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This newsletter is available online by
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clicking here.
The News In Review newsletter is a service
provided
by Understand The Times that
is a compilation of the news articles
previously posted
on our site . Understand The Times does not
endorse these events but rather is
showing the church the current events.
The
purpose of posting these articles is to warn the church of deception from a
Biblical perspective.
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August 13 - A Step Forward Towards Reconciliation Between Catholics and Orthodox Churches
Article: Bridges To Rome
The President of the Polish Episcopal
Conference, Archbishop Jozef Michalik and Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia will sign a joint declaration to
both Polish and Russian people this Friday. The signing will take place
during the first visit in Poland's history of the head of the Russian
Orthodox Church.
"It is an
unprecedented event," stressed the representatives of
the Catholic Church in Poland and of the Russian Orthodox Church.
"The purpose of this document is to resolve painful pages of Polish and
Russian history," added Father Jozef Kloch, spokesman of
the Polish Episcopal Conference, "the important question is to begin a
dialogue that is born on the basis of the very Gospel of Christ."
It is an
important step that "in this phase we cannot but take,"
said Archbishop Michalik to Poland's Catholic Information Agency (KAI).
"This event must not be treated in political terms but as an indication of a
path, a symbol and a sign of obedience to the will of Christ, an important
step on the path of forgiveness," said the president of the Polish Episcopal
Conference.
The first important step towards Russo-Polish
reconciliation was the visit of a group of monks from a Russian monastery
near Ostashkov to Jasna Gora, the shrine of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa
in September 2009. The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church was led by
Arkadij Gubanow, Prior of the Orthodox Monastery of Saint Nil at
Stolobienskoje, region of Twer.
Archbishop Stanislaw Nowak of Czestochowa and
Father Izydor Matuszewski, Prior General of Pauline Fathers and Custodian of
the Shrine, also gave a copy of the Icon of
the Black Madonna of Czestochowa to the delegation of the Russian Orthodox
Church. "This Holy Icon of the Black Madonna is a sign of our spiritual
closeness, and also a symbol of Europe's two lungs, Eastern and Western, as
the Servant of God John Paul II taught," said Archbishop
Nowak at the consigning of the icon. The Orthodox monks kept the copy of the
image of the Madonna in the Monastery of Saint Nil at Stolobienskoje. During
World War II, it was destined to a Soviet lager where more than 6,000 Polish
soldiers were killed.
"In this place, in our monastery,
we must pray together, Russians and Poles, before the Holy Icon of the
Madonna of Czestochowa, to ask for peace and to pray for all those who were
killed," exhorted Arkadij Gubanow, prior of the Orthodox
Monastery of Saint Nil.
The signing of the
declaration this Friday is seen as another step towards reconciliation
between the Churches of the East.
Read Full Article....
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August 8 - Atheism on the Rise in Asian and European Nations, Poll Finds
Article: Miscellaneous
A recent poll that
surveyed over 51,000 people across 57 countries
reveals that atheism is on the rise globally by
almost 10 percent, with several Asian and European nations experiencing
the most growth. Most of the world's population,
however, still considers itself religious.
People were asked one
question: "Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not,
would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person or a
convinced atheist?" - and according to the RedC Opinion Poll,
13 percent of all respondents said they
are convinced atheists. Although that number is
still smaller than the 59 percent of religious and 23 percent of
non-religious people, it is close to 9
percent higher than the previous survey in 2005.
"There is a notable decline across the globe in
self-description of being religious," a press
release on the poll noted.
Among the top 10 most
atheistic countries were four Asian nations and six European ones. The
atheistic nations were as follows:
China (47 percent), Japan (31 percent), Czech Republic (30 percent),
France (29 percent), South Korea (15 percent), Germany (15 percent),
Netherlands (14 percent), Austria (10 percent), Iceland (10 percent)
Australia (10 percent) and Ireland (10 percent).
In the United States,
60 percent of people said they were religious,
while 30 percent were non-religious, and 5 percent
were atheist. Another 5 percent had no answer.
The country that
reported one of the highest numbers in
the loss of religion was Ireland, which went from 69
percent in 2005 to 47 percent in 2012 in terms of people saying they are
religious. Although the poll did not
speculate the reasons for this change, the Roman Catholic Church, which
many Irish people belong to, has been embroiled in long-standing child
abuse scandals in recent years.
Read Full Article....
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August 16 - Bloomberg, NYPD announce $30 million surveillance system
Article: One World Government
Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
announced the inception of a new surveillance
system that would lend the New York Police Department a greater eye
of scrutiny on the city.
