EVENTS IN TIME (BIBLE PROPHECY LITERALLY FULFILLED)(BY GOD)

I WRITE NEWS ABOUT AND PUT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM PERTAINING TO BIBLE PROPHESY HAPPENINGS.JOEL 3:20 But Judah (ISRAEL) shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.(THATS ISRAEL-JERUSALEM WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED AGAIN)-WE CHRISTIANS ARE ALL WAITING PATIENTLY FOR THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE TO OCCUR.SO WE CAN GO TO JESUS AND GET OUR NEVER DYING BODIES.SO WE CAN RULE OVER CITIES OURSELVES.WHILE JESUS RULES FROM DAVIDS THRONE FOREVER IN JERUSALEM.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

WITH WAVES ROARING 26 FEET HIGH.CYCLONE PAM IN VANUATU IS SAID TO BE THE 4TH WORST STORM IN HISTORY AS AT LEAST 8 DEAD AND 30 INJURED.BUT MORE WILL BE DEAD IN THE SMALLER CITIES THAT GOT TOTALLY DESTROYED.

-pic-world atlas.com

TORAH PORTION FROM MAR 15-21,2015

AIRASIA FLIGHT QZ 8501 MISSING ON WAY TO SINGAPORE AIRBUS A320-200-DAY 78

MISSING FLIGHT QZ 8501 AIR BUS A320-200-pic-Indianexpress.com

UPDATES-SUN MAR 15,15-09:00PM
updates in small type-96 BODIES OF THE 104 RECOVERED OF THE 162 ON FLIGHT QZ 8501 HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED SO FAR AS OF THIS DAY.MAR 10TH WILL BE THE LAST SEARCH DAY FOR BODIES.However, smaller-scale SAR operations with three vessels and a team of divers will be carried out for seven more days, after which all SAR operations will be officially terminated.

MH370 OFFICIAL SITE
http://www.mh370.gov.my/index.php/en/
MH370 ALL UPDATES
http://www.mh370.gov.my/index.php/en/2014-10-08-06-31-42/2014-10-08-06-32-33
JEFF WISE SITE
http://jeffwise.net/

US Intel Stands Pat on MH-17 Shoot-down-March 14, 2015-Exclusive: Almost eight months after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine – creating a flashpoint in the standoff between nuclear-armed Russia and America – the U.S. intelligence community claims it has not updated its assessment since five days after the crash, reports Robert Parry.

Despite the high stakes involved in the confrontation between nuclear-armed Russia and the United States over Ukraine, the U.S. intelligence community has not updated its assessment on a critical turning point of the crisis – the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 – since five days after the crash last July 17, according to the office of the Director of National Intelligence.On Thursday, when I inquired about arranging a possible briefing on where that U.S. intelligence assessment stands, DNI spokesperson Kathleen Butler sent me the same report that was distributed by the DNI on July 22, 2014, which relied heavily on claims being made about the incident on social media.So, I sent a follow-up e-mail to Butler saying: “are you telling me that U.S. intelligence has not refined its assessment of what happened to MH-17 since July 22, 2014?”Her response: “Yes. The assessment is the same.”I then wrote back: “I don’t mean to be difficult but that’s just not credible. U.S. intelligence has surely refined its assessment of this important event since July 22.”When she didn’t respond, I sent her some more detailed questions describing leaks that I had received about what some U.S. intelligence analysts have since concluded, as well as what the German intelligence agency, the BND, reported to a parliamentary committee last October, according to Der Spiegel.While there are differences in those analyses about who fired the missile, there appears to be agreement that the Russian government did not supply the ethnic Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine with a sophisticated Buk anti-aircraft missile system that the original DNI report identified as the likely weapon used to destroy the commercial airliner killing all 298 people onboard.Butler replied to my last e-mail late Friday, saying “As you can imagine, I can’t get into details, but can share that the assessment has IC [Intelligence Community] consensus” – apparently still referring to the July 22 report.

A Lightning Rod

Last July, the MH-17 tragedy quickly became a lightning rod in a storm of anti-Russian propaganda, blaming the deaths personally on Russian President Vladimir Putin and resulting in European and American sanctions against Russia which pushed the crisis in Ukraine to a dangerous new level.Yet, after getting propaganda mileage out of the tragedy – and after I reported on the growing doubts within the U.S. intelligence community about whether the Russians and the rebels were indeed responsible – the Obama administration went silent.In other words, after U.S. intelligence analysts had time to review the data from spy satellites and various electronic surveillance, including phone intercepts, the Obama administration didn’t retract its initial rush to judgment – tossing blame on Russia and the rebels – but provided no further elaboration either.This strange behavior reinforces the suspicion that the U.S. government possesses information that contradicts its initial rush to judgment, but senior officials don’t want to correct the record because to do so would embarrass them and weaken the value of the tragedy as a propaganda club to pound the Russians.If the later evidence did bolster the Russia-did-it scenario, it’s hard to imagine why the proof would stay secret – especially since U.S. officials have continued to insinuate that the Russians are guilty. For instance, on March 4, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland fired a new broadside against Russia when she appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.In her prepared testimony, Nuland slipped in an accusation blaming Russia for the MH-17 disaster, saying: “In eastern Ukraine, Russia and its separatist puppets unleashed unspeakable violence and pillage; MH-17 was shot down.”It’s true that if one parses Nuland’s testimony, she’s not exactly saying the Russians or the ethnic Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine shot down the plane. There is a semi-colon between the “unspeakable violence and pillage” and the passive verb structure “MH-17 was shot down.” But she clearly meant to implicate the Russians and the rebels.Nuland’s testimony prompted me to submit a query to the State Department asking if she meant to imply that the U.S. government had developed more definitive evidence that the ethnic Russian rebels shot down the plane and that the Russians shared complicity. I received no answer.I sent a similar request to the CIA and was referred to the DNI, where spokesperson Butler insisted that there had been no refinement in the U.S. intelligence assessment since last July 22.But that’s just impossible to believe. Indeed, I’ve been told by a source who was briefed by U.S. intelligence analysts that a great deal of new information has been examined since the days immediately after the crash, but that the problem for U.S. policymakers is that the data led at least some analysts to conclude that the plane was shot down by a rogue element of the Ukrainian military, not by the rebels.Yet, what has remained unclear to me is whether those analysts were part of a consensus or were dissenters within the U.S. intelligence community. But even if there was just dissent over the conclusions, that might explain why the DNI has not updated the initial sketchy report of July 22.It is protocol within the intelligence community that when an assessment is released, it should include footnotes indicating areas of dissent. But to do that could undermine the initial certitude that Secretary of State John Kerry displayed on Sunday talks shows just days after the crash.

