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)
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Creditors return to Athens-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 09:12-Representatives from the European Commission, the ECB and the eurozone bailout fund (ESM) are to begin arriving in Athens on Friday ahead of talks on a third bailout. However, IMF officials will not be present as Athens has not yet formally requested the fund's participation in the third programme.
Greece to fall into 2 percent recession-By EUOBSERVER
23. Jul, 20:20-The Greek economy will contract by 2-2.5 percent in 2015 in the wake of turmoil caused by its tumultuous bailout negotiations, a leading Athens-based think-tank warned Thursday. The Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE) revised its April prediction of 1 percent growth, citing the introduction of capital controls.
Tsipras survives second EU bailout rebellion By Benjamin Fox-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 23. Jul, 09:29-Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras faced down a second rebellion from his governing Syriza party on Thursday (23 July), moving the country another step closer to obtaining an €86 billion EU bailout.After another parliamentary sitting which went on into the small hours of the morning, deputies passed the second tranche of laws - this time on banking and judicial reform - needed to open formal bailout talks, by 230 to 63.Thirty six Syriza deputies either voted against the government or abstained, three fewer than the previous week, when the first series of austerity measures were adopted.The left-wing Syriza party has 162 members out of 300 in the Greek parliament, and needs to retain the support of at least 120, the minimum required to sustain a minority government.The centrist opposition parties also voted with the government.Ahead of the vote, Tsipras turned up the heat on his own party, accusing Syriza rebels of "hiding behind the safety of my signature" and of failing to come up with an alternative plan.“We have made difficult choices and now we must adapt to the new situation”, he said.The legislation adopted on Wednesday night (22 July) includes an EU directive to bolster banks and protect savers' deposits of less than €100,000. The bank recovery and resolution directive also sets outs a broader framework under which bank shareholders and creditors would cover the costs of a failed bank.Greek deputies also passed a Code of Civil Procedure, which the 12 July euro-summit statement said will "accelerate the judicial process and reduce costs".Passing the measures had been demanded by Greece’s creditors as a precondition for opening talks on a third rescue programme, worth €86 billion over three years.For his part, Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister, voted with the government, despite having joined the rebels in opposing the bailout package last week.Legislation to phase out early retirement schemes and the removal of subsidies for farmers, which had initially be scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, are set be adopted in the next package, due in the first week of August.Earlier on Wednesday, the European Central Bank's (ECB's) governing council agreed to raise the cap on emergency assistance for the country’s fragile banking system by €900 million to €90.4 billion.The move eases pressure on Greek lenders, which re-opened for business this week after a three-week lock-out. However, citizens can still only withdraw a maximum of €420 per week.With the reforms moving ahead, EU economic affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici told reporters on Wednesday that an agreement on Greece’s third bailout could be struck "in the second fortnight of August”.
French MPs visit Russian-occupied Crimea-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 10:41-A group of 10-or-so French MPs from the centre-right Republican Party are in Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine on Thursday and Friday. One of them, Thierry Mariani, told Russian media the EU should lift sanctions on Russia. French FM Laurent Fabius told the Liberation daily he's "shocked" by their actions.
Extraordinary meeting of EU farm ministers to be held in September-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 16:55-Luxembourg, currently holding the EU presidency, announced Friday it will hold an extraordinary meeting of EU farm ministers on 7 September "to discuss the economic crisis especially in the dairy and in the livestock sectors". French minister Le Foll had asked for the meeting following recent protests by French farmers.
EU's Mogherini in Iran, Saudi Arabia next week-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 08:56-EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday and Iran on Tuesday of next week. Her visit comes after she helped broker a deal with Iran on its contested nuclear programme. Mogherini hailed the agreement as a "sign of hope for the entire world."
French court backs mass surveillance By Nikolaj Nielsen-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 24. Jul, 09:26-The constitutional court in France on Thursday (23 July) broadly approved a new law that gives the state wide-sweeping surveillance powers.First proposed in March in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, the Surveillance Act allows French intelligence agencies to spy on citizens with almost complete impunity.“From now on, France has a security framework against terrorism that respects liberties. It's decisive progress”, said French prime minister Manuel Valls in a tweet.Dubbed by opponents as the French Big Brother, the act empowers intelligence agencies - under the authority of the prime minister’s office - to monitor anyone.Security officials will be able to hack people’s computers as a last resort.They will be able to use a so-called “IMSI Catcher”, which picks up and records all text messages, phone calls, and Internet communication in a given area. This includes people not suspected of any crime.Wireless phone taps, hidden cameras and microphones, and forcing Internet providers to monitor suspicious behaviour using special "black boxes" are also in store.A warrant or any other type of court approval is not needed.A dedicated special advisory group made up of magistrates, MPs, and senators will instead be consulted.But the group, named the National Commission for the Control of Intelligence Techniques, can only issue non-binding recommendations.The French constitutional court, for its part, opposed an article that would have allowed authorities to skip the advisory group in emergency situations. The court described the article as “manifestly disproportionate to the right to privacy”.Another setting up an international surveillance scheme was also rejected because the conditions for its use were not well enough defined.A third, more minor, article dealt with how the advisory group would be funded.Despite opposition from rights groups and a petition signed by over 100,000 people, MPs passed the bill into law in late June anyway.French president Francois Hollande then asked the constitutional court to review it.The act has drawn parallels to the bulk collection of telephone records by the US National Security Agency.Rights groups in France complain it undermines fundamental rights, widens the scope of extra-judicial surveillance, and lacks any real oversight.They say stripping away standard judicial oversight opens the door for abuse by the state and may undermine the confidentiality of sources used by journalists and human rights groups. French advocacy rights group, La Quadrature du Net, also said it is ready to challenge the act at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg."Mass surveillance is part of an intolerable and oppressive machine, which is by nature the seed of totalitarianism”, said Jeremie Zimmermann, co-founder of the group.
