Palestine Cry: Eternal faith and beliefs: Gregory III of Rome

Palestine Cry: Eternal faith and beliefs: Gregory III of Rome

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St. Mark

We give Thee thanks, yea, more than thanks, O Lord our God, the Father of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, for all Thy goodness at all times and in all places, because Thou hast shielded, rescued, helped, and guided us all the days of our lives, and brought us unto this hour, permitting us gain to stand before Thee in Thy holy place, that we may implore forgiveness of our sins and propitiation to all Thy people. We pray and beseech Thee, merciful God, to grant in Thy goodness that we may spend this holy day and all the time of our lives without sin, in fullness of joy, health, safety, holiness, and reverence of Thee. But all envy, all fear, all temptation, all the influence of Satan, all the snares of wicked men every spirit visible and invisible thereof, do Thou, O Lord, drive away from us, and from Thy Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church each of us holding Thou the head Christ Jesus Our Only Lord and Saviour alone. Bestow upon us, O Lord, what is good and meet. Whatever sin we commit in thought, word, or deed, do Thou in Thy goodness and mercy be pleased to pardon. Leave us not, O Lord, while we hope in Thee; nor lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one and from all his works and minions, through the grace, mercy, and love of Thine only-begotten Son. O Sovereign Lord Christ Jesus, the co-eternal Word of the eternal Father, who wast made in all things like as we are, but without sin, for the salvation of our race; who hast sent forth Thy holy disciples and apostles to proclaim and teach the Gospel of Thy kingdom, and to heal all disease, all sickness among Thy people, be pleased now, O Lord, to send forth Thy light and Thy truth. Enlighten the eyes of our minds, that we may understand Thy divine oracles. Fit us to become hearers, and not only hearers, but doers of Thy word, that we, becoming fruitful, and yielding good fruit from thirty to an hundred fold, may be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Let Thy mercy speedily overtake us, O Lord. For Thou art the bringer of good tidings, the Saviour and Guardian of our spirits, souls and bodies and we offer glory, thanks, and the “Thrice Holy Hymn” to Thee, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, now, henceforth, and for evermore. Holy God, holy almighty, holy immortal. Holy, holy, holy, O Lord of Sabaoth, the heaven and the earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest, Look down in mercy and compassion, O Lord, and heal the sick among Thy people. May we and all our brethren who have gone or who are about to go abroad, safely reach their destination in due season and come home again safely at all times. Send down the gracious rain upon the thirsty lands, and make the rivers flow in full stream, according to Thy grace. The fruits of the land do Thou, O Lord, fill with seed and make ripe for the harvest. In peace, courage, justice, and tranquillity preserve the kingdom of Thy servants, all priesthood of the faithful and kings upon the earth, whom Thou hast deemed worthy to reign over this earth. From evil days, from famine and pestilence, from the assault of barbarians, defend, O Lord, this Christ-loving city Thy body Christ Jesus Our Only Lord and Saviour, lowly and worthy of Thy compassion, as Thou didst spare Nineveh of old. For Thou art full of mercy and compassion, and rememberest not the iniquities of men against them. Thou hast said through Thy prophet Isaiah, I will defend this city, to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. Wherefore we pray and beseech Thee to defend in Thy good mercy this city, for the sake of Thee confessed by patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, disciples, apostles, evangelists and saints from Adam on, Thou who has shown us the way of salvation through the grace, mercy, and love of Thee only-begotten Son Jesus Christ Our Only Lord and Saviour. Through whom and with whom be glory and power to Thee MOST BLESSED LORD YAHWEH GOD IMMORTAL Abba Our Father, with Thy all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit our Paraclete. Guide and direct in all peace from above in Thy Righteousness the kings, armies, magistrates, councils, peoples, and neighborhoods, and all our outgoings and incomings.

O King of Peace Baruch Adonai Yahweh Elohim Melek Olam eth, grant us Thy peace in unity and love. May we be Thine, O Lord; for we know no other God but Thee, and name no other name Baruch Adonai Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh Echad, Thou YAHWEH, YESHUA, RUACH YAHWEH but Thine Our Father and the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Give life unto the souls of all of us, and let no deadly sin prevail against us, or against all Thy people.

