KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.
“Peace is wounded by every denial of human dignity”, he said. This denial begins with the lack of food and hunger. “The faces of those who suffer from hunger cannot leave us indifferent”, he told the ambassadors, and recalled that much food “is wasted” every day. But this “culture of throw-away” is not just confined to food or superfluous goods, he remarked, “it often extends also to human beings” who are “discarded” as if they are “not necessary things”.Citing several examples, the Pope said one is “struck with horror at the very thought that there are children that cannot see the light, victims of abortion, or those (children) who are used as soldiers, or raped or killed in armed conflicts, or made objects of trade in that tremendous form of human slavery which is the trafficking of human beings, which is a crime against humanity”. Pope Francis next drew the ambassadors – and through them their Governments’ attention to the plight of “the multitudes” of migrants and refugees who flee war, poverty and hunger, and often end up in camps where they are just numbers, as happens in the Horn of Africa or in the Great Lakes district in Africa. He recalled other migrants too who set out to find a more dignified human life but often end up in tragic situations; he mentioned the Latin American migrants that go to the USA , “and especially” those who travel from Africa or the Middle East to Europe. The Pope who went to Lampedusa to lament all this, repeated his cry: “there is a general sense of indifference” in the face of these tragedies, and this is “a dramatic signal of the loss of that ‘sense of fraternal responsibility’ on which every civil society is based.“He went onto highlight another “great wound to peace” which comes from “the greedy exploitation of the resources of the environment”. He had spoken about this in Rio and in his Exhortation, and now he repeated that mankind does not care enough for nature. “Everyone has responsibility here”, he stated. He called on Governments to promote “policies that respect our earth.” But there are also many natural disasters, he said. He remembered here the “numerous victims and terrible destruction” in the Philippines and other countries in South-East Asia caused by the Haiyan typhoon.Recalling the words of Paul VI, he reminded the ambassadors that “peace is not reduced to the absence of war, or the fruit of an ever precarious balance of forces. It is something that is built day by day, in following the order willed by God that involves a more perfect justice among men”Before greeting them individually, Pope Francis concluded by assuring the ambassadors, and the Governments they represent, that the Holy See is always ready and willing to collaborate with them to foster bonds of brotherhood, harmony and peace.The ambassadors warmly applauded the Pope when he finished speaking.
The official position taken by the Vatican is separate to that expressed by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the “Syria: Can we remain indifferent?” workshop held yesterday, ahead of Geneva II. In a recent statement, Mgr. Silvano Maria Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva told Vatican Radio that the situation in Syria was complicated further by: the strategic interests of big powers such as Russia and the US; the wrestling match between Iran and Saudi Arabia or between Shiites and Sunnis for religious and political leadership and by the Christian struggle for survival in the region. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences has organised a meeting of experts and religious figures to come up with recommendations for the UN conference of political powers involved in the Syrian conflict, which is scheduled to take place in Geneva on 22 January.It is still not clear whether the Holy See will attend as an Observer State. The Vatican think tank held a closed doors meeting at its main offices in the Vatican, at the end of which, it produced a statement addressed to His Holiness Pope Francis. It reads: “The Geneva 2 Conference on January 22 allows the people of Syria, the region, and the world to conceive of a fresh start to end violence that has claimed more than 130,000 lives and left a beautiful country in ruins and dislocation.” “The first and most urgent step, agreeable to all men and women of goodwill, should be an immediate cease-fire and end to violence of all kinds, an end without political preconditions.”The statement of recommendations addressed to the Pope stressed the need for “reconciliation” between the various players in Syria’s civil war (which has never been defined as such) and lists the “preconditions for lasting peace:” “an immediate cessation of violence; the start of rebuilding; inter-communal dialogue; and progress to resolve all regional conflicts, and the participation of all regional and global actors in the pursuit of peace in Geneva 2.” It also says “new political forms in Syria are needed, to ensure representation, participation, reform, and the voice and security of all social groups. Political transformation is needed. It is not a precondition for ending violence; rather, it will accompany the cessation of violence and the rebuilding of trust.” The statement furthermore stresses that recent nuclear energy discussions offer “great hope that an extended period of grave distrust between Iran and other nations in the region and beyond might now be followed by a new era of trust and even cooperation.”The President of the Pontifical for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, opened the workshop. It was attended by: Mohamed El Baradei (Nobel Peace Prize winner and Vice-President of Egypt for one month after the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi and before the violent repression the military exercised over the Muslim Brotherhood when they came to power); US economist Jeffrey Sachs; Thomas Walsh; Spain’s former foreign affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos; Joseph Maila; William F. Vendley; Thierry de Montbrial and the ambassador Pyotr Vladimirovic Stegny, who represented Russia’s stance regarding the Syrian crisis.