National MPs could block US trade deal, activists say By Benjamin Fox-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 24. Jul, 19:28-Opponents of an EU-US trade agreement hope that national parliaments will shoot down an accord, and their hopes will have been buoyed by a new study suggesting that a deal will likely need a seal of approval from domestic lawmakers.A study by the Institute of Law at the University of Cologne, commissioned by the Stop TTIP campaign, and published earlier this week, finds that in all member states except for Malta, a parliamentary approval process would be necessary to sign TTIP, and the provisionally-agreed trade deal with Canada - (known as CETA) - into law.The study also finds that half of the EU’s 28 parliaments would be able to instigate a referendum on the trade deals if they wished, although there is little precedent for plebiscites to be held to approve free trade deals.Both TTIP and CETA are likely to be considered as 'mixed agreements' because they deal with both EU and national powers, making them both subject to ratification by domestic parliaments.Under EU rules, the European Commission is solely responsible for negotiating trade agreements on the EU's behalf but its mandate is dictated by national governments.For their part, a number of senior legislators across various national parliaments have already urged the Commission to officially classify TTIP as a ‘mixed agreement’, like the accord agreed with South Korea back in 2011.The demand was spelt out in a letter sent last summer to former EU trade commissioner Karel de Gucht, signed by parliaments in 16 of the EU's 28 countries, including France, Germany and the UK.Although EU and US officials are keen to agree a deal before the end of Barack Obama’s second term as US President in January 2017, negotiations have taken longer than expected, increasing the hopes of opponents of a trade accord that the political momentum behind it will collapse.Speaking with reporters last week, David Martin MEP, the spokesman for the centre-left Socialist group in the European Parliament, and a supporter of TTIP, said he was “pretty convinced that this European Parliament [which will last until 2019] will not vote on TTIP. “In the US, the procedural passage of TTIP is set to be very quick after Congress backed the Obama administration’s Trade Promotion Authority bill which allows the president to negotiate trade deals without consulting legislators. Like MEPs, members of the US Senate would have a single vote on whether to ratify or veto an agreement.Nonetheless, TTIP's passage through the EU assembly is already looking tough. A compromise allowing the parliament’s main groups to endorse the continuation of talks and a future agreement was only secured last month when it included a demand to replace the controversial existing regime on investor protection - known as investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) - with a new EU proposal for a permanent, and public arbitration panel.A series of national ratification processes, of potentially varying levels of complexity, will add to the obstacles facing TTIP's ratification.
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
07/22/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-Francis' image in the US: Popular but not as before-Francis will visit the US in September-Gallup has conducted a poll on the Pope's popularity, two months before he is due to visit New York, Washington and Philadelphia. Francis’ favourability rating in the US has dropped since February 2014-ANDREA TORNIELLI
VATICAN CITY-He is still popular, but not super-popular as he was a year ago. This is the picture that emerges from a poll conducted in the US between 8 and 12 July by consulting company Gallup.The results were published on Wednesday 22 July, just two months before Francis is due to arrive in the US, where he will be visiting New York, Washington and Philadelphia after his stop-over in Cuba. 59% of Americans have a favourable opinion of Pope Francis while 16% have an unfavourable opinion of him and 25% has no opinion of him or has never heard of him. It is interesting to compare these results to those of previous polls about Francis conducted by Gallup.A month after his election in April 2013, Pope Francis had a 58% favourability rating in the US against 10% who had an unfavourable opinion of him. 31% did not have an opinion about him or had never heard of him.Francis’ popularity shot up in February 2014, when, according to Gallup, 76% of Americans had a favourable opinion of the Pope, 9% did not and 16% had no opinion of him or had never heard of him. A look at the results of this latest survey shows that Pope Francis' favourability rating in the US has returned to where it was when he was elected Pope. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who view him unfavourably has increased from the 9%-10% he received in the first two surveys, to 16% in this latest survey.Going through the various groups of people interviewed, in detail, what emerges is that the biggest drop in favourability is among Catholics (the Pope’s rating has fallen from 89% to 71%, an 18% drop) and among Americans who consider themselves political Conservatives (a drop from 72% to 45%, a 27% drop). Francis’ favourability rating among those who consider themselves political Liberals has dropped by 14% (82% favourable last year down to 68% this year). A very slight drop was seen among those who define themselves as moderates.The results of the Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,009 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. As is the case with all surveys of this kind, one must be cautious when drawing conclusions. What can be said, however, is that it is likely the peak levels of popularity seen in February 2014 and the lowest levels seen in July this year reflect the way in which the Pope’s image has been presented: the revolutionary who apparently changed everything in the Church, sticking to the agenda with regard to female ordination, married priests and the approval same-sex unions; the “Marxist” Pope who is an enemy of the capitalist economy.As was the case with his predecessors Benedict XVI and John Paul II, the percentages look to change after Francis’ visit to the US, when a far higher number of people will have the chance to see what he is doing and hear him speak. When Ratzinger visited, favourability ratings reached 63% in April 2008 before falling to 40% in 2010 in the midst of the paedophilia scandal, which he fought firmly against. Meanwhile, in February 2005, John Paul II obtained a 78% favourability rating just a few weeks before he breathed his last breath.