Look down in mercy and compassion, O Lord, and heal the sick among Thy people. Deliver them and us, O Lord, from sickness and disease, and drive away the spirit of weakness.

Raise up those who have been long afflicted, and heal those who are vexed with unclean spirits.

Have mercy on all who are in prison, or in mines, or on trial, or condemned, or in exile, or crushed by cruel bondage or tribute. Deliver them, O Lord, for Thou art our God, who settest the captives free; who raisest up the downtrodden; who givest hope to the hopeless, and help to the helpless; who liftest up the fallen; who givest refuge to the shipwrecked, and vengeance to the oppressed. Pity, relieve, and restore every Christian soul that is afflicted or wandering. But do Thou, O Lord, the physician of our spirits, souls and bodies, the guardian of all flesh, look down, and by Thy saving power heal all the diseases of spirit, soul and body.

Guide and prosper our brethren who have gone or who are about to go abroad. Whether they travel by land, or river, or lake, by public road, or in whatever way journeying, bring them everywhere to a safe and tranquil haven. Be pleased to be with them by land, sea and air, and restore them in health and joy to joyful and healthful homes.

Ever defend, O Lord, our journey through this life from trouble and storm.
Send down rich and copious showers on the dry and thirsty lands.
Gladden and revive the face of the earth, that it may spring forth and rejoice in the raindrops.

Make the waters of the river flow in full stream.
Gladden and revive the face of the earth with the swelling waters.
Fill all the channels of the streams, and multiply the fruits of the earth.

Bless, O Lord, the fruits of the earth, and keep them safe and unharmed. Fill them with seed, and make them ripe for the harvest.

Bless even now, O Lord God Our Father, Thy yearly crown of blessing for the sake of the poor of Thy people, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger, and for the sake of all of us who have our hope in Thee and call upon Thy holy name; for the eyes of all are upon Thee, and Thou givest them bread in due season.

O Thou who givest food to all flesh, fill our hearts with joy and gladness, that at all times, having all sufficiency, we may abound to every good work in Thou Christ Jesus Our Only Lord and Saviour. O Only Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords, defend the kingdom of Thy servants, we Thine orthodox believers and who love Thee Christ Thy priesthood and kings, whom Thou hast deemed worthy to reign over these lands in peace, courage, and justice.

Subdue under us, O Lord, every enemy and adversary, whether at home or abroad. Gird on Thy shield and armour, and rise to our aid guide us in all things to do what is gracious and pleasing in Thy sight. Draw Thy sword, and help us to fight against them that persecute us. Shield us in the day of battle, and grant that the fruit of our loins one like to us in Thee may sit upon Thy throne with Thee and us.

Be kind to us, O Lord, for the sake of Thy love for Thy Holy and Apostolic Church, all Thy Christ-loving people, that we too in Thy peaceful reign may live a calm and tranquil life, in all reverence and godliness.

O Lord our God, give peace to the souls of our fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep in Jesus, remembering our forefathers of old, our fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, bishops, and the souls of all the holy and just men who have died in the Lord.

Be mindful, O Lord, of the return of the back-sliding, and of every Christian soul that is afflicted and oppressed, and in need of Thy divine mercy and help.

Be mindful, O Lord, of our brethren in captivity. Grant that they may find mercy and compassion with those who have led them captive and immediate release and return home in peace and health and happiness.

Be mindful also of us, O Lord, Thy sinful and unworthy servants, and blot out our sins in Thy goodness and mercy.

Be mindful also of me, Thy lowly, sinful, and unworthy servant, and in Thy mercy blot out my sins. Be with us, O Lord, who minister unto Thy holy name.
Bless our meetings, O Lord.

Utterly uproot all idolatry all witchcraft from the world.
Crush under our feet Satan and all his minions, and all their wicked influence.
Humble now, as at all times, the enemies of Thy Church Thou and us, unto immediate absolute total complete destruction.

Lay bare their pride.