Pointing Fingers

Though the DNI’s July 22 report, which followed Kerry’s performance, joined him in pointing the blame at the Russians and the ethnic Russian rebels, the report did not claim that the Russians gave the rebels the sophisticated Buk (or SA-11) surface-to-air missile that the report indicated was used to bring down the plane.The report cited “an increasing amount of heavy weaponry crossing the border from Russia to separatist fighters in Ukraine”; it claimed that Russia “continues to provide training – including on air defense systems to separatist fighters at a facility in southwest Russia”; and its noted the rebels “have demonstrated proficiency with surface-to-air missile systems, downing more than a dozen aircraft in the months prior to the MH17 tragedy, including two large transport aircraft.”But what the public report didn’t say – which is often more significant than what is said in these white papers – was that the rebels had previously only used short-range shoulder-fired missiles to bring down low-flying military planes, whereas MH-17 was flying at around 33,000 feet, far beyond the range of those weapons.The assessment also didn’t say that U.S. intelligence, which had been concentrating its attention on eastern Ukraine during those months, detected the delivery of a Buk missile battery from Russia, despite the fact that a battery consists of four 16-foot-long missiles that are hauled around by trucks or other large vehicles.I was told that the absence of evidence of such a delivery injected the first doubts among U.S. analysts who also couldn’t say for certain that the missile battery that was suspected of firing the fateful missile was manned by rebels. An early glimpse of that doubt was revealed in the DNI briefing for several mainstream news organizations when the July 22 assessment was released.The Los Angeles Times reported, “U.S. intelligence agencies have so far been unable to determine the nationalities or identities of the crew that launched the missile. U.S. officials said it was possible the SA-11 was launched by a defector from the Ukrainian military who was trained to use similar missile systems.” [See Consortiumnews.com’s “The Mystery of a Ukrainian ‘Defector.’”]

The Russian Case

The Russians also challenged the rush to judgment against them, although the U.S. mainstream media largely ignored – or ridiculed – their presentation. But the Russians at least provided what appeared to be substantive data, including alleged radar readings showing the presence of a Ukrainian jetfighter “gaining height” as it closed to within three to five kilometers of MH-17.Russian Lt. Gen. Andrey Kartopolov also called on the Ukrainian government to explain the movements of its Buk systems to sites in eastern Ukraine and why Kiev’s Kupol-M19S18 radars, which coordinate the flight of Buk missiles, showed increased activity leading up to the July 17 shoot-down.The Ukrainian government countered by asserting that it had “evidence that the missile which struck the plane was fired by terrorists, who received arms and specialists from the Russian Federation,” according to Andrey Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s Security Council, using Kiev’s preferred term for the rebels.Lysenko added: “To disown this tragedy, [Russian officials] are drawing a lot of pictures and maps. We will explore any photos and other plans produced by the Russian side.” But Ukrainian authorities have failed to address the Russian evidence except through broad denials.On July 29, amid this escalating rhetoric, the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, a group of mostly retired U.S. intelligence officials, called on President Barack Obama to release what evidence the U.S. government had, including satellite imagery.“As intelligence professionals we are embarrassed by the unprofessional use of partial intelligence information,” the group wrote. “As Americans, we find ourselves hoping that, if you indeed have more conclusive evidence, you will find a way to make it public without further delay. In charging Russia with being directly or indirectly responsible, Secretary of State John Kerry has been particularly definitive. Not so the evidence.” But the Obama administration failed to make public any intelligence information that would back up its earlier suppositions.Then, in early August, I was told that some U.S. intelligence analysts had begun shifting away from the original scenario blaming the rebels and Russia to one focused more on the possibility that extremist elements of the Ukrainian government were responsible, funded by one of Ukraine’s rabidly anti-Russian oligarchs. [See Consortiumnews.com’s “Flight 17 Shoot-down Scenario Shifts”and “Was Putin Targeted for Mid-air Assassination?”]

