Saturday, December 21, 2013

CANADA WANTS UN ISRAEL HATER OUSTED

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.

Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.

12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

ISRAEL SATAN COMES AGAINST

1 CHRONICLES 21:1
1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

ISRAELS TROUBLE

JEREMIAH 30:7
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;(ISRAEL) but he shall be saved out of it.

ISAIAH 31:5
5 As birds flying,(PLANES) so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem;(WITH PLANES) defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.(NUKE OR BOMB ISRAELS ENEMIES)

DANIEL 12:1,4
1 And at that time shall Michael(ISRAELS WAR ANGEL) stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:(ISRAEL) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation(May 14,48) even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS,CHIP IMPLANTS ETC)

ISAIAH 14:12-15
12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(SATAN HAS PROUD I PROBLEMS)
15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 

GENESIS 12:1-3
1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I (GOD) will shew thee:
2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3  And I will bless them that bless thee,(ISRAELIS) and curse (DESTROY) him that curseth thee:(DESTROY THEM) and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Canada wants UN official ousted over ‘Palestinian holocaust’ comment

Ottawa completely ‘rejects and condemns’ the ‘appalling’ remarks by Richard Falk

December 20, 2013, 2:37 pm 37-The times of Israel
TORONTO — Canada has called for the removal of a top UN official who accused Israel of having “genocidal intentions” against Palestinians.Ottawa “completely rejects and condemns” the “appalling” remarks made by Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement.Canada has previously called for Falk to be fired “for his numerous outrageous and anti-Semitic statements,” Baird said, “and these [latest] comments underscore once more the complete and total absurdity of his service as a UN Special Rapporteur.”Baird again called on the UN Human Rights Council “to remove Falk from his position immediately.”In a Dec. 15 interview on Russia’s English television news channel RT, Falk was asked about a past article he had written in which he said that Israel was “slouching toward nothing less than a Palestinian holocaust.” Falk told RT, “When you target a group, an ethnic group and inflict this kind of punishment upon them, you are in effect nurturing a kind of criminal intention that is genocidal.”Baird said the comments not only “undermine the fundamental values of the United Nations, they also belittle the terrible genocides that have tragically taken place throughout history and around the world.”

PA backtracks on ‘don’t boycott Israel’ comments

Contradicting Abbas, Palestinian mission to South Africa endorses BDS movement

December 20, 2013, 10:44 pm 2-The Times of Israel
The Palestinian diplomatic mission in South Africa released a statement Friday, saying that it does support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, and claiming that PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s comments stating the contrary were “taken out of context and misconstrued” by the media and “members of the Israeli lobby.”While in South Africa earlier this month for the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, Abbas stunned reporters and Palestinian activists alike when he stated that the Palestinians do not support a boycott of Israel. Abbas did advocate boycotting Israeli products made in the West Bank, on territory that the Palestinians envision as part of their future state.Friday’s carefully worded statement, released jointly by the Palestinian Embassy and BDS South Africa, clarified that “Palestinian officials and leaders respect and uphold the right of Palestinian civil society to initiate and lead local and global BDS campaigns against Israel as a means to achieve the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, paramount among which the right to self determination.”The statement continued, “We are keenly cognizant that international solidarity, particularly boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) was one of the four pillars of the struggle against apartheid here in South Africa.”It noted that on December 14, Fatah sent an official letter to South African President Jacob Zuma, communicating its support of the BDS movement.“No, we do not support the boycott of Israel,” the Palestinian leader told a group of South African reporters on December 9. ”But we ask everyone to boycott the products of the settlements. Because the settlements are in our territories. It is illegal.“And the Israelis should first of all stop building in our territories, should stop everything in our territories,” he stated, according to South African media outlet The Star.“But we do not ask anyone to boycott Israel itself,” he reiterated. “We have relations with Israel, we have mutual recognition of Israel.”
His comments drew condemnation from some Palestinian activists, who said Abbas was out of touch with the Palestinian people.The PA president’s comments conflict “with the Palestinian national consensus that has strongly supported BDS against Israel since 2005,” one of the founders of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Omar Barghouti, told the Electronic Intifada website.“There is no Palestinian political party, trade union, NGO network or mass organization that does not strongly support BDS. Any Palestinian official who lacks a democratic mandate and any real public support, therefore, cannot claim to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people when it comes to deciding our strategies of resistance to Israel’s regime of occupation, colonization and apartheid,” Barghouti said.The BDS movement calls for blanket boycotts of Israel, not just Israeli settlements, with the stated goal of ending the Israeli occupation of Arab lands and granting a right of return to all Palestinian refugees.“Any Palestinian official who today explicitly speaks against boycotting Israel — particularly in a country like South Africa, where the ruling party, leading trade unions, churches and other civil society groups have warmly endorsed BDS — only shows how aloof he is from his own people’s aspirations for freedom, justice and equality, and how oblivious he is to our struggle for their inalienable rights,” Barghouti added.

