Green Energy
From Reuters:
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Jewish groups worried by Vatican gestureMore than 40 years of progress in Catholic-Jewish relations may be called into question by attempt to reach out to group of breakaway traditionalist Catholics, including Holocaust-denying bishop From Israel...
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Before I'm accused of being part of a conspiracy of silence, let me state that I believe, whether you are the lowliest Deacon or the Pope himself, if you are accused you should answer, if you are guilty you should be punished. That said, Catholic...
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- Are The Ents Awakening?
The Vatican has issued a statement calling for Muslims to be more tolerant and less hypocritical: PARIS (Reuters) - After backing calls by Muslims for respect for their religion in the Mohammad cartoons row, the Vatican is now urging Islamic countries...
Green Energy
Ireland Closes It's Vatican Embassy Because "It Yields No Economic Return"
From Reuters:
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Catholic Ireland's stunning decision to close its embassy to the Vatican is a huge blow to the Holy See's prestige and may be followed by other countries which feel the missions are too expensive, diplomatic sources said on Friday.The closure brought relations between Ireland and the Vatican, once ironclad allies, to an all-time low following the row earlier this year over the Irish Church's handling of sex abuse cases and accusations that the Vatican had encouraged secrecy.Ireland will now be the only major country of ancient Catholic tradition without an embassy to the Vatican."This is really bad for the Vatican because Ireland is the first big Catholic country to do this and because of what Catholicism means in Irish history," said a Vatican diplomatic source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.He said Ireland informed the Vatican shortly before the announcement was made on Thursday night.Dublin's foreign ministry said the embassy was being closed because "it yields no economic return" and that relations would be continued with an ambassador in Dublin.The source said the Vatican was "extremely irritated" by the wording equating diplomatic missions with economic return, particularly as the Vatican sees its diplomatic role as promoting human values.Diplomats said the Irish move might sway others to follow suit to save money because double diplomatic presences in Rome are expensive.It was the latest crack in relations that had been seen as rock solid until a few years ago.DAMNING REPORTIn July, the Vatican took the highly unusual step of recalling its ambassador to Ireland after Prime Minister Enda Kenny accused the Holy See of obstructing investigations into sexual abuse by priests.The Irish parliament passed a motion deploring the Vatican's role in "undermining child protection frameworks" following publication of a damning report on the diocese of Cloyne.The Cloyne report said Irish clerics concealed from the authorities the sexual abuse of children by priests as recently as 2009, after the Vatican disparaged Irish child protection guidelines in a letter to Irish bishops.While Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore denied the embassy closure was linked to the row over sexual abuse, Rome-based diplomats said they believed it probably played a major role."All things being equal, I really doubt the mission to the Vatican would have been on the list to get the axe without the fallout from the sex abuse scandal," one ambassador to the Vatican said, on condition of anonymity.
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Jewish groups worried by Vatican gestureMore than 40 years of progress in Catholic-Jewish relations may be called into question by attempt to reach out to group of breakaway traditionalist Catholics, including Holocaust-denying bishop From Israel...
-
Before I'm accused of being part of a conspiracy of silence, let me state that I believe, whether you are the lowliest Deacon or the Pope himself, if you are accused you should answer, if you are guilty you should be punished. That said, Catholic...
- Ahmadinejad Asks For Meeting With Pope
Is he planning on giving the West its last chance for conversion to Islam? From the Australian: IRAN'S President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked for an audience next week with Pope Benedict XVI which would be the first meeting between the two leaders,...
- Pontificating Against Israel
Joseph D'Hippolito, a friend of mine, and a man I know to be a devout Catholic, calls the Vatican out on its moral confusion with regards to the war between Israel and Hizbollah: As Israel began its latest campaign of self-defense, the Vatican’s...
- Are The Ents Awakening?
The Vatican has issued a statement calling for Muslims to be more tolerant and less hypocritical: PARIS (Reuters) - After backing calls by Muslims for respect for their religion in the Mohammad cartoons row, the Vatican is now urging Islamic countries...