Great news: The Custody of the Holy Land announced that the Father Dhiya Azziz has been liberated. The Custody had had no news of the Father Dhiya since Saturday, 4 July, in the late afternoon. Conflicting news had nevertheless led people to believe that he had been taken by jihadists affiliated to Al-Nusra Jabhat, which administers the emirate in the sector. Father Dhiya was allegedly abducted by another group jihadists eager to profit on his release. In the region, there... Read more
[getty src=”480078946?et=jiAyaYFQSxhwVT1vf1_BpQ&viewMoreLink=off&sig=xl7dfZX7ZNJP8u7lpO72Gc6HSLf47_2buL0rN22Uc84=&caption=true” width=”594″ height=”406″] View image | gettyimages.com A few headlines have said as much: Pope slams capitalism as ‘dung of the devil’ is one example. But if you read the context of the speech, you get a different impression: The earth, entire peoples and individual persons are being brutally punished. And behind all this pain, death and destruction there is the stench of what Basil of Caesarea called “the dung of the devil”. An unfettered pursuit of money rules.... Read more
Noting the movie star’s death, Variety reports: Omar Sharif, the dashing, Egyptian-born actor who was one of the biggest movie stars in the world in the 1960s, with memorable roles in “Dr. Zhivago,” “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Funny Girl,” has died. He was 83. Sharif suffered a heart attack on Friday afternoon in a hospital in Cairo, his agent said. It was announced in May that he had Alzheimer’s disease. …Sharif was born Michel Dimitri Shalhoub in Alexandria to a Melkite Greek Catholic... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com Some interesting insight on what is now unfolding in Latin America, from Sebastian Gomes at Salt + Light: Much of the novelty surrounding the person and pontificate of Pope Francis can be attributed to his Argentine, Latin American background. His personal style, his understanding of church matters and his views on global issues are all shaped by that particular cultural experience. The significance of this cannot be overstated. So when Francis returns to his home continent,... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com From The New York Times: Pope Francis offered a direct apology on Thursday for the complicity of the Roman Catholic Church in the oppression of Latin America during the colonial era, even as he called for a global social movement to shatter a “new colonialism” that has fostered inequality, materialism and the exploitation of the poor. Speaking to a hall filled with social activists, farmers, garbage workers and Bolivian indigenous people, Francis offered the most ambitious, and biting, address... Read more
[getty src=”480101334?et=QWzPp31NRvVVydMflh1Y3w&viewMoreLink=on&sig=yJuQLhTsRIJ-XDlr5niWPF_ukNkDTNFS4yiyGjQIYQs=&caption=true” width=”594″ height=”376″] View image | gettyimages.com Some interesting insight on what is now unfolding in Latin America, from Sebastian Gomes at Salt + Light: Much of the novelty surrounding the person and pontificate of Pope Francis can be attributed to his Argentine, Latin American background. His personal style, his understanding of church matters and his views on global issues are all shaped by that particular cultural experience. The significance of this cannot be overstated. So when Francis returns... Read more
[getty src=”480103560?et=o6ntTX7ORPZroYoneswtQQ&viewMoreLink=off&sig=HmMD6KgWctXwRbCzeXKtfMP-cc4hfBKxzNMuCbTMzto=&caption=true” width=”472″ height=”594″] View image | gettyimages.com From The New York Times: Pope Francis offered a direct apology on Thursday for the complicity of the Roman Catholic Church in the oppression of Latin America during the colonial era, even as he called for a global social movement to shatter a “new colonialism” that has fostered inequality, materialism and the exploitation of the poor. Speaking to a hall filled with social activists, farmers, garbage workers and Bolivian indigenous people, Francis offered the most... Read more
From the AP: Burger King has long been providing quick meals. Pope Francis has now used it for a quick change. With hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful waiting, Pope Francis needed a place to don his vestments to celebrate Mass at the Christ the Redeemer square in Santa Cruz. He had just spent more than 30 minutes in his popemobile waving to thousands lined up on the streets as he drove to the square for the service. Enter the... Read more
And the pope’s reaction? Take a look at the video below, via Rome Reports. File this in the “What On Earth Was He Thinking?” File. UPDATE: Here’s an answer to the “What on Earth Was He Thinking?” question. A couple readers have pointed out that it’s apparently a replica of one that belonged to Fr. Luis Espinal, the martyred Jesuit. There is a government human rights award that also uses this image. Espinal hoped for dialog between Christianity and Marxism, as did... Read more
Some readers may remember the post about Ulf Ekman, a prominent Evangelical pastor who stunned the world when he announced last year he was becoming Catholic. Now, an update, The National Catholic Register: On March 9, 2014, Ulf Ekman, founder and pastor of Word of Life church in Uppsala, Sweden, shocked his congregation with the announcement that he and his wife, Birgitta, were leaving Word of Life to join the Catholic Church. The Ekmans’ decision created a commotion, not only among... Read more
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