JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
KING FELIPE 6TH OF SPAIN NEWS
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/king-felipe-6th-of-spain-at-white-house.html
FIRST TIME IN HISTORY A DOUBLE SOLAR ECLIPSE ON ROSH HASHANA
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/a-double-eclipse-occurred-for-first.html
DOUBLE JUDGEMENTS HITS CHILE WITH 7.0 AND 8.3 QUAKES-QUICKLY
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/chile-is-still-quaking-after-big-83-and.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/at-least-11-dead-now-in-chile-double.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/it-looks-like-my-hunch-was-correct.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/a-double-eclipse-occurred-for-first.html
THE POPE CAN SOLVE THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM-GOOD LUCK
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/day-4-of-pope-ends-cuba-trip-and-lands.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/day-3-of-pope-at-cuba-last-day-in-cuba.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/day-2-of-pope-at-cuba-then-americamass.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-pope-comes-to-cuba-today-for-few.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/king-felipe-6th-of-spain-at-white-house.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-us-and-its-immigration-mess-pope.html
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
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 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,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
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.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
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)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
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.
VATICAN RELATED TWITTERS
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica
https://twitter.com/pontifex
https://twitter.com/hashtag/PapaEnCuba?src=hash
https://twitter.com/officialvatican
https://twitter.com/VaticanInsider?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author
CATHOLIC NEWS PAPERS
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/
http://www.catholicnews.com/index.cfm
RADIO VATICAN
http://en.radiovaticana.va/
THE POPE LIVE IN CUBA - AMERICA SEPT 19-28,15 -EWTN TV
http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia/live_player.asp
THE VATICAN ENGLISH VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7E-LYc1wivk33iyt5bR5zQ
UPDATE-SEPTEMBER 23, 2015-11:00AM-DAY 4 POPES TRIP
22-28 September-Francis' apostolic visit to the US-(TODAY SEPT 22,15 TILL 28TH)
(WASHINGTON-NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA)
19-22 September-Pope Francis' apostolic visit to Cuba (DONE)
Pope Francis’s Itinerary in the U.S.Michael Shepard John Follain-Updated on September 22, 2015 — 4:32 PM EDT-BLOOMBERG
Pope Francis opened his six-day U.S. tour on Tuesday, bringing a call for Americans to do more to fight poverty, curb climate change and help immigrants.His visit runs through Sept. 27, and features stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. The highlights include meetings with President Barack Obama, an address to U.S. lawmakers and a Mass for as many as 1 million people in Philadelphia.The U.S. government has declared the pope’s visit a national security special event; federal, state and local authorities are taking unprecedented measures to protect the leader of world Catholics and the expected crowds. Washington, New York and Philadelphia are each maintaining websites with information on detours, street closings and public transportation.
Here’s a look at the pope’s schedule over the next six days; all times are local:
Tuesday, Sept. 22 - Washington-4 p.m. - Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Obama was there to greet the pope, a courtesy that U.S. presidents rarely grant to foreign leaders.
Wednesday, Sept. 23 - Washington-9:15 a.m. - White House meeting with Obama. The pontiff and the president will make public remarks as part of a formal welcome ceremony.
11 a.m. - Parade through Washington. The pontiff will ride in his specially equipped “popemobile” around the Ellipse south of the White House along the National Mall.
11:30 a.m. - Prayer meeting with U.S. bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in downtown Washington.
4:15 p.m. - Mass to celebrate the canonization of California pioneer Father Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
Thursday, Sept. 24 - Washington/New York-10 a.m. - Address to the U.S. Congress. Francis becomes the first pope to address a joint meeting of the House and Senate.
11:15 a.m. - Visit to local parish. The pope tours a homeless-assistance center operated by St. Patrick’s in the City in downtown Washington.
4 p.m. - Departure from Joint Base Andrews for New York.
5:00 p.m. - Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
6:45 p.m. - Prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The pope leads evening prayers at the church in midtown Manhattan.
Friday, Sept. 25 - New York-8:30 a.m. - United Nations. The pontiff arrives to deliver his address to the UN General Assembly.
11:30 a.m. - 9/11 Memorial visit. Francis participates in a multifaith service at the memorial in lower Manhattan honoring the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
4 p.m. - Harlem school visit. The pope visits Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, where he will meet with immigrant families.
5 p.m. - Procession through Central Park.
6 p.m. - Mass at Madison Square Garden. Francis leads a Mass for more than 18,000 people at the arena in midtown Manhattan.
Saturday, Sept. 26 - New York/Philadelphia-8:40 a.m. - Departure from New York.
9:30 a.m. - Arrival in Philadelphia.
10:30 a.m. - Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
4:45 p.m. - Visit to Independence National Historical Park. The pope meets with the Hispanic community and other immigrant families.
7:30 p.m. - Visit to families event. The pope stops at the Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, part of the World Meeting of Families.
Sunday, Sept. 27 - Philadelphia-9:15 a.m. - Bishops meeting. The pontiff meets with Catholic bishops as part of the World Meeting of Families.