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(THE FALSE POPE WHO DEFECTED FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH) causeth all,(IN THE WORLD ) both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(MICROCHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark,(MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the name of the beast,(WORLD DICTATORS NAME INGRAVED ON YOUR SKIN OR TATTOOED ON YOU OR IN THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT) or the number of his name.(THE NUMBERS OF HIS NAME INGRAVED IN THE MICROCHIP IMLPLANT)-(ALL THESE WILL TELL THE WORLD DICTATOR THAT YOUR WITH HIM AND AGAINST KING JESUS-GOD)
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:(WORLD LEADER) for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM (6006006)OR(60020202006)(SOME KIND OF NUMBER IMPLANTED IN THE MICROCHIP THAT TELLS THE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TOTAL ALLIGIENCE TO HIM AND NOT JESUS)(ITS AN ETERNAL DECISION YOU MAKE)(YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN DESTINY)(YOU TAKE THE DICTATORS NAME OR NUMBER UNDER YOUR SKIN,YOUR DOOMED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE AND TORMENTS FOREVER,NEVER ENDING MEANT ONLY FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS,NOT HUMAN BEINGS).OR YOU REFUSE THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT AND GO ON THE SIDE OF KING JESUS AND RULE FOREVER WITH HIM ON EARTH.YOU CHOOSE,ITS YOUR DECISION.
Former ECB chief blames governments for euro-crisis
Today @ 21:39-EUOBSERVER
By Valentina Pop
Berlin - The former head of the
European Central Bank (ECB), Jean-Claude Trichet, has blamed EU
governments for what he called the "worst economic crisis since World
War II” and said the eurozone is still at risk.Trichet, who led the ECB between 2003 and 2011, spoke out on Tuesday
(14 January) at a European Parliament hearing on the “troika” of
international lenders which managed bailouts in Cyprus, Greece, Ireland
and Portugal.Echoing EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn’s remarks to MEPs ealier
this week, Trichet underlined the "extraordinary" and unpredictable
nature of the euro-crisis.But the 71-year-old French banker said he had warned EU governments
of growing economic divergences in the euro area as far back as 2005 and
that he had criticised member states, notably France and Germany, for
ignoring the deficit and debt rules which underpin the common currency.They did not listen.As a result, when the US mortgage bubble burst and when Lehman
Brothers investment bank fell, the euro was exposed to the full
consequences.Trichet said the eurozone could not have avoided some kind of
fallout, “but it could have avoided becoming the epicentre of the
sovereign debt crisis."He rejected criticism by several MEPs that under his rule the ECB was
too prudent and failed to calm markets the way his successor, Italy's
Mario Draghi, managed to do with the mere verbal promise that he will
"do whatever it takes" to save the euro.
Trichet noted that the ECB intervened on bond markets and bought up Greek debt as early as May 2010, when he was still chief and when the first-ever EU bailout was still being drafted. It interevened again in 2011 to buy Italian and Spanish debt when investors started to bet against the larger euro-states.He said that if the ECB had not bought Greek, Italian and Spanish debt on his watch, then Draghi’s verbal promise would have had less weight."If we wouldn't have bought Spanish and Italian debt - a move which was highly criticised at the time - we would be in a totally different situation now," he added.Turning to Ireland, where the government first used taxpayers’ money to guarnatee all deposits in Irish banks and then had to seek a painful rescue package, Trichet said "nobody advised them to do so."But he noted that the Irish move was "justified" because all the big countries - France, Germany, the UK and the US - were at the same time securing their "systemic banks" to prevent a Lehman-type collapse."In Ireland this was dramatic because of the size of banks in relation to its economy. At the time you couldn't afford to let big banks fail. Now we're in a different situation, banks can be wound down," Trichet said.On Greece, Trichet tried to justify his clash with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Back in 2010, the IMF said Greece could never repay its debt and should write off some of its private and public liabilities. But the EU, under a deal by the French and German leaders, wanted the private sector to take the hit alone in what it called “private sector involvement [PSI],” putting Trichet in a tough spot.Trichet said the IMF talks were "difficult,” but in the end the two sides agreed on the basis the Greek PSI would be a one-off.One MEP asked him why he “denied reality” for more than a year, ignoring the IMF’s predictions on the unsustainability of Greek debt, in a situation which drove up the final cost of the Greek bailout and the PSI losses.Trichet said he did it to buy time to fight the Franco-German idea of PSI as a model for all bailouts.Despite his actions, PSI came back in a vengeance in Cyprus in 2013, when it was renamed a “bail-in,” and when it saw lenders snatch the savings of well-to-do private depositors on top of private bondholders.But Trichet was already long gone from the ECB.