07/24/2015 -vatican insider-Mgr. Karcher: “Pope spends summer working but is happy”-The Papal Master of Ceremonies talks about how Francis spends a typical summer day: he keeps in touch with friends and misses going for a stroll and being surrounded by people. The General Audiences will resume on Wednesday 5 August-mauro pianta
Rome-Summer holiday? What summer holiday? Despite his age, the Pope who is 78 going on 79, continues to work and study even during periods traditionally allocated to relax and rest. Mgr. Guillermo Karcher, Papal Master of Ceremonies and one of Bergoglio’s closest collaborators, said this in a statement to Vatican Radio.After the intense week he spent in Latin America, Francis has “set to work” on some important engagements that are coming up, starting with his visit to Cuba and the US.” “He is calm and content. Every morning when I look at him he seems happy. He is always busy working as I see he is always holding something, letters, correspondence: he always likes to reply himself,” said Mgr. Karcher.“He is spending this time keeping in touch with friends, the people he cares about,” Mgr. Karcher added. “He is making the most his free time, devoting it to this as well as to reading documents and upcoming projects.”Mgr. Karcher said the Pope “does miss” the freedom of being able to go for a stroll among the people. “He was really used to taking walks and being with people. I am thinking of the Argentinian summer, of the month of January, which can be likened to this hot and muggy July: he spent his days visiting the slums of Buenos Aires, sharing the experience of this difficult and hot period of sacrifices with people. But he offers it to God and sees it as a moment to give to God. As Pope he is close in heart to those who suffer as a result of the heat which makes life impossible: just think of those shacks without fans…”
07/22/2015-vatican insider-In the Vatican, mayors launch alliance ahead of Pope’s visit to UN-The Pope with the world's mayors-On 25 September, the UN will be approving a set of new aims for sustainable development. Today is the second and last day of the special symposium attended by mayors from around the world-Iacopo Scaramuzzi
vatican city-Mayors from around the world gathered in the Vatican, have launched an urban alliance for the UN’s objectives for sustainable development, which will come into being on 24 September in New York, the day before the UN adopts a set of new aims during a session that will open with Pope Francis’ visit.After yesterday’s meeting on human trafficking and care for the environment which was topped by a meeting with the Pope and attended by more than 60 mayors from around the world, a second smaller symposium was held today in the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican. The symposium was co-organised by the UN and the theme was “Sustainable Cities: Empowering People, Enabling Prosperity and Protecting the Planet”. The conference was opened by the mayors of Rome and New York, Ignazio Marino and Bill De Blasio, after an introduction by US economist Jeffrey Sachs, with speeches from the mayors of Seoul (South Korea), Bogotá (Colombia), Gaborone (Botswana), Stockholm (Sweden), Johanesburg (South Africa), San Francisco (US), New Orleans (US) and Porto Alegre (Brazil), amongst others. The day ended with the signing of a joint declaration in English.“We the participants from across society and around the world – mayors, scholars, development practitioners, religious leaders, national government officials, and representatives of global urban networks – have gathered at the Vatican on July 21-22, 2015 to meet with Pope Francis and to exchange proposals and solutions regarding “Sustainable Cities: Empowering People, Enabling Prosperity and Protecting the Planet.” We are grateful to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences for hosting this fruitful event, and to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network for co-hosting the Special Symposium on July 22.”“Pope Francis called upon the mayors to take leadership in overcoming the growing crises of social exclusion, marginalization, and climate disruption. We, the mayors and others assembled in this symposium, have heard this call from Pope Francis and from our own citizens. We recognize the dire threats to future generations. We must act now.” “As Pope Francis said in his address to us yesterday, the UN and leaders in all sectors of society must take into account extreme forms of social exclusion, such as the new forms of slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labour, prostitution, and organ trafficking. We recognize that global warming and other environmental degradation exacerbate these ills by intensifying poverty and social vulnerability. The very tissue of our societies is under threat of growing inequalities; the unmet needs of the extreme poor and the extremely vulnerable; and a natural environment being hit by more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and other climate-related threats.” “In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls for joint action at a global scale: Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan. Yet the same ingenuity which has brought about enormous technological progress has so far proved incapable of finding effective ways of dealing with grave environmental and social problems worldwide. A global consensus is essential for confronting the deeper problems, which cannot be resolved by unilateral actions on the part of individual countries (p. 164).”“We are gratified that the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be adopted by the UN member states at the United Nations on September 25, 2015, a day to be opened by Pope Francis, can help the world to formulate a “common plan” and a “global consensus.” We, the mayors and other participants, pledge to work towards the success of the SDGs in our own cities and respective areas of endeavour, and to partner with others across the globe to help all cities to achieve the new SDGs with success.” “To this end, we pledge today to work together cooperatively and actively across cities and across sectors to coalesce in an Urban SDG Alliance. The SDG Urban Alliance will be open, voluntary, participatory, and eager to engage all urban stakeholders that are committed to sustainable development and the SDGs. In joining together in a new SDG alliance, we recognize and applaud the enormous efforts of world-leading urban networks including UCLG, ICLEI, C-40, the Cities Alliance, Slum Dwellers International, and WEIGO, to promote the prioritization of urban sustainability within the new SDG framework.” “The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the