11 a.m. - Prison visit. Francis meets with prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
4 p.m. - Mass at families event. The pope celebrates mass to conclude the World Meeting of Families. Organizers expect that as many as 1 million people may take part.
7 p.m. - Meeting with organizers of the papal visit.
8 p.m. - Departure for Rome. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will see pope off as he departs Philadelphia.
Philadelphia giving pope a bike with angel wing chain guard-Associated Press-SEPT 22,15-YAHOONEWS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia has a couple of gifts for visiting Pope Francis — an ivory-bone china bowl featuring images of Independence Hall and St. Peter's Basilica, and a bicycle with a chain guard shaped like an angel's wing.Mayor Michael Nutter presented the gifts to Archbishop Charles Chaput (SHAP'-yoo) at the opening ceremony Tuesday for the World Meeting of Families, the Vatican-sponsored conference that's bringing Francis to Philadelphia.Francis arrives in the city Saturday after stops in Washington and New York.The custom-made bowl from suburban Philadelphia-based Lenox features 24-karat gold trim and inscriptions of values shared by Francis and America's founding fathers: liberty, friendship, unity, peace and love.The bike evokes the pope's push for environmentally friendly transportation. It's a Breezer Downtown 8, inscribed with Francis' name in Spanish and church symbols.
Pope of the poor arrives in US denying he's a liberal-Associated Press By NICOLE WINFIELD and RACHEL ZOLL-SEPT 22,15-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pope of the poor arrived for his first-ever visit to the world's wealthiest superpower Tuesday denying he is a leftist and riding in a frugal little family car, windows rolled down.Pope Francis' chartered plane from Cuba touched down at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where President Barack Obama and his wife and daughters paid him the rare honor of meeting him at the bottom of the stairs on the red-carpeted tarmac. Presidents usually make important visitors come to them at the White House.Emerging from the aircraft to loud cheers from a crowd of hundreds, the smiling 78-year-old pontiff removed his skullcap in the windy weather and made his way down the steps in his white robes.He was welcomed by a military honor guard, chanting schoolchildren, politicians, and Roman Catholic clerics in black robes with vivid sashes of scarlet and purple. Joe Biden, the nation's first Catholic vice president, and his wife were among those who greeted him.Eschewing a limousine, the pope climbed into the back of a little Fiat sandwiched between huge black SUVs. He promptly rolled down the windows, enabling the cheering, whooping crowds to see him as his motorcade took him to the Vatican diplomatic mission in Washington, where he will stay while in the nation's capital.The choice of car was in keeping with his simple habits and his stand against consumerism. His decision to roll down the windows reflected his penchant for trying to connect to ordinary people despite the tight security around him.During his six-day, three-city visit to the U.S., the pope will meet with the president on Wednesday, address Congress on Thursday, speak at the United Nations in New York on Friday and take part in a Vatican-sponsored conference on the family in Philadelphia over the weekend.The Argentine known as the "slum pope" for ministering to the downtrodden in his native Buenos Aires is expected to urge America to take better care of the environment and the poor and return to its founding ideals of religious liberty and open arms toward immigrants.During the flight, Francis defended himself against conservative criticism that his condemnation of trickle-down economics makes him a communist."I am certain that I have never said anything beyond what is in the social doctrine of the church," he said. He said some may have misinterpreted his writings in a way that makes him sound "a little bit more left-leaning," but he said that's wrong.Joking about doubts in some quarters over whether he is truly Catholic, he said, "If I have to recite the Creed, I'm ready."Francis is the fourth pope ever to visit the United States.Francis' enormous popularity, propensity for wading into crowds and insistence on using an open-sided Jeep rather than a bulletproof popemobile have complicated things for U.S. law enforcement, which has mounted one of the biggest security operations in American history to keep him safe.The measures are unprecedented for a papal trip and could make it nearly impossible for many ordinary Americans to get anywhere close to Francis.For all the attention likely to be paid to Francis' speeches, including the first address from a pope to Congress, his more personal gestures — visiting with immigrants, prisoners and the homeless — could yield some of the most memorable images of the trip."What the pope does in the United States will be more important than what he says," said Mat Schmalz, a religious studies professor at Holy Cross college in Worcester, Massachusetts. "There are a lot of things he will say about capitalism and about wealth inequality, but many Americans and politicians have already made up their minds on these issues. What I would look for is a particular gesture, an unscripted act, that will move people."In Cuba, Francis basked in the adulation of Cubans grateful to him for brokering the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the communist island.On the plane, though, he told reporters he will not use his speech to Congress to call specifically for the U.S. to lift the Cold War-era trade embargo against Cuba.He arrives at a moment of bitter infighting across the country over gay rights, immigration, abortion and race relations — issues that are always simmering in the U.S. but have boiled over in the heat of a presidential campaign. Capitol Hill is consumed by disputes over abortion and federal funding for Planned Parenthood after hidden-camera videos showed its officials talking about the organization's practice of sending tissue from aborted fetuses