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Peter the Roman conspiracy

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March 27, 2024, 12:55:24 pm Mark says: Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked  When Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida began a speech marking the 100th day of the war in Gaza, one confounding yet eye-opening proclamation escaped the headlines. Listing the motives for the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, he accused Jews of "bringing red cows" to the Holy Land.
December 31, 2022, 10:08:58 am NilsFor1611 says: blessings
August 08, 2018, 02:38:10 am suzytr says: Hello, any good churches in the Sacto, CA area, also looking in Reno NV, thanks in advance and God Bless you Smiley
January 29, 2018, 01:21:57 am Christian40 says: It will be interesting to see what happens this year Israel being 70 years as a modern nation may 14 2018
October 17, 2017, 01:25:20 am Christian40 says: It is good to type Mark is here again!  Smiley
October 16, 2017, 03:28:18 am Christian40 says: anyone else thinking that time is accelerating now? it seems im doing days in shorter time now is time being affected in some way?
September 24, 2017, 10:45:16 pm Psalm 51:17 says: The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”
September 20, 2017, 04:32:32 am Christian40 says: "The most popular Hepatitis B vaccine is nothing short of a witch’s brew including aluminum, formaldehyde, yeast, amino acids, and soy. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that destroys cellular metabolism and function. Hundreds of studies link to the ravaging effects of aluminum. The other proteins and formaldehyde serve to activate the immune system and open up the blood-brain barrier. This is NOT a good thing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-08-11-new-fda-approved-hepatitis-b-vaccine-found-to-increase-heart-attack-risk-by-700.html
September 19, 2017, 03:59:21 am Christian40 says: bbc international did a video about there street preaching they are good witnesses
September 14, 2017, 08:06:04 am Psalm 51:17 says: bro Mark Hunter on YT has some good, edifying stuff too.
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« Reply #420 on: January 29, 2014, 08:42:44 am »

Pope Francis: Rolling Stone's new rockstar

There's just no stopping the people's Pope. After appearing on the cover of Time's magazine, he has now invaded the space usually reserved for rock and movie stars - the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

The magazine has given the 'rockstar' treatment to the story as well, headlining it 'Pope Francis: The Times They Are A-Changin' in a nod to Bob Dylan's iconic track.

The Pope has done a lot to deserve it too. Since March when he was elevated to the post, he has ensured that attendance to papal events has tripled to 6.6 million.

The 77-year-old Argentine pontiff is renowned for throwing off his security and plunging into the crowds to greet pilgrims, and often uses jokes or stories to spread the values of the Church.

The Pope is a keen Twitter user himself, regularly posting tweets on his own feeds in nine languages, which boast more than 10 million followers in total.

He also offered some clickable moments which left the people on social media asking for more - sporting a red clown nose to the indulgent treatment of a young boy who climbed onto the dais and then Pope's chair while he was delivering a sermon.

The magazine says, "By eschewing the papal palace for a modest two-room apartment, by publicly scolding church leaders for being "obsessed" with divisive social issues like gay marriage, birth control and abortion ("Who am I to judge?" Francis famously replied when asked his views on homosexual priests)… the Pope revealed his own obsessions to be more in line with the boss' son."

The latest is graffiti in Vatican by an anonymous artist which portrays Francis as a superman, flying through the air with his white cape billowing out behind him. Speeding forwards with his fist raised, the heroic pontiff -- crucifix swinging in the wind -- carries his trademark black bag, with the word "values" written across it, in Spanish.



http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tabloid/pope-francis-the-new-rockstar/article1-1177817.aspx
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« Reply #421 on: January 29, 2014, 12:00:29 pm »

http://the-trumpet-online.com/pope-francis-encourages-muslims-read-koran/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+the-trumpet-online%2FpHEN+%28The+Trumpet+Online%29
Pope Francis encourages Muslims to read the Koran and share the Islamic faith with others
1/22/14

“The Pope asked young people to ’cause a stir’ on Church reform during the course of a closed-door meeting held today with youth from the parish of the Basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio, near Rome’s termini railway station. Francis went on a four-hour visit of the parish yesterday afternoon. During today’s meeting Francis confided that he also felt ‘suffering’ and invited those among them who were Christians who read the Bible and those of them who were Muslims and read the Koran to share their suffering and faith because there is one single God, one same God…

Francis then talked about the importance of sharing suffering: ‘It is important you do this when you meet. Those who are Christians with the Bible and those who are Muslims with the Koran, with the faith you have received from your fathers, a faith that will always help you move forward. Share your faith, because there is one single God, the same God.’”
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« Reply #422 on: January 29, 2014, 12:32:10 pm »

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Those who are Christians with the Bible and those who are Muslims with the Koran, with the faith you have received from your fathers, a faith that will always help you move forward. Share your faith, because there is one single God, the same God.’”

Obviously, these people are blind leaders of the blind, because here's an alleged Christian, encouraging people to continue spreading the lies of a false religion that WILL lead people into damnation. He literally is telling people to worship other gods, under the lie it's all the same god.

THAT people is the Catholic Cult for ya!
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« Reply #423 on: January 31, 2014, 08:49:09 am »

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-replaces-cardinal-head-vatican-financial-authority-154120296--sector.html;_ylt=A0SO8zJWtutSUz8AQtlXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzYWJhZXB2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDMyMl8x
Pope replaces cardinal at head of Vatican financial authority
1/30/14

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday replaced a cardinal who played a senior role in Vatican finances for more than a decade, in his latest move to clear out the old financial guard associated with his predecessor.

The Vatican said the pope had accepted the resignation of Cardinal Atillio Nicora as president of the Vatican's Financial Information Authority (AIF), its internal regulatory watchdog.

Nicora, 76, held high-level roles in Vatican finances since 2002. He was replaced by Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, 66, who has a track record of reform within the Vatican bureaucracy.

The move, which follows the replacement of four cardinals connected to the Vatican bank on January 15, came as Francis is approaching the first anniversary of a pontificate marked by austerity and sobriety.

With Thursday's move, he has made a nearly total break with the clerical financial establishment he inherited from his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who resigned last year.

From 2002 to 2011, Nicora served as head of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), which manages the city-state's real estate holdings and financial and stock portfolios and also acts as a purchasing and human resources department.

Between 2007 and 2013 he was also on a commission of cardinals that oversaw the troubled Vatican bank, which is now undergoing a process of reform to make it conform to international standards of transparency and against money laundering.

A 2012 report by Moneyval, a monitoring committee of the Council of Europe, expressed concern that there were people with roles both at AIF, whose mandate includes regulating the bank, and at the bank itself.

OLD GUARD

Nicora left the bank supervisory role last year but kept his role at AIF until Thursday.

AIF will have a pivotal role in cleaning up Vatican finances in the coming months as Francis' reforms are expected to intensify. It will be carrying out an on-site investigation of the bank soon at the request of Moneyval.

A Vatican source said it would have been awkward for Nicora to have any role in investigating departments in which he once held senior positions.

He said Nicora was part of the old guard who had to be moved aside because of his past association with both the bank and APSA during one of the most turbulent periods for Vatican finances.