Speedily show them their weakness.
Bring to naught the wicked plots they contrive against us.
Arise, O Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let all who hate Thy holy name be put to flight. +

Do Thou bless a thousand times ten thousand Thy faithful and orthodox people while they do Thy holy will.

Deliver the captive; rescue the distressed feed the hungry; comfort the faint-hearted, convert the erring; enlighten the darkened; raise the fallen; confirm the wavering; heal the sick; and guide them all, good Lord, into the way of salvation, and into Thy sacred fold. Deliver us from our iniquities; protect and defend us at all times.

Bless those who do us good for the sake of Thy Most Holy Name Christ Jesus Our Only Lord and Saviour.

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Eternal faith and beliefs: Gregory III of Rome

Gregory III of Rome

Our father among saints Gregory III, Pope of Rome (731-741), a Syrian by birth, succeeded Pope Gregory II in March 731. He vigorously opposed the iconoclastic controversy in the Byzantine Empire. He died on November 28, 741. St. Gregory is remembered by the Church on December 10.

Life

Gregory was acclaimed pope by the crowds at his predecessor's funeral.

He was the last pope to seek the Byzantine exarch's mandate. Gregory immediately appealed to the Byzantine Emperor Leo III to moderate his position on the iconoclastic controversy. When this elicited no response, Gregory called a synod in November 731, denouncing iconoclasm and excommunicating destroyers of icons. When a messenger carrying the decrees reached the emperor, the latter decided to bring the pope under control. This included appropriating papal territories and transferring ecclesiastical jurisdictions to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Gregory's support of the empire led him to help contribute to the recapture of Ravenna after it had fallen to the Lombards in 733. However, he also sought to fortify Rome and seek alliance with opponents of the Lombard monarch Liutprand, king of the Lombards, and then from the Franks. He sent embassies to Charles Martel, who made no response, having his own priorities.

Gregory promoted the Church in northern Europe, such as the missions of Saint Boniface in Germany and Willibald in Bohemia. He also bestowed palliums on Egbert of York and Tatwine, Archbishop of Canterbury. He beautified Rome and supported monasticism.

Source

Wikipedia article

Succession box: Gregory III of Rome
Preceded by: St Gregory II	Pope of Rome 731-741	Succeeded by: St Zacharias

Saint Gregory II. Pope and Confessor. February 13. Rev. Alban Butler. 1866. Volume II: February. The Lives of the Saints

Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73).  Volume II: February. The Lives of the Saints.  1866.