to medical researchers. While Francis has staunchly upheld church teaching against abortion, he has recently allowed ordinary priests, and not just bishops, to absolve women of the sin.Francis' visit comes three months after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, putting U.S. bishops on the defensive and sharply dividing Americans over how much they should accommodate religious objectors. The pope has strongly upheld church teaching against same-sex marriage but adopted a welcoming tone toward gays themselves, saying, "Who am I to judge?" when asked about a supposedly gay priest.Americans are also wrestling anew with issues of racism. A series of deaths in recent years of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement has intensified debate over the American criminal justice system. Francis will see that system up close when he meets with inmates at a Pennsylvania prison.U.S. bishops, meanwhile, expect Francis will issue a strong call for immigration reform, a subject that has heated up with hardline anti- immigrant rhetoric from some of the Republican presidential candidates, especially Donald Trump. Francis, the first Latin American pope, will be sending a powerful message on that front by delivering the vast majority of his speeches in his native Spanish."Our presidential candidates have been using immigrants as a wedge issue," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said. "It's our hope that the visit of Pope Francis will change this narrative."Francis' most eagerly watched speech will be his address to Congress. Republicans and many conservative Catholics have bristled at his indictment of the excesses of capitalism that he says impoverish people and risk turning the Earth into an "immense pile of filth." Many conservatives have likewise rejected his call for urgent action against global warming.Nevertheless, Francis enjoys popularity ratings in the U.S. that would be the envy of any world leader. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted last week found 63 percent of Catholics have a favorable view of him, and nearly 8 in 10 approve the direction he is taking the church.Just how far Francis presses his agenda in Washington is the big question.Paul Vallely, author of "Pope Francis, The Struggle for the Soul of Catholicism," predicted both "warmth" and "some finger-wagging" from the pope."He won't necessarily confront people head-on," Vallely said, "but he'll change the priorities."___AP reporter Erica Werner contributed from Washington.___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield; Rachel Zoll at www.twitter.com/rzollAP___AP reporter Erica Werner contributed from Washington.___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield; Rachel Zoll at www.twitter.com/rzollAP
09/22/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-I dream of Pope and Xi Jinping shaking hands, says Bishop of Shanghai--Xi Jinping-Thaddeus Ma Daqin has published an essay on the potential start of a dialogue between China and the Holy See. He expresses him hopes for a “close encounter” between Pope Francis and the Chinese president: “if these two leaders who are hugely influential in the world shake hands, not only me – for I am all but a small ant at the foot of the hill where Our Lady of Sheshan stands – but the entire world would be moved.”-Gianni Valente
Rome-Will Pope Francis and President Xi Jinping manage to at least “shake hands” when they meet in Washington this Thursday? The speculations made by some in various articles published before the papal voyage to Cuba and the US, about a potential “American” encounter between Bergoglio and Xi Jinping, have been unexpectedly evoked by a very special “supporter” of this “cause”: Thaddeus Ma Daqin, the Catholic Bishop of Shanghai, ordained in 2012, who was banned from practicing the episcopal ministry by the Chinese authorities. Yesterday, Bishop Ma published a brief essay on his very popular blog about the relations between China and the Holy See and China’s presence on the international stage. A dense and well-articulated intervention to launch this key message: “In the US,” Ma Daqin writes amongst other things, “our President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis will have the opportunity to cross paths but will be see that much awaited hand-shake? I cannot wait for this hand-shake to happen.”Thaddeus Ma Daqin’s story is well known: he was ordained a bishop in 201, with the “joint approval” of the Holy See and the Beijing government – this was made possible in great part thanks to the work of his eminent predecessor, the Jesuit bishop Aloyisius Jin Luxian – but from the very day of his ordination, Ma Daqin was confined to the seminary of Shanghai by the Chinese authorities because he announced his intention to renounce the duties he had performed until that point in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Assiociation. The Chinese College of Bishops (another body controlled by civil powers, that is not recognised by the Holy See) even went as far as to punish him by forbidding him to carry out the episcopal ministry and suspend him from public exercise of the priesthood for two years. This “sentence” ended in June 2014. Since then, the Diocese of Shanghai has faced an impasse, with increasing divisions among the diocesan clergy.Recently, authorities have loosened their grip on the bishop to a certain extent. He is now allowed to receive people at the seminary in Sheshan and to celebrate mass with groups of faithful. Even when he faced tougher restrictions though, Ma Daqin continued to communicate his pastoral and spiritual reflections via his personal blog. This is where he published yesterday’s essay on the much-hoped for hand-shake between Xi Jinping and Pope Francis. He also shared these thoughts via his personal WeChat account as well as on Weibo, a very popular Chinese microblogging site. At the moment, Ma Daqin’s “dream” seems unlikely to come true: it would have been plausible to suppose that the two might meet at the UN headquarters in New York but the Pope and Xi Jin ping are going to be there on different days. Nevertheless, Bishop