tagged w/ Pope Benedict XVI
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The Vatican is endorsing new technology that brings the book of daily prayers used by priests straight onto iPhones.
The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications is embracing the iBreviary, an iTunes application created by a technologically savvy Italian priest, the Rev. Paolo Padrini, and an Italian Web designer.
The application includes the Breviary prayer book — in Italian, English, Spanish, French and Latin and, in the near future, Portuguese and German. Another section includes the prayers of the daily Mass, and a third contains various other prayers.
After a free trial period in which the iBreviary was downloaded approximately 10,000 times in Italy, an official version was released earlier this month, Padrini said.
The application costs euro0.79 ($1.10), while upgrades will be free. Padrini's proceeds are going to charity.
Monsignor Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications, praised the new application Monday, saying the Church "is learning to use the new technologies primarily as a tool or as a mean of evangelizing, as a way of being able to share its own message with the world."
Pope Benedict XVI, a classical music lover who was reportedly given an iPod in 2006, has sought to reach out to young people through new media. During last summer's World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, he sent out mobile phone text messages citing scripture to thousands of registered pilgrims — signed with the tagline "BXVI."The Vatican is endorsing new technology that brings the book of daily prayers used by... more
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In Naples, Italy, these nativity dolls got a little political. These include Nicolas Sarkozy, Silvio Berlusconi, Pope Benedict XVI and of coarse, Barack Obama. (Video report from ITN)In Naples, Italy, these nativity dolls got a little political. These include Nicolas... more
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Be warned all you young Padawans!
The Force is Strong with this one!
Pope Benedict... The Dark Sith Lord!Be warned all you young Padawans!
The Force is Strong with this one!
Pope... more
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A Vatican newspaper has forgiven the late English singer John Lennon for saying four decades ago that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.
In an article praising The Beatles, L'Osservatore Romano said Lennon had just been showing off.
Lennon told a British newspaper in 1966 - at the height of Beatlemania - that he did not know which would die out first, Christianity or rock and roll.
At the time, the comparison sparked controversy in the US.
The semi-official Vatican newspaper marked the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' "White Album" with an article praising Lennon and the Fab Four from Liverpool.
The paper dismissed Lennon's much-criticised remark that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ as a youthful joke.
The paper described the remark as "showing off, bragging by a young English working-class musician who had grown up in the age of Elvis Presley and rock and roll and had enjoyed unexpected success".
L'Osservatore Romano recently got a new editor and now - apart from chronicling the Pope's daily doings and printing the texts of papal speeches - it sometimes runs articles on entertainment on inside pages, together with extensive reporting on world affairs.
In a half-page illustrated article, the paper praised The Beatles for what it called their "unique and strange alchemy of sounds and words".
The newspaper said The Beatles's songs had shown an extraordinary capacity for survival and the White Album album remained a "magical musical anthology".
In another article on the same page entitled "Twilight of the gods" the newspaper lamented the passing of the golden days of Hollywood and said the mysterious fascination of the star system of Hollywood in the 1950s had been superseded by the cult of so-called celebrities.
Although Pope Benedict has criticised many aspects of modern pop culture, he now allows the newspaper of the tiny independent Vatican state to reflect the reality of the world outside in a way that would have been unthinkable in the days of Pope Paul VI who reigned during heyday of The Beatles.A Vatican newspaper has forgiven the late English singer John Lennon for saying four... more
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A Catholic nun, Sister Alphonsa, has been made India's first female saint, at an event presided over by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
The canonisation was greeted with delight by Christians in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where Sister Alphonsa lived until her death in 1946.
It is being described as a boost to the spirits of India's Christians.
A number of people have been reported killed recently in Hindu attacks on Christian communities in India.
Sister Alphonsa said that she was completely devoted to Christ by the age of seven.
According to a Vatican biography, when she was only 13 she deliberately thrust her foot into a pile of burning embers.
Her aim was to make herself less attractive, and therefore less likely to be forced into marriage.
She wanted instead to be free to dedicate her life exclusively to God, and eventually she entered a convent.
Sister Alphonsa endured successive bouts of illness and died in her mid-30s.
Pope Benedict greets Indian Christians in Rome after canonising Sister Alphonsa
The Pope offered support to India's Christian minority
In the Vatican's view, Jesus led her to perfection through a life of suffering.
And it credited her with miraculously curing illnesses after her death.
As the Pope declared Sister Alphonsa to be a saint, church bells rang out and firecrackers were set off in celebration in her normally sleepy home town. A Catholic nun, Sister Alphonsa, has been made India's first female saint, at an... more
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The international cash crisis has shown that the foundations of the financial system were shaky, Pope Benedict XVI said Monday.
Taking his cue from a famous Bible parable on false prophets, the pope said: "He who builds only on visible and tangible things like success, career and money, he builds the house of his life on sand."