February 13

St. Gregory II. Pope and Confessor

HE was born in Rome, to an affluent fortune, and being educated in the palace of the popes, acquired great skill in the holy scriptures and in ecclesiastical affairs, and attained to an eminent degree of sanctity. Pope Sergius I. to whom he was very dear, ordained him subdeacon. Under the succeeding popes, John the sixth and seventh, Sisinnius, and Constantine, he was treasurer of the church, and afterwards library keeper, and was charged with several important commissions. The fifth general council had been held upon the affair of the three chapters, in 553, in the reign of Justinian, and the sixth against the Monothelites, in those of Constantine Pogonatus and Pope Agatho, in 660. With a view of adding a supplement of new canons to those of the aforesaid two councils, the bishops of the Greek church, to the number of two hundred and eleven, held the council called Quini-sext, in a hall of the imperial palace at Constantinople, named Trullus, in 692, which laid a foundation of certain differences in discipline between the Eastern and Western churches; for in the thirteenth canon it was enacted, that a man who was before married should be allowed to receive the holy orders of subdeacon, deacon, or priest, without being obliged to leave his wife, though this was forbidden to bishops. (can. 12.) It was also forbidden (can. 55.) to fast on Saturdays, even in Lent. Pope Sergius I. refused to confirm this council; and, in 695, the emperor Justinian II. surnamed Rhinotmetus, who had succeeded his father, Constantine Pogonatus, in 685, was dethroned for his cruelty, and his nose being slit, (from which circumstances he received his surname,) banished into Chersonesus. First Leontius, then Apsimarus Tiberius ascended the throne; but Justinian recovered it in 705, and invited Pope Constantine into the East, hoping to prevail upon him to confirm the council in Trullo. The pope was received with great honour, and had with him our saint, who, in his name, answered the questions put by the Greeks concerning the said council. After their return to Rome, upon the death of Constantine, Gregory was chosen pope, and ordained on the 19th of May, 715. The emperor Justinian being detested both by the army and people, Bardanes, who took the name of Philippicus, an Armenian, one of his generals, revolted, took Constantinople, put him and his son Tiberius, only seven years old, to death, and usurped the sovereignty in December, 711. In Justinian II. was extinguished the family of Heraclius. Philippicus abetted warmly the heresy of the Monothelites, and caused the sixth council to be prescribed in a pretended synod at Constantinople. His reign was very short; for Artemius, his secretary, who took the name of Anastasius II., deposed him, and stepped into the throne on the 4th of June, 713. By him the Monothelites were expelled; but, after a reign of two years and seven months, seeing one Theodosius chosen emperor by the army which had revolted in January, 716, he withdrew and took the monastic habit at Thessalonica. The Eastern army having proclaimed Leo III., surnamed the Isaurian, emperor on the 25th of March, 717, Theodosius and his son embraced an ecclesiastical state, and lived in peace among the clergy.	1
Pope Gregory signalized the beginning of his popedom by deposing John VI. the Monothelite, false patriarch of Constantinople, who had been nominated by Philippicus, and he promoted the election of St. Germanus, who was translated to that dignity from Cyzicus, in 715. With unwearied watchfulness and zeal he laid himself out in extirpating heresies on all sides, and in settling a reformation of manners. Besides an hospital for old men, he rebuilt the great monastery near the church of St. Paul at Rome, and, after the death of his mother, in 718, changed her house into the monastery of St. Agatha. The same year he re-established the abbey of Mount Cassino, sending thither, from Rome, the holy abbot St. Petronax to take upon him the government, one hundred and forty years after it had been laid in ruins by the Lombards. This holy abbot lived to see monastic discipline settled here in so flourishing a manner, that in the same century Carloman, duke or prince of the French, Rachis, king of the Lombards, St. Willebald, St. Sturmius, first abbot of Fulda, and other eminent persons, fled to this sanctuary. 1Our holy pope commissioned zealous missionaries to preach the faith in Germany, and consecrated St. Corbinian bishop of Frisingen, and St. Boniface bishop of Mentz. Leo the Isaurian protected the catholic church during the first ten years of his reign, and St. Gregory II. laid up among the archives of his church several letters which he had received from him, from the year 717 to 726, which proved afterwards authentic monuments of his perfidy. For being infatuated by certain Jews, who had gained an ascendant over him by certain pretended astrological predictions, in 726 he commanded holy images to be abolished, and enforced the execution of his edicts of a cruel persecution. St. Germanus, and other orthodox prelates in the East, endeavoured to reclaim him, refused to obey his edicts, and addressed themselves to Pope Gregory. Our saint employed long the arms of tears and entreaties; yet strenuously maintained the people of Italy in their allegiance to their prince, as Anastasius assures us. A rebellion was raised in Sicily, but soon quelled by the death of Artemius, who had assumed the purple. The pope vigorously opposed the mutineers, both here and in other parts of the West. When he was informed that the army at Ravenna and Venice, making zeal a pretence for rebellion, had created a new emperor, he effectually opposed their attempt, and prevented the effect. Several disturbances which were raised in Rome were pacified by his care. Nevertheless he by letters encouraged the pastors of the church to resist the heresy which the emperor endeavoured to establish by bloodshed and violence. The tyrant sent orders to several of his officers, six or seven times, to murder the pope: but he was so faithfully guarded by the Romans and Lombards, that he escaped all their snares. St. Gregory II. held the pontificate fifteen years, eight months, and twenty-three days, and died in 731, on the 10th of February; but the Roman Martyrology consecrates to his memory the 13th, which was probably the day on which his corpse was deposited in the Vatican church.	2

Note 1. Bulteau, Hist. Mon. d’Occid. t. 2. l. 4. c. 2. p. 8. [back]

Saint Zachary, Pope and Confessor. March 15. Rev. Alban Butler. 1866. Volume III: March. The Lives of the Saints

Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73).  Volume III: March. The Lives of the Saints.  1866.

