Cardinal Bertone says that the secret to Benedict XVI's popularity is his character, because he is a man of God who loves, and who speaks from the heart. "I have never seen him perturbed in meetings in the Vatican, when he may have had reason to be. He is very kind."
To understand the recent document on the nature of the Church by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one must harmonize apparently contradictory concepts, says Bishop Farrell. He noted that the media presentation of the document has not been complete. "As often happens, theological complexity gets lost in the way the story unfolds, especially in the media. There is not just one, but a number of affirmations in this document, and they must all be taken together."
Pope Benedict XVI may be about to appoint women to some of the Vatican's top posts, a leading cardinal suggested. "Everybody knows we are discussing new appointments at the Vatican. I certainly think some of these will be taken by women." He singled out women's charisma, potential and sense of responsibility as qualities that could help them 'render great services' to the pope and the Church.
The Vatican city-state now has its own web site, to compliment the busy site maintained by the Holy See. The new web site provides general information about the history, structure, and government of Vatican City, and links to some of the departments of greatest interest to visitors.
Parallels with Bush?...
It has long intrigued me why the German people supported Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. What we often forget is that many Germans did not support Hitler and the Nazis at the start of the 1930s. Keep in mind that in the 1932 presidential election, Hitler received only 30.1% of the national vote. In the subsequent run-off election, he received only 36.8% of the vote.
A controversial far right-wing Polish member of the European Parliament has compared Chancellor Merkel to Adolf Hitler, Poland's Zycie Warszawy daily reported Wednesday. "Hitler wanted to create a superpower in Europe - Angela Merkel is acting the same, but she is far more clever. She gives way on superficial matters, but really she is making sure Germany has the strongest position in Europe."
Germany is seeking "golden shares" for Berlin and Paris in European aerospace giant EADS. The shares would essentially give the countries veto power on any major decisions facing EADS or its crucial Airbus subsidiary.
The European Central Bank on Wednesday flatly rejected as "unacceptable" new French attempts to secure greater political influence over monetary policy. France did not give ground, however, and suggested that other countries suffering from the strong euro would come around to its view. In a rare riposte to a specific statement from a politician, the ECB president emphasized "with gravity" that "any attempt to seek to influence the ECB in the performance of its tasks" was a violation of the bank's founding documents. "Therefore such declarations are unacceptable."
With nearly 3 weeks left to go of his first 100 days, the honeymoon of President Sarkozy has been more like a whirlwind. The time when the Franco-German axis was sufficient to lead the Europe of which they were the two dominant economies is over. A credible Europe needs solid British commitment as well, together with EU solidarity where it matters most, on energy policy and the independence of its central bank. France and Europe may yet pay a stiff price for Sarkozy's flamboyant economic nationalism.
Members of the UN Security Council - minus Russia - have submitted for an unlikely vote the latest Western draft resolution aimed at putting Serbia's province of Kosovo on an independence track. Ambassador Churkin of Russia said of the 3rd American and European-sponsored draft, "Almost the entire text and maybe particularly the annexes are permeated with the concept of the independence of Kosovo."
The US warned Russia against blocking a UN Security Council resolution on the future of Kosovo. The US Ambassador at the UN said in case of failure the process could lead the Security Council losing control of the process. He told reporters that Russia would be responsible for blocking the draft resolution and warned of the consequences.
RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept 2 Russian strategic bombers heading for British airspace yesterday, as the spirit of the Cold War returned to the North Atlantic once again. Russian military aircraft based near the northern port city of Murmansk fly patrols off the Norwegian coast regularly, but the RAF said that it was highly unusual for them to stray as far south as Scotland. The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served as a telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. (But) there was no evidence to suggest that the incident was connected with the diplomatic row over the extradition of Andrei Lugovoy, the main suspect in the murder of Litvinenko.
Influential political forces on both sides of the Atlantic appear intent on starting a debate about whether or not to "contain" Russia. The mere posing of the question suggests that for some almost nothing has changed since the Cold War. What is a return to containment meant to achieve at a time when Russia has abandoned ideology and imperial aspirations in favor of pragmatism and common sense? What is the purpose of containing a country that is successfully developing and thereby naturally strengthening its international position? What is the point of containing a country that aspires to things as basic as international trade?
President Bush hopes to convene an international conference next autumn to pave the way forward for the stalled Middle East peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. That Bush has turned his attention to the Arab-Israeli dispute is a positive development. The down side of this latest initiative, however, is the timing chosen by the American president.
Arab newspapers Wednesday gave mixed reactions to President Bush's proposal for an international conference for peace in the Middle East.
An ambush of a military convoy that killed 17 troops near the Afghan border Wednesday pushed the death toll in a series of attacks to at least 101 Pakistanis in the past 5 days — and brought President Musharraf to a "Moment of Truth." The Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf rein in militants linked to al Qaida, on Wednesday threatened to launch attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit.
It's not the water...
A huge underground lake has been found in Sudan's Darfur region, scientists say, which they believe could help end the conflict in the arid region. A team used radar data to find the ancient lake, which was the size of Lake Erie in North America - the 10th largest lake in the world.
It's the oil...
The strategic behaviour of international oil companies in war-torn Sudan was overwhelmingly driven by political pressures from governments. After almost 20 years of operating in Sudan, the American giant Chevron was pushed to withdraw due to deteriorating relations between Washington and Khartoum. On the other hand, the European junior oil companies, Lundin and OMV, protected by the EU's political standpoint of "constructive engagement" in Sudan, were free to profit. Finally, the eastern parastatals, led by a surging China, eager to capture international energy resources to fuel their budding economies and supported by the plural relationships fostered between their respective governments and the ruling, riverine-elite in Khartoum, tactfully established a dominating presence. While fervent international human rights advocacy alone seemingly drove susceptible western firms out of Sudan, the real power behind corporate movements came from the rules dictated by states.