German Claims

In October, Der Spiegel reported that the German intelligence service, the BND, also had concluded that Russia was not the source of the missile battery – that it had been captured from a Ukrainian military base – but the BND still blamed the rebels for firing it. The BND also concluded that photos supplied by the Ukrainian government about the MH-17 tragedy “have been manipulated,” Der Spiegel reported.And, the BND disputed Russian government claims that a Ukrainian fighter jet had been flying close to MH-17, the magazine said, reporting on the BND’s briefing to a parliamentary committee on Oct. 8. But none of the BND’s evidence was made public — and I was subsequently told by a European official that the evidence was not as conclusive as the magazine article depicted. [See Consortiumnews.com’s “Germans Clear Russia in MH-17 Case.”]-When the Dutch Safety Board investigating the crash issued an interim report in mid-October, it answered few questions, beyond confirming that MH-17 apparently was destroyed by “high-velocity objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside.” The 34-page Dutch report was silent on the “dog-not-barking” issue of whether the U.S. government had satellite surveillance that revealed exactly where the supposed ground-to-air missile was launched and who fired it.In January, when I re-contacted the source who had been briefed by the U.S. analysts, the source said their thinking had not changed, except that they believed the missile may have been less sophisticated than a Buk, possibly an SA-6, and that the attack may have also involved a Ukrainian jetfighter firing on MH-17.Since then there have been occasional news accounts about witnesses reporting that they did see a Ukrainian fighter plane in the sky and others saying they saw a missile possibly fired from territory then supposedly controlled by the rebels (although the borders of the conflict zone at that time were very fluid and the Ukrainian military was known to have mobile anti-aircraft missile batteries only a few miles away).But what is perhaps most shocking of all is that – on an issue as potentially dangerous as the current proxy war between nuclear-armed Russia and the United States, a conflict on Russia’s border that has sparked fiery rhetoric on both sides – the office of the DNI, which oversees the most expensive and sophisticated intelligence system in the world, says nothing has been done to refine the U.S. assessment of the MH-17 shoot-down since five days after the tragedy. https://consortiumnews.com/2015/03/14/us-intel-stands-pat-on-mh-17-shoot-down/

Saturday, March 14, 2015

POPE DOES NOT PLAN ON RESIGNING BUT STILL SAYS HE MIGHT LEAVE OFFICE IN 4 OR 5 YEARS.

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)

FALSE POPE FROM THE VATICAN

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

REVELATION 17:1-5,9,15-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
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.
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.(BOMB OR NUKE THE VATICAN)
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,(VATICAN) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

03/13/2015-Francis doesn’t plan on resigning-Castel Gandolfo - Pope Francis visits Benedict XVI-In a passage from the important interview with Televisa’s Valentina Alazraki Francis talks about the duration of his pontificate and explains that the papacy is a “special grace” and he wouldn’t like to see an age limit put on it as it has been for diocesan bishops-ANDREA TORNIELLI

vatican city-Your pontificate? “I have the feeling that my Pontificate will be brief: 4 or 5 years.” Retirement? “I do not really like the idea of an age limit.” In a long interview with Valentina Alazraki a correspondent from Mexican broadcaster Televisa – and one of the most distinguished Vaticanistas who has reported on papal visits since the start of John Paul II’s pontificate – Pope Francis repeated what he had already said in the past about the duration of his pontificate and made some important clarifications which disprove any theories about a possible retirement once he reaches 80. He also said he was against an age limit being set for the Bishop of Rome.“I have the feeling that my Pontificate will be brief,” Francis told Televisa. “4 or 5 years; I do not know, even 2 or 3. Two have already passed. It is a somewhat vague sensation. Maybe it's like the psychology of the gambler who convinces himself he will lose so he won’t be disappointed and if he wins, is happy. I do not know. But I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more ... But it is a feeling. I always leave the possibility (to programs) open.” Regarding Benedict XVI’s resignation - the first Pope to step down due to his age, signalling the end of a long tradition which saw Successors of Peter continue their reign until their death - Francis said: “There were some cardinals who prior to the conclave, in the general congregations, probed the very interesting, very rich theological problem. I think that what Pope Benedict did has been to open a door. 60 years ago there were no emeritus bishops. And now we have 1400. They came to the idea that a man after 75, or close to that age, cannot carry the weight of a particular church. In general I think what Benedict so courageously did was to open the door to the Popes emeritus.”“ Benedict should not be considered an exception, but an institution. Maybe he will be the only one for a long time, maybe he will not be the only one. But an institutional door has been opened. Today the Pope Emeritus is no longer a rarity since a door for him to exist as a figure has been opened.”When asked what he thought about the idea of a papacy that ends once the Pope reaches the age of 80, Francis said: “I can. However, I do not really like the idea of an age limit. Because I believe that the Papacy is a kind of last instance. It is a special grace. For some theologians the Papacy is a sacrament. The Germans are very creative in all these things. I do not think so, but I want to say that it is something special. To say that one is in charge up to 80 years, creates a sensation that the pontificate is at its end and that would not be a good thing. Predictability.” “I would not support the idea of putting an age limit on it, but I share the idea of what Benedict did,” Francis went on to say. So as he suggested on a number of occasions, the door that was opened by Benedict XVI lingers in the background as a possibility. But no age limit and no resignation on the horizon for the Argentinian Pope who recently turned 78, the same age Benedict XVI was elected Pope in 2005.

Pope provides end times statement over his life

Pope Francis has announced that he is expecting his pontificate to be brief, perhaps just four or five years, he has revealed.In an interview to mark the second anniversary of his election in 2013, Pope Francis told Valentina Alazraki, from the Mexican broadcaster Televisa, that he did not expect to live much longer. However, when you put this with this prophecy by the Irish saint Malachy, the 12th century bishop of Armagh. He had stated there will be only one more pope after Benedict, and during his reign comes the end of the world. So Francis could be the last.The Pope said: "I have the feeling that my Pontificate will be brief: four or five years; I do not know, even two or three. Two have already passed. It is a somewhat vague sensation. Maybe it's like the psychology of the gambler who convinces himself he will lose so he won't be disappointed and if he wins, is happy. I do not know. But I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more... But it is a feeling."Put these with other prophetic events like the four blood moons, two of which have already happened and two more this year the first on the Jewish Passover April 4, 2015 and then the last one on the Feast of Tabernacles-September 28, 2015. Something major always happens when you get four blood moons.Add to this the situation with Russia, Iran threatening Israel again, Jews going back to Israel in their thousands because of persicution and we have an end time’s scenario.You don’t have to look far to see that the world is in a mess like never before. Anything can happen at any time. We have gone through Gay Marriage, Pastors arrested on the streets of Britain for preaching the Gospel, Thousands of Christians being killed by Islamic extremists, along with floods famine and earthquakes.There fore, whether this present Pope thinks he is going to die in post, or Jesus returns, is open for debate.Posted by David Pilkington-Extract from www.christiantoday.com