Nasrallah Threatens to 'Punish' Israel for Death of Top Leader

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warns that his terror group will "punish" Israel for killing top commander Hassan al-Lakiss.-By Elad Benari, Canada-First Publish: 12/20/2013, 9:01 PM-Israelnationalnews

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah-Flash 90
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Friday that his terror group will "punish" Israel for the killing of a top leader earlier this month, AFP reports."The killers will be punished sooner or later... Those who killed our brothers will not know safety anywhere in the world," Nasrallah said in a televised tribute to Hassan al-Lakiss, whose killing Hezbollah blamed on Israel despite its denials."We and the Israelis have accounts that need settling. There are old and new debts between us," he threatened.Lakiss's "blood has not been spilt in vain... The punishment will come whenever we decide it," Nasrallah added."The Israelis think that Hezbollah is busy (with Syria's war) and with the situation in Lebanon... I tell them: 'You're making a mistake,'" he said.Hezbollah announced on December 4 that Lakiss had been assassinated at his house in the Hadath region, east of Beirut, and was quick to accuse Israel of carrying it out.Israel denied the allegations, calling it a “Pavlovian response from Hezbollah, which makes automatic accusations (against Israel) before even thinking about what's actually happened.”Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon later warned Hezbollah against attacking Israel.Nasrallah said on Friday that Lakiss was "one of the brains of Hezbollah," though he refused to reveal his position in the group. He did, however, say Lakiss’s role was linked to his "work as a jihadist.""He worked to develop (Hezbollah's) capacity," said Nasrallah, adding he was "a brother and a friend."The last time a top Hezbollah leader was assassinated was in 2008, when Imad Mughniyeh was killed in a Damascus car bomb blast. Mughniyeh's killing was also blamed on Israel, which denied involvement.Hezbollah's decision to intervene in Syria has fueled tensions in Lebanon, which is bitterly divided over the war. Its stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut was hit by two car bombings this summer, one of which killed 27 people. Bombings in the mainly Sunni northern city of Tripoli in late August also killed 45 people, and ongoing fighting in that city between rival militias supporting different sides in the Syrian civil war have killed scores more.More recently, two suicide bombers killed 25 people in an attack on Iran's Beirut embassy.Nasrallah on Friday renewed his defense of Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian conflict."It's an existential battle for Lebanon, Syria and the resistance (against Israel) in the region," he said, according to AFP.(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.) 

IDF Opens Fire in Response to Arab Violence in Gaza

One dead as soldiers open fire at PA Arabs near the Gaza border in retaliation to violence, including the launching of a mortar.-By Elad Benari, Canada-First Publish: 12/20/2013, 9:42 PM-Israelnationalnews