Trichet noted that the ECB intervened on bond markets and bought up Greek debt as early as May 2010, when he was still chief and when the first-ever EU bailout was still being drafted. It interevened again in 2011 to buy Italian and Spanish debt when investors started to bet against the larger euro-states.He said that if the ECB had not bought Greek, Italian and Spanish debt on his watch, then Draghi’s verbal promise would have had less weight."If we wouldn't have bought Spanish and Italian debt - a move which was highly criticised at the time - we would be in a totally different situation now," he added.Turning to Ireland, where the government first used taxpayers’ money to guarnatee all deposits in Irish banks and then had to seek a painful rescue package, Trichet said "nobody advised them to do so."But he noted that the Irish move was "justified" because all the big countries - France, Germany, the UK and the US - were at the same time securing their "systemic banks" to prevent a Lehman-type collapse."In Ireland this was dramatic because of the size of banks in relation to its economy. At the time you couldn't afford to let big banks fail. Now we're in a different situation, banks can be wound down," Trichet said.On Greece, Trichet tried to justify his clash with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Back in 2010, the IMF said Greece could never repay its debt and should write off some of its private and public liabilities. But the EU, under a deal by the French and German leaders, wanted the private sector to take the hit alone in what it called “private sector involvement [PSI],” putting Trichet in a tough spot.Trichet said the IMF talks were "difficult,” but in the end the two sides agreed on the basis the Greek PSI would be a one-off.One MEP asked him why he “denied reality” for more than a year, ignoring the IMF’s predictions on the unsustainability of Greek debt, in a situation which drove up the final cost of the Greek bailout and the PSI losses.Trichet said he did it to buy time to fight the Franco-German idea of PSI as a model for all bailouts.Despite his actions, PSI came back in a vengeance in Cyprus in 2013, when it was renamed a “bail-in,” and when it saw lenders snatch the savings of well-to-do private depositors on top of private bondholders.But Trichet was already long gone from the ECB.
01/14/2014 VATICAN INSIDER
Ukrainian government threatens to rescind legal status of the Greek Catholic Church
A pro-Europe demonstration in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church risks losing its status as a recognised religion if it doesn’t stop taking part in pro-EU demonstrations in the “maidan”
Marco Tosatti Rome Kiev’s culture minister has sent an official letter threatening the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine with revoking its status as an official religion if its priests persist in taking part in the demonstrations being held in the maidan, the square demonstrators have occupied in support of Ukraine gaining EU membership. This is the first time such a threat has been made against the Greek Catholic Church, since Ukraine regained its independence. The Church has suffered a great deal as a result of its loyalty to Rome. After the Second World War, Stalin decreed its elimination and bishops, priests and faithful faced persecution and martyrdom under the communist regime.The deputy Minister of Culture, Timofy Kokhan, signed and sent the letter on 3 January. Amongst other things, the letter says “there are frequent reports in the Ukrainian media about the religious activities of representatives of the Greek Catholic Church in Kiev’s Independence Square (known as the maidan, Ed.) in the month of December last year and at the start of 2014. These activities are a violation of Ukrainian law on the freedom of conscience and religious gatherings … Failure to observe the principles set out in article 16 of Ukrainian law, regarding the freedom of conscience and religious gatherings, may result in the magistrature ordering the termination of the afore mentioned religious activities.” The letter was published on the Ukrainska Pravda website.The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, responded that the Church cannot stand by and do nothing if its faithful are asking for help. “Our church has always been true to this mission that Christ entrusted to our Church” the Major Archbishop said, “and will remain so for the future and despite any threats.” The maidan square demonstrators turned to the Greek Catholic Church as well as other Churches, asking them to pray for them, the archbishop explained. At a moment when dialogue between government and citizens seems to be lacking, those who believe in God feel a special need to pray for peace and calm in Ukraine and to put an end to the violence that has crushed the dignity and constitutional rights of Ukrainian citizens. The Church, Schevchuk added, “The Church does not take part in political processes but it cannot stand aside and do nothing when its faithful ask for spiritual help. It is a priest’s duty to be with the faithful; this duty is linked to the Church’s very mission.”Other Churches share the position of the Greek Catholic Church. “The Church reserves the right to judge what the situation the country is in, if there is a violation of human rights and of the principles of public morality which stem from God’s law and are reflected in the social Doctrine of the Church,” Schevchuk concluded. The only way to resolve the Ukrainian crisis “is through an open and honest dialogue among the parties.”