UCLG, ICLEI, and C-40, will work together with universities, city governments, social movements, UN agencies, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and others to establish the SDG Urban Alliance, with the following objectives: Helping cities to achieve the SDGs, including to end extreme poverty and hunger; ensure gender equality and gender-sensitive solutions; and guarantee universal access to health, education, and other vital services; Urging national and state governments to empower cities to fulfil their SDG responsibilities, including through appropriate devolution of powers and finances; Helping citizens and businesses everywhere to understand the SDGs; Helping cities to create SDG-based plans; Cutting corruption and impunity that undermine sustainable development; Identifying pathways to decarbonize the energy system in order to keep global warming below 2-degrees C; Promoting and strengthening universities to be innovation hubs for sustainable development; Creating new channels for urban sustainable financing and long-term planning; Creating decent and sustainable jobs, ensuring human rights, and helping to end homelessness; Ending human trafficking and all forms of modern slavery, including through strong commitments to these goals within the SDGs; Work with UN-Habitat and other partners for the great success of Habitat III in Quito in 2016.”“The Urban SDG Alliance will have its launch on September 24, 2015, near the United Nations, on the eve of the global adoption of the SDGs. We welcome all partners in this new alliance and invite all partners to the launch on September 24.”
07/23/2015 -vatican insider-Jubilee: Faithful are given chance to undertake pilgrimage on foot to reach Holy Door-Vatican City-Vatican and Italian authorities are working on a Jubilee mobility plan. Mgr. Fisichella gives an update on the event’s organisation: “Co-operation between Holy See, government, region and municipality is proceeding smoothly”-GIACOMO GALEAZZI
vatican city-Faithful will be arriving at the Holy Door “after a brief pilgrimage on foot”. Meanwhile, in terms of the organisation of the event, “co-operation between Holy See, government, region and municipality is proceeding smoothly”Mgr. Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation, has updated Vatican Insider on the progress of the preparations underway. “We do not know how many pilgrims will be coming to Rome,” says the man in charge of co-ordinating the Extraordinary Holy Year. “No operational meetings with Italian authorities are scheduled for August but priorities have already been set.” The problems on the table are amplified in a city like Rome where there is a constant flow of visitors. This means there will be “daily problems linked to mobility, healthcare which the Region is responsible for and security which the government’s domain”. The Vatican has alerted the Italian side not only about the main events organised for the Jubilee which will attract huge crowds, but also about the “daily management of a widespread and continuous pilgrimage that will go on for the entire period of the Holy Door opening.”Co-operation between the Holy See, the government and the regional and municipal administrations is “constant” and is taking place in a “very positive” climate. Despite the current difficulties Rome’s city council (Comune di Roma) is facing, contact with its authorities has been regular, without “any gaps or delays”.In terms of the contact the Vatican has had with national Episcopates, the archbishop emphasises : “we have sent an invitation letter to all bishops from around the world, along with information on all questions relating to the Jubilee: how to bring it to life in their own dioceses, which is the most important thing of all and how to organise a pilgrimage to Rome.”In order to prevent economic speculation on the event, the “various entities that oversee the activities of business owners will need to keep an effective check on prices and tariffs”. From hoteliers to retailers. Pilgrims are “a unique category of people who require protection”.There are other logistical issues which organisers will need to work out, such as tourism bus connections between car parks on the outskirts with St. Peter’s Square and Jubilee venues. “These issues have not yet been dealt with,” Mgr. Fisichella remarked. “The main aim here is to ensure that anyone arriving in Rome is able to reach the Holy Door after a short pilgrimage on foot.” So “we are trying to ensure that the conditions are such as to allow pilgrims to be worthy of this name,” through welcome points and structures that “are being developed”.Pope Francis will introduce one charity initiative each month for the entire duration of the Jubilee: twelve initiatives that will aim to serve the neediest sections of the population. Hence, the themes of the main events of the Jubilee will be based around the sick and the disabled, young people, priests, volunteers of mercy, Mary and Divine Mercy spirituality, the Roman Curia, Padre Pio devotees (his corpse will be on display in St. Peter’s Basilica on Ash Wednesday). The site of the former St. Mary Mercy mental health hospital will be turned into a hostel for pilgrims. As part of a government initiative, foreign visitors will be able to sign a 50 Euro insurance policy. 33, 5 million people are expected to visit Rome (8 more than in 2000). The government has also authorised the Region of Lazio to offer fixed-term contracts to people employed by the local healthcare services.Click here to view the official calendar of events for the Jubilee of Mercy-http://www.im.va/content/gdm/en/calendario.html
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast (EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TRADING BLOCKS-10 WORLD REGIONS/TRADE BLOCS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings(10 NATIONS-10 WORLD DIVISION WORLD GOVERNMENT) that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(THE EU (EUROPEAN UNION) TAKES OVER IRAQ WHICH HAS SPLIT INTO 3-SUNNI-KURD-SHIA PARTS-AND THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE IS BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER-THE TWO LEGS OF DANIEL WESTERN LEG AND THE ISLAMIC LEG COMBINED AS 1)
LUKE 2:1-3
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
Creditors return to Athens-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 09:12-Representatives from the European Commission, the ECB and the eurozone bailout fund (ESM) are to begin arriving in Athens on Friday ahead of talks on a third bailout. However, IMF officials will not be present as Athens has not yet formally requested the fund's participation in the third programme.