Nicora was on the cardinals supervisory committee of the bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), in 2012 when the IOR's then president, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, was fired by the non-clergy board of the bank.

The board said he was a bad manager but Gotti Tedeschi said he was sacked because he wanted the bank to be more transparent.

APSA, the other department Nicora headed for years, is now being investigated by the Promontory Financial Group, an outside company.

Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a prelate who worked at APSA for 22 years as an accountant and is now under arrest on charges of money smuggling and money laundering, has told Italian magistrates that APSA operated as a parallel bank.

Scarano said outsiders were allowed to have accounts at APSA even though it is against its regulations.
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« Reply #424 on: January 31, 2014, 01:28:38 pm »

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...make it conform to international standards of transparency and against money laundering...

How about applying the same mandates of "transparency" to the Vatican Archives? Like that will ever happen!  Roll Eyes
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« Reply #425 on: February 01, 2014, 09:31:23 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-39-really-impressed-39-pope-39-message-150833433.html
Obama 'really impressed' with Pope's message of equality
1/31/14

Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama expressed strong admiration of Pope Francis for promoting "a true sense of brotherhood and sisterhood and regard for those who are less fortunate," in an interview aired Friday.

"I have been really impressed so far with the way he's communicated what I think is the essence of the Christian faith," Obama told CNN of the pontiff who has refashioned the image of the Roman Catholic Church since his installation last year.

The US president, who will visit the Vatican in March, said he didn't believe Francis was acting out of a desire to gain widespread approval.

Rather, "I think he is very much reflecting on his faith and what he needs to do to make sure that folks -- not just of the Catholic faith but people all around the world -- are living out a message that he thinks is consistent with the lessons of Jesus Christ," Obama said.

"That's a meeting I'm looking forward to," he added of the planned March 27 sit-down.

Obama has made rising inequality and the struggles of America's middle classes the signature domestic issue of his second term.

In a speech in December, Obama praised an argument advanced by Pope Francis, the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, on rising inequality in societies split between the very poor and the super rich.

"How could it be, he wrote, that it's not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

Pope Francis argued in the exhortation, that such conflicted values marked a "case of exclusion" in an unequal society.

And in October, the president told CNBC that he was "hugely impressed" with the pope's humility and empathy to the poor.

Obama was last in Vatican City in 2009, when he met Pope Benedict.
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« Reply #426 on: February 06, 2014, 03:37:44 pm »

Video: Real-life Philomena asks Pope for forgiveness
http://news.yahoo.com/video/real-life-philomena-asks-pope-190954725.html

Eighty-year-old Philomena Lee, whose story was turned into the Academy Award-nominated "Philomena," asks Pope Francis for forgiveness. Gavino Garay reports.
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« Reply #427 on: February 09, 2014, 06:19:56 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/catholics-support-francis-many-split-teachings-poll-134201090.html

Catholics support Francis, but many split on teachings: poll
2/9/14

Washington (AFP) - Catholics believe Pope Francis is doing a good job, but many disagree with Church doctrine on hot-button issues, especially contraceptives, according to a global poll out on Sunday.

The survey by the US-based Spanish-language network Univision of Catholics in 12 countries found that those most likely to support Church teachings are married men and women 55 years and older who attend mass frequently and live in rural areas.

For the rest, opinions on issues such as gay marriage, abortion, divorce and female priests vary by region, age, geographic location and income.

According to the poll, 87 percent of Catholics believe that Francis is doing a good or excellent job as his papacy reaches its first anniversary in March.

Yet 78 percent favor using contraceptives, a violation of Church doctrine.

On other issues there are marked regional differences: for example 80 percent of Catholics in Africa and 76 percent in the Philippines support the ban on female priests, but only 30 percent in Europe and 36 percent in the United States are in favor.

The most controversial subject is gay marriage: opposition to such unions is overwhelming in Africa at 99 percent, compared with 40 percent in the United States.

"On average, five percent more women, 18 percent more young people and 10 percent more upper and upper middle class members are in favor of gay marriage compared to their counterparts," the pollsters said.

Catholics in Spain -- which for centuries enforced Church doctrine through the Holy Inquisition -- are among the most liberal in the world, according to the survey, along with those in France.

Catholics in Africa and the Philippines are the most conservative, while those in Argentina and Brazil are mostly liberal.

The poll by Bendixen & Amandi International for Univision surveyed 12,036 Catholics in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Uganda and the United States.

The countries represent 61 percent of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, and pollsters say the survey has a 0.9 percent overall margin of error.

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« Reply #428 on: February 10, 2014, 03:51:59 am »

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Yet 78 percent favor using contraceptives, a violation of Church doctrine.

That's a misleading way of putting it. "Church" doctrine is that a person isn't suppose to go running around fornicating, so no need for contraception, right? The ONLY person you would be having sex with is your spouse. So why would parishioners want contraceptives in opposition to church doctrine? Because of the lusts of the flesh. Most of the people who identify as being Catholic, aren't even regular practicing Catholics. They grow up in a family that the common religion is Catholic, so they call themselves Catholic. Most I'd say aren't close to being Catholic even though they are counted as such.

Polls are useless unless your trying to project an agenda.

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The most controversial subject is gay marriage: opposition to such unions is overwhelming in Africa at 99 percent, compared with 40 percent in the United States.

THAT is a lie, when you consider that the MAJORITY of states have banned gay marriage.
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« Reply #429 on: February 10, 2014, 04:31:48 am »

Pope Coming To Israel As 'Che Guevera of Palestinians'

Reports from sources close to pope reveal his upcoming visit meant as PA propaganda, Elkin calls reports 'exaggerated.'


Pope Francis apparently plans to heed Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's calls, and use his upcoming visit to Israel in May as a propaganda move for the Palestine Authority (PA) against Israel, according to reports in Makor Rishon.

The revelation comes from Rabbi Sergio Bergman, a member of the Argentinian parliament and close friend of Pope Francis, who claimed the pope intends to define himself as the "Che Guevera of the Palestinians" and support their "struggle and rights."

In late December it was similarly noted that the pope will not host "mass" prayer services in Jerusalem during his trip, but instead in PA-controlled Bethlehem as a show of support. The move is slightly ironic, as most Christians have reportedly been driven out of the city by Muslims, while Abbas has claimed "Jesus was Palestinian."

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud Beytenu) spoke with Arutz Sheva about the subject, noting that the foreign ministry is preparing for the visit and keeping an eye on developments between representatives from the Vatican and the PA.

Elkin claims Rabbi Bergman's description is exaggerated, and that he doesn't anticipate the pope to reference communist revolutionary Che Guevera as a model, even as he stresses that all official visitors are asked to stay balanced and "not dance at two weddings."

"Our role is to ensure that there won't be an unusual gesture, and we have the tools to do so," remarked Elkin, noting that talks are ongoing with the Vatican, which understands Israel would oppose such statements.

Elkin further claims the Vatican has important interests that would prevent it from taking a blatantly anti-Israel stance as described by Rabbi Bergman, saying "they won't want to endanger those interests."

Last July, Elkin rejected reports that the foreign ministry was planning to sign an agreement transferring all or part of King David's Tomb, located on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, to the Vatican. Above the tomb is located a room in which the Catholic Church claims the "Last Supper" occurred.