03/14/2015-Mercy: Francis’ real reform-Francis surrounded by faithful-Fifty years after the Council, Pope Francis wants a Church that can welcome those who are far off and feel excluded, this is “the Lord’s most powerful message”-Andrea Tornielli

Rome-The Holy Year of mercy announced yesterday by Pope Francis is an initiative that is directly connected to the most authentic message of his pontificate.The Extraordinary Jubilee, which will start on 8 December this year, half a century after the conclusion of the Council, is a surprise and at the same time a logical consequence of what the Argentinian Pope has tried to communicate in the first two years of his pontificate. “The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, I say this humbly, it is the Lord’s most powerful message,” he said four days after his election, in a homily pronounced off the cuff in the parish church of St. Anne in the Vatican. “I believe that this is the season of mercy,” he said in the press conference held during the return flight from Rio de Janeiro, at the end of his first international visit to Brazil on 29 July 2013. “Mercy is not just a pastoral attitude but it is the very substance of the Gospel of Jesus,” the Pope wrote in a letter he sent to the Catholic University of Argentina last Monday.

A Church that welcomes

Francis has always considered the invitation to be a testimony of a Church that is welcoming, a Church that “facilitates” people’s faith without being a “customs office”, as far more central than the structural reform of the Curia and Vatican finances. A Church that is a “field hospital”, concerned with healing lethal wounds, instead of making the dying person undergo a series of special tests to measure the extent to which their values are in line with the rules of moral doctrine. A Church that goes out in search of those who are farthest away, of those who have lost faith, of those who feel rejected or misunderstood. A Church that follows the example of Nazareth’s carpenter, who, two thousand years ago, scandalised conformists by reaching out to sinners, forgiving prostitutes, contaminating himself by touching the leper who had been cast out by society, and explaining that he had come for the sick, in other words the sinners not the healthy, in other words the righteous who do not need a doctor. Yesterday too, in the brief homily Francis pronounced before kneeling down to confess, he recalled that Jesus’ “love goes beyond justice”, it goes beyond an attitude that is widespread among the doctors of the law, among certain men of religion. Those who lived 2000 years ago and those who live today.

Looking beyond

“The call of Jesus pushes each of us to never stop at the surface of things, especially when we are dealing with a person," Francis said. "We are called to look beyond, to focus on the heart to see how much generosity everyone is capable. No one can be excluded from the mercy of God; everyone knows the way to access it and the Church is the house that welcomes all and refuses no one. Its doors remain wide open, so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, so much the greater must be the love that the Church expresses toward those who convert.” This is the crux of the Pope’s message. A Pope who is far less misunderstood and misinterpreted than one might think: the results of a study carried out by Almawave show this. The research looked at seven and a half million tweets that discussed Francis’ words in recent weeks: mercy seems to be the central theme as well as the most prominent, percentage-wise. Francis is acting as a missionary who is aware of the de-Christianisation underway in our societies. He tries to communicate the nature of Christianity. The only way to reach those farthest away and to touch their hearts is to embrace mercy. Like in the parable of the Father who runs up to his prodigal son and gives him a big hug before even listening to his explanations and calls for forgiveness for his sinful ways. A mercy so great that it sparked resentment in the other son mentioned in the parable - the good son, who stayed at home and worked. We see precisely the same scenario today: advocates of a Law and Order-style religion who are accustomed to using doctrine like a club, irritated by Francis’ insistence on “mercy” and his focus on the “poor”, intent as he is on following in the footsteps of the carpenter from Nazareth.

03/13/2015-Two years with the Pope of those farthest away-13/03/2013: Pope Francis introduces himself to the world-On 13 March 2013 Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis, the first Pope to take this name and the first Latin American and Jesuit Pope. Now he is also the Pope of mercy, of reform and of tenderness-ANDREA TORNIELLI

vatican city-Two years have passed since the election of the Pope “from the other side of the world” and that long minute during which Francis stood silent and immobile before the spectacle of a St. Peter’s Square lit up by camera flashes. The Roman Curia is a big building site: first the reform – which has been speeded up as a result of the inquiries carried out by the Italian judiciary – of the Vatican’s economic and financial structures staring witht he IOR. Then the reform of the Curia dicasteries which is taking shape and should lead to streamlining, mergers and a simpler system. Then there is the double Synod on the family which has seen the involvement of local churches and parishes. Then there are also the international visits, with a special focus on Asia. Francis tops all this off with a new style that sees him less attached to the pomp and circumstance of the papal court.And yeti t is not all this that has defined people’s perception of the Pope over the past two years, both inside and outside the Church. Francis is considered “the Pope of mercy”. He could also be defined as “the Pope of those farthest away”. And this is not because his testimony is not a comfort to those who believe, but because the crux of his message is the Gospel of mercy, a Church that is not afraid to embrace suffering in the peripheries, even in the peripheries represented by those who have grown distant fromt he faith or who have never aproached it. After Wojtyla, came the warrior Pope who broke down walls and has travelled the world to proclaim the Gospel; after Ratzinger - the humble theologian Pope who began – unheard – to preach against the domination of ecclesial bodies and in favour of a return to the essential, having the courage to say out loud that the biggest persecution against the Church did not come from the outside but from the sin withint he Church itself – came the Pope of mercy and of tenderness.Francis became the successor of these two great Popes and took on the role of a missionary who is aware of a de- Cristianisation that is underway, who seeks to communicate – through closeness, testimony and preaching – the nature of Christianity. “The Chruch does not grow through proselytism, it grows through attraction,” as Benedict XVI said. This is one of the phrases most frequently quoted by his successor. The best way to reach those who are farthest away is to approach them with the mercy of the father who runs toward his prodigal son and holds him tight before even listening to what he has to say for himself.A “surprising, unexpected” mercy that is considered “unfair” by human criteria, Francis said last Saturday. The mission of the Church, he added, “is not to condemn anyone for eternity but to pour out the balm of God’s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart,” he said during the homily in St Peter’s Basilica. “The way of the Church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those on the ‘outskirts of life’. It is to adopt fully God's own approach.”