Greece to fall into 2 percent recession-By EUOBSERVER
23. Jul, 20:20-The Greek economy will contract by 2-2.5 percent in 2015 in the wake of turmoil caused by its tumultuous bailout negotiations, a leading Athens-based think-tank warned Thursday. The Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE) revised its April prediction of 1 percent growth, citing the introduction of capital controls.
Tsipras survives second EU bailout rebellion By Benjamin Fox-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 23. Jul, 09:29-Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras faced down a second rebellion from his governing Syriza party on Thursday (23 July), moving the country another step closer to obtaining an €86 billion EU bailout.After another parliamentary sitting which went on into the small hours of the morning, deputies passed the second tranche of laws - this time on banking and judicial reform - needed to open formal bailout talks, by 230 to 63.Thirty six Syriza deputies either voted against the government or abstained, three fewer than the previous week, when the first series of austerity measures were adopted.The left-wing Syriza party has 162 members out of 300 in the Greek parliament, and needs to retain the support of at least 120, the minimum required to sustain a minority government.The centrist opposition parties also voted with the government.Ahead of the vote, Tsipras turned up the heat on his own party, accusing Syriza rebels of "hiding behind the safety of my signature" and of failing to come up with an alternative plan.“We have made difficult choices and now we must adapt to the new situation”, he said.The legislation adopted on Wednesday night (22 July) includes an EU directive to bolster banks and protect savers' deposits of less than €100,000. The bank recovery and resolution directive also sets outs a broader framework under which bank shareholders and creditors would cover the costs of a failed bank.Greek deputies also passed a Code of Civil Procedure, which the 12 July euro-summit statement said will "accelerate the judicial process and reduce costs".Passing the measures had been demanded by Greece’s creditors as a precondition for opening talks on a third rescue programme, worth €86 billion over three years.For his part, Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister, voted with the government, despite having joined the rebels in opposing the bailout package last week.Legislation to phase out early retirement schemes and the removal of subsidies for farmers, which had initially be scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, are set be adopted in the next package, due in the first week of August.Earlier on Wednesday, the European Central Bank's (ECB's) governing council agreed to raise the cap on emergency assistance for the country’s fragile banking system by €900 million to €90.4 billion.The move eases pressure on Greek lenders, which re-opened for business this week after a three-week lock-out. However, citizens can still only withdraw a maximum of €420 per week.With the reforms moving ahead, EU economic affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici told reporters on Wednesday that an agreement on Greece’s third bailout could be struck "in the second fortnight of August”.
French MPs visit Russian-occupied Crimea-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 10:41-A group of 10-or-so French MPs from the centre-right Republican Party are in Russian-occupied Crimea in Ukraine on Thursday and Friday. One of them, Thierry Mariani, told Russian media the EU should lift sanctions on Russia. French FM Laurent Fabius told the Liberation daily he's "shocked" by their actions.
Extraordinary meeting of EU farm ministers to be held in September-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 16:55-Luxembourg, currently holding the EU presidency, announced Friday it will hold an extraordinary meeting of EU farm ministers on 7 September "to discuss the economic crisis especially in the dairy and in the livestock sectors". French minister Le Foll had asked for the meeting following recent protests by French farmers.
EU's Mogherini in Iran, Saudi Arabia next week-By EUOBSERVER
24. Jul, 08:56-EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday and Iran on Tuesday of next week. Her visit comes after she helped broker a deal with Iran on its contested nuclear programme. Mogherini hailed the agreement as a "sign of hope for the entire world."
French court backs mass surveillance By Nikolaj Nielsen-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 24. Jul, 09:26-The constitutional court in France on Thursday (23 July) broadly approved a new law that gives the state wide-sweeping surveillance powers.First proposed in March in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, the Surveillance Act allows French intelligence agencies to spy on citizens with almost complete impunity.“From now on, France has a security framework against terrorism that respects liberties. It's decisive progress”, said French prime minister Manuel Valls in a tweet.Dubbed by opponents as the French Big Brother, the act empowers intelligence agencies - under the authority of the prime minister’s office - to monitor anyone.Security officials will be able to hack people’s computers as a last resort.They will be able to use a so-called “IMSI Catcher”, which picks up and records all text messages, phone calls, and Internet communication in a given area. This includes people not suspected of any crime.Wireless phone taps, hidden cameras and microphones, and forcing Internet providers to monitor suspicious behaviour using special "black boxes" are also in store.A warrant or any other type of court approval is not needed.A dedicated special advisory group made up of magistrates, MPs, and senators will instead be consulted.But the group, named the National Commission for the Control of Intelligence Techniques, can only issue non-binding recommendations.The French constitutional court, for its part, opposed an article that would have allowed authorities to skip the advisory group in emergency situations. The court described the article as “manifestly disproportionate to the right to privacy”.Another setting up an international surveillance scheme was also rejected because the conditions for its use were not well enough defined.A third, more minor, article dealt with how the advisory group would be funded.Despite opposition from rights groups and a petition signed by over 100,000 people, MPs passed the bill into law in late June anyway.French president Francois Hollande then asked the constitutional court to review it.The act has drawn parallels to the bulk collection of telephone records by the US National Security Agency.Rights groups in France complain it undermines fundamental rights, widens the scope of extra-judicial surveillance, and lacks any real oversight.They say stripping away standard judicial oversight opens the door for abuse by the state and may undermine the confidentiality of sources used by journalists and human rights groups. French advocacy rights group, La Quadrature du Net, also said it is ready to challenge the act at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg."Mass surveillance is part of an intolerable and oppressive machine, which is by nature the seed of totalitarianism”, said Jeremie Zimmermann, co-founder of the group.