Despite Elkin's assurances, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute, warned in late January that the pope's visit may be timed for exactly such a transfer of ownership to occur, referencing the 2008 agreement by the government to relinquish control of the historic Russian Compound buildings in Jerusalem to Russian control. The offices of the Agriculture Ministry and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel vacated the premises in 2011.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177110#.UviqDM6uESb
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« Reply #430 on: February 11, 2014, 05:51:11 am »

So THAT'S What Was Meant By "Peter The ROMAN" -- Pope Resurrects Latin For Masses

Pope Francis has resurrected Latin for the masses and made it en vogue, with over 209,000 following his tweets in what is a dead language. So popular are the papal tweets that the Pope now has more followers of his Latin account than his ones in Arabic, German and Polish. The previous Pope Benedict has taken the credit for having resurrected Latin for the masses before Pope Francis. However, the former faced a tough audience when he posted his first tweet. When he posted: Pope Francis Has Resurrected Latin for the Masses . Followers were baffled. For those who are interested, it means in so many words the Lord asks individuals to work together, by praying constantly and to always remain humble as one walks with Him.

http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/pope-francis-has-resurrected-latin-for-the-masses/
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« Reply #431 on: February 11, 2014, 06:01:33 am »

Queen to meet pope at Vatican in April

Queen Elizabeth II will meet Pope Francis for the first time when she visits Rome in April as a guest of the Italian president, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday. The queen and her husband Prince Philip will have an audience with the pope after attending a lunch hosted by President Giorgio Napolitano during the one-day visit on April 3.   

http://news.yahoo.com/queen-meet-pope-vatican-april-001757213.html;_ylt=A0SO8wHANvFSTRkAF_9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0M2JhNm9yBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDM2NF8x
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« Reply #432 on: February 11, 2014, 11:32:05 am »

Almost everyone now has a date set to meet the new Pope in the near future, it seems.
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« Reply #433 on: February 13, 2014, 10:29:59 pm »

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/02/13/rare-public-split-catholic-bishops-differ-sharply-anti-gay-laws/
2/13/14
In rare public split, Catholic bishops differ sharply on anti-gay laws

RNS) The Roman Catholic hierarchy has generally been viewed as a unified bloc in opposition to gay rights, but the emergence of especially punitive measures against gays in various countries has opened unusually stark and public fissures among bishops in different nations.

The divisions are also raising questions about whether Pope Francis, who has struck a charitable tone toward gays and lesbians, needs to take action.

The issue is especially pressing in Africa, where Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, recently adopted a harsh law that imposes a 14-year prison term for anyone entering into a same-sex relationship, as well as a 10-year sentence for anyone found to support gay clubs or meetings. Even public displays of affection by gays and lesbians is considered a crime.

Legislation imposing similarly repressive sanctions on gays has been proposed in Uganda, Cameroon and Tanzania.

In Nigeria the leader of the hierarchy fully supported that country’s new law, which prompted a wave of violence against gays when it passed.

In a January letter on behalf of the Catholic hierarchy of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos praised Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan for his “courageous and wise decision” in signing the legislation. Kaigama said it would protect Nigeria “against the conspiracy of the developed world to make our country and continent, the dumping ground for the promotion of all immoral practices.”

A few days later, however, a strongly worded editorial in the The Southern Cross, a newspaper run jointly by the bishops of South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland, took aim at the new law, calling on the Catholic Church in Africa “to stand with the powerless” and “sound the alarm at the advance throughout Africa of draconian legislation aimed at criminalizing homosexuals.”

The editorial decried the “deep-seated sense of homophobia” in Africa and said the church had too often been “silent, in some cases even quietly complicit” in the face of the new anti-gay measures. It also noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2358) explicitly states that gay people “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity” and that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided
.”

The differences are manifesting themselves elsewhere, as well.

For example, the Southern Cross editorial blasted as “astonishing” a claim last month by a retired Spanish bishop, Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, who said that homosexuality is a “defect” comparable to his own high blood pressure. Pope Francis is set to make Aguilar a cardinal later this month.

And in Poland, the hierarchy has launched a full-scale assault on what it calls the “ideology of gender,” a vague term it says is aimed at promoting homosexuality, among other things. The bishops’ campaign has prompted a strong backlash from many in the Polish church.

In India, on the other hand, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, the leader of Indian Catholicism and one of Pope Francis’ top advisers, last month came out strongly against a decision by the nation’s high court to reinstate a ban on gay sex, which includes penalties of 10 years to life in prison.

“The Catholic Church does not want homosexuals to be treated as criminals,” Gracias said, and cited the pope’s words when asked about his approach to gay people. “The church stand is, ‘Who am I to judge them?’ as the Holy Father has said.”

And this week in Ireland, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin reacted to concerns over anti-gay comments in the media by saying that “anybody who doesn’t show love towards gay and lesbian people is insulting God. They are not just homophobic if they do that — they are actually Godophobic because God loves every one of those people.”

Martin also lamented that church teaching can sometimes be used “in a homophobic way.”

What’s behind these high-level disagreements?

Church observers say part of it is a backlash against the new visibility of gay people in society and the corresponding push to grant them legal protections and rights they never had before.

But opposition to the legalization of some rights, such as gay marriage, has at times turned into support for criminalization, which Catholic teaching does not condone. In fact, during a 2009 debate over an earlier version of a Ugandan anti-gay bill, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI was “opposed to ‘unjust discrimination’ against gay men and lesbians,” a statement apparently aimed at the Ugandan bill.

Similarly, the new criminalization measures have brought calls for Pope Francis to go beyond his supportive comments about gays and lesbians and directly condemn anti-gay laws. The most popular effort is a Twitter campaign that goes by the hashtag #PopeSpeakOut. Church observers wonder whether the pope’s inclination to allow disputes to be settled locally may incline him to let the debate continue without his intervention.

The controversy over the anti-gay laws is most intense in Asia and especially Africa, where culture can trump theology when it comes to dealing with gay people, said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and columnist for National Catholic Reporter and author of “Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church.”

But Reese said regional political realities can play a key role, too: Church leaders who support anti-gay laws often come from countries with large Muslim populations that also tend to support measures against homosexuality. The bishops may not want to do anything that would inflame tensions between the communities.

I think they’re afraid of the Muslim reaction, and I think they’re afraid of the reaction of many of their own people,” Reese said.

On the other hand, Reese added, at least the bishops are facing criticism from within their own ranks — a benefit of the more free-wheeling style that Francis has brought to the papacy.

“This is progress,” he said. “In the old days, bishops wouldn’t criticize each other. Now we have the bishops talking to each other and some are saying, ‘No, this isn’t the direction the church ought to go.’”

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« Reply #434 on: February 22, 2014, 08:53:29 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/benedict-joins-francis-historic-1st-ceremony-121321864.html
2/22/14
Benedict joins Francis in historic 1st ceremony

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI joined Pope Francis at a ceremony Saturday creating the cardinals who will elect their successor in an unprecedented blending of papacies past, present and future.