Ma’s essay contains a number of interesting points that are worth noting.Our President, Xi Jinpin,” the text starts off by saying, “has begun a state visit to the United States. Our Pope Francis is also going to be there during the same period for a five-day apostolic visit. As a Chinese man I would like to see our President succeed in the US. As a Catholic, I rejoiced at the news that Pope Francis was also going there. The fact that the two leaders will both be in Washington on 24 September captured my attention.”Bishop Ma then puts his geo-political analyst hat on and takes readers through the hsitory of US-China relations, from President Richard Nixon’s visit to Mao Zedong in 1972, to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979. From that moment on, the text reads, “Sino-American relations have not always been rosy but their relationship as a whole is quite stable. Because both parties are aware that in today’s world, common interests prevail for the sake of development but they also share problems linked to environmental resources.” Bishop Ma quotes his professor, Professor Ni Shixiong of Fudan University, who persuaded him about the need for Cihan and the US to adopt a “win-win strategy that guarantees benefits for all, broadens areas of collaboration and encourages the spirit of peace in the world. I believe we can all hope for a cordial hand-shake between our President Xi Jinping and US President Obama.”Continuing his analysis, the Bishop of Shanghai also hones in on relations between the US and the Holy See, perhaps in an attempt to suggest useful comparisons to those in his country who deal with Sino-Vatican relations: Ma Daqin points to the long period of intense “diplomacy- free relations” between Washington and the Holy See. He recalls that the US and the Holy See only established full diplomatic relations in the 1980s. But the two had established fruitful links long before this, in the spirit of mutual recognition. In time, the US became more aware of the role the Holy played ont eh world scene, the Chinese Catholic bishop writes. So now, “it is easy to imagine a warm hand-shake between Francis and President Barack Obama”. The bishop goes on to list the recent signs that point to a fresh start in relations between China and the Holy See. He stresses that “the Vatican is not a State is the strictest sense of the word”. At the UN is participates as a non-member state permanent observer. He also underlines that the Holy See’s reputation is the field of international relations “is expanding”, partly due to the wise stances it has adopted in light of global and regional emergencies.“In the US, our President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis,” the Chinese bishop declares, “will have the opportunity to cross paths but will we see that much awaited hand-shake? I cannot wait for this hand-shake to happen.” To add historical depth to his hopes, Ma Daqin embarks on an account of the various occasions in which throughout China’s thousand-year-old history, Christianity made its entrance to the Celestial Empire. His description spans the expansion of the Nestorian Church in China, the arrival of the Franciscans with Giovanni da Montecorvino in the 18th century and then the feats of Matteo Ricci and the Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century, which failed with the “rites controversy”. Christianity’s final “entry” to Imperial China,” Ma Daqin recalls, “was before and after the humiliation of the Opium war” with missionaries arriving behind the canon-fire of foreign colonising powers, so “in the minds of many people in China, the Catholic Church is still seen as a foreign presence and is seen as an instrument that serves the interests of foreigners: this critical mistrust still exists to this day”. For this reason too, the Bishop of Shanghai says in his concluding remarks, “there have been many factors” that have hindered the growth of Christianity in China. But today, “our country is prospering and as and as it grows, it is increasingly able to trustingly understand others … We need to create friendships. When we interact with others, the world becomes smaller. Hostility on the other hand, creates distance and even close relatives can end up treating each other like strangers.” In this context, Ma Daqin outlines the gestures of friendship Pope Francis has extended to Chinese people and leaders since he was appointed to the Chair of Peter, from the letter he sent to President Xi Jinping after the papal election, to the words (“Do I want to go to China? Of course, I’d go tomorrow…”) he pronounced in front of journalists on board the return flight from South Korea. The successor of Jin Luxian points out that China allowed the papal flight to enter Chinese airspace. He recalls the meeting which did not take place between the Pope and the Dalai Lama and the revelations made by Wenhuibao, a Hong Kong newspaper that has close ties with Beijing, about China and the Vatican resuming dialogue by the end of the year, along with Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s interview with Famiglia Crisitiana. In this interview, the Vatican Secretary of State expressed his hope for the resumption of a “respectful dialogue” with China’s authorities.At the end of his articulate discussion, the Bishop of Shanghai emphasised his wish once again: “I cannot wait for a goodwill hand-shake so that constructive dialogue can begin on the basis of this good faith.These times require dialogue, there is a need for a deeper understanding of one another, the two need to understand each other and join forces to move on. The world needs to establish contact with China.” But Daqin recalls the priorities of social harmony and the fight against corruption pursued by President Xi Jinping. He expresses the hope that China will become increasingly involved in shared decision-making processes on the world stage. “If these two leaders who are hugely influential in the world shake hands, not only me – for I am all but a small ant at the foot of the hill where Our Lady of Sheshan stands – but the entire world would be moved,” Thaddeus Ma Daqin said.
