I didn't catch this or see it posted.. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/n...eached-a-new-stage-in-church-relations-52456/ Moscow, Russia, Aug 23, 2017 / 12:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After a joint meeting during Cardinal Pietro Parolin's visit to Russia this week, both he and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill said the trip marks “a new stage” in relations between their Churches. This stage, they said, is thanks not only to Pope Francis' meeting with Patriarch Kirill in Havana in February 2016, but is also due to the loaning of the relics of St. Nicholas to Russia over the summer, drawing millions of Orthodox faithful for veneration. Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, was welcomed to Patriarch Kirill's residence at the monastery of St. Daniel Aug. 22, where the two met as part of Cardinal Parolin's Aug. 21-24 visit to Moscow. Taking place 18 months after meeting between Francis and Patriarch Kirill, Parolin's visit marks the first time a Vatican Secretary of State has traveled to Moscow in 18 years. According to an Aug. 23 statement from the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, at the beginning of the meeting Patriarch Kirill said the meeting between he and Cardinal Parolin was possible due to “the development of relations between the Russian Federation and the Holy See.” “But it is with still greater satisfaction that I see the development of relations between our Churches,” he said, noting that his meeting with Pope Francis provided new impetus for cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. “This fact testifies that a new stage has indeed begun in our relations with events of great importance, which have been possible because in Havana we agreed our positions on many current issues,” he said, adding that “this communion of positions allows us to build plans and give them real content.” Cardinal Parolin echoed the sentiment, offering Pope Francis' greeting to “my brother Kirill,” and affirming the patriarch's observation that the Havana encounter “has laid the foundation for a new stage in the relationship between our Churches, giving new impetus to these relations,” according to Vatican Radio. A key highlight of the conversation between the two was the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas of Bari, one of the most revered saints in the Russian Orthodox Church, to Moscow earlier this summer. Consisting of several fragments of his ribs, the relics were flown on a chartered plane to Moscow, where they stayed in the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior from May 22-July 12 before going to St. Petersburg from July 13-28, marking the first time in nearly 1,000 years that the relics of the 4th century saint had been moved from their resting place in Bari. Calling the visit of the relics an “exceptional event for the story of our Churches,” Cardinal Parolin said the event is an example of “the ecumenism of sanctity, it's true, it exists.” “The saints unite us because they are close to God and so it is they who help us to overcome the difficulties of past relations due to previous situations, and to always walk more rapidly toward fraternal embrace and Eucharistic communion,” he said. According to the statement from the patriarchate, more than 2.3 million Orthodox faithful from all over Russia cued up to venerate the relics, at times waiting 6-10 hours to get in. Many elderly and sick also came, and were able to skip the long lines. Patriarch Kirill noted that when they waived goodbye to the relics, he told his faithful that “neither ecclesiastical diplomacy nor government diplomacy could do as much for the development of relations between the Catholic world and the Orthodox world as what St. Nicholas did.” St Nicholas, he said, “has entered into the history of relations between our Churches as a particularly brilliant and luminous page. It is a spiritual consequence of our meeting in Havana.” As with prior meetings Cardinal Parolin had this week, other key talking points between the two were conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the need to seek peaceful solutions while working together to provide humanitarian aid. On the crisis in Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill stressed that the Church “can play no other role than that of pacification when people are in conflict with each other,” and voiced gratitude for the fact that “our Churches share much the same position on the role of the Church in the conflict in Ukraine.” Cardinal Parolin voiced much the same point of view in his meeting with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, the day before. In his comments, Patriarch Kirill noted that “conflicts do not last forever and sooner or later they end,” but questioned that “if all social efforts are involved in the conflict, then who will pick up the stones?” “I appreciate very much the fact that once again we have found mutual understanding on the role that our Churches must play in the reconciliation of the population in Ukraine,” he said. When it comes to the Middle East, mention was made of the agreement the two Churches found on conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa during last year's meeting in Havana. “The collaboration between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in providing humanitarian assistance to the populations suffering due to conflicts in the Middle East can be an important factor of unity,” Patriarch Kirill said, adding that cooperation in providing aid can provide a basis for common projects in the Middle East in the future. Following his meeting with the patriarch, Cardinal Parolin visited Putin at the presidential residence in Sochi, nearly 900 miles southwest of Saratov. During their hour-long meeting “carried out in a positive and cordial climate, one of respect and listening to each other,” they had an “open exchange of views on various subject matters relating to international and bilateral relations,” according to a statement from the Holy See press office. They exchanged gifts, with Cardinal Parolin giving the Russian president a bronze olive branch as a symbol of peace, and Putin giving the Vatican secretary of state a set of collector coins commemorating the 2014 Olympics, which were held in Sochi. Cardinal Parolin is travelling back to Moscow, where he will say a private Mass at the nunciature Aug. 24 before his return to Rome.
