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)
KNOWLEGE INCREASED AND WORLD TRAVEL (IMMIGRATION) INCREASED
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION FROM FLEEING WARS) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
09/16/2015-The US and its “immigration mess”: The Pope can help-Archbishop Chaput with Francis-In this interview the archibishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, analyses Pope Francis’ visit to America-Andrés Beltramo Álvarez-vatican insider
vatican city-United States is in the midst of an “immigration mess”. Neither party is innocent. But Pope Francis can help both the White House and Congress to work together more honestly in order to solve the problem. The Archibishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, believes this. In this interview, he analyses Pope Francis’ visit to America, which starts Tuesday 22 September in Washington DC and concludes on Sunday 27 September in Philadelphia.How do you think Philadelphians will receive Pope Francis? Philadelphia has been waiting for this visit for three years. If people were more excited than they already are, we'd need to provide them with medical care. Pope Francis will be welcomed enthusiastically. It's the nature of our city.Some surveys indicate that not many Americans know that the Pope will visit his country. Others say that his popularity is going down. What is the expectation for the visit of this Pope, not only for Catholics but for non-Catholics as well? I'm very skeptical of polls because they breed a constant emotional swing between overconfidence and dismay. And they're often wrong, even when I like their results. The United States is a nation of 320 million people. A lot of them would miss the news if a meteor hit Washington. I do think Americans from every religious background see this Pope as a man of great goodness and joy. Those qualities are very magnetic. So most Americans, to the degree they're aware of the Holy Father and have any expectations for his visit, expect Francis to be a source of hope and a voice of reconciliation.For the first time a Pope will speak to both houses of the U.S. Congress. What meaning does this have for Americans? It's a unique moment in history. Philadelphia bore the brunt of anti-Catholic hatred in this country during the 19th century because of the waves of Catholic immigrants that poured into our city. It was an ugly experience. America for a very long time was not a friendly environment for the Catholic faith. In some ways, it still isn't. To have the pastor of the universal Catholic Church now invited to address the elected representatives of the American people – it's astonishing.Also he will be in the White House, with the United Nations and at Ground Zero. Do you expect surprises in his speeches or gestures in these places? Surprises, yes; it's in the nature of this Pope. Bad ones, no.The Pope will come to the United States when there begin to be outlined the topics that will dominate the next presidential campaign. One of these is immigration. On this matter Francis has a very clear and position. Will his message alleviate xenophobic trends in the United States? I don't like the word “xenophobic” because it implies ill will. Most Americans are better and more generous than that. But especially since 9/11, a lot of Americans are uneasy about protecting their families and themselves. They're worried about their jobs. They're worried about maintaining the rule of law. They're worried about protecting the solvency of their public institutions. It's important for people outside the United States to realize that Americans do have reasons, and often good reasons, for their concerns about immigration.But having said that, the United States is a nation built by immigrants. And it's constantly renewed by new immigrants. So for Americans to demonize and penalize immigrants is the worst sort of irony – a kind of national self-contradiction. People have a natural right to migrate to provide for their own and their family's safety and livelihood.So I hope the Pope will help both the White House and Congress to work together more honestly to solve our immigration problem. Both of our major political parties – Democratic and Republican – are responsible for our current immigration mess. Neither party is innocent.In the United States there has been some criticism of the Pope’s stance on the environment and the free market economy. Do you expect any protesters as a result? Sure, that's the nature of a democracy. We should welcome it. But the Holy Father has said nothing inconsistent with the many social encyclicals that came before him. Catholics need to be Catholic Christians first, and Americans second. Otherwise they have nothing of substance to offer to the moral life of their country.In Philadelphia the Pope will meet speak about immigration. Why is this important? Philadelphia was one of the great centers for immigration into the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the city still has an intensely immigrant-based identity – Poles, Irish, Jews, Italians, Ukrainians, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, and more. It's the perfect place for the Holy Father to address one of my country's most urgent issues, especially since Philadelphia is also the city where the United States was born.An important part of the trip for the Pope will be the culmination of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. What do you think the Holy Father would like to see result from this gathering? A renewal of the Christian family, and a renewal of the family's missionary spirit in converting the culture around us. If that can happen, we'll see a revolution in the spirit of the world.