Soldiers near Gaza (illustration)
Soldiers near Gaza (illustration)-Flash 90
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian Authority Arab in northern Gaza near the border with the Jewish state on Friday, emergency services and the news agency of the Hamas government said, according to AFP.
The man's body was recovered east of Beit Hanun, the emergency services said.The local Al-Rai news agency confirmed "the martyrdom of a young man of around 20 shot by the occupiers' bullets."The IDF said in response that soldiers had opened fire at PA Arabs near the border and scored hits in retaliation to Arab violence, including the launching of a mortar round that hit southern Israel.The soldiers opened fire when the Arabs failed to heed to calls to stop."During the past few hours several incidents took place along the security fence with the Gaza Strip," a statement quoted by AFP said."Palestinians caused damage to the northern security fence, fired a mortar shell that hit the Shaar HaNegev regional council, rioted and hurled rocks at soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip and neared the fence in an attempt to enter Israel," the statement said."Soldiers attempted to contain these violent events by calling out to the Palestinians but to no avail, and in accordance with the incident used live fire. Several hits were identified.”Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Gaza emergency services, said four other PA Arabs were also wounded by Israeli gunfire near the border.The last deadly incident in Gaza was on November 1, when four Hamas terrorists were killed and five Israeli soldiers wounded during an army operation to destroy a Gaza-Israel tunnel.The soldiers were working on destroying the tunnel that was dug by terrorists and led from Gaza into an Israeli kibbutz, when an explosive device was detonated, hurting the soldiers.The IDF responded by opening fire at terrorists who were in the area, killing four Hamas commanders.Two weeks ago, Gaza terrorists fired two Qassam rockets into southern Israel. The rockets landed in an uninhabited areas; no injuries were reported.IDF officials have stated that Hamas has continued to grow stronger in recent months. The Gaza Division has reportedly been conducting numerous training exercises in advance of another conflict. Despite the constant rocket attacks and other terror attacks, Israel continues to provide Gaza with humanitarian aid and other materials.
Just this week, as a winter storm caused heavy flooding in parts of Gaza, Israel allowed a diesel delivery into the region.(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(TAKE OVER 3 WORLD REGIONS)

LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

Centre-right to table joint candidate for EU commission

19.12.13 @ 21:28-EUOBSERVER
Brussels - EU centre-right leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday (19 December) agreed to a calendar for selecting a top candidate for the European Commission next year.The European People's Party - the political family dominating EU institutions - was the last to set out a selection procedure for the lead candidate for the commission job, a novelty ahead of next year's EU elections.At a summit in October, Merkel, poured cold water on the process while Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and EU council chief Herman Van Rompuy said it was too soon to decide on the calendar.They feared that several of the names floated are serving prime ministers who do not want to be put in a lame-duck situation back home.
On Thursday, EPP leaders decided to open the submission of candidacies on 13 February. Candidates will need the support of their national party plus the backing of two other countries and will be voted on at an EPP congress in Dublin on 6-7 March.According to EPP president Joseph Daul, there are "about six people who are interested" in the job.So far, the lead candidate - who has lost his prime minister post last month - is Luxembourg EU veteran Jean-Claude Juncker. Up until last year, Juncker was head of the eurogroup of finance ministers and the EU's longest-serving Prime Minister."I am ready if I am asked," Juncker said in an interview with Le Monde when asked about the post of commission president.Other possible names are Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny and Finland's PM Jyrki Katainen, who is also said to have his eye on being eurogroup chief.Latvia's former Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, who resigned recently over the collapse of a supermarket that killed 51 people, is also a possible name.EU internal market commissioner Michel Barnier, a former French MEP, has openly said he is interested in the post. His commission colleague in charge of justice and fundamental rights, Luxembourg's Viviane Reding, has long been rumoured as a possible candidate.Other groups have put out their calendars and started the process already. The Greens are holding an open primary and have selected four top candidates, with a final selection on 21-23 February.
The Liberals are choosing between two top candidates - EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn from Finland and Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt from Belgium.Meanwhile, the only almost-certain candidate for the EU commission top job is Martin Schulz, the German head of the European Parliament.His Socialist party will have a primary in January and a final selection at a party congress in Rome on 28 February-1 March.The European Left - the smaller leftist political group - has nominated Alexis Tsipras from Greece as their lead candidate.Parties are hoping to boost turnout at the EU elections, which has been declining since the first direct elections in 1979. A novelty in the Lisbon Treaty, EU leaders need to take into account the result of the EU elections when deciding on the commission head.

EUROPEAN UNION ARMY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWmPqY8TE0&feature=player_embedded

DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 DIVSION REGION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.( BE HEAD OF 3 NATIONS)
25 And he (EU PRESIDENT) shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.(3 1/2 YRS)

DANIEL 8:23-25
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king (EU DICTATOR) of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences,(FROM THE OCCULT-NEW AGE MOVEMENT) shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:(SATANS POWER) and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;(JESUS) but he shall be broken without hand.