Fire, Dust Storms, and Scorching Heat: This Year's Burning Man Sounds Like the End of Days https://gizmodo.com/fire-dust-storms-and-scorching-heat-this-years-burnin-1798662696 And from Spirit Daily: "You'd Think We'd Learn" Each year, grown-up hippies, Bohemian exhibitionists, New Agers, gay activists, drug aficionados, and various and sundry hip billionaires (like Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bezos of Amazon, Musk of electric car/space travel renown), gather for a week of letting it all hang out: “Do what thou wilt,” said an infamous occultist named Aleister Crowley. No villatic setting, this. ... They gather in Nevada and at the height of festivities — after all the parades have thundered through, after the bongs have made the rounds, after all the hard rock — they burn a large, towering effigy of a man, representing who knows what. The fire is what counts. It started last week and culminates Sunday. If past years are any indication, ecstasy will fill the stands as the burning man is all but worshiped. [New York Magazine photo, above] The images are something out of Dante. [From ABC-TV below.] It also reminds of the far more secretive annual summertime gathering in northern California at “Bohemian Grove,” where a human effigy is also torched under the watchful gaze of a large owl. There it’s a gathering of government types, military officials, foreign ministers, corporate titans — Kissinger-Bilderberg-types. Even presidents have attended (though not the current one). (Ironically, both Bohemian Grove and Burning Man were born in the San Francisco area.) http://spiritdaily.org/blog/commentary/youd-think-we-learned
The information control increases: DOWN THE 'TUBE YouTube accused of CENSORSHIP over controversial new bid to ‘limit’ access to videos Google-owned video site is taking steps to reduce the audience for content deemed 'inappropriate or offensive', but not illegal. .... YOUTUBE has been accused of censorship after introducing a controversial new policy designed to reduce the audience for videos deemed to be "inappropriate or offensive to some audiences". This policy was announced several months ago but has come into force in the past week, prompting anger among members of the YouTube community. The Sun Online understands Google and YouTube staff refer to the tactic as "tougher treatment". One prominent video-maker slammed the new scheme whilst WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange described the measures as "economic censorship". Videos which are put into a limited state cannot be embedded on other websites. They also cannot be easily published on social media using the usual share buttons and other users cannot comment on them. https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/43721...troversial-new-bid-to-limit-access-to-videos/ (Wouldn't be surprised if they aren't in cahoots with NASA since as things get closer they would probably prefer to keep the public in the dark, so to speak.....as NASA has such a history of coercing even major journals from continuing their coverage....since the early '80s)
designed to reduce the audience for videos deemed to be "inappropriate or offensive to some audiences". This is just a wild guess on my part, but I suppose that they won't be restricting any pornography because it's "inappropriate or offensive"! Sigh. May God help us all!
There is a real opportunity here for someone to start a new media outlet and put a real damper in googles ad revenue. Count on it.
Oh never, they count on porn to corrupt the minds and morals of young men that is why its exported so heavily and a big reason men no longer care for things like virtues.
We are having total panic at the gas pumps here in Austin, three hours away from Houston. My understanding is that the panic is driven by gas shortage fears since oil refineries in Houston may be unable to supply gas. I went by seven gas stations today before I located one that wasn't sold out of gas. There was long line with a 20-30 minute wait. What I found interesting were the number of people that felt it was okay to cut in the long line of cars, and then naturally, loud arguments ensued between the "waiters" and the "cutters". People were already fighting over gas and we're not even in a confirmed shortage. People are getting hysterical. Every other gas station that I passed throughout the day was totally sold out. I think that we are expecting our temporary shortage to end by Tuesday. Who knows.... After seeing the brief hysteria today, I can only imagine how bad it would be in a more severe, prolonged food/water/gas shortage situation. To me, it really highlighted the importance (at a most basic level) of knowing your immediate neighbor, who you can and can't trust, and then having basic firearm protection. The firearms may sound over the top for some, but when people panic, it may be necessary for protection. Selfishness and fear seem to quickly override human decency and law & order. I had my first taste of it today, with just a few bad apples, and it wasn't fun. I know that God will be the only one to sustain us through our trials. May God bless and protect us all!