Benedict discreetly entered St. Peter's Basilica from a side entrance surrounded by a small entourage and was greeted with applause and tears from the stunned people in the pews. He smiled, waved and seemed genuinely happy to be there, taking his seat in the front row, off to the side, alongside the red-draped cardinals.

It was the first time Benedict and Francis have appeared together at a public liturgical ceremony since Benedict retired a year ago and became the first pope to step down in more than 600 years.

The significance of his presence was multifold, signaling both continuity and even a sign of Benedict's approval of the 19 men Francis had chosen to join the College of Cardinals, the elite group of churchmen whose primary job is to elect a pope.

Francis' choices largely reflected his view that the church must minister to the peripheries and not be a closed institution of rules but rather a place of welcome and mercy. He named cardinals from some of the world's poorest countries, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast among them, tapping many pastors like him.

In a sign that Benedict still commands the honor and respect owed a pope, each of the 19 new cardinals — after receiving his red hat from Francis at the altar — went directly to Benedict's seat to greet him before then exchanging a sign of peace with the other cardinals.

Over the summer, Francis and Benedict appeared together in the Vatican gardens to unveil a statue, but Saturday's event marked one of the most important liturgical ceremonies a pope can preside over: the formal installation of new cardinals.

Saturday's ceremony was thus the latest step in the evolving reality of having two popes living side-by-side inside the Vatican: Benedict's presence marked the a new phase of reintegrating him back into the public life of the church after a period of being hidden away that began almost exactly a year ago with his Feb. 28, 2013 resignation.

After processing down the central aisle at the start of the service, Francis went directly to Benedict, clasped him by his shoulders and they embraced. Francis greeted him in the same way at the end of the service, and Benedict removed his white skullcap in a sign of respect as Francis approached.

The crowd erupted in polite applause when one of the new cardinals, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, greeted Benedict in his introductory remarks at the start of the service, saying "We are grateful for your presence here among us."

Benedict, dressed in his white cassock with a long double-breasted overcoat, again smiled and waved.

Some people reached out to try to touch Benedict as he passed by, others tried to approach him to take his photo but were restrained by ushers.

The occasion for this historic first was Francis' first cardinal-making ceremony to formally welcome 19 new "princes of the church" into the College of Cardinals.

He tapped like-minded cardinals from some of the world's smallest, most remote and impoverished nations: Two hail from Africa, two from Asia and six from Francis' native Latin America, which is home to nearly half the world's Catholics but is grossly underrepresented in the church's hierarchy.

There's Cardinal-designate Chibly Langlois, who isn't even an archbishop but rather the 55-year-old bishop of Les Cayes and now Haiti's first-ever cardinal. Another Caribbean cardinal, Kelvin Edward Felix, was for a quarter-century the archbishop of tiny Castries, St. Lucia, population 163,000.

The archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua, Leopoldo Jose Brenes Solorzano, is an old friend who worked alongside the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio in preparing the seminal document of the pope's vision of a missionary church — the so-called Aparecida Document produced by the 2007 summit of Latin American bishops. Nicaragua's second cardinal ever, Brenes has already made an impression at the Vatican with his unruly gray curls and the blue jeans he donned for the flight to Rome.

Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, archbishop of Seoul, South Korea, has serious Catholic chops: His ancestors were among the lay people who brought Christianity Churchianity to the Korean peninsula in the 19th century, and his great-great grandfather and his wife were executed as part of the Joseon Dynasty's persecution of Christians, the Asian Catholic news agency UCANews reported. Of the six children in his immediate family, three became priests.

Though he hails from Burkina Faso, Cardinal Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo sounded an awful lot like Francis in his 2013 Christmas homily. Nakellentuba denounced the "inequality, injustice, poverty and misery" of today's society where employers exploit their workers and the powerful few have most of the money while the poor masses suffer.

One cardinal sat out the ceremony even as he made history by living to see it: Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla, aged 98, became the oldest member of the College of Cardinals, but due to his age couldn't make the trip from northern Italy. His was a sentimental choice for Francis: For over a decade, Capovilla was the private secretary to Pope John XXIII, whom Francis will make a saint alongside Pope John Paul II in a sign of his admiration for the pope who convened the Second Vatican Council.

Capovilla, Felix and the emeritus archbishop of Pamplona, Spain are all over age 80 and thus ineligible to vote in a conclave to elect Francis' successor.
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« Reply #435 on: February 24, 2014, 04:16:59 am »

Pope Francis And The Emerging One World Religion

Is Pope Francis taking steps that are laying the groundwork for the emergence of a one world religion?  If that question sounds quite bizarre to you, I urge you to read the rest of this article.  We live at a time when globalization is advancing rapidly.  The global economy is more integrated than it has ever been before, and with each passing year new economic treaties tie us even more closely together.  And “global governance” (as the elite like to call it) is also steadily gaining ground.  Through a whole host of global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF and the Bank for International Settlements, global governments are working together to a degree that is unprecedented.  Well, what about religion?  Is there evidence that we are also witnessing the globalization of religion?  Well, yes there is.  In fact, it appears that Pope Francis intends to lead the way.

Since he has been Pope, Francis has expressed a desire for unity with the Eastern Orthodox, the Anglicans, and many other major Protestant denominations.  But more than a few eyebrows were raised when he recently sent a video message to Kenneth Copeland and his congregation.  At the time that the video message was played to the congregation, one speaker declared that “Luther’s protest is over”…

    “The Catholic and Charismatic Renewal is the hope of the Church,” exclaims Anglican Episcopal Bishop Tony Palmer, before a group of cheering followers at the Kenneth Copeland Ministries.   Palmer said those words are from the Vatican. Before playing the video message from Pope Francis to Kenneth Copeland, Palmer told the crowd,  “When my wife saw that she could be Catholic, and Charismatic, and Evangelical, and Pentecostal, and it was absolutely accepted in the Catholic Church, she said that she would like to reconnect her roots with the Catholic culture. So she did.”

    The crowd cheered, as he continued, “Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protest is over. Is yours?”

    Even Kenneth Copeland finds this development incredible: Said Copeland, “Heaven is thrilled over this…You know what is so thrilling to me? When we went into the ministry 47 years ago, this was impossible.”

You can see video from this conference right here.

So is Luther’s protest really over?

During the Council of Trent, the Catholics condemned to hell anyone that believes in salvation through faith in Jesus alone.  This is a direct quote from the Council of Trent…

    “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema“

The Catholics have never renounced that stand.  Instead, it has been reaffirmed many times over the years.

If Pope Francis really did want to reach out to Protestants, he should start by reversing the Council of Trent on this.  As it stands, it is official Catholic doctrine that all Protestants are anathema.

But apparently that is not going to stop many Protestants from reuniting with Rome and declaring Francis to be “their Pope”.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has also been aggressively courting Muslims.  The following quote from Pope Francis comes from remarks that he made during his very first ecumenical meeting…

    I then greet and cordially thank you all, dear friends belonging to other religious traditions; first of all the Muslims, who worship the one God, living and merciful, and call upon Him in prayer, and all of you. I really appreciate your presence: in it I see a tangible sign of the will to grow in mutual esteem and cooperation for the common good of humanity.

    The Catholic Church is aware of the importance of promoting friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions – I wish to repeat this: promoting friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions – it also attests the valuable work that the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue performs.