01/13/2014 VATICAN INSIDER
Pope calls for renewed sense of "fraternal responsibility" to build peace in the world
Children surrounded by poverty and destruction
Speaking to ambassadors from 180 countries, Pope Francis called for peace and an end to conflict in Syria, Israel-Palestine, Korea, and elsewhere. He also zoned in on such major issues as world poverty, hunger, migration, abortion, human trafficking, and the environment
gerard o'connell rome Greeting ambassadors from 180 countries on January 13, Pope Francis called for a renewed effort to bring peace to Syria, encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to take “courageous decisions” to find “a just and lasting solution” to their conflict, and urged both sides in the divided Korean peninsula to continue their search for reconciliation.He issued his triple call for reconciliation and peace in a wide ranging talk to the ambassadors in which he insisted on the need for a renewed sense of “fraternal responsibility” and cooperation between states, denounced abortion, killings of children in conflicts and human trafficking, and appealed for greater solidarity towards refugees and migrants, as well as care of the environment. As he spoke, he could see in front of him in the Vatican’s magnificent Sala Regia, the men and women ambassadors from the 180 states that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, together with official representatives of the European Union, the Knights of Malta and the State of Palestine.China was the great absentee. Senior officials from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State were present, together with Cardinal-elect Pietro Parolin, the new Secretary of State.“I do not cease to hope that the conflict in Syria will finally end”, he told them, and called for “a renewed common political will to end that conflict”. Turning to the wider Middle East, he expressed concern at the recent happenings in Lebanon and underlined the need for “renewed collaboration” between the different political and civil groups there to prevent the country’s destabilization. He spoke about the need for “a new found social harmony “in Egypt and Iraq and expressed satisfaction at the “significant progress” made between Iran and the Group of 5+1 on the nuclear question.“Everywhere, the way to resolve the open problems must be the diplomatic path of dialogue”, the Jesuit Pope told the ambassadors in words clearly directed to their Governments. Quoting Benedict XV in 1917, he urged them to let “the moral force of law” prevail over “the material (force) of arms”.In this context he commented positively on the re-started Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations, and strongly encouraged both sides, with the help of the international community, “to take courageous decisions to find a just and lasting solution to a conflict whose end is ever more necessary and urgent”.He expressed concern at “the exodus of Christians from the Middle East”, and said they want to play their part in the life of the countries where they were born. He lamented the violence and killings in Nigeria, but said believers must never cease to do good even when they are persecuted. He spoke of his concern too at the sufferings of the people in the Central African Republic, and appealed to the international community to help end the conflict there. He rejoiced at positive developments in Mali but expressed concern at the downward turn of events in Southern Sudan.Turning to Asia, the Pope who will probably visit this part of the world later this year said the Church wishes “to share the joys and the hopes of all the peoples of this vast and noble continent”. Recalling that this is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and South Korea, he prayed for “reconciliation in the peninsula... for the good of all the Korean people”, and encouraged both the North and the South to never grow tired of seeking a solution.Asia has a long history of “peaceful coexistence” between the ethnic and religious groups, the Pope said, but it is now necessary to strengthen this mutual respect, particularly as there are signs that this is weakening and closure is taking place for religious motives. He did not mention any country by name.The Argentine Pope began his speech by extending his greetings to the ambassadors, their families and the Governments and peoples they represent. Speaking in Italian, he told them he wished to share with them “some reflections that arise from his heart as a pastor who is attentive to the joys and sorrows of humanity”.Drawing on his Message for the World Day he recalled that people usually learn “fraternity” and “peace” in the family, where they are introduced to the spirit of sharing and service that contributes to peace. But he noted that sadly today an ever increasing number of families are “divided and wounded” also because of “the difficult conditions” in which many of them are forced to live, including the lack of the very means of subsistence. He emphasized the need for Government policies that help and sustain families.Just as he had done at the World Youth Day in Rio, Pope Francis again insisted on the need to reject the culture that discards the elderly and has no place for the young. He called for “a common effort” on the part of everyone to foster “a culture of encounter”, because without it we cannot create community or build peace.