DANIEL 11:36-39
36 And the king (EU DICTATOR) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers,(THIS EU DICTATOR IS JEWISH) nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.(CLAIM TO BE GOD)
38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:(WAR) and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,(DESTROY TERROR GROUPS) whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,(HIS ARMY LEADERS) and shall divide the land for gain.

REVELATION 19:19
19 And I saw the beast,(EU LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(UNITED NATIONS TROOPS) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse,(JESUS) and against his army.(THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)

France, Germany and UK show discord on EU defence

20.12.13 @ 10:28-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS - EU countries have agreed to "deepen defence co-operation," but France, Germany and the UK disagreed how to do it at a summit in Brussels on Thursday (19 December).France went into the meeting calling for a new EU fund to help pay for member states' unilateral operations - such as the French intervention in Mali or the Central African Republic (CAR) - if they serve European security.He did not get it.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said France cannot to go to war on its own just because the EU makes decisions slowly and then expect the Union to chip in."We cannot fund military missions in which we are not involved in the decision process," she told press after the defence talks.She added that a separate defence ministers' meeting would be needed to transform the French CAR operation into an EU intervention.
French leader Francois Hollande played down the German snub.He said the EU foreign service will draft a study on his new fund idea in the first few months of next year.He added that Poland might, on Friday, agree to also send troops to CAR, in a development which would trigger financial support from an existing EU military aid package - the so-called Athena mechanism of 2004."The moment this happens, this will be considered a European operation and ... there will be European funding," he noted.He also said French spending on Mali and CAR will be "an element of explanation" in future talks with the European Commission on France's budget deficit for 2013 and 2014.For his part, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he will block EU institutions from owning and operating their own military assets."It makes sense for nation states to co-operate over matters of defence to keep us safer … but it isn't right for the European Union to have capabilities, armies, air forces and all the rest of it," he told media.He also persuaded fellow leaders to dilute the political rhetoric on joint defence.In one example, a draft text of the summit conclusions had said in its preamble that EU countries will "strengthen [their] strategic autonomy." But on Thursday the phrase - a French concept - was bumped down to page eight of the 10-page communique, which said better industrial co-operation would "enhance its [Europe's] strategic autonomy."The final text also underlined the primacy of Nato as Europe's security guarantor.The commission proposed back in July that it should "own and operate" its own surveillance drones. The head of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, on Thursday also said: "We need a headquarters for civil and military missions in Brussels and deployable troops."But fellow leaders accused Cameron of politicking for the sake of eurosceptic votes at home.Hollande indicated that member states discarded the commission proposal long ago. "This [Cameron's] statement was, in my opinion, for the large part, a bit false … Nobody envisages the creation of a European army," the French President said.
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who attended the summit, sympathised with Cameron's concerns.
"Nato is and will remain the bedrock of Euro-Atlanic security," he said. But he added: "Let me stress: It is not Nato or the EU that possess [military] assets. They are owned by the individual nations."The final summit communique said EU countries will co-operate on four projects.They pledged to build what Hollande called a "common drone" by 2025 at the latest. They promised to create a bigger fleet of air-to-air refuelling tankers, to work together on "next generation" satellite technology and to do joint training on cyber defence.
They also said EU institutions should spend more money on military R&D and draft a new "EU Maritime Security Strategy."Meanwhile, Rasmussen repeated his earlier warning that the 22 EU countries which are also Nato members must make a bigger contribution to Nato missions."Unless we Europeans take our security seriously, North Americans will rightly ask why they should. Unless we recommit to our own defence, we risk seeing America disengage, and Europe and America drift apart," he said.The same day in Paris, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian showed to what extent European armies depend on US technology.He said France will shortly deploy the first two of its 12 new "Reaper" drones to hunt jihadists in Mali and Niger. But with no European firm able to supply competing surveillance equipment, France bought the Reapers from US company General Atomics.

FALSE POPE FROM THE VATICAN

REVELATION 13:11-13
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he (FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADER) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

REVELATION 17:1-5,9,15-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

12/21/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Francis’ message to the Roman Curia: “Don’t turn into a bureaucratic customs house”

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[Translate to English:] Piazza San Pietro
[Translate to English:] Piazza San Pietro

Today the Pope extended his Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia, pointing out the qualities of a good Curial official and superior: “professionalism”, “service” and “holiness of life”. He also stressed that “holiness, in the Curia, also means conscientious objection to gossip!”