Did you catch that?

Apparently Pope Francis believes that Catholics and Muslims worship the same God.

More recently, Francis made the following statement about Muslims…

    “We must never forget that they ‘profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, who will judge humanity on the last day.’”

Wow.

By making this statement, Pope Francis is rejecting another of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

You see, Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God.

Muslims hate this doctrine and say that there is no god but Allah.

So how in the world can Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

The only way that you could say this is if you deny the deity of Jesus Christ.

For much more on why “Allah” and the God of Christianity are not the same, please see this article.

Of course when it comes to other religions, Francis is not just reaching out to the Muslims.  During the same ecumenical meeting that I referenced above, he made it a point to say that he feels “close” to those that belong “to any religious tradition”…

    In this, we feel close even to all those men and women who, whilst not recognizing themselves belonging to any religious tradition, feel themselves nevertheless to be in search of truth, goodness and beauty, this truth, goodness and beauty of God, and who are our precious allies in efforts to defend the dignity of man, in building a peaceful coexistence among peoples and in guarding Creation carefully.

And Francis really raised some eyebrows when he made the following statement about atheists…

    “The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can… The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!.. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

There was a lot of debate about what Francis meant by that, and the Vatican issued a statement declaring that Catholic doctrine on these matters had not changed, but without a doubt a lot of people were troubled by this.

In addition, a lot of people were really troubled when the Vatican offered “indulgences” to those that would follow Pope Francis on Twitter.  The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Telegraph…

    Salvation – or at least a shorter stay in Purgatory – might now be only a tweet away with news that Pope Francis is to offer “indulgences” – remissions for temporary punishment – to the faithful who follow him on the social media site.

    Around 1.5 million are expected to flock to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate World Youth Day with the Argentine pontiff later this month. But for those who can’t make it to Brazil,  forgiveness may be available to contrite sinners who follow Francis’s progress via their TV screen or social networks.

    The Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican court that rules on the forgiveness of sins, has said that indulgences may be given to those who follow the “rites and pious exercises” of the event on television, radio and through social media.

So what does Pope Francis actually believe?

That is a very good question.

His beliefs do not appear to be very consistent at all.  He just seems to have an overwhelming desire to “unite” with everyone out there that has any kind of religious faith.

But we do know one kind of people that he does not like.  He does not like “ideological Christians” that take their faith very seriously…

    “In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he is no longer a disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple of this attitude of thought… For this reason Jesus said to them: ‘You have taken away the key of knowledge.’ The knowledge of Jesus is transformed into an ideological and also moralistic knowledge, because these close the door with many requirements. The faith becomes ideology and ideology frightens, ideology chases away the people, distances, distances the people and distances of the Church of the people. But it is a serious illness, this of ideological Christians. It is an illness, but it is not new, eh?”

So what is going to come of all this?

It will be very interesting to watch.

It is also interesting to note that there is a 900-year-old prophecy that seems to indicate that Pope Francis could be the last Pope.  If that prophecy is accurate, then we could very well be living at a time when we will see the emergence of a one world religion.

Just a few short decades ago, a one world religion would have been absolutely unthinkable.

But now the pieces are starting to come together, and it will be very interesting to see what happens next.

http://thetruthwins.com/archives/pope-francis-and-the-emerging-one-world-religion
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« Reply #436 on: February 24, 2014, 09:05:56 am »

Monday, February 24, 2014 at 6:26AM
Today's Show: PALMER, POPE & KENNETH COPELAND

Bishop Tony Palmer, who describes himself as a charismatic Catholic, recently spoke at Kenneth Copeland's church in Texas where he presented what he called a "historic message" from Pope Francis on video.  Palmer has apparently been supported by Copeland's ministry for many years, and admits that he began as an evangelical but then became a Catholic priest when he was called by Rome to serve the Vatican's interests during the time of Pope John Paul II.   Having served three popes, he says he met recently in Rome with the current pontiff to make a "covenant for unity" -- by which he intends to pursue the unification of Christian groups around the world.  To further this campaign in the United States, he says he came to Copeland's church where he could find the "big fishes" with their jets, their TV programs, and their mega-congregations to show this pre-recorded message from the Pope. 

http://www.noiseofthunder.com/storage/NOTR_POPE.KENNETH.COPELAND_02.24.14.mp3

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« Reply #437 on: February 24, 2014, 11:13:21 am »

Quote
“In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he is no longer a disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple of this attitude of thought… For this reason Jesus said to them: ‘You have taken away the key of knowledge.’ The knowledge of Jesus is transformed into an ideological and also moralistic knowledge, because these close the door with many requirements. The faith becomes ideology and ideology frightens, ideology chases away the people, distances, distances the people and distances of the Church of the people. But it is a serious illness, this of ideological Christians. It is an illness, but it is not new, eh?”

Kind of like the typical modern-day, "organized" Babel church building system - if you want to witness to someone, then you have to hide behind your "pastor" on the pulpit, and bring that person into the church building...ultimately to listen to nothing more than a "feel good" message.

And to boot - just imagine if the great majority of professing Christians read their bibles on a daily basis - most of these church buildings would be parking lots instead.
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« Reply #438 on: February 24, 2014, 02:17:39 pm »

Monday, February 24, 2014 at 6:26AM
Today's Show: PALMER, POPE & KENNETH COPELAND

Bishop Tony Palmer, who describes himself as a charismatic Catholic, recently spoke at Kenneth Copeland's church in Texas where he presented what he called a "historic message" from Pope Francis on video.  Palmer has apparently been supported by Copeland's ministry for many years, and admits that he began as an evangelical but then became a Catholic priest when he was called by Rome to serve the Vatican's interests during the time of Pope John Paul II.   Having served three popes, he says he met recently in Rome with the current pontiff to make a "covenant for unity" -- by which he intends to pursue the unification of Christian groups around the world.  To further this campaign in the United States, he says he came to Copeland's church where he could find the "big fishes" with their jets, their TV programs, and their mega-congregations to show this pre-recorded message from the Pope. 

http://www.noiseofthunder.com/storage/NOTR_POPE.KENNETH.COPELAND_02.24.14.mp3



Just listened to it - it's not only Catholics that come off with an outward appearance of being "good and holy"(notice the quotes I put around). But even Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and even Freemasons I've crossed paths with in my lifetime have this SAME outward appearance.

Pt being that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. He's not some ugly looking character with a pitchfork and a pointed tail.

And yes, it's not just Copeland, but pretty much all of Churchianity is craftily leading you to Rome. These "pastors" may not be mentioning anything about the RCC, but nonetheless they are preaching nonsense like "God gives you life challenges!", "God's giving you a Job test", "We should be in unity", etc, etc that are completely New Age, and will lead further into deception.
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« Reply #439 on: February 26, 2014, 11:51:40 am »

http://news.yahoo.com/frontline-inside-the-vatican-234530666.html

'Secrets of the Vatican' exposes moral crises facing Catholic Church's new pope

By FRONTLINE/Yahoo News
February 25, 2014 6:53 AM

The Roman Catholic Church is enjoying some of its best press in decades, and hundreds of thousands of alienated Catholics are returning, thanks in large part to the new, and in some cases revolutionary, leadership of Pope Francis.

