Posted on 02/05/2012 2:58:27 PM PST by marshmallow
Fidel Castro will be received back into the communion of the Roman Catholic Church during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the island in March, the Italian press is reporting. If true, this is a remarkable story — and one that has yet to catch the attention of editors this side of the Atlantic.
On 1 Feb 2012, La Republicca — [Italy’s second largest circulation daily newspaper, La Republicca follows a center-left political line and is strongly anti-clerical; not anti-Catholic per se but a critic of the institutional church] — reported that as death approaches, the octogenarian communist has turned to God for solace.
ABC’s Global Note news blog is the only U.S. general interest publication I have found that has reported this story. It referenced the La Republicca story and said that Castro’s
daughter Alina is quoted as saying “During this last period, Fidel has come closer to religion: he has rediscovered Jesus at the end of his life. It doesn’t surprise me because dad was raised by Jesuits.” The article quotes an unidentified high prelate in the Vatican who is working on the Pope’s Cuba trip: “Fidel is at the end of his strength. Nearly at the end of his life. His exhortations in the party paper Granma, are increasingly less frequent. We know that in this last period he has come closer to religion and God.”
Some Italian websites have even speculated as to when Fidel will make his confession and credo — setting the date as 27 March 2012 at 17:30 when the two ottantacinquenni, Pope Benedict XVI and Castro, will meet at the Palacio de la Revolución when the pope makes his official visit to the head of state, Raul Castro.
During Pope John Paul II’s 1998 visit to Cuba, Castro attended mass, but did...........
(Excerpt) Read more at geoconger.wordpress.com ...
I said it? All I did was post scripture.
Hos 13:2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
That’s the problem, all right.
Well, my dear brothers, it’s time to feed the cats, etc.
Take care LB, thanks for your posts and discussion..
And when you were forced to apply your view of scripture, that was the result: Da Vinci’s and Michelangelo painted idols and those who recognized them as portrayals of God were idolaters.
I do understand your embarrassment. Your beliefs so often fail under examination.
It doesn’t stop you from carrying on with your attack of others. A cynic might think it a defense mechanism...
My job is to preach the gospel of the grace of God, the reconciliation that God is offering to all men during this age of grace. That WILL end. And then will His wrath be poured out on an unbelieving, ungrateful, unaccepting world. Do you understand any of this? Or are you so busy 'discerning' the "true inner joy of Christianity" in people that you fail to see that you are only discerning the flesh? The outward man?
What do you think "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." 2 TIm.4:2 means?
And do you understand why that is so important?
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim. 4:3,4.
That time is now. Sound doctrine is set aside in favor of "true inner joy" that satisfies the flesh and may or may not be based on truth. Without the gospel of your salvation, "true inner joy" is based on a lie, a feel-good outward man satisfying "religion" of works for righteousness.
NOthing is more joyful to one's soul than to KNOW that he/she is saved, sealed, and eternally secure in Christ, because of His finished work. Nothing is more disgusting to one's soul than to see the finished work of Christ ignored for works, and lies, and doctrines of men for "righteousness". And call it "God's desire".
So, don't talk to me about outrage when the very beliefs your religion espouses are in direct contradiction to God's Word of Truth. There is no room for false humility or "pious" pretense when dealing with those who are dead in their sins, and too deceived to realize it. So sorry you don't "feel" the love. The love of the truth sometimes hurts before it saves.
Do you not recognize blasphemy when you read it?Do you not recognize Holy Scripture?
And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: ... He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.Or do you deny that the Christ Child is True Man and True God?
How about you preach it to non-Christians for a while?
Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Are they or are they not intended to be portrayals of God?
God just wants us to return to him. Some never leave, some leave and come back, and some come late no matter how many chances they've been given throughout their lives. He's glad to see us at any time.
I was afraid of that. So the only thing that you point to that you think that you are doing for God that you don't do for Mary is the worshiping of the bread and wine as God Himself? Do you have a personal and living relationship with the risen Savoir, Jesus Christ, Himself, beyond thinking that He is in a piece of bread a bit of wine? Can you pray or talk to Him and know His presence and does He personally commune with you?
...that’s what I’m doing...
Yes they are.
We’ve been here before, CB. This is the same road you took before that I just described: “CB here even said Da Vinci and Michelangelo were idol makers and visitors to the Sistine Chapel are idolaters.”
That you just tried to back away from and now you’re cozying back up to. Back and forth you go, because, apparently, you still don’t know what an idol really is.
Yet you feel oh so free to pronounce idolatry in others. It’s funny to see.
Oh, I did not realize that God being subject to Mary in heaven is in Scripture. Please give me the Scripture. Thanks.
And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: ... He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart
Scripture is a tool for the antiCatholic. It is a collection of nutdrivers or rivet sets. Today, I will use this one; tomorrow I will use that one. They do not look at Scripture as the word of God since God does not appear in their mirrors. However, it is very important that they claim it. Name it and claim it. Blab it and grab it.
They use it alternatively as a justification for their beliefs du jour, or as a club to strike out with against those who don't happen to share the beliefs du jour.
Have you rejected the second chapter of Luke?
No way was I or am I backing away from it. I simply pointed out that it was scripture that condemned the practice not me. I understand that Catholics have a difficult time recognizing the difference since they follow the doctrines of men but it is scripture non the less.
>>Yet you feel oh so free to pronounce idolatry in others.<<
I simply point to God’s word condemning the practice. Catholics can deny all they want but God’s word will stand.
Do you have eyes but fail to see?
You seem to have made a very large space for it in your posts.
Ah but where would the internet be without all the self-righteous Keyboard Preachers of the The Church of the Holy Me? One hesitates to think how internet service providers could survive without them...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.