Fortress Europe reinforced in Hungary and Austria By Eszter Zalan-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 16. Sep, 09:21-Buses in Serbia are reportedly preparing to take refugees to the Croatian border after Hungary completely sealed its border on Tuesday (15 September) with a razor-wire fence.Several buses were due to leave Presevo - in the far south of Serbia - heading for the border town of Sid, Serbian media reported on Wednesday (16 September).Hungary created a bottleneck for hundreds of migrants stranded in no-man’s land along its border with Serbia, after blocking off its border completely, declaring a state of emergency and processing migrants under tough new rules that the European Commission is scrutinising to ensure are in line with EU law.Budapest also announced the construction of a new fence along the Romanian border, while Austria reintroduced border controls along its south-eastern borders.Once again chaotic scenes ensued at the entry point to the EU, ahead of Hungary's complete border closure with Serbia. Monday saw a record 9,380 asylum seekers crossing into Hungary in a desperate last attempt to step on EU soil.By Tuesday hundreds of migrants were stranded and as tensions rose, they blocked the main highway connecting Serbia and Hungary, chanting, "Open the border!" Some refugees began a hunger strike, demanding to be let through.Migrants who managed to cross into Hungary at new registration points on Tuesday were dealt with under a new border regime the country introduced.Hungary ruled on 16 asylum claims, rejecting all, arguing that Serbia is a safe country, and refugees should request protection there.Gyorgy Bakondi, security advisor to prime minister Viktor Orban, said in a press conference that 174 people had been caught trying to cross illegally through Hungary’s 175 kilometer-long fence with Serbia and would face criminal prosecution.Rejected asylum-seekers were also expelled from the passport free Schengen zone for a year, even though they have the right to appeal the decision in a Hungarian court, Hungarian media reported.Besides the fast-track screening, new measures include sending asylum-seekers automatically back to third countries that Hungary deems safe and allowing prolonged detention of asylum-seekers.The contentious measures were criticized by the United Nations refugees agency earlier this summer, warning that they could have "devastating implications for thousands of people seeking safety in Hungary." The UNHCR also said that criminalising people for crossing the frontier illegally could be in violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention, and questioned whether Serbia should be considered a safe third country where refugees can receive the necessary support.Antonio Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees, said in Brussels on Tuesday that Hungary's measures need to be checked by the EU institutions. "My problem is not [with the] legality, it is with the substance. The access to protection should be granted to everyone who asks for it in Europe," he said.The European Commission said it is looking into the new measures to check that they are in line with EU rules."We are currently making an initial assessment of the new Hungarian law and we have asked a certain number of clarifications from the Hungarian authorities," Natasha Bertaud, EU commission spokesperson said.EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos will travel to Hungary on Wednesday evening.Borders blocked-Serbia's foreign minister expressed outrage at Hungary's move. Ivica Dacic said that Serbia finds it "unacceptable" that Hungary would send migrants back, while more and more are arriving from Macedonia and Greece."This is not only a Hungarian and Serbian problem. This is a problem for the whole of Europe. Europe has to find a solution fast before the situation escalates even further," Serbian minister on migration issues, Aleksandar Vulin, told press at the border.Hungary has also announced on Tuesday that due to the diverting routes of people-smugglers, it will extend the border fence along the Romanian border.Hungary's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said the fence would run from where the borders of Hungary, Serbia and Romania meet to the Maros River, a distance of 25 kilometers.The foreign ministry in Bucharest said that it considers the notion of building a fence between two EU members "to be not a correct gesture from a political point of view and not in line with the European spirit."Hungary also introduced a state of emergency in its southern counties because of the influx of migrants. This gives extra rights to police and army once they are approved by parliament later this week.In the meantime, Austria informed the European Commission that it will temporarily reintroduce border controls on Wednesday (16 September) along its border with Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia.The Commission said in a statement that the move further underscores the need to agree on the measures proposed by the European Commission last week. EU ministers on Monday failed to come to an agreement, however.