But, says a new documentary by PBS’ "Frontline," “Secrets of the Vatican,” the morally wrenching controversies that threatened to destroy the church's credibility, starting about the time Pope John Paul II died in 2005, have not fully subsided. Further, the success of Francis’ papacy will depend on how quickly and thoroughly he addresses them.

"Secrets of the Vatican," airing tonight at 9 p.m. ET on most PBS stations (check local listings), takes an unsparing look at the state of the church Pope Francis inherited from his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, successor to Pope John Paul II and the first head of the church to resign in 600 years.

“2012 was an annus horribilis for [Benedict],” Antony Thomas, the producer, writer and director of the film for "Frontline," told Yahoo News in an interview. “Everything was exploding. He wanted to clean up the Vatican bank. He was in a very difficult predicament all the way through.”

A horrible year on many fronts, not just with mounting evidence of financial impropriety at the Vatican bank, but also with incidents of sexual abuse by clergy spreading to more than 20 countries and, further, exposure of church hypocrisy about homosexuality. Two of Benedict’s most significant moves were to publicly re-frame the Catholic catechism — in effect, its rules of practice — to emphasize its reference to homosexuality as an “objective disorder,” laying groundwork to, among other things, remove gay clergy.

At the same time, reports emerged from Rome of a “gay mafia” inside the church that included some of its top officials, who were unafraid to wield political power and at the same time live an openly promiscuous gay lifestyle.

“There was a lot that came to light, including a man who was, as it were, providing choirboys as rent boys,” Thomas said. “What we have tried hard to do in the film is not be simplistic about this. There are a lot of people in the Vatican who are gay who are leading celibate lives, and this is difficult for them. And there are others who are promiscuous.”

In the film, a gay priest working in the Vatican describes the effects of the church’s teachings this way: “It’s like a knife in your heart, because I believe in vocation. I believe in the calling of God. I believe in Jesus. I believe He wants us to serve his people, and when a document [says], ‘Oh, you are not able,’ that is ... that is terrible. It’s painful. I hope that, one day, priests can be freely in a relationship and be good priests. That celibacy in the Church will be optional.”

"Secrets of the Vatican" also looks at the connection between the church’s requirement that its clergy must remain celibate and the high number of sexual abuse incidents among its ranks. Few were worse, or as explosive, than the case of the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Roman Catholic order the Legionaries of Christ, a child abuser whose activities the church turned its back on for decades — and who also managed to father several children by at least two women.

Maciel’s crimes were irrevocably exposed by a Vatican investigation released a year after the death of Pope John Paul II. Due to be declared a saint on April 27, the pope had been an ardent supporter of Maciel and the Legionaries, which developed a reputation for vigorous fundraising, encouraging young people to be priests, and standing as a bastion against liberalism. Brought to the brink of bankruptcy by the revelations about its founder, the Legionaries denounced Maciel in February and apologized to his victims, though the group elected one of his proteges its new leader.

“Secrets of the Vatican” interviews one of Maciel’s sons, who describes the abuse he sustained at the hands of his father. Thomas said the film’s specificity about the nature of sexual abuses was necessary — because it’s still an overwhelming concern and because its seriousness may not have fully registered with the public. “How much more terrible it must be to be abused by your priest ... and the way [abusers] make the child feel guilty by saying, ‘You are the one who is going to hell if you say anything about this...’ You’re taking a little child’s deepest thoughts and trampling on them.”

And yet, Thomas said, despite interviewing dozens of people over the course of the film’s near yearlong production, he discovered something almost miraculous: Only one person said the church's multiple transgressions over the past decade caused a loss of faith. “All the people who are strong critics of what’s going on, they are all devoted Catholics, and I think that is wonderful,” Thomas said.

Further, though Pope Francis has yet to significantly address difficult issues such as abortion and contraception, he has raised the spirits and hopes of untold numbers of alienated Catholics. He has articulated a clear position on the growing economic gap between the world’s wealthiest and poorest people, an outlook he shares with U.S. President Barack Obama, who plans a papal visit on March 27.
 
Whether Francis will be able to tie up Benedict's loose ends by adequately reforming the Vatican bank and its Curia, which oversees its bureaucracy, is a story yet to be told. But the new pope is “absolutely taking things on,” Thomas said.

“He is so warm and spontaneous and natural. He has already achieved an enormous amount, and he hasn’t even been there a year.”
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« Reply #440 on: February 28, 2014, 01:18:37 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/divorce-debate-challenges-pope-francis-065800245.html
2/28/14
Divorce debate challenges Pope Francis

Vatican City (AFP) - The issue of divorce is stoking a spirited debate between Catholic cardinals and revealing the challenges and expectations for Pope Francis after his promises to put the Church more in touch with modern life.

The question is whether divorcees who re-marry should be allowed to take part in the most sacred point of Catholic mass, Holy Communion, which is forbidden under current rules that in practice are often not observed.

Changing the doctrine could in turn alter Church rules on marriage annulments and raise broader questions about the institution of marriage, prompting lively exchanges between traditionalists and reformers.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon in France, told Vatican radio that a meeting of cardinals from around the world in the Vatican this month devoted "80 to 90 percent" of the time to discussing the issue.

German Cardinal Ludwig Mueller, head of the Church's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has said the current rules are "impossible to change" and that people should stop thinking of marriage as "a party in a church".

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, a member of the council of eight cardinals established by the pope to advise him, has taken a more lenient line and has asked Mueller to be "more flexible".

A survey by the Spanish-language network Univision in 12 mainly Catholic countries found that 75 percent of Europeans, 67 percent of Latin Americans and 59 percent of Americans were at odds with the Church on the issue, while in Africa 19 percent of respondents disagreed.

The issue is one of very personal anguish for many Catholic couples, who say they are being treated as second-class believers, and has led to acts of defiance.

The German diocese of Freiburg im Breisgau last year said it was authorizing re-married divorcees to receive Holy Communion on a case by case basis -- prompting a quick telling off from the Vatican.

The issue would affect millions of Catholics around the world, with around a quarter of Catholic marriages ending in divorce in the United States alone.

Some theologians and clergymen have called for changes to facilitate the annulment of marriages in cases in which it could be argued that the wedding took place under social pressure or was not fully understood.

Re-marrying would then be allowed under Church rules and the couple would be allowed to take Holy Communion.

Another possibility could be the Orthodox model, which allows some divorcees to re-marry in church and take Holy Communion but gives only a blessing for the second marriage and does not consider it a sacrament.

Francis mentioned the Orthodox solution as a "parenthesis" on the plane during his return from a visit to Brazil and it was raised again by some cardinals in their consistory this month in which they said it could happen following "a period of penitence".

The issue is likely to dominate a synod of world bishops planned for later this year and another one in 2015, which Francis has said should focus on families.

The divorce debate was raised in an unprecedented questionnaire sent out to dioceses worldwide to find out the approach taken by parishes on many issues, including same-sex couples and pre-marital cohabitation.