The computerized
"Domain Awareness System" is a joint $30 million venture with
Microsoft Corp. that will be a be a one-stop shop for police
officials, comprised of data from 3,000 cameras and over 2,000
radiation detectors throughout the city. With this computer system,
investigators will have access to real-time video footage and public
safety data that is aggregated into one database. The Bloomberg
administration and NYPD have characterized the technological
advancement as a sophisticated tool to combat city crime and prevent
future terrorist acts.
"This new system capitalizes on new powerful
policing software that allows police officers and other personnel to
more quickly access relevant information gathered from existing
cameras, 911 calls, previous crime reports and other existing tools
and technology," Bloomberg said in a press
statement.
But like most
steps taken by the Police Department to combat city crime, civil
rights advocates are expressing their
concerns with the new computer system, which
they argue could impede the privacy of the millions who live in New
York City.
"The NYPD and
Microsoft appear to be teaming up
to collect massive amounts of information about New Yorkers and yet
the public has next to no details. There have been no hearings and
no one has even mentioned privacy," said Donna
Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
National Action
Network Executive Vice President and General Counsel Michael Hardy
echoed those same concerns. "Any advance in being able to protect
citizens against crime is welcomed, but nevertheless it also raises
privacy concerns," Hardy told the AmNews.
"You're putting the innocent movement of people in a databank."
"No one wants to
interfere or slow down the ability of the police to protect the
citizens of this city and also protect us against potential future
acts of terrorism, but at the same
time, you cannot do that in a total tradeoff for your rights,"
he said.
Ultimately, Hardy
said, citizens are unfortunately
under the lens of the camera more often than not.
"Many of us unfortunately know
that pretty much wherever you are in public that you're under the
view of someone's camera, whether it's a government camera or a
private camera. We have cameras on most commercial buildings now and
most stores. No matter where you are, you're pretty much under the
gaze of someone's camera."
Read Full Article ....
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August 16 - Panama statue of Virgin Mary to rise taller than Statue of Liberty
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
President Ricardo Martinelli
of Panama said that a new statue of Santa
Maria la Antigua will be the largest one ever made of the country's
patroness.
In a public ceremony on Aug.
14, Martinelli said the statue of the
Virgin Mary will be erected on the coast in Panama City and will rise 100
meters - seven more than the Statue of Liberty in New York.
The project is part of
the 500th anniversary in 2013 of the discovery of the "South Sea," the name
first given to the Pacific Ocean by Spanish explorers, and the creation of
the first diocese on South American soil.
"It will be an icon of this city for the 500th
anniversary of the discovery of the South Sea and for the first Catholic
church on land," President Martinelli said.
While he did not say when
construction of the monument would begin, he said both public and private
funds would be used to finance the project.
On Sept. 9, 1513, Pope
Leo X created the first South American diocese in what was once the city of
Santa Maria la Antigua de Darien. The city was founded three years earlier
by Vasco Nunez de Balboa and Martin Fernandez de Enciso on land that is now
part of Colombia.
Read Full Article ....
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August 16 - Spanish politicians implore Virgin Mary's help amid economic crisis
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
Various Spanish political leaders looked to the Virgin Mary on
the Feast of the Assumption Aug. 15 to ask for help in bringing the
country out of its worsening economic crisis.
Madrid's mayor, Ana
Botella, prayed for jobs during Mass in the Spanish capital,
while the Mayor of Biblao, Inaki Azkuna, prayed to
Our Lady of Begona.
"Those of us who are believers continue to believe
that we could be given some help and that we need it. All of society,
and not only politicians, is going to have to make a tremendous effort,"
he added.
The Mayor of Toledo,
Emiliano Garcia-Page, said during a Mass in that city that Spaniards
will need "hope and unity" to endure that
difficult economic and social situation the country is facing.
"During times of difficulty and social and
economic crisis, a spirit of solidarity is necessary for there to be
unity," he said. "We will be able to combat the
crisis better together if we all do our part," he added.
Other politicians attended religious services, including the
Governor of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero, who went to Mass with
those affected by the recent wild fires on the island of Tenerife.
Likewise, the president of Cantabria, Ignacio Diego, attended Mass in
the city of Selaya.
In Almonte, Mayor Jose Antonio Dominguez took part in the
procession of Our Lady of Rocio, and the secretary general of the
Socialist Party of Castilla and Leon, Julio Villarrubia, attended
religious services in the city of Villamuriel de Cerrato.
Read Full Article ....
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August 15 - Mary's assumption into heaven fosters hope on earth, Pope teaches
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
Having been taken into heaven both spiritually and bodily,
the Virgin Mary helps believers to grow in "Christian hope" during their earthly
lives, Pope Benedict XVI taught on the Feast of the
Assumption.