“Peace is wounded by every denial of human dignity”, he said. This denial begins with the lack of food and hunger. “The faces of those who suffer from hunger cannot leave us indifferent”, he told the ambassadors, and recalled that much food “is wasted” every day. But this “culture of throw-away” is not just confined to food or superfluous goods, he remarked, “it often extends also to human beings” who are “discarded” as if they are “not necessary things”.Citing several examples, the Pope said one is “struck with horror at the very thought that there are children that cannot see the light, victims of abortion, or those (children) who are used as soldiers, or raped or killed in armed conflicts, or made objects of trade in that tremendous form of human slavery which is the trafficking of human beings, which is a crime against humanity”. Pope Francis next drew the ambassadors – and through them their Governments’ attention to the plight of “the multitudes” of migrants and refugees who flee war, poverty and hunger, and often end up in camps where they are just numbers, as happens in the Horn of Africa or in the Great Lakes district in Africa. He recalled other migrants too who set out to find a more dignified human life but often end up in tragic situations; he mentioned the Latin American migrants that go to the USA , “and especially” those who travel from Africa or the Middle East to Europe. The Pope who went to Lampedusa to lament all this, repeated his cry: “there is a general sense of indifference” in the face of these tragedies, and this is “a dramatic signal of the loss of that ‘sense of fraternal responsibility’ on which every civil society is based.“He went onto highlight another “great wound to peace” which comes from “the greedy exploitation of the resources of the environment”. He had spoken about this in Rio and in his Exhortation, and now he repeated that mankind does not care enough for nature. “Everyone has responsibility here”, he stated. He called on Governments to promote “policies that respect our earth.” But there are also many natural disasters, he said. He remembered here the “numerous victims and terrible destruction” in the Philippines and other countries in South-East Asia caused by the Haiyan typhoon.Recalling the words of Paul VI, he reminded the ambassadors that “peace is not reduced to the absence of war, or the fruit of an ever precarious balance of forces. It is something that is built day by day, in following the order willed by God that involves a more perfect justice among men”Before greeting them individually, Pope Francis concluded by assuring the ambassadors, and the Governments they represent, that the Holy See is always ready and willing to collaborate with them to foster bonds of brotherhood, harmony and peace.The ambassadors warmly applauded the Pope when he finished speaking.
01/14/2014 VATICAN INSIDER
Kerry says Obama "looks forward" to meeting Pope Francis in the Vatican
John Kerry
John Kerry’s meeting with Pietro Parolin in the Vatican today ahead of the Geneva 2 peace conference lasted one hour and forty minutes. The issues focused on included Syria, South Sudan, US health care reform and the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations
Iacopo Scaramuzzi vatican city The dramatic situation in Syria and the Geneva II Middle East peace conference next week. The White House’s re-launch of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which the holy See hopes will have a positive outcome. Africa and especially the escalation of violence in South Sudan. The health care reform proposed by the Obama administration and contested by the US Bishops’ Conference. These were the issues discussed at today’s meeting between the US Secretary of State, John Kerry and his Vatican counterpart, Pietro Parolin, the Vatican informs. The meeting started at 1pm and went on for an hour and forty minutes. Other that Kerry and Parolin, other participants included the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States (the Holy See’s foreign minister), Mgr. Dominique Mamberti and two officials from the Secretariat of State who are in charge of the specific dossiers dealt with. On the US side, participants included the US Ambassador the Holy See, Ken Hackett and other members of staff from the US “ministry of foreign affairs”. Today, US media reported that the Pope intends to welcome Barack Obama in the Vatican. No date, however, has been set yet. "The president is looking forward to coming here to meet with him (Francis)," Kerry said. He also spoke of a "common interest" in addressing "extreme poverty on a global basis."The Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi issued a statement early this afternoon saying that “a number of issues” were discussed at the meeting. First and foremost “the situation in the Middle East”, staring with Syria and the Geneva II conference on 22 January. Fr. Lombardi reiterated the Holy See’s “concern for peace, the humanitarian situation and the provision of aid to the people,” a position the Pope recently made very clear. Kerry and Parolin also discussed