03/13/2015-Extraordinary Jubilee: Last one was declared by John Paul II, the one before that by Pius XI-John Paul II opens the Holy Door-The Extraordinary Jubilee promulgated by Francis will be the 65th in history. The first was announced by Sixtus V in 1585. The “special” Holy Year does not alter the recurrence of Ordinary Jubilees-Domenico Agasso jr

vatican city-The last Pope to open the (cemented shut) Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica for an universal Extraordinary Jubilee was the future saint, John Paul II, in 1983: he promulgated the Jubilee to celebrate the 1950 years since the Redemption carried out by Christ through his Death and Resurrection in the year 33.The word “Jubilee” comes from the Hebrew “Yobel” meaning “billy goat”, in reference to the ram’s horn used in religious celebrations. The Jubilee is the year of the remission of sins and of suffering from sin, of reconciliation, of conversion and of sacramental penance. 365 days of solidarity, hope, justice and commitment to serving God in the spirit of joy and peace with everyone. Above all, however, the Jubilee Year is the year of Christ, the giver of life and of grace to humanity.It is called “Holy Year” because it is celebrated with sacred rites and also because its mission is the holiness of human life.The universal Jubilee can be: Ordinary, if it falls after a set period of years (generally 50 or 25 years); extraordinary if it is declared as a celebration of an event of outstanding importance; particular if it is limited to the inhabitants of a particular city, province or area. Its origins date back to the Old Testament as the official website of the Holy See explains: “The Law of Moses prescribed a special year for the Jewish people: "You shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim the liberty throughout the land, to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family. This fiftieth year is to be a jubilee year for you: you will not sow, you will not harvest the un-gathered corn, you will not gather the untrimmed vine. The jubilee is to be a holy thing to you, you will eat what comes from the fields."(The Book of Leviticus 25, 10-14). The trumpet with which this particular year was announced was a goat's horn called Yobel in Hebrew, and the origin of the word jubilee. The celebration of this year also included the restitution of land to the original owners, the remission of debts, the liberation of slaves and the land was left fallow.”The last Ordinary Holy Year, the year 2000, declared by John Paul II, was especially important because it celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ (apart from differences of exact chronological count). What is more, it will be the first Holy Year which marks the turn of a millennium: the earliest Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300.Boniface VIII had intended for a Jubilee to be held each century. As of 1475 – in order to give every generation the chance to experience at least one Holy Year – the Ordinary Jubilee was celebrated every 25 years.The objectives and specific purposes of each Holy Year are set by the Pope at the moment of promulgation. Universal Ordinary Jubilees, however, are simply a setting out of general objectives: the Church’s maternal call to a charitable life; resumption of a sacramental life; greater charity in relational life; freedom from social evils; renewal and purification of moral life. And, of course, plenary indulgence.Sometimes, however, when there are questions that are perceived to be particularly urgent, Popes have not hesitated in conceding Universal Extraordinary Jubilees, without this affecting the recurrence of Ordinary ones. The custom of proclaiming Extraordinary Jubilees dates back to the 16th century; their duration varies from a few days to one year. Francis' Extraordinary Jubilee of mercy is preceded by 64 universal Extraordinary Jubilees, all of which have had a variety of meanings and premises. The first was declared by Sixtus V (1585-1590) on 25 May 1585 to inaugurate his own pontificate, marking the start of a custom that would continue for a number of pontificates to come. Extraordinary Jubilees have been proclaimed: to promote peace among Christians; in response to specific needs of ecclesiastical hierarchies; to mark special historic occasions such as the success of a Council, the fight against the Turks and the 50th anniversary of the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception.The last Extraordinary Jubilee was proclaimed by John Paul II 32 years ago: he opened the Holy Door on 25 March. The one before that was proclaimed by Pius XI on 6 January 1933, for the same reason as the one declared by Karol Wojtyla: the 19th centenary of the Redemption carried out by Christ on the Cross.The Jubilees proclaimed by John Paul II and Pius XI were the only two to be announced in the 20th century. Two Marian Years (which are not exactly Jubilees) were also celebrated during the same century: one in 1954, proclaimed by Pius XII to mark the centenary of the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the other between 1987 and 1988 proclaimed by the Polish Pope ahead of the 2000th anniversary of Jesus’ birth and the – assumed – bi-millennial “birthday” of His Mother.The start of the Jubilee is marked with the opening of the Holy Door. This door is only opened during the Holy Year and remains cemented shut the rest of the time. All four major Basilicas in Rome have a Holy Door: St. Peter’s, St. John the Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major. The rite symbolises the fact that faithful are offered an “extraordinary path” towards salvation during the Jubilee. The Holy Doors of the other Basilicas are opened after the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica has been opened.