KING FELIPE 6TH OF SPAIN NEWS
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/king-felipe-6th-of-spain-at-white-house.html
FIRST TIME IN HISTORY A DOUBLE SOLAR ECLIPSE ON ROSH HASHANA
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/a-double-eclipse-occurred-for-first.html
DOUBLE JUDGEMENTS HITS CHILE WITH 7.0 AND 8.3 QUAKES-QUICKLY
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/chile-is-still-quaking-after-big-83-and.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/at-least-11-dead-now-in-chile-double.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/it-looks-like-my-hunch-was-correct.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/a-double-eclipse-occurred-for-first.html
THE POPE CAN SOLVE THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM-GOOD LUCK
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/day-4-of-pope-ends-cuba-trip-and-lands.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/day-3-of-pope-at-cuba-last-day-in-cuba.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/day-2-of-pope-at-cuba-then-americamass.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-pope-comes-to-cuba-today-for-few.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/king-felipe-6th-of-spain-at-white-house.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/the-us-and-its-immigration-mess-pope.html
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
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 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,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
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.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
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)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
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.
VATICAN RELATED TWITTERS
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica
https://twitter.com/pontifex
https://twitter.com/hashtag/PapaEnCuba?src=hash
https://twitter.com/officialvatican
https://twitter.com/VaticanInsider?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author
CATHOLIC NEWS PAPERS
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/
http://www.catholicnews.com/index.cfm
RADIO VATICAN
http://en.radiovaticana.va/
THE POPE LIVE IN CUBA - AMERICA SEPT 19-28,15 -EWTN TV
http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia/live_player.asp
THE VATICAN ENGLISH VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7E-LYc1wivk33iyt5bR5zQ
UPDATE-SEPTEMBER 23, 2015-11:00AM-DAY 4 POPES TRIP
22-28 September-Francis' apostolic visit to the US-(TODAY SEPT 22,15 TILL 28TH)
(WASHINGTON-NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA)
19-22 September-Pope Francis' apostolic visit to Cuba (DONE)
Pope Francis’s Itinerary in the U.S.Michael Shepard John Follain-Updated on September 22, 2015 — 4:32 PM EDT-BLOOMBERG
Pope Francis opened his six-day U.S. tour on Tuesday, bringing a call for Americans to do more to fight poverty, curb climate change and help immigrants.His visit runs through Sept. 27, and features stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. The highlights include meetings with President Barack Obama, an address to U.S. lawmakers and a Mass for as many as 1 million people in Philadelphia.The U.S. government has declared the pope’s visit a national security special event; federal, state and local authorities are taking unprecedented measures to protect the leader of world Catholics and the expected crowds. Washington, New York and Philadelphia are each maintaining websites with information on detours, street closings and public transportation.
Here’s a look at the pope’s schedule over the next six days; all times are local:
Tuesday, Sept. 22 - Washington-4 p.m. - Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. Obama was there to greet the pope, a courtesy that U.S. presidents rarely grant to foreign leaders.
Wednesday, Sept. 23 - Washington-9:15 a.m. - White House meeting with Obama. The pontiff and the president will make public remarks as part of a formal welcome ceremony.
11 a.m. - Parade through Washington. The pontiff will ride in his specially equipped “popemobile” around the Ellipse south of the White House along the National Mall.
11:30 a.m. - Prayer meeting with U.S. bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in downtown Washington.
4:15 p.m. - Mass to celebrate the canonization of California pioneer Father Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
Thursday, Sept. 24 - Washington/New York-10 a.m. - Address to the U.S. Congress. Francis becomes the first pope to address a joint meeting of the House and Senate.
11:15 a.m. - Visit to local parish. The pope tours a homeless-assistance center operated by St. Patrick’s in the City in downtown Washington.
4 p.m. - Departure from Joint Base Andrews for New York.
5:00 p.m. - Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
6:45 p.m. - Prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The pope leads evening prayers at the church in midtown Manhattan.
Friday, Sept. 25 - New York-8:30 a.m. - United Nations. The pontiff arrives to deliver his address to the UN General Assembly.
11:30 a.m. - 9/11 Memorial visit. Francis participates in a multifaith service at the memorial in lower Manhattan honoring the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
4 p.m. - Harlem school visit. The pope visits Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, where he will meet with immigrant families.
5 p.m. - Procession through Central Park.
6 p.m. - Mass at Madison Square Garden. Francis leads a Mass for more than 18,000 people at the arena in midtown Manhattan.
Saturday, Sept. 26 - New York/Philadelphia-8:40 a.m. - Departure from New York.
9:30 a.m. - Arrival in Philadelphia.
10:30 a.m. - Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
4:45 p.m. - Visit to Independence National Historical Park. The pope meets with the Hispanic community and other immigrant families.
7:30 p.m. - Visit to families event. The pope stops at the Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, part of the World Meeting of Families.
Sunday, Sept. 27 - Philadelphia-9:15 a.m. - Bishops meeting. The pontiff meets with Catholic bishops as part of the World Meeting of Families.