Andrea Tornielli vatican city The three qualities a good Curial official and superior must have are: professionalism, service and holiness of life; the Roman Curia must avoid turning into a “bureaucratic customs house” and should show a “conscientious objection to gossip.” The Pope offered this guidance to members of the Roman Curia in his Christmas message pronounced in the Clementine Hall this morning.The Pope extended “a special greeting” to Mgr. Pietro Parolin “who recently began his service as Secretary of State, and who needs our prayers!” In his first Christmas as Bishop of Rome, Francis thanked all of his collaborators for the “for the work which you doeach day: for the care, diligence and creativity which you display; and for your effort – I know it is not always easy – to work together in the office, both to listen to and challenge one another, and to bring out the best in all your different personalities and gifts, in a spirit of mutual respect.” Francis gave special thanks to those who are about to end their service and enter retirement: “As priests and bishops, we know full well that we never really retire, but we do leave the office, and rightly so, not least to devote ourselves more fully to prayer and the care of souls, starting with our own!”Francis expressed his “heartfelt” gratitude to those who “have worked ... for so many years with immense dedication, hidden from the eyes of the world.” “This is something truly admirable. I have such high regard for these “Monsignori” who are cut from the same mould as the curiales of olden times, exemplary persons… We need them today, too! People who work with competence, precision and self sacrifice in the fulfilment of their daily duties.”Francis went on to mention some of the qualities that distinguish “the curial official, and evenmore of curial superiors ... : professionalism and service. Professionalism, by which I mean competence, study, keeping abreast of things… This is a basic requisite for working in the Curia. Naturally, professionalism is something which develops, and is in part acquired; but I think that, precisely for it to develop and to be acquired there has to be a good foundation from the outset.”The second hallmark is service: service to the Pope and to the bishops, to the universalChurch and to the particular Churches. In the Roman Curia, one learns – in a real way, “one breathes in” – this twofold aspect of the Church, this interplay of the universal and the particular. I think that this is one of the finest experiences of those who live and work in Rome: “to sense” the Church in this way. When professionalism is lacking, there is a slow drift downwards towards mediocrity. Dossiers become full of trite and lifeless information, and incapable of opening up lofty perspectives. Then too, when the attitude is no longer one of service to the particular Churches and their bishops, the structure of the Curia turns into a ponderous, bureaucratic customs house, constantly inspecting and questioning, hindering the working of the Holy Spirit and the growth of God’s people.”The third quality the Pope emphasised was holiness of life. “There have been saints in the Roman Curia in the past and there still are today,” the Pope said in an off-the-cuff comment that is not in his written speech. He then continued: “We know very well that, in the hierarchy of values, this is the most important. Indeed, it is basic for the quality of our work, our service. Holiness means a life immersed in the Spirit, a heart open to God, constant prayer, deep humility and fraternal charity in our relationships with our fellow workers. It also means apostleship, discreet and faithful pastoral service, zealously carried out in direct contact with God’s people. For priests, this is indispensable.”

“Holiness, in the Curia, also means conscientious objection to gossip! We rightfully insiston the importance of conscientious objection, but perhaps we too need to exercise it as a means of defending ourselves from an unwritten law of our surroundings, which unfortunately is that of gossip. So let us all be conscientious objectors; and mind you, I am not simply preaching! Gossip is harmful to people, our work and our surroundings.”The Pope concluded by recalling the role St. Joseph played: “Saint Joseph, who was so silent yet so necessary at the side of Our Lady. Let us think about him and his loving concern for his Spouse and for the Baby Jesus.” Francis thanked those present for their prayers: Truly I feel “borne aloft” by your prayers and I ask you to continue to support me in this way.”