Vatican expert Henri Tincq, writing on the website Slate.fr, said the divorce issue is particularly complex on a theological level since "a sacrament is given by God and can never be taken back".
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« Reply #441 on: February 28, 2014, 04:04:28 pm »

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-urges-sympathy-failed-love-divorce-debate-001928557.html
Pope urges sympathy for failed love in divorce debate
2/27/14

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Friday said couples whose marriages fail should be "accompanied" and not "condemned", wading into a debate on divorce that is testing his promise to put the Church in touch with modern life.

"When love fails, and it fails many times, we have to feel the pain of that failure, accompany the people who have felt the failure of their love," the pope said during the daily mass he holds in the Vatican.

"Don't condemn them! Walk with them!" he said, adding: "We have to be so close to the brothers and sisters who have suffered the failure of love in their lives".

The main issue is whether divorcees who re-marry should be allowed to take part in the most sacred point of Catholic mass, Holy Communion, which is forbidden under current rules that in practice are often not observed.

Changing that doctrine could in turn alter Church rules on marriage annulments and raise broader questions about the institution of marriage, prompting lively exchanges between traditionalists and reformers.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon in France, told Vatican radio that a meeting of cardinals from around the world in the Vatican this month devoted "80 to 90 percent" of the time to discussing the issue.

German Cardinal Ludwig Mueller, head of the Church's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has said the current rules are "impossible to change" and that people should stop thinking of marriage as "a party in a church".

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, a member of the council of eight cardinals established by the pope to advise him, has taken a more lenient line and has asked Mueller to be "more flexible".

A survey by the Spanish-language network Univision in 12 mainly Catholic countries found that 75 percent of Europeans, 67 percent of Latin Americans and 59 percent of Americans were at odds with the Church on the issue, while in Africa 19 percent of respondents disagreed.

The issue is one of very personal anguish for many Catholic couples, who say they are being treated as second-class believers, and has led to acts of defiance.

The German diocese of Freiburg im Breisgau last year said it was authorizing re-married divorcees to receive Holy Communion on a case by case basis -- prompting a quick rebuke from the Vatican.

The issue would affect millions of Catholics around the world, with around a quarter of Catholic marriages ending in divorce in the United States alone.

Some theologians and clergymen have called for changes to facilitate the annulment of marriages in cases in which it could be argued that the wedding took place under social pressure or was not fully understood.

Re-marrying would then be allowed under Church rules and the couple would be allowed to take Holy Communion.

Another possibility could be the Orthodox model, which allows some divorcees to re-marry in church and take Holy Communion but gives only a blessing for the second marriage and does not consider it a sacrament.

Francis mentioned the Orthodox solution as a "parenthesis" on the plane during his return from a visit to Brazil and it was raised again by some cardinals in their consistory this month in which they said it could happen following "a period of penitence".

The issue is likely to dominate a synod of world bishops planned for later this year and another one in 2015, which Francis has said should focus on families.

The divorce debate was raised in an unprecedented questionnaire sent out to dioceses worldwide to find out the approach taken by parishes on many issues, including same-sex couples and pre-marital cohabitation.

Vatican expert Henri Tincq, writing on the website Slate.fr, said the divorce issue is particularly complex on a theological level since "a sacrament is given by God and can never be taken back".
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« Reply #442 on: February 28, 2014, 04:10:27 pm »

^^

1Corinthians 7:1  Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
1Co 7:2  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
1Co 7:3  Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
1Co 7:4  The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
1Co 7:5  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
1Co 7:6  But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
1Co 7:7  For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
1Co 7:8  I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
1Co 7:9  But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
1Co 7:10  And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
1Co 7:11  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife
.
1Co 7:12  But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
1Co 7:13  And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
1Co 7:14  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
1Co 7:15  But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
1Co 7:16  For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?
1Co 7:17  But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
1Co 7:18  Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
1Co 7:19  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
1Co 7:20  Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
1Co 7:21  Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
1Co 7:22  For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
1Co 7:23  Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
1Co 7:24  Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
1Co 7:25  Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
1Co 7:26  I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
1Co 7:27  Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
1Co 7:28  But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.
1Co 7:29  But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
1Co 7:30  And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
1Co 7:31  And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
1Co 7:32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
1Co 7:33  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
1Co 7:34  There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
1Co 7:35  And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
1Co 7:36  But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
1Co 7:37  Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
1Co 7:38  So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
1Co 7:39  The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
1Co 7:40  But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
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« Reply #443 on: March 02, 2014, 10:21:57 pm »

Obama and Francis - one and the same...

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/02/pope-calls-for-dialogue-in-ukraine-to-resolve-its-crisis/
3/2/14
Pope calls for dialogue in Ukraine to resolve its crisis

VATICAN CITY –  Pope Francis is urging world leaders to promote dialogue as a way of resolving the crisis in Ukraine.

Speaking to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square during his traditional Sunday midday appearance, he said: "I am making a heartfelt appeal to the international community: support every initiative for dialogue and harmony."

Francis urged all segments of Ukrainian society to work together to overcome their misunderstandings and build a future together.

Russian forces have effectively seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula after months of anti-government protests drove its pro-Moscow president out of the country.
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« Reply #444 on: March 03, 2014, 05:36:35 pm »

http://nypost.com/2014/03/03/pope-drops-f-bomb-during-vatican-blessing/
3/3/14
Pope drops F-bomb during Vatican blessing

Pope Francis may need to go to confession after inadvertently blurting out an Italian F-bomb during his weekly blessing from the Vatican.

“If each one of us does not amass riches only for oneself, but half for the service of others, in this f–k [pause], in this case the providence of God will become visible through this gesture of solidarity,” Francis said to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Italian media reported.

His Holiness meant to use the Italian word for “example,” which is “caso.”

Instead, he used the word “cazzo,” which Italians use as a synonym for the four-letter obscenity.

The papal slip-up immediately went viral on Italian websites and quickly made its way to YouTube.

But the 77-year-old pontiff kept his cool, and his defenders took to the Internet to say it was a common mistake for native Spanish speakers when they talk in Italian.

Others said the literal translation of the word is a synonym for the male organ — but that it is also commonly used as the F-word.

A Vatican spokesman had no comment on the foul-up.

Warning: Graphic language

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« Reply #445 on: March 05, 2014, 02:10:21 pm »

Pope Francis Reportedly Hints That Catholic Church Could Tolerate Some Gay Civil Unions

Catholic theology hasn’t changed when it comes to teachings on homosexuality, but Pope Francis has now reportedly indicated that the church could eventually tolerate some forms of same-sex civil unions, specifically when it comes to issues like medical care and property ownership.

Francis affirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, saying that matrimony remains theologically limited to one man and one woman.

But the pope also seemed to note that civil unions provide some financial stability for couples, mentioning both health care and property rights as guarantees that come as a result of certain civil unions.

As Catholic News Service reported, the pope said that moves to “regulate diverse situations of cohabitation [are] driven by the need to regulate economic aspects among persons, as for instance to assure medical care.”

“We have to look at different cases and evaluate them in their variety,” Francis said.

Though by no means an open endorsement of non-marital civil unions, it was certainly not an overt rejection of the paradigm. At the very least, Francis’ words appear to leave the door open to the possibility that the church could support certain legal agreements between same-sex individuals.