Tehran is resolved to keep a high profile on the international economic scene and welcomes any initiative which boosts its role in global business.
President Ahmadinejad arrived in Damascus today and was welcomed by the Syrian Foreign Minister. Syrian President al-Assad is to officially welcome his Iranian counterpart within hours. They will discuss issues of mutual interest, including ways to expand mutual cooperation as well as bilateral, regional and international issues.
Paranoid Protestants Preaching Poop...
Thousands of members of Christians United for Israel headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to lobby Congress on behalf of the Jewish state. The group's founder, John Hagee, declared, "We support Israel because we are Bible-believing Christians," and said the world needs to see that "the sleeping giant of Christian Zionism has awakened." Hagee continued to warn against Iranian President Ahmadinejad, calling him the new Hitler, saying the Iranian president will use a nuclear bomb to destroy Israel the first chance he gets. Ahmandinejad must be stopped, Hagee said, calling on the US to attack Iran immediately.
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Tuesday that he received the tacit blessing of Europe and the US for an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. "If we start military operations against Iran alone, then Europe and the US will support us," Lieberman told Army Radio following a meeting earlier in the week with NATO and EU officials. The message Lieberman said the NATO and EU officials conveyed to him is that Israel should "prevent the threat herself."
Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday that Israel would put the final touches on its preparations to counter Iran's nuclear threat in the near future. "I hope that soon we will be prepared for all the possibilities and developments … the State of Israel has to take into account that it will have to deal alone with the same threat."
As the US and its UN allies plan to push for stiffer economic sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear program, an Iran sanctions bill making its way through Congress includes several key measures that may threaten US diplomacy towards Tehran and split key allies on the issue, including Russia.
Even with its strength as one of the world's largest oil producers, Iran is dependent on foreign energy and is taking stiff measures to rectify the situation. "Oil is both Iran's strategic strong point and its strategic weak point. It has given the state an unrivaled ability for maneuvering in both the domestic and the global spheres. But because of the same reasons, if the present structural distortions are not corrected, it can pose major security problems for the government."
On Tuesday, the director of national intelligence released a report with the politically helpful title of "The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland." The president's homeland security adviser held a news conference to trumpet its findings. The message, as always: Be very afraid. And don't question the president. If the report is given an honest reading, it is a powerful rebuke to President Bush's approach to the war on terror. It vindicates those who say that the Iraq war is a distraction from the real fight against terrorism. The administration, however, seized on the report and, through bald political timing, tried to use it to dampen calls for an end to Bush's catastrophic war. That required some particularly twisted logic.
A new National Intelligence Estimate, a report that synthesizes the findings of Washington's 16 separate spy agencies, warns that the US faces a "heightened threat environment" for terrorist attacks. The Bush administration's release of the report strongly suggests that the US government is seeking to justify new military interventions in both Pakistan and Iran, as well as stepped up domestic surveillance and other forms of state repression at home.
A flood of Biblical proportions swept away the hills which once joined England to France and created the British Isles, according to explosive new research which reshapes the geological history of Britain. While it had previously been thought that the English Channel was formed by slow erosion combined with rising sea levels, academics now believe it was created in weeks or months as a result of a cataclysmic flood.
Oil resumed its march towards record highs, climbing above $77 a barrel today after a surprise drop in gasoline stocks in the US and heightened supply concerns in Africa.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of US banking giant JP Morgan Chase, talks about why 7-figure salaries are justified, the dangers that hedge funds and private equity firms pose to financial markets and the reasons why he might want to acquire a bank in Europe.
Yes and no...
Israeli bookstores participating in the synchronised global launch of the new Harry Potter book may find themselves facing stiff fines after the country's ultra-Orthodox minister of trade and industry threatened to sue any shop opening on the Jewish Sabbath. The special launch is due to take place at 2:01 on Saturday morning, right in the middle of the Jewish Shabbat, or day of rest, which starts at sundown on Friday and lasts until Saturday evening.
[WAR: Yes, stop Harry Potter. And yes, it's on the "Jewish Sabbath." But no, it's not the Sabbath DAY of Scripture - Yahweh's Sabbath, and the one that Yahshua is lord of. Even the Jewish Encylopedia admits: "In the Bible, the season of light (Gen. i. 5), lasting "from dawn [lit. "the rising of the morning"] to the coming forth of the stars" (Neh. iv. 15, 17)." and "According to the strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, every day begins with sunrise and ends with sunset...".]
The national Antiquities Department in Iraq has announced plans for the renovation and restoration of an ancient synagogue in al-Qoush, a short drive north of Mosul and the location of the purported tomb of the biblical prophet Nahum. Nahum, one of the Bible's minor prophets, is venerated by all faiths and sects in Iraq, including Muslim Shiites and Sunnis, according to the government agency.
Six miles from the nearest road, in the vast Siberian wilderness, a bearded man in flowing white linen robes sat at his kitchen table and talked about his crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate 2,000 years ago. In a voice barely louder than the rain falling on the mountaintop home his followers have built for him, Sergei Torop said it was painful to remember the end of his last life, in which he says he walked the Earth as Jesus Christ. Torop, 46, is a former Siberian traffic cop who is now spiritual leader of at least 5,000 devoted followers.
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