11 a.m. - Prison visit. Francis meets with prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
4 p.m. - Mass at families event. The pope celebrates mass to conclude the World Meeting of Families. Organizers expect that as many as 1 million people may take part.
7 p.m. - Meeting with organizers of the papal visit.
8 p.m. - Departure for Rome. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will see pope off as he departs Philadelphia.
Philadelphia giving pope a bike with angel wing chain guard-Associated Press-SEPT 22,15-YAHOONEWS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia has a couple of gifts for visiting Pope Francis — an ivory-bone china bowl featuring images of Independence Hall and St. Peter's Basilica, and a bicycle with a chain guard shaped like an angel's wing.Mayor Michael Nutter presented the gifts to Archbishop Charles Chaput (SHAP'-yoo) at the opening ceremony Tuesday for the World Meeting of Families, the Vatican-sponsored conference that's bringing Francis to Philadelphia.Francis arrives in the city Saturday after stops in Washington and New York.The custom-made bowl from suburban Philadelphia-based Lenox features 24-karat gold trim and inscriptions of values shared by Francis and America's founding fathers: liberty, friendship, unity, peace and love.The bike evokes the pope's push for environmentally friendly transportation. It's a Breezer Downtown 8, inscribed with Francis' name in Spanish and church symbols.
Pope of the poor arrives in US denying he's a liberal-Associated Press By NICOLE WINFIELD and RACHEL ZOLL-SEPT 22,15-YAHOONEWS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pope of the poor arrived for his first-ever visit to the world's wealthiest superpower Tuesday denying he is a leftist and riding in a frugal little family car, windows rolled down.Pope Francis' chartered plane from Cuba touched down at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where President Barack Obama and his wife and daughters paid him the rare honor of meeting him at the bottom of the stairs on the red-carpeted tarmac. Presidents usually make important visitors come to them at the White House.Emerging from the aircraft to loud cheers from a crowd of hundreds, the smiling 78-year-old pontiff removed his skullcap in the windy weather and made his way down the steps in his white robes.He was welcomed by a military honor guard, chanting schoolchildren, politicians, and Roman Catholic clerics in black robes with vivid sashes of scarlet and purple. Joe Biden, the nation's first Catholic vice president, and his wife were among those who greeted him.Eschewing a limousine, the pope climbed into the back of a little Fiat sandwiched between huge black SUVs. He promptly rolled down the windows, enabling the cheering, whooping crowds to see him as his motorcade took him to the Vatican diplomatic mission in Washington, where he will stay while in the nation's capital.The choice of car was in keeping with his simple habits and his stand against consumerism. His decision to roll down the windows reflected his penchant for trying to connect to ordinary people despite the tight security around him.During his six-day, three-city visit to the U.S., the pope will meet with the president on Wednesday, address Congress on Thursday, speak at the United Nations in New York on Friday and take part in a Vatican-sponsored conference on the family in Philadelphia over the weekend.The Argentine known as the "slum pope" for ministering to the downtrodden in his native Buenos Aires is expected to urge America to take better care of the environment and the poor and return to its founding ideals of religious liberty and open arms toward immigrants.During the flight, Francis defended himself against conservative criticism that his condemnation of trickle-down economics makes him a communist."I am certain that I have never said anything beyond what is in the social doctrine of the church," he said. He said some may have misinterpreted his writings in a way that makes him sound "a little bit more left-leaning," but he said that's wrong.Joking about doubts in some quarters over whether he is truly Catholic, he said, "If I have to recite the Creed, I'm ready."Francis is the fourth pope ever to visit the United States.Francis' enormous popularity, propensity for wading into crowds and insistence on using an open-sided Jeep rather than a bulletproof popemobile have complicated things for U.S. law enforcement, which has mounted one of the biggest security operations in American history to keep him safe.The measures are unprecedented for a papal trip and could make it nearly impossible for many ordinary Americans to get anywhere close to Francis.For all the attention likely to be paid to Francis' speeches, including the first address from a pope to Congress, his more personal gestures — visiting with immigrants, prisoners and the homeless — could yield some of the most memorable images of the trip."What the pope does in the United States will be more important than what he says," said Mat Schmalz, a religious studies professor at Holy Cross college in Worcester, Massachusetts. "There are a lot of things he will say about capitalism and about wealth inequality, but many Americans and politicians have already made up their minds on these issues. What I would look for is a particular gesture, an unscripted act, that will move people."In Cuba, Francis basked in the adulation of Cubans grateful to him for brokering the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the communist island.On the plane, though, he told reporters he will not use his speech to Congress to call specifically for the U.S. to lift the Cold War-era trade embargo against Cuba.He arrives at a moment of bitter infighting across the country over gay rights, immigration, abortion and race relations — issues that are always simmering in the U.S. but have boiled over in the heat of a presidential campaign. Capitol Hill is consumed by disputes over abortion and federal funding for Planned Parenthood after hidden-camera videos showed its officials talking about the organization's practice of sending tissue from aborted