"We are now seeing, in the collapse of major banks, that money vanishes, it is nothing," the pope said at a televised Bible reading.
"All these things that appear to be real are in fact secondary. Only God's words are a solid reality."
Msgr Claudia Maria Celli, head of the Vatican's culture department, told reporters the Catholic Church doesn't have solutions to the crisis because they would be outside its remit.
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Thank you, Benedict, I'm sure your boss will not fire you after this speech.
By the way, is that a solid gold cross you're holding?
The international cash crisis has shown that the foundations of the financial system... more
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Italian Actress Faces Possible Five-Year Jail Term for Off-Color Joke About Pope
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Pope Benedict XVI urged ailing pilgrims to accept death "at the hour chosen by God," reasserting the Vatican's opposition to euthanasia on Monday at an open-air Mass for the sick in Lourdes.
Pope Benedict XVI urged ailing pilgrims to accept death "at the hour chosen by... more
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Pope Benedict XVI urged France to take Christianity into account despite its secular tradition, saying Friday on his first visit there as pontiff that church and state should be open to each other.
The four-day trip will take the pope from the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris to the Roman Catholic shrine in Lourdes. Benedict, who has said he comes to France as a "messenger of peace and brotherhood," was greeted at Orly airport outside the capital by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
While in Paris, the pope will also address a group that includes Muslim leaders on the second anniversary of a speech that heightened tensions with much of the Islamic world.
France is wrestling with its changing religious landscape and how to reconcile it with the secularism that underpins the modern French Republic.
On the plane, Benedict expressed understanding for France's long tradition of separating church and state, but added that, nonetheless, "Religion and politics must be open to each other."Pope Benedict XVI urged France to take Christianity into account despite its secular... more
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Pope Benedict XVI has condemned a metre-high sculpture of a crucified frog by German artist Martin Kippenberger. The work is currently on display at a museum in Bolzano, North Italy.
"In a letter dated August 7, Benedict said the sculpture 'has injured the religious feeling of many people who see in the cross the symbol of the love of God and of our salvation which deserves recognition and religious devotion.'
The amphibian, which according to the museum curators represents a self-portrait of the artist 'in a state of profound crisis,' is said to have shocked many visitors.
Does it offend you?Pope Benedict XVI has condemned a metre-high sculpture of a crucified frog by German... more
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A group of people claiming to be the heirs of the legendary Knights Templar are suing Pope Benedict XVI, seeking more than $150 billion for assets seized by the Catholic Church seven centuries ago.
A group of people claiming to be the heirs of the legendary Knights Templar are suing... more
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Pope Benedict's fondness for fur trim on his hats and capes has come under fire from an Italian animal rights group, which has launched an online petition to persuade the pontiff to switch to synthetics.
Benedict has taken a traditional approach to papal formal wear to match his conservative views on liturgy and theology, reviving the camauro, an ermine-trimmed red velvet hat favored by 17th-century popes and last worn by Pope John XXIII in the 1960s, as well as donning a cape trimmed with ermine, which is the white winter coat of the stoat.
But his use of ermine, long favored by kings, judges and nobles, has drawn the ire of the Italian Association for the Defense of Animals and the Environment, which had by yesterday gathered 2,260 signatures for its petition. "The pope has often talked about protecting the environment and we are asking that he acknowledges that animals, as God's creation, also deserve respect," said the organization's head, Lorenzo Croce.
Benedict's use of fur was defended yesterday by Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo. "Aren't there more important battles to wage?" he asked. "There are human beings who merit more urgent assistance that no one is taking care of. And if we eat animals, we can wear them."
Animal lovers signing the petition may be hoping that a pope known for his fondness for cats may eventually extend his love of animals to stoats and weasels.
In an interview in 2000, before becoming pope, Benedict said he opposed factory farming and the fattening of geese to make foie gras. "Animals too are God's creatures," he said, "creatures we must respect as companions in creation and as important elements in creation."
Pope Benedict's fondness for fur trim on his hats and capes has come under fire... more
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"Al-Qaeda Number 3, Abu Yahya al-Libi has issued a new video urging the killing of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for his moves towards inter-faith dialogue with Pope Benedict XVI.
A photo of King Abdullah and Benedict XVI taken during Abdullah's historic visit to the Vatican last November has been posted with the video to publicise it on Islamist websites.
A caption beneath the photo repeats part of al-Libi's video message. It reads: 'He (Abdullah) has made religion a joke and has done so in public with Jews, Christians and Muslims. He has thrown those fighting for Islamism into jail...and has fraternised with those who have offended the Prophet, notably the adulator of the Cross, the Vatican's Pope.'
Al-Libi concludes the message with a call to kill King Abdullah for having betrayed Islam.
The Libyan-born militant is believed to have fought alongside al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan."