09/16/2015 -vatican insider-Jordan's obliteration of the term "minority''-Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh addresses UN international conference in Paris on Sept. 8-A conference organized by the foreign ministries of France and Jordan in Paris addressed the protection of religious and ethnical "minorities''. Jordan’s foreign minister insisted the title would change to become ''protection of the victims of the ethnic and religious violence”-fr. rif'at bader
The story relevant to Yazidi girl ''Jinan Adel'' has overshadowed international media outlets' coverage of the one-day conference organized by the foreign ministries of France and Jordan in Paris. This girl had been kidnapped by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants for three months. She fled to France to document her suffering in a book titled, "Jinan, Daesh's Slave" (Jinan, ISIS' Slave). In her book, she describes the suffering she had been exposed to. This made French President François Hollande refer to her in his opening speech and meet with her at length while being covered by media outlets. The writer of this article was present at this meeting, in his capacity as member of the Jordanian delegation, during which Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh stated that Jordan serves as a model for sublime plurality.Throughout the speeches delivered by more than 20 foreign ministers as well as representatives of regional and international organizations, the Jordanian presence was the most prominent. Jordan's King, government and people received gratitude and appreciation for organizing this conference as well as for drawing the general public's attention to the need to care for those oppressed and suffering in the Middle East due to ethnical and religious reasons.During the dinner banquet held at the house of Jordan's Ambassador to France Makram Al Qaisi, Foreign Minister Judeh said that the conference title is about protecting religious and ethnical "minorities'', yet he insisted that the title would change to become ''protection of the victims of the ethnic and religious violence". During the opening ceremony, the foreign minister said, among other things, that we in Jordan do not use this term and that, as a state organizing the conference, we neither have "coexistence'' nor "minorities''. We have components and civilized contributions within the framework of law, the spirit of citizenship and equality.The conference was not only designed to protect any group subjected to violence or persecution—as was the case with the Christians and Yazidiz in Iraq last year, as well as with the photo of the child who drowned on the shores of Turkey which shook the world and made Europe welcome the fleeing, the displaced and the oppressed—but rather to reveal an Arab Middle Eastern country which managed to fulfill a duty a superpower could not attain. This country is Jordan. It has managed to receive over a million displaced persons at a time when a great country like Germany tries to accommodate more than a million refugees in a period of two years.The Jordanian image was vivid and clear in the various interlocutions which lauded the prevailing atmospheres of national unity among the various components of the Jordanian society. Thus Jordan, due to its wise leadership and the awareness of its people, remained a safe bastion amidst conflagrated environs.The "Paris working plan''--which was issued by the conference organized by the foreign ministries of both France and Jordan--called for giving due attention to the societal components based on providing humanitarian, political and legal assistance. The plan does represent a new achievement for a Middle Eastern country that does not consider its citizens on the basis of "minority and majority'', rather on the extent of coherence in ties and contribution to a future that is safer for the new generations.This article was originally published on the abouna.org website and appears here with permission
09/16/2015-vatican insider-Curia: Congregation for laity and family is on the way-Curia reform - a congregation for the laity and the family is on the way-The C9 has finalised the proposal it will present to the Pope, who may decide to establish the congregation even before the whole reform plan is complete-ANDREA TORNIELLI
vatican city-The work of the C9 group, the council of nine cardinals tasked with studying the reform of the Roman Curia and helping the Pope in the government of the universal Church, concludes today. After the establishment of the Secretariat for the Economy and the Secretariat for Communications, the next step will be the creation of a new congregation dedicated to the laity, the family and life issues.A related proposal put forward by the C9 had already been discussed at the meeting of the heads of Roman Curia dicasteries and had therefore then been explained and discussed by all cardinals who gathered for the Consistory in February this year. The proposal attracted a broad consensus. The new dicastery will merge together the functions that are currently split between the Pontifical Council for the Laity headed by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko and the Pontifical Council for the Family, headed by Bihsop Vincenzo Paglia. The Pontifical Academy for Life will refer to it, but while the first two councils are destined to go and will be merged into the single new entity, the academy – which is also made up of non-Catholic scholars – will continue to exist. Significantly, the new dicastery for the laity is structured like a congregation, that is, a Vatican “ministry” of the highest level, just like the congregations for the doctrine of the faith, for bishops, for the clergy, for religious, for saints and for Catholic education. This suggests there is an intention to give greater value to the role of the laity as per the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council. The C9 cardinals will therefore be presenting Pope Francis with a clearly defined proposal. It is likely that he will not wait for the completion of the reform framework and the new apostolic constitution, which the Council of Cardinal is still working on. In February this year, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, pointed out the following: “There is nothing to stop specific points from being implemented as an experiment during the course of the reform process, adding them later to the final draft.” The new congregation could therefore be established quite soon and will undergo a trial period before it is finally incorporated in the general reform context.The two Pontifical Councils that are to be merged to form the new dicatsery for the laity and the family, both have their headquarters in the Palace of St. Callixtus in the Trastevere district of Rome.It was suggested on a number of occasions that lay people should be placed at the helm of the new congregation but in February this year, Fr. Lombardi said the top person in charge could not be a lay person. However, the possibility of lay people acting as secretaries or assistant secretaries of the congregation has not been excluded.