Same exact thing here in Dallas. I couldn't believe the length of the lines and am so glad so filled the car two days ago. Please, everyone... I know you're already doing this, but let's pray like never before that Hurricane Irma somehow moves out to sea... I can't imagine what would happen if Texas were to take another direct hit! Praying for Florida and all the East Coast, as well. Jesus, I (we) trust in You!
From Weather Channel late yesterday: Combined tracks of all current weather models for Irma, with the conclusion it's too early to tell. Not too early to prepare, though. View attachment 6755
SIGNS: Police bodycams make the US a safer place for officers and for the public. I support police who do a tough job, but the two policeman in this incident give others a black eye with their behavior. The nurse, by the way, is a two-time Olympic contender. Video at link, well worth watching. Question posed in some online forums: Would they have treated a man like this? A doctor? ox13now.com/2017/09/01/salt-lake-county-da-requests-criminal-investigation-into-arrest-of-u-of-u-nurse/ Officer placed on leave as DA launches criminal investigation into arrest of Utah nurse Posted 3:24 pm, September 1, 2017, by Mark Green, Updated at 08:09PM, September 1, 2017 SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah -- Salt Lake City Police say two employees are on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the arrest of a Utah nurse who refused to allow a blood draw on an unconscious patient without following proper procedure. Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski announced that as a result of the criminal investigation being launched by the Salt Lake County District Attorney, Detective Jeff Payne will be placed on full administrative leave with pay. Later Friday night, police stated two employees are on administrative leave. It was not immediately clear who the second employee is. "This is an ever evolving situation, and we will do what is necessary to fully investigate the issue, uphold the integrity of the Salt Lake City Police Department, and strengthen the trust with our community," said Chief Mike Brown Biskupski said: "We cannot allow an incident like this divide our community or taint the good work of SLCPD. When I learned of this unacceptable incident last night, I was outraged and will ensure it is fully and independently investigated so our community can heal." The Salt Lake Police Association is representing the involved officers. "The Salt Lake Police Association is representing the involved officers during the internal investigation to ensure their rights are protected and that the investigation is fair," the Association stated in an email to Fox 13. "We will not be commenting further at this time." Alex Wubbels was arrested July 26 after she refused an officer's demand to allow a blood draw on a semi truck driver critically injured in a crash when a suspect fleeing from police hit him head-on. The full video of the incident as captured by a police body camera can be viewed here. As Wubbels explained the policy and her supervisor backed her up via speaker phone, the officer suddenly declared "we're done here" and arrested Wubbels. Video of the nurse screaming as she is dragged out the hospital and arrested went viral after it was released at a press conference Thursday. Friday, DA Sim Gill stated he is requesting a criminal investigation after receiving numerous complaints about the issue. "In fairness to all those involved I have requested a criminal investigation into the incident so that the District Attorneys office could screen the matter after gathering all the facts," Gill stated. "Our office had not received any materials on the matter thus far and in the interest of justice and given the prima facie evidence a criminal investigation is warranted." Gill said that both Mayor Jackie Biskupski and Chief of Police Mike Brown have agreed such an investigation is appropriate.
Praying for all of you P4P. Our priest this morning made it the intention of Mass. he did the same several times this week. Just praying and hoping for this all to get better for all of you. God bless all of you.
Praying for all our brothers and sisters in the US. We don't have these extreme weather conditions in the UK and so can't relate to the seriousness of it. We are praying for God to divert Irma.
September 2, 2017 / 7:06 AM / 4 hours ago Wildfire on edge of Los Angeles spreads after triggering evacuations https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ds-after-triggering-evacuations-idUSKCN1BD0DX