"Al-Qaeda Number 3, Abu Yahya al-Libi has issued a new video urging the killing... more
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The contraception issue is arguably a source of great conflict and division in the Church. On the 40th anniversary of the encyclical which enshrined the ban, 50 dissident Catholic groups bought a half-page advertisement on Italy's largest newspaper urging the Pope to reconsider the ban for the sake of HIV prevention.
"Published in Italian, the letter said the Catholic Church's policy has had "a catastrophic impact on the poor and powerless around the world, endangering women's lives and leaving millions at risk of HIV."
"Most Catholics use modern contraception, believing it is a moral choice while considering themselves practising Catholics, and yet the Catholic hierarchy completely denies this reality, forcing priests to remain silent about this and many other topics linked to sexuality," the letter said."
Do you think the Pope should reconsider the ban or be coherent with his predecessors' choices? The contraception issue is arguably a source of great conflict and division in the... more
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Pope Benedict XVI apologized Saturday to victims of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, describing their acts as "evil" and a grave betrayal of trust.
"I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country," Benedict said during an address at a Mass in Australia.
"I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured," the pope said. "I assure them as their pastor that I too share in their suffering."
He said those responsible for these "evils must be brought to justice."
Support groups for victims of church abuse in Australia, whose numbers are not known but who activists say are in the thousands, had demanded the pope make a full and open apology for clergy abuse and do more to prevent future abuse.
There was no immediate word whether Benedict would meet with victims of clergy abuse, as he did during his trip to the United States in April, when he also expressed his shame for the scandal.
Pope Benedict XVI apologized Saturday to victims of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic... more
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Australians may finally be about to get their first saint.
During a visit to a chapel devoted to Mary MacKillop, who is celebrated for her work caring for children in rural towns across the country last century, nuns said Pope Benedict XVI indicated MacKillop was approaching final judgment on her canonization.
MacKillop was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995 after the Vatican determined she miraculously cured a woman suffering from leukemia. But the Vatican needs confirmation of a second miracle in order to make her a saint.
Australians may finally be about to get their first saint.
During a visit to a... more
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"Pope Benedict XVI has said he will apologise for decades of sexual abuse of children by Australian priests.
As he headed to Australia on the longest foreign trip of his papacy, he said that paedophilia was "incompatible" with being a priest. Abuse victims have said they will hold protest rallies during his visit.
The Pope is also expected to use the trip to discuss climate change, telling reporters that people must find an ethical way to change their lifestyles.
Climate change will be a theme of a major Catholic youth festival, World Youth Day, which the Pope is heading.
The event is expected to draw some 200,000 young Catholics to Sydney.
But the six-day event has been overshadowed by the launch of an investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
The leader of Australia's Catholics, Cardinal George Pell, has come under criticism for his handling of a 1982 case allegedly involving the sexual abuse of minors by a priest.""Pope Benedict XVI has said he will apologise for decades of sexual abuse of... more
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Yesterday almost 100,000 people gathered in Rome to protest against the Italian government and "a parliament compelled to make laws that make Berlusconi unpunishable".
During the anti-government rally, two comedians made personal attacks on the Pope, President Giorgio Napolitano and the Minister for Equal Opportunties Mara Carfagna.
Guzzanti provoked the most ire by attacking Pope Benedict XVI, saying that ''in 20 years he'll be dead and he'll go to hell to be tormented by two gay devils''.
She also gave voice to recent rumours about Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna by alleging that the ex-showgirl had had oral sex with Premier Silvio Berlusconi in return for political promotion.
Grillo meanwhile attacked Napolitano for giving a green light to a government bill that would give legal immunity to Berlusconi.
The two comedians won the crowd's ovations by telling the president to f*** off.
Yesterday almost 100,000 people gathered in Rome to protest against the Italian... more
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As Sydney prepares for a visit by Pope Benedict XVI and 225,000 young pilgrims, the city's brothels are readying themselves for an expected surge in demand for sex.
"The World Council of Churches, when they had their congress in Canberra back in the 1990s, was the best business period ever", says Sydney brothel manager.
The Eros Association, Australia's adult industry group, said sex shops and brothels across Sydney are expecting "huge turnover" during World Youth Day.
"We know the kind of people who visit prostitutes and adult shops, many of them do it because of their own personal repression," Eros spokesman Robbie Swan told AFP. "And often it's because of religion. Our industry is the forbidden fruit industry."
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/princesselena/2635192332/As Sydney prepares for a visit by Pope Benedict XVI and 225,000 young pilgrims, the... more
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Pope Benedict delivered mass at Yankee Stadium today on the final day of his first visit to America. He didn't leave before putting a few words in for unborn babies by urging Americans to use their rights wisely and resist resorting to abortion.Pope Benedict delivered mass at Yankee Stadium today on the final day of his first... more
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