the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Palestine, an issue which the US Secretary of State has been working hard on, the Vatican spokesman revealed. Africa’s problems were also brought to the table, in particular the situation faced by South Sudan and the hope that the mediation currently underway will bring results,” Fr. Lombardi.The two Secretaries of State also discussed US-specific issues, especially those which have been causing concern for the country’s Catholic bishops: Obama’s proposed health care reform and “respect for religious freedom”, which the US Bishops’ Conference has been calling for in the debate over contraception, abortion and freedom of conscience. The Vatican spokesman revealed that the Holy See expressed its “appreciation” for the “positive climate” in which today’s discussions took place and felt the meeting had been “fruitful”.Before the Vatican, Kerry stopped off in Paris yesterday, where he met with Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Syria to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid in a country that is now entering its fourth year of civil war. After his meeting with Pope Francis’ top aides, Kerry will travel to Kuwait City, for a Syria donors conference. Kerry is the first Catholic Secretary of State the US has had since Ed Muskie, Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of State (1980-1981).Yesterday Francis spoke again about Syria in his new year address to Vatican diplomats. After Francis’ peace vigil for Syria last September, shortly before President Barack Obama decided against military intervention in the Middle Eastern country, “what is presently needed is a renewed political will to end the conflict,” Francis said. The Pope expressed the “hope that the Geneva 2 Conference, to be held on 22 January, will mark the beginning of the desired peace process.” “At the same time, full respect for humanitarian law remains essential. It is unacceptable that unarmed civilians, especially children, become targets,” he added.The official position taken by the Vatican is separate to that expressed by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the “Syria: Can we remain indifferent?” workshop held yesterday, ahead of Geneva II. In a recent statement, Mgr. Silvano Maria Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva told Vatican Radio that the situation in Syria was complicated further by: the strategic interests of big powers such as Russia and the US; the wrestling match between Iran and Saudi Arabia or between Shiites and Sunnis for religious and political leadership and by the Christian struggle for survival in the region. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences has organised a meeting of experts and religious figures to come up with recommendations for the UN conference of political powers involved in the Syrian conflict, which is scheduled to take place in Geneva on 22 January.It is still not clear whether the Holy See will attend as an Observer State. The Vatican think tank held a closed doors meeting at its main offices in the Vatican, at the end of which, it produced a statement addressed to His Holiness Pope Francis. It reads: “The Geneva 2 Conference on January 22 allows the people of Syria, the region, and the world to conceive of a fresh start to end violence that has claimed more than 130,000 lives and left a beautiful country in ruins and dislocation.” “The first and most urgent step, agreeable to all men and women of goodwill, should be an immediate cease-fire and end to violence of all kinds, an end without political preconditions.”The statement of recommendations addressed to the Pope stressed the need for “reconciliation” between the various players in Syria’s civil war (which has never been defined as such) and lists the “preconditions for lasting peace:” “an immediate cessation of violence; the start of rebuilding; inter-communal dialogue; and progress to resolve all regional conflicts, and the participation of all regional and global actors in the pursuit of peace in Geneva 2.” It also says “new political forms in Syria are needed, to ensure representation, participation, reform, and the voice and security of all social groups. Political transformation is needed. It is not a precondition for ending violence; rather, it will accompany the cessation of violence and the rebuilding of trust.” The statement furthermore stresses that recent nuclear energy discussions offer “great hope that an extended period of grave distrust between Iran and other nations in the region and beyond might now be followed by a new era of trust and even cooperation.”The President of the Pontifical for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, opened the workshop. It was attended by: Mohamed El Baradei (Nobel Peace Prize winner and Vice-President of Egypt for one month after the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi and before the violent repression the military exercised over the Muslim Brotherhood when they came to power); US economist Jeffrey Sachs; Thomas Walsh; Spain’s former foreign affairs minister Miguel Angel Moratinos; Joseph Maila; William F. Vendley; Thierry de Montbrial and the ambassador Pyotr Vladimirovic Stegny, who represented Russia’s stance regarding the Syrian crisis.