KNOWLEGE INCREASED AND WORLD TRAVEL (IMMIGRATION) INCREASED
DANIEL 12:4
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,(WORLD TRAVEL,IMMIGRATION FROM FLEEING WARS) and knowledge shall be increased.(COMPUTERS MICROCHIPS ETC)
09/16/2015-The US and its “immigration mess”: The Pope can help-Archbishop Chaput with Francis-In this interview the archibishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, analyses Pope Francis’ visit to America-Andrés Beltramo Álvarez-vatican insider
vatican city-United States is in the midst of an “immigration mess”. Neither party is innocent. But Pope Francis can help both the White House and Congress to work together more honestly in order to solve the problem. The Archibishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, believes this. In this interview, he analyses Pope Francis’ visit to America, which starts Tuesday 22 September in Washington DC and concludes on Sunday 27 September in Philadelphia.How do you think Philadelphians will receive Pope Francis? Philadelphia has been waiting for this visit for three years. If people were more excited than they already are, we'd need to provide them with medical care. Pope Francis will be welcomed enthusiastically. It's the nature of our city.Some surveys indicate that not many Americans know that the Pope will visit his country. Others say that his popularity is going down. What is the expectation for the visit of this Pope, not only for Catholics but for non-Catholics as well? I'm very skeptical of polls because they breed a constant emotional swing between overconfidence and dismay. And they're often wrong, even when I like their results. The United States is a nation of 320 million people. A lot of them would miss the news if a meteor hit Washington. I do think Americans from every religious background see this Pope as a man of great goodness and joy. Those qualities are very magnetic. So most Americans, to the degree they're aware of the Holy Father and have any expectations for his visit, expect Francis to be a source of hope and a voice of reconciliation.For the first time a Pope will speak to both houses of the U.S. Congress. What meaning does this have for Americans? It's a unique moment in history. Philadelphia bore the brunt of anti-Catholic hatred in this country during the 19th century because of the waves of Catholic immigrants that poured into our city. It was an ugly experience. America for a very long time was not a friendly environment for the Catholic faith. In some ways, it still isn't. To have the pastor of the universal Catholic Church now invited to address the elected representatives of the American people – it's astonishing.Also he will be in the White House, with the United Nations and at Ground Zero. Do you expect surprises in his speeches or gestures in these places? Surprises, yes; it's in the nature of this Pope. Bad ones, no.The Pope will come to the United States when there begin to be outlined the topics that will dominate the next presidential campaign. One of these is immigration. On this matter Francis has a very clear and position. Will his message alleviate xenophobic trends in the United States? I don't like the word “xenophobic” because it implies ill will. Most Americans are better and more generous than that. But especially since 9/11, a lot of Americans are uneasy about protecting their families and themselves. They're worried about their jobs. They're worried about maintaining the rule of law. They're worried about protecting the solvency of their public institutions. It's important for people outside the United States to realize that Americans do have reasons, and often good reasons, for their concerns about immigration.But having said that, the United States is a nation built by immigrants. And it's constantly renewed by new immigrants. So for Americans to demonize and penalize immigrants is the worst sort of irony – a kind of national self-contradiction. People have a natural right to migrate to provide for their own and their family's safety and livelihood.So I hope the Pope will help both the White House and Congress to work together more honestly to solve our immigration problem. Both of our major political parties – Democratic and Republican – are responsible for our current immigration mess. Neither party is innocent.In the United States there has been some criticism of the Pope’s stance on the environment and the free market economy. Do you expect any protesters as a result? Sure, that's the nature of a democracy. We should welcome it. But the Holy Father has said nothing inconsistent with the many social encyclicals that came before him. Catholics need to be Catholic Christians first, and Americans second. Otherwise they have nothing of substance to offer to the moral life of their country.In Philadelphia the Pope will meet speak about immigration. Why is this important? Philadelphia was one of the great centers for immigration into the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the city still has an intensely immigrant-based identity – Poles, Irish, Jews, Italians, Ukrainians, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, and more. It's the perfect place for the Holy Father to address one of my country's most urgent issues, especially since Philadelphia is also the city where the United States was born.An important part of the trip for the Pope will be the culmination of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. What do you think the Holy Father would like to see result from this gathering? A renewal of the Christian family, and a renewal of the family's missionary spirit in converting the culture around us. If that can happen, we'll see a revolution in the spirit of the world.