National MPs could block US trade deal, activists say By Benjamin Fox-euobserver
BRUSSELS, 24. Jul, 19:28-Opponents of an EU-US trade agreement hope that national parliaments will shoot down an accord, and their hopes will have been buoyed by a new study suggesting that a deal will likely need a seal of approval from domestic lawmakers.A study by the Institute of Law at the University of Cologne, commissioned by the Stop TTIP campaign, and published earlier this week, finds that in all member states except for Malta, a parliamentary approval process would be necessary to sign TTIP, and the provisionally-agreed trade deal with Canada - (known as CETA) - into law.The study also finds that half of the EU’s 28 parliaments would be able to instigate a referendum on the trade deals if they wished, although there is little precedent for plebiscites to be held to approve free trade deals.Both TTIP and CETA are likely to be considered as 'mixed agreements' because they deal with both EU and national powers, making them both subject to ratification by domestic parliaments.Under EU rules, the European Commission is solely responsible for negotiating trade agreements on the EU's behalf but its mandate is dictated by national governments.For their part, a number of senior legislators across various national parliaments have already urged the Commission to officially classify TTIP as a ‘mixed agreement’, like the accord agreed with South Korea back in 2011.The demand was spelt out in a letter sent last summer to former EU trade commissioner Karel de Gucht, signed by parliaments in 16 of the EU's 28 countries, including France, Germany and the UK.Although EU and US officials are keen to agree a deal before the end of Barack Obama’s second term as US President in January 2017, negotiations have taken longer than expected, increasing the hopes of opponents of a trade accord that the political momentum behind it will collapse.Speaking with reporters last week, David Martin MEP, the spokesman for the centre-left Socialist group in the European Parliament, and a supporter of TTIP, said he was “pretty convinced that this European Parliament [which will last until 2019] will not vote on TTIP. “In the US, the procedural passage of TTIP is set to be very quick after Congress backed the Obama administration’s Trade Promotion Authority bill which allows the president to negotiate trade deals without consulting legislators. Like MEPs, members of the US Senate would have a single vote on whether to ratify or veto an agreement.Nonetheless, TTIP's passage through the EU assembly is already looking tough. A compromise allowing the parliament’s main groups to endorse the continuation of talks and a future agreement was only secured last month when it included a demand to replace the controversial existing regime on investor protection - known as investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) - with a new EU proposal for a permanent, and public arbitration panel.A series of national ratification processes, of potentially varying levels of complexity, will add to the obstacles facing TTIP's ratification.
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
07/22/2015-VATICAN INSIDER-Francis' image in the US: Popular but not as before-Francis will visit the US in September-Gallup has conducted a poll on the Pope's popularity, two months before he is due to visit New York, Washington and Philadelphia. Francis’ favourability rating in the US has dropped since February 2014-ANDREA TORNIELLI
VATICAN CITY-He is still popular, but not super-popular as he was a year ago. This is the picture that emerges from a poll conducted in the US between 8 and 12 July by consulting company Gallup.The results were published on Wednesday 22 July, just two months before Francis is due to arrive in the US, where he will be visiting New York, Washington and Philadelphia after his stop-over in Cuba. 59% of Americans have a favourable opinion of Pope Francis while 16% have an unfavourable opinion of him and 25% has no opinion of him or has never heard of him. It is interesting to compare these results to those of previous polls about Francis conducted by Gallup.A month after his election in April 2013, Pope Francis had a 58% favourability rating in the US against 10% who had an unfavourable opinion of him. 31% did not have an opinion about him or had never heard of him.Francis’ popularity shot up in February 2014, when, according to Gallup, 76% of Americans had a favourable opinion of the Pope, 9% did not and 16% had no opinion of him or had never heard of him. A look at the results of this latest survey shows that Pope Francis' favourability rating in the US has returned to where it was when he was elected Pope. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who view him unfavourably has increased from the 9%-10% he received in the first two surveys, to 16% in this latest survey.Going through the various groups of people interviewed, in detail, what emerges is that the biggest drop in favourability is among Catholics (the Pope’s rating has fallen from 89% to 71%, an 18% drop) and among Americans who consider themselves political Conservatives (a drop from 72% to 45%, a 27% drop). Francis’ favourability rating among those who consider themselves political Liberals has dropped by 14% (82% favourable last year down to 68% this year). A very slight drop was seen among those who define themselves as moderates.The results of the Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,009 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. As is the case with all surveys of this kind, one must be cautious when drawing conclusions. What can be said, however, is that it is likely the peak levels of popularity seen in February 2014 and the lowest levels seen in July this year reflect the way in which the Pope’s image has been presented: the revolutionary who apparently changed everything in the Church, sticking to the agenda with regard to female ordination, married priests and the approval same-sex unions; the “Marxist” Pope who is an enemy of the capitalist economy.As was the case with his predecessors Benedict XVI and John Paul II, the percentages look to change after Francis’ visit to the US, when a far higher number of people will have the chance to see what he is doing and hear him speak. When Ratzinger visited, favourability ratings reached 63% in April 2008 before falling to 40% in 2010 in the midst of the paedophilia scandal, which he fought firmly against. Meanwhile, in February 2005, John Paul II obtained a 78% favourability rating just a few weeks before he breathed his last breath.
