celebrating the Mass "is not a step, it's a leap" of historic proportions. "This is a truly historic day. We desire to express our profound gratitude to Benedict XVI. His document is a gift of Grace. It's not a step; it's a leap in the right direction."
The president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity calls the document on the nature of the Church, published by the doctrinal congregation, an "invitation to dialogue." "An attentive reading of the text shows that the document does not say that Protestant churches are not churches, but that they are not churches in the proper sense, that is, they are not churches in the sense in which the Catholic Church defines Church."
The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission formed by representatives of the Holy See and Israel met to continue progress on the "economic agreement." Vatican Radio reported that the delegations worked in a constructive climate and hope to rapidly conclude negotiations.
An acrimonious race to lead Bavaria's dominant Christian Social Union heated up Thursday with an announcement that a woman who was key to the incumbent's downfall is entering the contest. Whoever wins the party leadership likely will be an influential figure in the left-right "grand coalition" in Berlin, but will not take the Bavarian governorship. That job is set to go to state Interior Minister Guenther Beckstein, a law-and-order hawk. Edmund Stoiber, Bavaria's governor for 14 years and a prominent figure on the national stage, is giving up both the governorship and the leadership of the conservative CSU this fall.
German integration summit...
In advance of Chanceller Merkel's integration summit in Berlin on Thursday, 2 prominent German-Turkish women spoke to Spiegel Online about their very different views on the successes and problems within Germany's Turkish community - and the role of Islam in integration.
Having now seen the headlines, Mr Barroso, the President of the European Commission, must be regretting his careless remarks about the EU being an empire. His rationale is therefore something of a mystery; more importantly it is a worrying mystery. So please let us drop this talk of empire. The EU is a partnership of member states that have joined together the better to achieve important strategic objectives.
Recently, Western statements on Kosovo have acquired an almost panicky sense of urgency. Breaking off part of Serbia without its consent will violate its territorial integrity, thereby creating a very dangerous precedent.
Russia attacked the latest UN draft resolution on the future of the province of Kosovo, saying it amounted to the same old Western-backed plan for independence dressed up in new language.
"I think the president's going to have to take military action there over the next few weeks or months. ... Bush has to disrupt that sanctuary. I think, frankly, we won't even tell Musharraf. We'll do what we have to do in Western Pakistan and Musharraf can say, 'Hey, they didn't tell me.'"
China has been hit by the worst flooding it has seen in many years. More than 60 million people have been affected across its southern and central regions, and at least 360 have died. Direct economic losses are estimated at 7.4 billion yuan. More than 200,000 houses have been destroyed or damaged, whilst over 1.8 million hectares of farmland have been affected and 528,000 destroyed. At the same time China's deserts, which already cover a fifth of the country, are expanding fuelling sandstorms whose effects are felt as far as Japan
The account of the clashes around Songa village illustrates part of an increasingly upside-down security picture in Darfur. With some janjaweed now fighting alongside rebels they once tried to kill - and with the rebels riven by disputes and attacking peacekeepers and aid workers - this is hardly the same conflict of 4 years ago. As desperate as life has become in Darfur, the new complications could make things worse.
Iran has agreed to let inspectors visit this month a nuclear reactor being built which could produce plutonium, the IAEA has said.
The US's increasingly strident threats to enforce sanctions against companies doing business with Iran are having limited success. Smaller European companies, in particular, are emerging as impediments to the US drive to cut off Iran economically.
Yes...
Gulf War III – involving, at a minimum, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon – is about to break out, and no one seems willing to stand against it. Indeed, the third Gulf War has already begun, and all that remains is for the aerial phase of it to commence. The presence of 3 US carriers in the Gulf is a prelude to a much larger operation, and, as if on cue, accusations of Iranian interference in Iraq have escalated.
The Thursday morning press conference by President Bush demonstrated the unbridgeable gulf between the Washington political and media elite, who reflect the interests of the US financial aristocracy, and the vast majority of working people, who are increasingly opposed to the war in Iraq and the administration that perpetrated it. Even by the standards of a Bush press conference, the president's performance was remarkable for its preposterous and lying distortion of the reality in Iraq.