fetuses to medical researchers. While Francis has staunchly upheld church teaching against abortion, he has recently allowed ordinary priests, and not just bishops, to absolve women of the sin.Francis' visit comes three months after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, putting U.S. bishops on the defensive and sharply dividing Americans over how much they should accommodate religious objectors. The pope has strongly upheld church teaching against same-sex marriage but adopted a welcoming tone toward gays themselves, saying, "Who am I to judge?" when asked about a supposedly gay priest.Americans are also wrestling anew with issues of racism. A series of deaths in recent years of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement has intensified debate over the American criminal justice system. Francis will see that system up close when he meets with inmates at a Pennsylvania prison.U.S. bishops, meanwhile, expect Francis will issue a strong call for immigration reform, a subject that has heated up with hardline anti- immigrant rhetoric from some of the Republican presidential candidates, especially Donald Trump. Francis, the first Latin American pope, will be sending a powerful message on that front by delivering the vast majority of his speeches in his native Spanish."Our presidential candidates have been using immigrants as a wedge issue," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said. "It's our hope that the visit of Pope Francis will change this narrative."Francis' most eagerly watched speech will be his address to Congress. Republicans and many conservative Catholics have bristled at his indictment of the excesses of capitalism that he says impoverish people and risk turning the Earth into an "immense pile of filth." Many conservatives have likewise rejected his call for urgent action against global warming.Nevertheless, Francis enjoys popularity ratings in the U.S. that would be the envy of any world leader. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted last week found 63 percent of Catholics have a favorable view of him, and nearly 8 in 10 approve the direction he is taking the church.Just how far Francis presses his agenda in Washington is the big question.Paul Vallely, author of "Pope Francis, The Struggle for the Soul of Catholicism," predicted both "warmth" and "some finger-wagging" from the pope."He won't necessarily confront people head-on," Vallely said, "but he'll change the priorities."___AP reporter Erica Werner contributed from Washington.___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield; Rachel Zoll at www.twitter.com/rzollAP___AP reporter Erica Werner contributed from Washington.___Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield; Rachel Zoll at www.twitter.com/rzollAP
09/22/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-I dream of Pope and Xi Jinping shaking hands, says Bishop of Shanghai--Xi Jinping-Thaddeus Ma Daqin has published an essay on the potential start of a dialogue between China and the Holy See. He expresses him hopes for a “close encounter” between Pope Francis and the Chinese president: “if these two leaders who are hugely influential in the world shake hands, not only me – for I am all but a small ant at the foot of the hill where Our Lady of Sheshan stands – but the entire world would be moved.”-Gianni Valente
Rome-Will Pope Francis and President Xi Jinping manage to at least “shake hands” when they meet in Washington this Thursday? The speculations made by some in various articles published before the papal voyage to Cuba and the US, about a potential “American” encounter between Bergoglio and Xi Jinping, have been unexpectedly evoked by a very special “supporter” of this “cause”: Thaddeus Ma Daqin, the Catholic Bishop of Shanghai, ordained in 2012, who was banned from practicing the episcopal ministry by the Chinese authorities. Yesterday, Bishop Ma published a brief essay on his very popular blog about the relations between China and the Holy See and China’s presence on the international stage. A dense and well-articulated intervention to launch this key message: “In the US,” Ma Daqin writes amongst other things, “our President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis will have the opportunity to cross paths but will be see that much awaited hand-shake? I cannot wait for this hand-shake to happen.”Thaddeus Ma Daqin’s story is well known: he was ordained a bishop in 201, with the “joint approval” of the Holy See and the Beijing government – this was made possible in great part thanks to the work of his eminent predecessor, the Jesuit bishop Aloyisius Jin Luxian – but from the very day of his ordination, Ma Daqin was confined to the seminary of Shanghai by the Chinese authorities because he announced his intention to renounce the duties he had performed until that point in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Assiociation. The Chinese College of Bishops (another body controlled by civil powers, that is not recognised by the Holy See) even went as far as to punish him by forbidding him to carry out the episcopal ministry and suspend him from public exercise of the priesthood for two years. This “sentence” ended in June 2014. Since then, the Diocese of Shanghai has faced an impasse, with increasing divisions among the diocesan clergy.Recently, authorities have loosened their grip on the bishop to a certain extent. He is now allowed to receive people at the seminary in Sheshan and to celebrate mass with groups of faithful. Even when he faced tougher restrictions though, Ma Daqin continued to communicate his pastoral and spiritual reflections via his personal blog. This is where he published yesterday’s essay on the much-hoped for hand-shake between Xi Jinping and Pope Francis. He also shared these thoughts via his personal WeChat account as well as on Weibo, a very popular Chinese microblogging site. At the moment, Ma Daqin’s “dream” seems unlikely to come true: it would have been plausible to suppose that the two might meet at the UN headquarters in New York but the Pope and Xi Jin ping are going to be there on different days. Nevertheless, Bishop