07/24/2015 -vatican insider-Mgr. Karcher: “Pope spends summer working but is happy”-The Papal Master of Ceremonies talks about how Francis spends a typical summer day: he keeps in touch with friends and misses going for a stroll and being surrounded by people. The General Audiences will resume on Wednesday 5 August-mauro pianta
Rome-Summer holiday? What summer holiday? Despite his age, the Pope who is 78 going on 79, continues to work and study even during periods traditionally allocated to relax and rest. Mgr. Guillermo Karcher, Papal Master of Ceremonies and one of Bergoglio’s closest collaborators, said this in a statement to Vatican Radio.After the intense week he spent in Latin America, Francis has “set to work” on some important engagements that are coming up, starting with his visit to Cuba and the US.” “He is calm and content. Every morning when I look at him he seems happy. He is always busy working as I see he is always holding something, letters, correspondence: he always likes to reply himself,” said Mgr. Karcher.“He is spending this time keeping in touch with friends, the people he cares about,” Mgr. Karcher added. “He is making the most his free time, devoting it to this as well as to reading documents and upcoming projects.”Mgr. Karcher said the Pope “does miss” the freedom of being able to go for a stroll among the people. “He was really used to taking walks and being with people. I am thinking of the Argentinian summer, of the month of January, which can be likened to this hot and muggy July: he spent his days visiting the slums of Buenos Aires, sharing the experience of this difficult and hot period of sacrifices with people. But he offers it to God and sees it as a moment to give to God. As Pope he is close in heart to those who suffer as a result of the heat which makes life impossible: just think of those shacks without fans…”
07/22/2015-vatican insider-In the Vatican, mayors launch alliance ahead of Pope’s visit to UN-The Pope with the world's mayors-On 25 September, the UN will be approving a set of new aims for sustainable development. Today is the second and last day of the special symposium attended by mayors from around the world-Iacopo Scaramuzzi
vatican city-Mayors from around the world gathered in the Vatican, have launched an urban alliance for the UN’s objectives for sustainable development, which will come into being on 24 September in New York, the day before the UN adopts a set of new aims during a session that will open with Pope Francis’ visit.After yesterday’s meeting on human trafficking and care for the environment which was topped by a meeting with the Pope and attended by more than 60 mayors from around the world, a second smaller symposium was held today in the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican. The symposium was co-organised by the UN and the theme was “Sustainable Cities: Empowering People, Enabling Prosperity and Protecting the Planet”. The conference was opened by the mayors of Rome and New York, Ignazio Marino and Bill De Blasio, after an introduction by US economist Jeffrey Sachs, with speeches from the mayors of Seoul (South Korea), Bogotá (Colombia), Gaborone (Botswana), Stockholm (Sweden), Johanesburg (South Africa), San Francisco (US), New Orleans (US) and Porto Alegre (Brazil), amongst others. The day ended with the signing of a joint declaration in English.“We the participants from across society and around the world – mayors, scholars, development practitioners, religious leaders, national government officials, and representatives of global urban networks – have gathered at the Vatican on July 21-22, 2015 to meet with Pope Francis and to exchange proposals and solutions regarding “Sustainable Cities: Empowering People, Enabling Prosperity and Protecting the Planet.” We are grateful to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences for hosting this fruitful event, and to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network for co-hosting the Special Symposium on July 22.”“Pope Francis called upon the mayors to take leadership in overcoming the growing crises of social exclusion, marginalization, and climate disruption. We, the mayors and others assembled in this symposium, have heard this call from Pope Francis and from our own citizens. We recognize the dire threats to future generations. We must act now.” “As Pope Francis said in his address to us yesterday, the UN and leaders in all sectors of society must take into account extreme forms of social exclusion, such as the new forms of slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labour, prostitution, and organ trafficking. We recognize that global warming and other environmental degradation exacerbate these ills by intensifying poverty and social vulnerability. The very tissue of our societies is under threat of growing inequalities; the unmet needs of the extreme poor and the extremely vulnerable; and a natural environment being hit by more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and other climate-related threats.” “In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls for joint action at a global scale: Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan. Yet the same ingenuity which has brought about enormous technological progress has so far proved incapable of finding effective ways of dealing with grave environmental and social problems worldwide. A global consensus is essential for confronting the deeper problems, which cannot be resolved by unilateral actions on the part of individual countries (p. 164).”