President Bush struck an aggressive new tone in his clash with Congress over Iraq, telling lawmakers they had no business trying to manage the war, portraying the conflict as a showdown with Al Qaeda and warning that moving toward withdrawal now would risk "mass killings on a horrific scale." Hours later, the Democratic-controlled House responded by voting almost totally along party lines to require that the US withdraw most combat troops from Iraq by April 1.
(LX: Political cartoon)
Cindy Sheehan says there's a "distinct possibility" that America will be hit with another staged terror attack that will allow Bush to enact the martial law provisions he recently signed into law. "Does anybody think that [Bush's] recent presidential decision directive wasn't for declaring martial law and suspending elections - that's why they have to be stopped."
(WND: Bush is bad to the bone)
In America these days democracy is living down to its reputation, producing sticking-plaster solutions to epochal challenges, indulging the worst populist instincts of its voters, throwing up demagogic leaders unworthy of the job and rejecting those of true courage.
Gordon Brown's Government took another tentative step to distance itself from President Bush yesterday, as one of the Prime Minister's chief lieutenants delivered a series of coded criticisms of American foreign policy.
(Reuters: Brown denies shift away from US)
The price of oil jumped to an 11-month high yesterday, moving even closer to record levels hit last summer as fears mounted over shortages in supply. Speculation in the world's most actively traded commodity, rapidly rising demand and reports that production would slow over the next 5 years pushed Brent crude up to $77.07 briefly during early-afternoon trading.
Euro-economy in danger?...
The euro just keeps setting records this week and went above $1.38 on Thursday. Politicians in Europe have said there's nothing to worry about, but German industry isn't so sure.
Disregard all hysteria. The ailing Greenback will not collapse this year, not in 10 years, not in 20 years, not in half a century. There is no credible currency against which it can collapse. (Unless you count gold). None of the world's rival power blocs have the economic and demographic depth to challenge American dominance.
Europe's ancient nations have reverted to type, as they were always bound to do. The elapse of a decade has allowed this to go beyond the point of no return. The screams coming from southern Europe will be too loud to ignore. Worth noting that Goldman Sachs has begun to recommending "shorting" Italian and French bonds, expecting them to diverge further from German Bunds. This is exactly how the unravelling begins.
As investors range far afield in search of places to put their money, hedge funds have expanded investments beyond stocks and bonds into art, wine, rare stamps and even soccer players.
[WAR: I thought exotic assets was what one would see on a Brazilian beach.]
Get an in-depth pollution report for your county, covering air, water, chemicals, and more.
While the old saw says that it is easier to forgive than to forget, new research reveals that the latter may still be possible, even for very emotional memories.
The weakness of modern religion is its obsession with sin, G.K. Chesterton once observed. "A modern morality," he wrote, "can only point with absolute conviction to the horrors that follow breaches of the law." And so it has been with the religious conservatives who have overwhelmed the latter-day Republican Party. But there is a striking change in the 2008 Republican presidential field. "I'm a 'grace' Christian," Huckabee told me over lunch recently, "not a 'law' Christian."
Virtually every religion throughout human history has some notion of a horrible life after death. And though the threat of fire and brimstone is not preached as fervently in this age of reason, one man in Tulsa, Okla., knows just how hard it is for modern believers - and their religious institutions - to let go of the medieval vision of hell. He knows firsthand that when it comes to filling pews, hell sells. And when he stopped believing in it, he lost an evangelical empire built over a lifetime. (Watch the story on "Hell: Our Fear and Fascination" Friday on "20/20" at 10 p.m. EDT)
Today in Scripture
* ToDAY is the 40th DAY of rain during Noah's flood (so toNIGHT will be the 40th night) - from the 17th day of the 2nd month to the 27 day of the 3rd month (w/the 2nd month having 29 days). (Genesis 7:11-23)
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