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Before the conclave today in Rome, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) and the movement "We Are Church" for spoke in support of a cosmopolitan Pope. In an interview with the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" the ZMD-chairman Ayman Mazyek said he wanted a cosmopolitan pope who would introduce spirituality and a renewal of faith in God.

They all want a say in the election of the new Pope: In the Vatican, various interest groups among the Cardinals are in for tough fight. An overview of the factions in the Conclave. If the new man on the throne of Peter were to come from Europe or should he be a church leader from the southern hemisphere? Cardinals before their entry into the Sistine Chapel repeatedly emphasized that origin or skin color should not matter. At that point also various "factions" in the universal Church and different perspectives come into play. The 115 voting cardinals come from 45...

A few days ago Cardinal Meisner was speculating that it would be good for a man as young as 45 to be Pope. The youngest Cardinal happens to be 55 and formerly an Auxiliary Bishop in the Cardinal's Archdiocese of Cologne. Step forward Cardinal Woelki (55), seen above at his introduction to the See of Berlin, at which none other than Cardinal Meisner preached. Cardinal Marx of Munich is also to be seen concelebrating. It is not too much a leap to see the hand of Cardinal Meisner in the early promotion and indeed the red hat for Cardinal Woelki.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, will participate in the conclave, though he is 80 years old in two days. He will thus be the oldest of the Papal voters. The German cardinal is presently the most heavyweight representative of the progressive cardinals who flag up an anti-Ratzinger pontificate. The former assistant to Hans Küng was removed in 1999 by John Paul II as Bishop of the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart and transported to Rome, where he was until 2010 President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. (Cathcon- what a pair Cardinal Lehmann, research assistant to Karl Rahner and Cardinal Kasper, assistant...

egensburg - Again, he sat in front of the TV and looked at "Joseph". This is the name Georg Ratzinger uses for his brother, who has been called Benedict XVI for almost eight years and on Wednesday had his last major appearance as Pope. Although he can no longer see so well, the 89-year-old in Regensburg wanted to see as much of the general audience as popssible of the outgoing head of the Church in St. Peter's Square. "It was very touching," the prelate said to the news agency dpa. "There was a melancholy mood." And Georg Ratzinger added reassuringly...

Bishop Minnerath (to right of Pope) and Bishops of the Province of Dijon, surrounding Pope Benedict XVI during the last Ad Limina visit to Rome in November 2012 On Monday, learning of the decision of Benedict XVI to leave his position as Pope for health reasons at the end of February, Archbishop Minnerath, according to RCF parabole (a radio channel) who was given a sole and unique interview, "did not want believe it. " On Wednesday morning, Archbishop Minnerath agreed to speak on this sensitive subject. He did this without omitting to point out some disagreement with someone he knows,...

On today's broadcast, Rick Wiles interviews Chris Putnam who along with coauthor Thomas Horn wrote the recent best seller: "Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope Is Here ."Streaming Audio File LinkDownloadable MP3 File Link

St. Peter is the Prince of the Apostles and our First Pope. SPL has reproduced a portion of a popular article that has been shared on many Catholic sites – though we think it originated with Fisheaters - cataloguing the Eastern Fathers of the Church and their statements on St. Peter and his keys. Below are the historical comments of those who served Holy Mother Church in Constantinople. Many of the quotes focus on St. Peter as the Prince of the Apostles and the Keys of the Kingdom given to him by Christ Our Lord. Those unfamiliar with the...

- FrontPage Magazine - http://frontpagemag.com - 52% of Rapes in Rome Committed by Immigrants, 59% in Milan, 40% in ItalyPosted By Daniel Greenfield On December 26, 2012 @ 10:13 pm In The Point | 6 Comments Muslims in Milan doing their part to keep Milan violent and rapey   “He was horrible, he had no teeth, his face disfigured by scars”. This is how one of the latest victims of rape in Milan, a businesswoman of 42, described her attacker, Mohamed K., 32, an Iraqi illegal immigrant already convicted for theft, assault and wounding. Last week, when she was going...

Rome -- "Where people are, the Word of God must be," a priest from Washington state, in the holy city for a conference on the Church in America, told an Italian media outlet. The simple explanation did make clear why one of the most learned, reserved, holy men on the planet was dipping his toes into Twitter. When the pope sent his first post on the popular social media platform, two grandmotherly women from the Philippines were sitting near me. "Pope -- Twitter!" they said to me with radiant smiles. "Thanks be to God!" they continued. There was a language...