03/13/2015-Pope announces “Jubilee of mercy”-The Pope during confession-In a surprise announcement, Francis has declared an Extraordinary Holy Year which will begin on 8 December 2015 and conclude on 20 November 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. The Holy Door will be opened to mark the occasion-andrea tornielli

vatican city-"The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, I say this humbly, it is the Lord’s most powerful message,” Francis said in the homily he pronounced off the cuff in the parish church of Saint Anne in the Vatican, just four days after he was elected Pope. “I believe that this is the season of mercy,” he said in the press conference held during the return flight from Rio de Janeiro, at the end of his first international visit to Brazil on 29 July 2013. “Mercy is not just a pastoral attitude but it is the very substance of the Gospel of Jesus,” the Pope wrote in a letter he sent to the Catholic University of Argentina last Monday. Mercy has been a central theme of these first two years of his pontificate and today, on the second anniversary of his election, Francis has announced the indiction of a Holy Year of Mercy. The Pope made the announcement himself during the penitential liturgy he presided in St. Peter’s Basilica, listening to some faithful’s confessions. The Extraordinary Jubilee will start on 8 December, on the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Ecumenical Vatican Council II and will run until the Feast of Christ the King on 20 November 2016.Francis announced the Holy Year saying: “Dear Brothers and Sisters, I have often reflected upon how the Church can make its mission as a witness of mercy more apparent. It is a journey that begins with spiritual conversion. For this reason I have decided to proclaim an Extraordinary Jubilee which focuses on God’s mercy. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We wish to experience this inspired by the Word of the Lord: “Be merciful, just as your father is merciful” (cfr. Luke 6:36). This Holy Year will begin on the next Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will conclude on 20 November 2016, Sunday of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the universe and the living face of the Father’s mercy.""I entrust the organisation of this Jubilee to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, so that it may bring it to life as a new leg of the Church’s journey on its mission to bring the Gospel of mercy to every person. I am certain that this Jubilee will give the whole Church the joy of rediscovering the mercy of God and making it grow. All of us are called to be merciful and offer consolation to every man and woman of our time. We entrust it henceforth to the Mother of Mercy, that she may cast her gaze upon us and watch over our journey."Responding to a journalists’ question on the return flight from Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, Francis said: “I believe that this is the season of mercy. This new era we have entered, and the many problems in the Church – like the poor witness given by some priests, problems of corruption in the Church, the problem of clericalism for example – have left so many people hurt, left so much hurt. The Church is a mother: she has to go out to heal those who are hurting, with mercy. If the Lord never tires of forgiving, we have no other choice than this: first of all, to care for those who are hurting. The Church is a mother, and she must travel this path of mercy. And find a form of mercy for all. When the prodigal son returned home, I don’t think his father told him: “You, sit down and listen: what did you do with the money?” No! He celebrated! Then, perhaps, when the son was ready to speak, he spoke. The Church has to do this, when there is someone… not only wait for them, but go out and find them! That is what mercy is. And I believe that this is a kairos: this time is a kairos of mercy. But John Paul II had the first intuition of this, when he began with Faustina Kowalska, the Divine Mercy… He had something, he had intuited that this was a need in our time.”According to Biblical tradition, kairos is a suitable moment in time, an opportune moment for an act of God to be grasped in the present. With today’s announcement, Francis wishes to encourage people to rediscover the sacrament of penance and reconciliation and remember that God never tires of forgiving, we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy."The bull of indiction will be issued next month, on Divine Mercy Sunday (12 April) - a celebration introduced by John Paul II. This new Holy Year, therefore, does not come under the category of “ordinary” Holy Years celebrated every 25 years (the last of these being the Jubilee of 2000) but under the category of “extraordinary” Holy Years, which the Church proclaims for outstanding events. These include the Jubilee proclaimed by John Paul II in 1983 to mark 1950 years since the Redemption carried out by Christ through his Death and Resurrection in the year 33.“The way of the Church” - the Pope said in the important homily he delivered last 15 February to new (and old) cardinals - is not to condemn anyone for eternity.” Rather, “It is to pour out the balm of God’s mercy on all those who ask for it with a sincere heart. The way of the church is precisely to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those essentially on the ‘outskirts’ of life; to adopt fully God’s own approach; to follow the Master who said: “Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call, not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”The homily Francis pronounced in St. Peter’s Square this afternoon, which ended with the announcement of the Jubilee, is particularly significant in helping us understand how the Pope views this subject. Francis commented on the Gospel passage in which the sinful woman throws herself at Jesus’ feet and pours perfume on them, to explain the difference between her attitude and that of Simon the Pharisee. In the first case “love goes beyond justice” while “on the contrary, Simon the Pharisee is unable to find the path of love. He is fixed on formality… In his thoughts he invokes only justice and in doing so he errs. His judgement of the woman drives him away from the truth.”“Jesus’ call encourages each of us to look underneath the surface of things,” the Pope explained, "particularly when we are face to face with a person. We are called to look beyond and to focus on the heart in order to see how much generosity one is capable of. No one can be excluded from God’s mercy; everyone knows how to access it and the Church is a home that welcomes all and rejects no one. Its doors remain wide open so that those who are touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness. The greater the sin, the deeper Church’s love must be for those who convert.”After announcing the Holy Year of Mercy the Pope knelt down at a confessional in St. Peter's Basilica and confessed in public. He did so last year too, before listening to the confessions of a group of faithful.

03/13/2015 -China-Vatican relations: Discussions follow “Vietnamese model”-Chinese Catholics
Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi is interviewed by a Hong Kong television station and a debate opens over the possibility of following the “road map” already adopted in the case of Vietnam with regard to bishop nominations. Meanwhile, Cardinal Parolin states that dialogue between the Church and China “would have immense benefits for world peace”. Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated its “sincere” willingness to “improve relations” with the Holy See-Gianni Valente