Ma’s essay contains a number of interesting points that are worth noting.Our President, Xi Jinpin,” the text starts off by saying, “has begun a state visit to the United States. Our Pope Francis is also going to be there during the same period for a five-day apostolic visit. As a Chinese man I would like to see our President succeed in the US. As a Catholic, I rejoiced at the news that Pope Francis was also going there. The fact that the two leaders will both be in Washington on 24 September captured my attention.”Bishop Ma then puts his geo-political analyst hat on and takes readers through the hsitory of US-China relations, from President Richard Nixon’s visit to Mao Zedong in 1972, to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979. From that moment on, the text reads, “Sino-American relations have not always been rosy but their relationship as a whole is quite stable. Because both parties are aware that in today’s world, common interests prevail for the sake of development but they also share problems linked to environmental resources.” Bishop Ma quotes his professor, Professor Ni Shixiong of Fudan University, who persuaded him about the need for Cihan and the US to adopt a “win-win strategy that guarantees benefits for all, broadens areas of collaboration and encourages the spirit of peace in the world. I believe we can all hope for a cordial hand-shake between our President Xi Jinping and US President Obama.”Continuing his analysis, the Bishop of Shanghai also hones in on relations between the US and the Holy See, perhaps in an attempt to suggest useful comparisons to those in his country who deal with Sino-Vatican relations: Ma Daqin points to the long period of intense “diplomacy- free relations” between Washington and the Holy See. He recalls that the US and the Holy See only established full diplomatic relations in the 1980s. But the two had established fruitful links long before this, in the spirit of mutual recognition. In time, the US became more aware of the role the Holy played ont eh world scene, the Chinese Catholic bishop writes. So now, “it is easy to imagine a warm hand-shake between Francis and President Barack Obama”. The bishop goes on to list the recent signs that point to a fresh start in relations between China and the Holy See. He stresses that “the Vatican is not a State is the strictest sense of the word”. At the UN is participates as a non-member state permanent observer. He also underlines that the Holy See’s reputation is the field of international relations “is expanding”, partly due to the wise stances it has adopted in light of global and regional emergencies.“In the US, our President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis,” the Chinese bishop declares, “will have the opportunity to cross paths but will we see that much awaited hand-shake? I cannot wait for this hand-shake to happen.” To add historical depth to his hopes, Ma Daqin embarks on an account of the various occasions in which throughout China’s thousand-year-old history, Christianity made its entrance to the Celestial Empire. His description spans the expansion of the Nestorian Church in China, the arrival of the Franciscans with Giovanni da Montecorvino in the 18th century and then the feats of Matteo Ricci and the Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century, which failed with the “rites controversy”. Christianity’s final “entry” to Imperial China,” Ma Daqin recalls, “was before and after the humiliation of the Opium war” with missionaries arriving behind the canon-fire of foreign colonising powers, so “in the minds of many people in China, the Catholic Church is still seen as a foreign presence and is seen as an instrument that serves the interests of foreigners: this critical mistrust still exists to this day”. For this reason too, the Bishop of Shanghai says in his concluding remarks, “there have been many factors” that have hindered the growth of Christianity in China. But today, “our country is prospering and as and as it grows, it is increasingly able to trustingly understand others … We need to create friendships. When we interact with others, the world becomes smaller. Hostility on the other hand, creates distance and even close relatives can end up treating each other like strangers.” In this context, Ma Daqin outlines the gestures of friendship Pope Francis has extended to Chinese people and leaders since he was appointed to the Chair of Peter, from the letter he sent to President Xi Jinping after the papal election, to the words (“Do I want to go to China? Of course, I’d go tomorrow…”) he pronounced in front of journalists on board the return flight from South Korea. The successor of Jin Luxian points out that China allowed the papal flight to enter Chinese airspace. He recalls the meeting which did not take place between the Pope and the Dalai Lama and the revelations made by Wenhuibao, a Hong Kong newspaper that has close ties with Beijing, about China and the Vatican resuming dialogue by the end of the year, along with Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s interview with Famiglia Crisitiana. In this interview, the Vatican Secretary of State expressed his hope for the resumption of a “respectful dialogue” with China’s authorities.At the end of his articulate discussion, the Bishop of Shanghai emphasised his wish once again: “I cannot wait for a goodwill hand-shake so that constructive dialogue can begin on the basis of this good faith.These times require dialogue, there is a need for a deeper understanding of one another, the two need to understand each other and join forces to move on. The world needs to establish contact with China.” But Daqin recalls the priorities of social harmony and the fight against corruption pursued by President Xi Jinping. He expresses the hope that China will become increasingly involved in shared decision-making processes on the world stage. “If these two leaders who are hugely influential in the world shake hands, not only me – for I am all but a small ant at the foot of the hill where Our Lady of Sheshan stands – but the entire world would be moved,” Thaddeus Ma Daqin said.