Vatican City -- "Ever ancient, ever new": It's hard not to think of St. Augustine's paean to the lord when you're walking past a synod of bishops, on the way up to meet the pope in Rome, as I was one recent morning. I was in Rome to receive, as a representative of the United States and "women of the world," a message first delivered by Pope Paul VI at the closing of the Second Vatican Council in 1965. "Women, you do know how to make truth sweet, tender and accessible; make it your task to bring the spirit of...

Italian president joins Rome’s Jews in marking ’82 attack October 10, 2012 (JTA) -- Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano participated in a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of a terror attack on Rome’s main synagogue that killed a toddler. Speaking Wednesday at the commemoration in Rome, the city's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, said the Oct. 9, 1982 attack had not been an “isolated event.” Di Segni said it had taken place amid a virulent “campaign to demonize Jews” in the wake of the Israeli war with Lebanon in the summer of 1982 and the massacre of civilians at the Sabra...

October 9, 1982 Arab Muslim "Palestinian" terrorists of Abu Nidal organization (ANO) bomb the main synagogue in Rome, Italy, murdering a child and injuring 37 adults.Chronologies of Modern Terrorism - Page 197 - Barry M. Rubin, Judith Colp Rubin - M.E. Sharpe, 2008 - 405 pages September 27, 1982 Three bombs explode in Frankfurt offices dealing with Israel, killing one and wounding two. No one claims responsibility. October 9, 1982 Abu Nidal terrorists attack the main Rome synagogue, killing one child and injuring 37 adults.http://books.google.com/books?id=RIwBFpBi5noC&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197 Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge - Page 70 - Alan...

A giant poolside mosaic featuring intricate geometric patterns has been unearthed in southern Turkey, revealing the far-reaching influence of the Roman Empire at its peak. The mosaic, which once decorated the floor of a bath complex, abuts a 25-foot (7-meter)-long pool, which would have been open to the air, said Michael Hoff, a University of Nebraska, Lincoln art historian and director of the mosaic excavation. The find likely dates to the third or fourth century, Hoff said. The mosaic itself is an astonishing 1,600 square feet (149 square meters) — the size of a modest family home. [....] So far,...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv6YwLpy6G4

In the 1938 Mohammed et Charlemagne by Henri Pirenne, a Belgian historian, was published posthumousy. In it he developed the thesis that a people, the Arabs, credited with saving Western civilization had in fact destroyed it. This book that I wish to review, Mohammed and Charlemagne Revisted: the History Of a Controversy by Emmet Scott (2012) is not, as it says itself, history in the normal sense, but rather the history of a controversy, one that has raged for many years: What ended Roman civilization and brought about the Dark Ages? To start off, I wish to say upfront that...

Police in Rome have sniffed out a cannabis factory in an abandoned metro tunnel built during the rule of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, in the 1930s. Officers reportedly stumbled across the factory after smelling the pungent crop near an entrance, not far from the Italian central bank. The tunnel, just over half a mile (1km) long, was also being used to cultivate mushrooms. But behind a makeshift wall, police discovered rows of marijuana plants. Video released by Italy's financial police showed an underground greenhouse with thriving marijuana plants lit by halogen lights, and irrigated via a system of underground cisterns....

Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian St. Luke Catholic Church in Woodburn, where the Rev. Angel Armando Perez is the parish priest. It was close to midnight Sunday when Woodburn resident James Curths saw the 12-year-old boy running down the street toward him. Curths said the child, panting and out of breath, begged for help, telling him a man was chasing him. Moments later, a man rounded the corner wearing only underwear. He stood a short distance away, trying to wave the boy over as Curths and his sister-in-law prepared to drive the boy to relatives. "He was staring at us," said Heather...

ROME (Reuters) - The ancient Colosseum of Rome, where gladiators fought for their lives, is slanting about 40 cm (16 inches) lower on the south side than on the north, and authorities are investigating whether it needs urgent repairs. Experts first noticed the incline about a year ago and have been monitoring it for the past few months, ... Tests have also started to observe the effects that traffic on nearby busy roads may have on the monument. Professor Giorgio Monti, from La Sapienza's construction technology department, warned there may be a crack in the base below the amphitheatre. "The...

Announcement due tomorrow. There is no return to Rome. The superior of the Lefebvrists of Spain and Portugal, Juan Maria Montagut, will communicate to the faithful, after the mass of 11, that the hierarchy of the FSSPX, gathered in Ecône, have decided to say "no" to the Vatican. The followers of Lefebvre will not return to the Roman fold. Primarily, because they are not willing to accept the Second Vatican Council in all its extremes.