Rome-“Do I want to go to China? Of course: tomorrow!” The phrase pronounced by Pope Francis last 19 August on the flight from Seoul to Rome echoed in the homes of many Chinese people. They were transmitted in a television programme filmed in the Vatican and broadcast by Phoenix TV, a private Hong Kong-based television network considered to have close ties with the Chinese government. The man quoting the Pope’s expression of willingness to visit China, in English, was Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, a Jesuit just like Francis and Matteo Ricci. The brief interview with Fr. Lombardi – the first he has granted to a Chinese channel – is drawing the attention of all those who, at all levels and for whatever reason, are following developments in China’s relations with the Catholic Church closely.Interest is partly triggered by the official nature of the role held by the Vatican newsroom director, as well as by the explicit content and the cordiality of his reflections. In another passage of the interview Fr. Lombardi recalled something he took as a given: “that you can be a good Chinese citizen and a good Catholic at the (same ) time. There is no contradiction in being a good Catholic and a good Chinese citizen”. Continuing in English, the Vatican spokesman referred specifically to developments in relations between the Holy See and Vietnam, which “have become better for the Catholic Church because now we have received, the Pope has received, here in the Vatican the visit of the highest authority of the Republic of Vietnam. Before this was not the case. There is now a representative of the Holy See to Vietnam, that is not a resident, but he can travel and can visit the church…. This means that things can change, can go on, can be gradually better and then even with latent situation in which in the past were more difficult…”Fr. Lombardi’s words were inserted in a broadcast with rolling images of bishops queueing up to greet Pope Francis with crowds of pilgrims filling St. Peter’s Square on a beautiful sunny day. The main issue that needs to be resolved - the journalist explains quoting Fr. Lombardi – is that regarding episcopal nominations. The “Vietnamese model” - according to which bishops’ nominations follow procedures approved by both the Holy See and the Vietnamese government – was referred to in detail as a possible reference point, while bearing in mind that “China is not Vietnam”. Another reportage on Phoenix TV stressed that the main problem in relations between China and the Holy See is not to do with diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Taiwan, but the issue of episcopal nominations. It defined the absence of relations between Beijing and the Holy See as “anomalous”, recalling that realism was needed in addressing and resolving problems in a constructive way and anticipating the possibility of a future meeting between Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping.The weight Beijing attributed to Fr. Lombardi’s words can also be intuited from China’s prompt “response”. Yesterday, on Phoenix TV, four Chinese columnists held a half-hour discussion on the television network’s prime-time talk show, on the “Vietnamese model” for episcopal nominations. Two of the interlocutors who were especially knowledgeable on Sino-Vatican relations, explicitly referred to it as a possible starting point in the search for a solution to the persisting problems in China-Holy See relations. Yesterday, official political bodies in Beijing sent out a conciliatory sign: “China is always sincere in improving ties with the Vatican and has been making continuing efforts to this end,” said Hong Lei, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We are willing to have constructive dialogue with the Vatican . . . We hope the Vatican can create favourable conditions for the improving of relations,” Hong Lei added. Hong Lei’s statements were reprinted by Global Times, the English-language newspaper is considered to be a voice of the Communist Party of China.The debates on Phoenix TV and the Chinese government’s declarations add to the latest series of “signs” sent by both sides to test the ground, gauge the issues on the agenda and the leeway for a possible resumption of Sino-Vatican negotiations. Things seem to be moving and the openness shown towards the “Vietnamese model” show China’s intention to discuss issues and ideas for concrete solutions.The day before yesterday, Cardinal Parolin made an important contribution to the change of pace in Sino-Vatican relations. Speaking to some journalists after the Lectio Magistralis he held at the Pontifical Gregorian University (on the role of Vatican diplomacy in service of peace), the Vatican Secretary of State recalled a possible – and so far little explored – consequence of a potential rapprochement between the Catholic Church and the People’s Republic of China: “the only way forward is to talk to one another, the only way forward is to find a meeting point and try to understand each other and find solutions to existing problems. (…) I believe that dialogue between the Church, the Holy See and China could have immense benefits for world peace, very, very big benefits.” Linking the issue of Sino-Vatican relations to the problem of protecting and defending peace in the world, the Secretary of State, implicitly referred to the characteristics of Vatican diplomatic action. The aim of Vatican diplomacy is not to cultivate privileged axes with important political figures worldwide with the hope of exercising power. Its aim is to resolve problems, facilitate solutions, inspire and encourage processes for the prevention and neutralisation of conflict in every context and at every moment.

03/11/2015-CCSM values Jordan King's Strasbourg address-Fr. Bader with Pope Francis-The director of the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media, Fr. Rif’at Bader, expresses the centre's appreciation for King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein's speech, highlighting the part where he said: “This is the correct Islam; and the Christian Arabs are part of our history"-