12/19/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Francis’ friend, Rabbi Skorka, has a dream

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Pope Francis with Rabbi Skorka
Pope Francis with Rabbi Skorka

Argentinean rabbi Abraham Skorka talks about the proposition he made to the Pope a few months ago and about his wish to visit the Holy Land with him

Alver Metalli Buenos Aires He wanted to be the one to write the preface to “El Jesuita”, the first biography-interview-turned-best-seller approved by the Latin American Pope: “As far as I know, it must be the first time in two thousand years that a rabbi writes the preface to a book written by a Catholic priest.” Skorka and Bergoglio discussed “On Heaven and Earth” (a transcription of conversations between Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio and Rabbi Abraham Skorka, held in 2010, Ed.) together together and they talked together about the Holy Bible for two years on Argentina’s Canale 21. Now that Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land has been officially confirmed - with Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal announcing it would be taking place in May 2014 - Argentinean rabbi Abraham Skorka’s dream is to accompany Francis. Or perhaps he already knows for certain this is going to happen; the two had discussed the possibility on a number of occasions when Bergoglio, Skorka’s friend Bergoglio, was not yet Pope. “Various Jewish institutions asked me which Argentinean they could honour with a visit to the Holy Land and I always suggested Bergoglio.” The visit never materialised. “When he was elected Pope – Simon Peres had met him and I know they had both been struck by one another, Skorka says – the Israeli Presidency contacted me to let me know that Israel was very eager for him to visit.” It was 13 June and Rabbi Abraham Skorka was in Rome, waiting to see his old friend again but this time dressed in white. “I told him all this and he seemed to like the idea,” the rabbi says. Then it was Benjamin Netanyahu’s turn. The invitation became official. Skorka saw the images of the Israeli prime minister’s meeting with the Pope on television. He e-mailed the Pope, as he often used to when his friend Bergoglio was still archbishop and continues to do so now his friend is Francis.”We are in touch and we still discuss life, politics and what is going on in the world...” Although Rabbi Skorka does not say so, he probably reminded Francis of a conversation they had last June, during which it was mentioned they might visit the Holy Land together.Skorka is convinced that the Jewish people have found in Bergoglio, the best friend they have ever had on the Throne of St. Peter. “His frank, sincere, deep and moving dialogue with many Jews in Argentina, not just with me, is clear evidence of this.  “This is now a history, not just single cases, a history of attention and respect.” Fifty years have gone by since Paul VI’s historic visit to the Holy Land, which Francis would like to commemorate. Rabbi Skorka was 14 years old when Pope Montini stepped foot inside Israel but he remembers it as if it were yesterday. “My parents and grandparents were born in Poland,” Skorka recalls. “They experienced Christian anti-Semitism first hand; hunger and persecution were the two reasons they left. I have also always been aware that culture and the values of the Polish people had a lot in common with Christianity and that Christianity has its roots in Judaism. These are contradictory messages but this was partly what inspired me in the process of interreligious dialogue: when there is real, sincere and respectful recognition, we can work together to make the world a better place. What saddened me about Paul VI’s visit is that he was not able to go to Jerusalem which was divided at the time.” Pope Francis will get to go and Skorka would like to be with him at this historic moment.  The rabbi also says he remembers John Paul II’s visit very clearly; It is still “fresh in my mind; it was quite something to see him there, standing for the Israeli national anthem.” Rabbi Skorka remembers that it was during John Paul II’s papacy that diplomatic relations between Israel and the Vatican resumed. Benedict XVI’s visit took place at what was a very complicated time for the Middle East; it was unlikely he was going to have the same impact on the people and the government. “Ratzinger’s words are very profound, courageous and incredibly valuable, for example what he says in the opening chapter of his three-volume work on Jesus of Nazareth. This was structured like a Midrash from the Talmud ... I talked to Bergoglio about it,” he recalls. And now, even more is expected of his friend Bergloglio. People expect “a roar, the roaring words of a prophet who asks for justice for the suffering.” This “step forward will be taken thanks to Pope Francis’ ability to go straight to the heart of things,” Skorka says.The pope is not frightened by the criticisms of traditionalists and conservatives, which are getting harsher and harsher. Traditionalists accuse him of modernism, the US Tea Party conservatives of Marxism. The former ask God to “enlighten and eliminate” him, whilst the latter appeal to governments to isolate him. We throw this question at Rabbi Skorka: Is the Pope at risk as an Italian judge said some time ago? Skorka pauses for a moment. The silence goes on. He asks if the question was referring to physical risks and then emphasises that “the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church needs to really, really look after him.”

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