Fortress Europe reinforced in Hungary and Austria By Eszter Zalan-EUOBSERVER
BRUSSELS, 16. Sep, 09:21-Buses in Serbia are reportedly preparing to take refugees to the Croatian border after Hungary completely sealed its border on Tuesday (15 September) with a razor-wire fence.Several buses were due to leave Presevo - in the far south of Serbia - heading for the border town of Sid, Serbian media reported on Wednesday (16 September).Hungary created a bottleneck for hundreds of migrants stranded in no-man’s land along its border with Serbia, after blocking off its border completely, declaring a state of emergency and processing migrants under tough new rules that the European Commission is scrutinising to ensure are in line with EU law.Budapest also announced the construction of a new fence along the Romanian border, while Austria reintroduced border controls along its south-eastern borders.Once again chaotic scenes ensued at the entry point to the EU, ahead of Hungary's complete border closure with Serbia. Monday saw a record 9,380 asylum seekers crossing into Hungary in a desperate last attempt to step on EU soil.By Tuesday hundreds of migrants were stranded and as tensions rose, they blocked the main highway connecting Serbia and Hungary, chanting, "Open the border!" Some refugees began a hunger strike, demanding to be let through.Migrants who managed to cross into Hungary at new registration points on Tuesday were dealt with under a new border regime the country introduced.Hungary ruled on 16 asylum claims, rejecting all, arguing that Serbia is a safe country, and refugees should request protection there.Gyorgy Bakondi, security advisor to prime minister Viktor Orban, said in a press conference that 174 people had been caught trying to cross illegally through Hungary’s 175 kilometer-long fence with Serbia and would face criminal prosecution.Rejected asylum-seekers were also expelled from the passport free Schengen zone for a year, even though they have the right to appeal the decision in a Hungarian court, Hungarian media reported.Besides the fast-track screening, new measures include sending asylum-seekers automatically back to third countries that Hungary deems safe and allowing prolonged detention of asylum-seekers.The contentious measures were criticized by the United Nations refugees agency earlier this summer, warning that they could have "devastating implications for thousands of people seeking safety in Hungary." The UNHCR also said that criminalising people for crossing the frontier illegally could be in violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention, and questioned whether Serbia should be considered a safe third country where refugees can receive the necessary support.Antonio Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees, said in Brussels on Tuesday that Hungary's measures need to be checked by the EU institutions. "My problem is not [with the] legality, it is with the substance. The access to protection should be granted to everyone who asks for it in Europe," he said.The European Commission said it is looking into the new measures to check that they are in line with EU rules."We are currently making an initial assessment of the new Hungarian law and we have asked a certain number of clarifications from the Hungarian authorities," Natasha Bertaud, EU commission spokesperson said.EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos will travel to Hungary on Wednesday evening.Borders blocked-Serbia's foreign minister expressed outrage at Hungary's move. Ivica Dacic said that Serbia finds it "unacceptable" that Hungary would send migrants back, while more and more are arriving from Macedonia and Greece."This is not only a Hungarian and Serbian problem. This is a problem for the whole of Europe. Europe has to find a solution fast before the situation escalates even further," Serbian minister on migration issues, Aleksandar Vulin, told press at the border.Hungary has also announced on Tuesday that due to the diverting routes of people-smugglers, it will extend the border fence along the Romanian border.Hungary's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said the fence would run from where the borders of Hungary, Serbia and Romania meet to the Maros River, a distance of 25 kilometers.The foreign ministry in Bucharest said that it considers the notion of building a fence between two EU members "to be not a correct gesture from a political point of view and not in line with the European spirit."Hungary also introduced a state of emergency in its southern counties because of the influx of migrants. This gives extra rights to police and army once they are approved by parliament later this week.In the meantime, Austria informed the European Commission that it will temporarily reintroduce border controls on Wednesday (16 September) along its border with Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia.The Commission said in a statement that the move further underscores the need to agree on the measures proposed by the European Commission last week. EU ministers on Monday failed to come to an agreement, however.