amman-The Catholic Centre for Studies and Media (CCSM) greatly appreciates the historic and moving speech delivered by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan at the European Parliament on Tuesday where he concentrated on two major issues that are strongly highlighted in the world at this stage; namely, the need to purify the image of the Islamic religion and the importance of underscoring the Arab Christian identity. In a statement issued by CCSM Director Fr. Rif’at Bader, the CCSM said that His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein has once again reiterated his important message to the whole world from a key international podium, namely the European Parliament. What really instills great pride is His Majesty’s assertion that the two main objectives he wishes to highlight are a clarification of the Islamic religion's image in its capacity as a basis for peace--including his greeting of “peace be upon you’’ which reflects its genuine and correct meaning-- as well as the necessity of the Christian Arab identity.The first objective expressed at this time in Europe is of prime importance particularly in the wake of the perfidious attack on France's Charlie Hebdo magazine under the pretext of defending Islam; a matter that had been condemned. Offending religions is rejected; furthermore, revenge by resorting to violence and killing is strongly rejected.Fr. Bader said that His Majesty the King--being a few kilometers away from Paris, the scene of the crime and the international demonstration against offending religions--all religions-- and against violent reaction to any defamation--has clearly explained that what is currently taking place in the Middle East is definitely not in the name of Islam. This remark is honorable and worthy to be understood by the West in both English and French. The King, furthermore, does not just represent the moderate stream of Islam, but rather genuine Islam.The second objective is to maintain the Christian Arab identity particularly in the wake of the aggression against this major component of Arab societies. It is important to carefully read His Majesty the King’s address, where he does not classify the Christian Arabs within the "minorities" category which he had referred to. He rather said that aggression took place against Christians and minorities. This makes us in our conferences, seminars and writings refrain from going back to the period of time when the Christians were classified within the minorities category who are gripped by fear and who refrain from reacting to the community’s issues.Fr. Bader added: “His Majesty the King talked about Christian Arabs, their presence in the Middle East, and their contributions to civilization within three axes. The first is that this presence involves the past, present and future, and thereby the king negates the passive speculations relevant to the elimination and restriction of this presence. The King reaffirms what Pope Francis had underlined from the same podium last December when he said that “the Middle East without Christians or with a small number of them will not be the same Middle East that is decorated with sublime religious plurality.’’ Both His Holiness the Pope and His Majesty the King took upon themselves the noble responsibility of defending religious plurality and religious freedom which are among the basic human rights.His Majesty further emphasized that despite the fact that Jordan is a country whose religion is Islam, it has a Christian community with a deep-rooted in history. This motivates mutual respect, which His Majesty had earlier talked about, and bolsters religious tourism to the historic sites. The Pope noted that some Christians in the Middle East were persecuted, saying that many were subjected to violence and expulsion from their homelands. Whereas, His Majesty the King said that his country had opened its arms wide to receive thousands of displaced Iraqi Christians. This indicates that Jordan is the safe haven for the displaced who fled their homelands due to the deteriorating political and security situations. It furthermore hosts the displaced that fled the yoke of persecution and religious discrimination.From the podium of the European Parliament , His Majesty the King shouldered the pains of humanity, the pains of the peoples of the Middle East, and the pains of all those suffering because of religious differences. Jordan is worthy to be congratulated for this Royal leadership. His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein is the skilled captain of the Jordanian ship that is heading towards security and further stability.

03/11/2015-The moment of female Islamic theologians has come, they are an antidote to extremists-Women and Islam-In an interview with Italian monthly magazine “Mondo e Missione”, Iranian theologian Shahrzad Houshmand lamented the fact that fundamentalism is fuelled by ignorance. It is time to read the Quran with new eyes. And women play a decisive role in this-GEROLAMO FAZZINI

Milan-“Of the 6000 verses contained in the Quran, less than 10 can be interpreted as justifications of violence. And yet there are those who take advantage of the ignorance of faithful, twisting these few lines to persuade them to perform evil actions.” ISIS (and the thousand other forms of Islamist extremism that exist) should therefore also be fought with the weapons of theology and culture.Iranian theologian Shahrzad Houshmand strongly believes this and presents her ideas in an interview with Chiara Zappa, titled “Il Corano riletto dalle donne” (“The Quran: A women’s reintepretation”) and published in the latest issue of Italian monthly missionary magazine “Mondo e Missione”.“Like many of her colleagues around the world, this Muslim theologian is both living disproof of the supposed subalternity of women in the Muslim religion and a key figure in a process of reinterpreting the Quran from a female point of view - with a female view of the faith and of the world - with the aim of reading precepts and traditions of the sacred Texts within the context of today’s challenges.”A theologian and professor of Islamic studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, Shahrzad Houshmand Zadeh studied Islamic theology in Qom and Teheran. In Italy she gained a degree in Catholic Theology from the Faculty of Theology in Reggio Calabria (South Italy). The mother of three has always been engaged in the field of Islamic-Christian dialogue. She is co-founder and president of an association called “Donne per la dignità” (“Women for dignity”) and has worked with Rome’s Inter-confessional Center for Peace (CIPAX) since 2005.Referring to the dramatic events of recent times – Nigeria besieged by Boko Haram, the Middle East rocked by ISIS’s presence and a Europe wounded by terrorism – the theologian explained: “We are going through a dark moment, experiencing events that catch us unprepared and yet the Quran reminds us that where there is difficulty, this is always an opportunity for positive change.”When asked why some parts of the Quran are taken to mean that violence is acceptable as an extreme measure, Houshmand responded by mentioning the example of Pakistan, the home country of Nobel Peace Prize Malala Yousafzai. “Here, the government has taken resources away from state education, opening the door to private schools which are often Koranic schools that receive financing from abroad (and we should go and check who is financing them…). Here the focus is on memorising the Quran, without an informed and responsible reading of it, partly because Arabic is not the pupils’ mother tongue. This means interpretation of the verses will be the prerogative of a few, while the masses will be open to manipulation.” The ignorance surrounding the sacred text therefore becomes the premise for forced indoctrination and often leads to extremism.The Iranian theologian strongly contests claims that Islam has not yet accepted the idea of a critical culture . “The Sacred Text states that knowledge is the main criterion that determines the supremacy of human beings,” she said. “Such a religion necessarily contemplates criticism! And the history of Islamic civilisation proves this. Today, alongside contexts of obscurantism, there are many examples of thinkers in the world of Islam who think critically about the doctrine.”As a woman who is committed to highlighting the unique nature of the female contribution, Houshmand added that there are numerous female theologians today who call themselves “Muslim feminists”, from Iran to Morocco, from Tunisia to Indonesia and Europe. There was a strong female presence in the life of the Prophet Muhammad himself,” she pointed out. The point is that over time, “the same mechanism we see in other religions - including the Christian religion – emerged: men became in charge of the interpretation of the Text, leading to the marginalisation of women in different ways and to different extents. Unfortunately, in recent centuries, the voices of Muslim women were quietened by force. But now, female theologians are coming back on the scene. And their work is becoming influential in countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt…”Finally, when asked whether not being a native speaker of Arabic made a theologian less credible, the Iranian professor said: “We must not forget that less than 20% of the world’s Muslims have Arabic as their mother tongue! While for Islamic theologians knowledge of Arabic is essential in order to ensure a correct interpretation of the Sacred Texts, the content can be communicated in any language.”