“The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family said in February 2013 that some legal arrangements are justifiable to protect the inheritance rights of nonmarried couples,” Catholic News Service reported. “But until now, no pope has indicated even tentative acceptance of civil unions.”

This is not the first time Francis’ views about civil unions have taken center stage. In January, the Vatican hit back against headlines that seemed to indicate the pope was supportive of same-sex unions in Italy, and last year, reports in CNN and the New York Times highlighted claims that the pope had previously endorsed same-sex unions.

Last year, Marcelo Marquez, an activist and a former theology professor at a Catholic college, said that the then-cardinal, formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, phoned him in 2010 to tell him about his support for civil unions.

“He told me. … ‘I’m in favor of gay rights and in any case, I also favor civil unions for homosexuals, but I believe that Argentina is not yet ready for a gay marriage law,’” Marquez told CNN.

The phone conversation purportedly unfolded after Marquez sent a letter to Argentina’s Catholic leaders, decrying their handling of the gay marriage debate in the country. Less than an hour later, the activist said that the then-bishop called him to discuss the matter.

A former pastor in Buenos Aires, Andres Albertsen, also claimed that Francis once used similar language to describe his stance on civil unions. In a private meeting, he told CNN, the pontiff, prior to becoming pope, was candid.

“In this conversation that we had, he showed himself to be very open, very frank with me,” Albertsen said. “He told me that he would have accepted a civil union.”

In contrast to these claims, Francis has made many public claims against same-sex marriage in the past, though he has delivered compassionate statements about priests with same-sex attraction and homosexuality more generally.

Francis also addressed a number of other controversial issues in the Corriere della Sera interview, including contraception, the church’s ban on divorced Catholics receiving holy communion and the role of women in ministry, stressing the importance of deep reflection on all issues.

He acknowledged that the sex abuse scandal has left many people “wounded,” though he defended the church’s record of taking action after allegations of abuse spread.

And as for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, rather than pursuing a shuttered life, it seems Francis has decided that it is important to include him in church activities, calling Benedict a “wise grandfather.”

“The pope emeritus is not a statue in a museum,” Francis said. “I thought about grandparents who with their wisdom, their advice, strengthen families and don’t deserve to end up in an old folks home.”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/05/pope-francis-reportedly-hints-that-catholic-church-could-tolerate-some-gay-civil-unions/
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« Reply #446 on: March 05, 2014, 08:30:58 pm »

Saying civil unions isn't same-sex marriage is a lot like saying someone who is just a "little" pregnant isn't pregnant at all.

Either way you spin it, sodomy is sodomy - you can't repackage something pure evil and make it look even decent.
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« Reply #447 on: March 06, 2014, 07:37:29 am »

Pope reveals he took his late confessor's cross

Franks a thief

Pope Francis confessed Thursday that he took the rosary cross of his late confessor from his casket and wears it to this day in a fabric pouch under his cassock. He said he did so telling the late priest, "Give me half your mercy."

Francis made the revelation Thursday during an informal chat with Roman priests about the need to be merciful to their flocks. He told the story of the "great confessor" of Buenos Aires who had heard confessions from most of the diocesan priests as well as from Pope John Paul II when he visited Argentina.

When the priest died, Francis went to pray by his open casket and was stunned that no one had brought any flowers.

`'This man forgave the sins of all the priests of Buenos Aires, but not a single flower ...?" Francis recalled. So he went out and bought a bouquet of roses, and when he returned to arrange them around the casket, he saw the rosary the priest still held in his hand.

"And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it," he said, showing with his hands how he pulled the cross off the rosary. "And in that moment I looked at him and I said `Give me half your mercy.'"

Francis said he kept the cross in his shirt pocket for years, but that the cassock he wears now as pope doesn't have a pocket. He now keeps it in a little pouch underneath.

"And whenever a bad thought comes to mind about someone, my hand goes here, always," he said, gesturing to his heart. "And I feel the grace, and that makes me feel better."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_VATICAN_POPES_CROSS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-03-06-07-18-38
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« Reply #448 on: March 06, 2014, 04:36:34 pm »

So I guess since the pope now admits to being a petty thief, that makes it okay.  Roll Eyes
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« Reply #449 on: March 07, 2014, 11:36:52 am »

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-03-07/pope-francis-is-listening?cmpid=yhoo
3/7/14
Pope Francis Is Listening

The Pew Research Center poll released yesterday showing that American Catholics strongly favor allowing the use of birth control -- and allowing priests to marry and women to be ordained -- comes as no surprise. It has long been thus. Catholics also continue to give high marks to His Humbleness, Pope Francis, whose approval rating remains in the mid-80s, unchanged from a year ago. Even the fact that half of Catholics think the church should recognize same-sex marriage is old news, given past polls.

The more interesting news came earlier in the week, on Ash Wednesday, when an interview with Francis was published in which he revealed his willingness -- even eagerness -- to re-examine these kinds of cultural flash points.

Asked about the role of women, the pope declared that they "must be more present in places of decision-making in the church." You could almost hear the nuns cheering. He also said he is reading a book "on the feminine dimension of the church." When was the last time you heard a local bishop say that?

On birth control, Francis noted that Pope Paul VI, whose encyclical "Humanae Vitae" formalized the church's ban on artificial contraception, recommended "much mercy" on those who use it. He said the challenge was to ensure that pastoral ministry "take into account the situations and that which it is possible for people to do." His reluctance to judge, which sent tremors through the church last summer, was on display again.

Francis has called a synod for October -- only the third of its kind since the 1960s -- to focus on family matters, and in the interview he declared that birth control will be a topic for discussion, as will divorce. Last month, German Cardinal Walter Kasper delivered an address raising the issue of divorced Catholics who remarry, asking if it wasn't "perhaps an exploitation of the person" to bar them from receiving communion. Francis called it a "beautiful and profound presentation" and welcomed the intense discussion it generated among the cardinals.

This is a pope who isn't afraid to stir the pot -- inviting diverging opinions to be heard on matters that some would prefer to consider settled. We're used to popes declaring answers. Francis poses questions.

When I was a student at the University of Notre Dame in the 1990s, I remember attending a lecture on the life of the church by Professor Charles E. Rice, then dean of the law school, in which he responded to questions about controversial social issues by saying: It depends on whether you believe the pope is God's messenger "or a guy in Rome who wears a funny hat." Translation: Stop asking questions.

It was a theologically bankrupt answer, but it's the kind of message that Catholics have long been accustomed to hearing. Last fall, in preparation for the upcoming synod, the Vatican sent a questionnaire to every Catholic diocese in the world inviting opinions on controversial issues, including birth control, divorce, cohabitation outside of marriage and married priests. The response from Catholic America, as elsewhere, was almost disbelief. Who, us?

In some countries bishops posted the questionnaire online and encouraged public participation. But old habits die hard, and most American bishops chose to distribute the questionnaire only to the diocesan priests' council or parish councils, not all parishioners and the public. Francis, whom we know is a fan of the Internet, may want to check the results against the Pew poll.

Either way, he has done more than raise hopes among Catholics for doctrinal change, which will be slow in coming. He has shown us that Rome -- or at least the top guy in the funny hat -- can listen.
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