09/16/2015 -vatican insider-Jordan's obliteration of the term "minority''-Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh addresses UN international conference in Paris on Sept. 8-A conference organized by the foreign ministries of France and Jordan in Paris addressed the protection of religious and ethnical "minorities''. Jordan’s foreign minister insisted the title would change to become ''protection of the victims of the ethnic and religious violence”-fr. rif'at bader
The story relevant to Yazidi girl ''Jinan Adel'' has overshadowed international media outlets' coverage of the one-day conference organized by the foreign ministries of France and Jordan in Paris. This girl had been kidnapped by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants for three months. She fled to France to document her suffering in a book titled, "Jinan, Daesh's Slave" (Jinan, ISIS' Slave). In her book, she describes the suffering she had been exposed to. This made French President François Hollande refer to her in his opening speech and meet with her at length while being covered by media outlets. The writer of this article was present at this meeting, in his capacity as member of the Jordanian delegation, during which Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh stated that Jordan serves as a model for sublime plurality.Throughout the speeches delivered by more than 20 foreign ministers as well as representatives of regional and international organizations, the Jordanian presence was the most prominent. Jordan's King, government and people received gratitude and appreciation for organizing this conference as well as for drawing the general public's attention to the need to care for those oppressed and suffering in the Middle East due to ethnical and religious reasons.During the dinner banquet held at the house of Jordan's Ambassador to France Makram Al Qaisi, Foreign Minister Judeh said that the conference title is about protecting religious and ethnical "minorities'', yet he insisted that the title would change to become ''protection of the victims of the ethnic and religious violence". During the opening ceremony, the foreign minister said, among other things, that we in Jordan do not use this term and that, as a state organizing the conference, we neither have "coexistence'' nor "minorities''. We have components and civilized contributions within the framework of law, the spirit of citizenship and equality.The conference was not only designed to protect any group subjected to violence or persecution—as was the case with the Christians and Yazidiz in Iraq last year, as well as with the photo of the child who drowned on the shores of Turkey which shook the world and made Europe welcome the fleeing, the displaced and the oppressed—but rather to reveal an Arab Middle Eastern country which managed to fulfill a duty a superpower could not attain. This country is Jordan. It has managed to receive over a million displaced persons at a time when a great country like Germany tries to accommodate more than a million refugees in a period of two years.The Jordanian image was vivid and clear in the various interlocutions which lauded the prevailing atmospheres of national unity among the various components of the Jordanian society. Thus Jordan, due to its wise leadership and the awareness of its people, remained a safe bastion amidst conflagrated environs.The "Paris working plan''--which was issued by the conference organized by the foreign ministries of both France and Jordan--called for giving due attention to the societal components based on providing humanitarian, political and legal assistance. The plan does represent a new achievement for a Middle Eastern country that does not consider its citizens on the basis of "minority and majority'', rather on the extent of coherence in ties and contribution to a future that is safer for the new generations.This article was originally published on the abouna.org website and appears here with permission
09/16/2015-vatican insider-Curia: Congregation for laity and family is on the way-Curia reform - a congregation for the laity and the family is on the way-The C9 has finalised the proposal it will present to the Pope, who may decide to establish the congregation even before the whole reform plan is complete-ANDREA TORNIELLI
vatican city-The work of the C9 group, the council of nine cardinals tasked with studying the reform of the Roman Curia and helping the Pope in the government of the universal Church, concludes today. After the establishment of the Secretariat for the Economy and the Secretariat for Communications, the next step will be the creation of a new congregation dedicated to the laity, the family and life issues.A related proposal put forward by the C9 had already been discussed at the meeting of the heads of Roman Curia dicasteries and had therefore then been explained and discussed by all cardinals who gathered for the Consistory in February this year. The proposal attracted a broad consensus. The new dicastery will merge together the functions that are currently split between the Pontifical Council for the Laity headed by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko and the Pontifical Council for the Family, headed by Bihsop Vincenzo Paglia. The Pontifical Academy for Life will refer to it, but while the first two councils are destined to go and will be merged into the single new entity, the academy – which is also made up of non-Catholic scholars – will continue to exist. Significantly, the new dicastery for the laity is structured like a congregation, that is, a Vatican “ministry” of the highest level, just like the congregations for the doctrine of the faith, for bishops, for the clergy, for religious, for saints and for Catholic education. This suggests there is an intention to give greater value to the role of the laity as per the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council. The C9 cardinals will therefore be presenting Pope Francis with a clearly defined proposal. It is likely that he will not wait for the completion of the reform framework and the new apostolic constitution, which the Council of Cardinal is still working on. In February this year, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, pointed out the following: “There is nothing to stop specific points from being implemented as an experiment during the course of the reform process, adding them later to the final draft.” The new congregation could therefore be established quite soon and will undergo a trial period before it is finally incorporated in the general reform context.The two Pontifical Councils that are to be merged to form the new dicatsery for the laity and the family, both have their headquarters in the Palace of St. Callixtus in the Trastevere district of Rome.It was suggested on a number of occasions that lay people should be placed at the helm of the new congregation but in February this year, Fr. Lombardi said the top person in charge could not be a lay person. However, the possibility of lay people acting as secretaries or assistant secretaries of the congregation has not been excluded.
