At the reopening of the Bronze Door of the Apostolic Palace today, Pope Benedict had a message for the world. "The house of the Pope is open to everyone," he said. The Pope also said that he hopes that those "who enter through the Bronze Door may feel ... they are welcomed by the Pope's embrace." He The Pope made his remarks as he inaugurated the "Portone di Bronzo" (Bronze Door), the principal entrance to the Vatican Apostolic Palace which is returning to service following almost two years of restoration work.
The Catholic-Orthodox panel that met to discuss the sacramental nature of the Church approved a joint document, but their meeting was marked by the withdrawal of the Moscow patriarchate from the discussions. The week long 10th plenary assembly of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox ended Sunday. The group studied the "ecclesiological and canonical consequences of the sacramental nature of the Church - conciliarity and synodality in the Church" and agreed upon a joint document.
Don't blame 'em...
Economic experts in Berlin are preparing measures that would allow the government to intervene should foreign investors try to buy up strategically important German firms. Politicians insist the new rules are not protectionist.
Chancellor Merkel, who met President Putin for talks in Germany on Monday, has described the relationship between their countries as a "strategic partnership." But German papers wonder how she can balance her chilly criticism of Moscow with the need for international cooperation.
With only 3 days until EU leaders meet in Lisbon to adopt a new EU treaty, a number of issues are continuing to cloud the horizon. Poland, Italy, Austria and Bulgaria are topping the list of trouble-makers, with Warsaw seeking to formalise its voting compromise in the new treaty.
Germany proposed on Monday what it called an "action plan" for fostering Middle East peace with new steps to bolster the Palestinian economy, security forces and state institutions. The foreign minister told counterparts meeting in Brussels there was no need to await the outcome of a US-hosted conference on the Middle East next month and added he had already informed Condoleezza Rice of the proposal.
Prime Minister Olmert hinted yesterday that he might be willing to split Jerusalem, by questioning for the first time whether certain Palestinian neighbourhoods needed to be part of what Israel officially sees as its undivided capital. Even if his remarks presage an agreement to divide Jerusalem – if and when a final peace deal is made – there remain formidable obstacles in the negotiations.
An IDF operation to destroy the terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is inevitable, Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Condoleezza Rice Monday. He told Rice Israel needed an operation modeled after Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank in the spring of 2002. He outlined his plan for exchanges of territory and populations with the Palestinians and warned Rice against pressuring Prime Minister Olmert to take steps that would cause the downfall of his government. He emphasized the decision of the Israel Beiteinu central committee last week to view dividing the holy basin of Jerusalem as a red line for the party remaining in the coalition. Shas leader Eli Yishai also warned Rice on Sunday that dividing Jerusalem would lead to the government's downfall.
While the world holds its breath in anticipation of the Mideast Summit in Annapolis, the Israeli right wing comes up with a new peace initiative. It's important to monitor the Israeli far Right. The settlers' ideology is usually shared by the Israeli military, and the military is the central political agent in Israel, much more important than any short-lived government or prime minister. This is why plans, demands, and suggestions of the Israeli far Right, no matter how lunatic they sound when launched, are often the best prediction for future reality.
The Israeli and pro-Israel Right, then – people like Benny Elon and the settlers, his allies among evangelical Christians, and probably also far-right Israeli leaders in disguise (Ehud Barak?) – have not abandoned their intention to ethnically cleanse the Land of Israel of its "Gentile" inhabitants. They keep pushing these genocidal ideas in ever changing but quite transparent robes.
Iran will join a Russian-proposed joint naval task force in the Caspian region only after the legal status of the Caspian Sea has been determined, an Iranian analyst said on Monday.
President Putin met his Iranian counterpart Tuesday and implicitly warned the US not to use a former Soviet republic to stage an attack on Iran. At a summit of the 5 nations that border the inland Caspian Sea, Putin said none of the nations' territory should be used by any outside countries for use of military force against any nation in the region. It was a clear reference to long-standing rumors that the US was planning to use Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, as a staging ground for any possible military action against Iran.
Putin, whose trip to Tehran is the first by a Kremlin leader since WW2, warned that energy pipeline projects crossing the Caspian could only be implemented if all 5 nations that border the Caspian support them. Putin did not name any specific country, but his statement underlined Moscow's strong opposition to US-backed efforts to build pipelines to deliver hydrocarbons to the West bypassing Russia. The legal status of the Caspian - believed to contain the world's 3rd-largest energy reserves - has been in limbo since the 1991 Soviet collapse, leading to tension and conflicting claims to seabed oil deposits.
Russian Intelligence Analysts are reporting that American War Leaders have "suicided" one of their top Air Force Officials Charles D. Riechers, as the rift growing between the US War Leaders and their Top Military Officers over a nuclear attack on Iran appears to be nearing open warfare. These reports to the Kremlin, however, state that Riechers' "suicide" was, most likely, due to his involvement in the Neocon plot to secret US nuclear missiles outside of the control of the US Air Force to be used for an attack upon Iran. So concerned with the American military calling their own War Leaders "out of control", President Putin has ordered Russia's Strategic Nuclear Bombers on "full alert" and ordered them to begin World-Wide "exercises" for the rest of the month of October.
In an interview with Spiegel Online, an Amsterdam-based military historian talks about the prospect of war with Iran and argues that many in the US military now view the White House as being "out of control."
It's a good bet that when future historians examine the Bush administration, they will spend more time plumbing the mysteries of Vice President Dick Cheney than anyone else. This is, quite simply, because Cheney is the most fascinating figure in it. He is the soul of this administration's relentless pursuit of greater executive power. He is its architect and commander. George Bush became a willing participant when apprised of the effort. "The strange thing about this administration is all of the most crucial decisions seem to be taking place in the vice president's office, or even the vice president's counsel's office."
Retired school teacher Kathleen Casey-Kirschling on Monday became the first ripple in a "silver tsunami" of retiring baby boomers applying for pension benefits that threatens to overwhelm US government finances.
World oil prices hurtled to fresh record highs today, striking close to $88 in New York amid fears over tensions between Turkey and Kurdish rebels in crude producer Iraq. New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, surged to an historic $87.97 in late morning deals. London's Brent North Sea crude for November delivery soared to a fresh all-time high of $84.31. Prices also jumped on worries over stretched global energy supplies, particularly during the forthcoming northern hemisphere winter, when demand for heating fuel hits a peak.
Two prominent economic experts have warned that "insiders with conflicts of interest" allied to the Fed's policy of tanking the dollar to bail out Wall Street could lead to a repeat of the economic crash of 1929. "I think there are three big parallels between what happened in the 20's and what has been happening in Wall Street lately."
=========================