“We are gratified that the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be adopted by the UN member states at the United Nations on September 25, 2015, a day to be opened by Pope Francis, can help the world to formulate a “common plan” and a “global consensus.” We, the mayors and other participants, pledge to work towards the success of the SDGs in our own cities and respective areas of endeavour, and to partner with others across the globe to help all cities to achieve the new SDGs with success.” “To this end, we pledge today to work together cooperatively and actively across cities and across sectors to coalesce in an Urban SDG Alliance. The SDG Urban Alliance will be open, voluntary, participatory, and eager to engage all urban stakeholders that are committed to sustainable development and the SDGs. In joining together in a new SDG alliance, we recognize and applaud the enormous efforts of world-leading urban networks including UCLG, ICLEI, C-40, the Cities Alliance, Slum Dwellers International, and WEIGO, to promote the prioritization of urban sustainability within the new SDG framework.” “The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the UCLG, ICLEI, and C-40, will work together with universities, city governments, social movements, UN agencies, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and others to establish the SDG Urban Alliance, with the following objectives: Helping cities to achieve the SDGs, including to end extreme poverty and hunger; ensure gender equality and gender-sensitive solutions; and guarantee universal access to health, education, and other vital services; Urging national and state governments to empower cities to fulfil their SDG responsibilities, including through appropriate devolution of powers and finances; Helping citizens and businesses everywhere to understand the SDGs; Helping cities to create SDG-based plans; Cutting corruption and impunity that undermine sustainable development; Identifying pathways to decarbonize the energy system in order to keep global warming below 2-degrees C; Promoting and strengthening universities to be innovation hubs for sustainable development; Creating new channels for urban sustainable financing and long-term planning; Creating decent and sustainable jobs, ensuring human rights, and helping to end homelessness; Ending human trafficking and all forms of modern slavery, including through strong commitments to these goals within the SDGs; Work with UN-Habitat and other partners for the great success of Habitat III in Quito in 2016.”“The Urban SDG Alliance will have its launch on September 24, 2015, near the United Nations, on the eve of the global adoption of the SDGs. We welcome all partners in this new alliance and invite all partners to the launch on September 24.”
07/23/2015 -vatican insider-Jubilee: Faithful are given chance to undertake pilgrimage on foot to reach Holy Door-Vatican City-Vatican and Italian authorities are working on a Jubilee mobility plan. Mgr. Fisichella gives an update on the event’s organisation: “Co-operation between Holy See, government, region and municipality is proceeding smoothly”-GIACOMO GALEAZZI
vatican city-Faithful will be arriving at the Holy Door “after a brief pilgrimage on foot”. Meanwhile, in terms of the organisation of the event, “co-operation between Holy See, government, region and municipality is proceeding smoothly”Mgr. Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation, has updated Vatican Insider on the progress of the preparations underway. “We do not know how many pilgrims will be coming to Rome,” says the man in charge of co-ordinating the Extraordinary Holy Year. “No operational meetings with Italian authorities are scheduled for August but priorities have already been set.” The problems on the table are amplified in a city like Rome where there is a constant flow of visitors. This means there will be “daily problems linked to mobility, healthcare which the Region is responsible for and security which the government’s domain”. The Vatican has alerted the Italian side not only about the main events organised for the Jubilee which will attract huge crowds, but also about the “daily management of a widespread and continuous pilgrimage that will go on for the entire period of the Holy Door opening.”Co-operation between the Holy See, the government and the regional and municipal administrations is “constant” and is taking place in a “very positive” climate. Despite the current difficulties Rome’s city council (Comune di Roma) is facing, contact with its authorities has been regular, without “any gaps or delays”.In terms of the contact the Vatican has had with national Episcopates, the archbishop emphasises : “we have sent an invitation letter to all bishops from around the world, along with information on all questions relating to the Jubilee: how to bring it to life in their own dioceses, which is the most important thing of all and how to organise a pilgrimage to Rome.”In order to prevent economic speculation on the event, the “various entities that oversee the activities of business owners will need to keep an effective check on prices and tariffs”. From hoteliers to retailers. Pilgrims are “a unique category of people who require protection”.There are other logistical issues which organisers will need to work out, such as tourism bus connections between car parks on the outskirts with St. Peter’s Square and Jubilee venues. “These issues have not yet been dealt with,” Mgr. Fisichella remarked. “The main aim here is to ensure that anyone arriving in Rome is able to reach the Holy Door after a short pilgrimage on foot.” So “we are trying to ensure that the conditions are such as to allow pilgrims to be worthy of this name,” through welcome points and structures that “are being developed”.Pope Francis will introduce one charity initiative each month for the entire duration of the Jubilee: twelve initiatives that will aim to serve the neediest sections of the population. Hence, the themes of the main events of the Jubilee will be based around the sick and the disabled, young people, priests, volunteers of mercy, Mary and Divine Mercy spirituality, the Roman Curia, Padre Pio devotees (his corpse will be on display in St. Peter’s Basilica on Ash Wednesday). The site of the former St. Mary Mercy mental health hospital will be turned into a hostel for pilgrims. As part of a government initiative, foreign visitors will be able to sign a 50 Euro insurance policy. 33, 5 million people are expected to visit Rome (8 more than in 2000). The government has also authorised the Region of Lazio to offer fixed-term contracts to people employed by the local healthcare services.Click here to view the official calendar of events for the Jubilee of Mercy-http://www.im.va/content/gdm/en/calendario.html