The Pope celebrated Mass at Castel Gandolfo's parish church of St. Thomas of
Villanova on the Aug. 15 solemnity. During his homily, he said
Mary's intercession with God can "help us to live well and
with hope the time that God gives to us" on earth.
The Pope also observed that by entering the
fullness of life with God, the Virgin Mary was not leaving behind the faithful
on earth, but instead becoming closer to all.
Dogmatically defined in 1950, the assumption of the Virgin Mary's body and soul
into heaven is a perennial part of the Church's faith, Pope
Benedict told pilgrims who joined him to pray the Angelus at his summer
residence later in the day.
He explained that Christ's mother, who was
"redeemed from the first moment of her life," is "associated in a special way"
with the mystery of Christ's own life, death, resurrection, and ascension into
heaven. Mary's physical and spiritual entry into God's presence represents "the
Paschal Mystery of Christ fully realized in her," as she is "intimately united
with her Son" and "fully conformed to him."
As Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims gathered in the courtyard
of the Apostolic Palace for the mid-day Angelus on Wednesday,
he expressed his desire that "the example and prayers of
Mary, Queen of Heaven" would "inspire and sustain us on our pilgrimage of faith.
Under her protection, believers on earth may hope to "rejoice with her in the
glory of the Resurrection and the fulfillment of her Son's promises."
Read Full Article ....
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August 15 - Devotion to Mary profoundly biblical, Argentinean bishop says
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
"Devotion to the
Virgin Mary has its most solid foundation in the Sacred Scriptures and in the
Tradition of the Church," he said.
"We cannot speak of her apart from God's plan,
and this makes it a profoundly biblical devotion. At the same time, the presence
of Mary with the apostles at the birth of the Church made her a unique point of
reference for the Christian people," he added.
In his reflection for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on Aug. 15,
Archbishop Arancedo said this devotion is also deeply ecclesial. She was not the
mother of a man, but rather the Mother of God.
Therefore, devotion to the Virgin Mary is the expression of a mature biblical
and ecclesial spirituality. This has been the tradition of the Christian
people," he said.
Archbishop Arancedo said that Mary's role
should therefore be understood within God's plan, "in which everything is
oriented towards Jesus Christ...In the Gospel she herself will see to directing
our eyes to her Son: 'Do whatever he tells you.'"
"As the chosen daughter of God,
she teaches us to relate to Him in a climate of trust and
gratitude. She knows that the personal love of God for her entails a calling, a
mission, and she lives it with the joy and humility of the truth,"
he continued.
"An authentic devotion to Mary should lead us
to imitate her attitude of faith," Archbishop Arancedo said,
"in order to see ourselves in God's plan and to
find meaning for our lives in Jesus Christ. The encounter with Christ is the
culmination of our devotion to the Most Holy Virgin."
Read Full Article ....
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August 18 - The Happy Priest: The Importance of a Eucharistic Life
Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days
A casual glance at the
daily news provides ample evidence of the worldwide chaos caused by many
who have rejected Christianity. Continual violence, hedonism,
materialism, and corruption now reaching previously unimaginable
dimensions have resulted from the actions of those who have foolishly
tossed aside the truth of Jesus Christ to indulge in their own
insatiable proclivities.
Jesus remains with us in the tabernacle
of every Catholic Church. His Real Presence is celebrated and adored in
the monstrance placed in every chapel dedicated to Perpetual Adoration.
He is truly with us. Every time we gaze upon him,
every time Our Lord and Savior comes to us through Holy Communion,
he gives us the graces that we need to put into practice his way of life
so that we may gain eternal life in heaven.
Each time we come to the Eucharist, it
is Jesus himself who not only shows us how to live our lives, but who
also provides us with the divine grace to live out the gospel teachings
in our daily existence.
This is why
we must have a
daily Eucharistic life. Each time we have contact with our Eucharistic
Lord, we become one with him. We assimilate him into our being. Holy
Communion becomes a communion of two persons and thus, transformation
takes place. Only the foolish and the ignorant would stay away from the
greatest gift that Jesus has given to us.
Sometimes it might be the case that objectively, daily Mass is just
impossible. However, it may be possible
to spend some time with Our Lord in adoration or a visit before the
tabernacle.
Saint John Bosco once said,
"Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are
powerful and indispensable means of overcoming attacks of the devil.
Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil
will be powerless against you." Center your life on the awesome gift of
the Eucharist.
Read Full Article ....
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We hope the Weekly News In Review has been a
blessing to you.
Sincerely,
Roger Oakland
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