March 15

St. Zachary, Pope and Confessor

HE succeeded Gregory III. in 741, and was a man of singular meekness and goodness; and so far from any thought of revenge, that he heaped benefits on those who had persecuted him before his promotion to the pontificate. He loved the clergy and people of Rome to that degree, that he hazarded his life for them on occasion of the troubles which Italy fell into by the rebellion of the dukes of Spoletto and Benevento against King Luitprand. Out of respect to his sanctity and dignity, that king restored to the church of Rome all the places which belonged to it, Ameria, Horta, Narni, Ossimo, Ancona, and the whole territory of Sabina, and sent back the captives without ransom. The Lombards were moved to tears at the devotion with which they heard him perform the divine service. By a journey to Pavia, he obtained also of Luitprand, though with some difficulty, peace for the territory of Ravenna, and the restitution of the places which he had taken from the exarchate. The zeal and prudence of this holy pope appeared in many wholesome regulations, which he had made to reform or settle the discipline and peace of several churches. St. Boniface, the apostle of Germany, wrote to him against a certain priest, named Virgilius; that he laboured to sow the seeds of discord between him and Odilo, duke of Bavaria, and taught, besides other errors, that there were other men under the earth, another sun and moon, and another world. 1 Pope Zachary answered, that if he taught such an error he ought to be deposed. This cannot be understood as a condemnation of the doctrine of Antipodes, or the spherical figure of the earth, as some writers have imagined by mistake. The error here spoken of is that of certain heretics, who maintained that there was another race of men, who did not descend from Adam, and were not redeemed by Christ. Nor did Zachary pronounce any sentence in the case: for in the same letter he ordered that Virgilius should be sent to Rome, that his doctrine might be examined. It seems that he cleared himself: for we find this same Virgilius soon after made bishop of Saltzburgh. 2 Certain Venetian merchants having bought at Rome many slaves to sell to the Moors in Africa, St. Zachary forbade such an iniquitous traffic, and, paying the merchants their price, gave the slaves their liberty. He adorned Rome with sacred buildings, and with great foundations in favour of the poor and pilgrims, and gave every year a considerable sum to furnish oil for the lamps in St. Peter’s church. He died in 752, in the month of March, and is honoured in the Roman Martyrology on this day. See his letters and the Pontificals, t. 6. Conc. also Fleury, l. 42. t. 9. p. 349.

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Note 1. Quod alius mondus et alii homines sub terra sint, seu alius sol et luna. (Ep. 10. t. 6. Conc. p. 15. 21. et Bibl. Patr. inter Epist. S. Bonif.) To imagine different worlds of men upon earth, some not descending from Adam, nor redeemed by Christ, is contrary to the holy scriptures, and therefore justly condemned as erroneous, as Baronius observes. (add. ann. 784. n. 12.) [back]

Note 2. Many ancient philosophers thought the earth flat, not spherical, and believed no Antipodes. Several fathers adopted this vulgar error in philosophy, in which faith no way interferes, as St. Austin, (1. 16. de Civ. Dei. c. 9.) Bede, (l. 4. de Principiis Philos.) and Cosmas the Egyptian, surnamed Indicopleustes. It is, however, a mistake to imagine, with Montfaucon, in his preface to this last-mentioned author, that this was the general opinion of Christian philosophers down to the fifteenth century. For the learned Philophonus demonstrated before the modern discoveries, (de Mundi Creat. l. 3. c. 13.) that the greater part of the fathers teach the world to be a sphere, as Saint Basil, the two SS. Gregories, of Nazianzum and of Nyssa, Saint Athanasius, &c. And several amongst them mention Antipodes, as Saint Hilary, (in Ps. 2. n. 32.) Origen, (l. 2. de princip. c. 3.) Saint Clement, pope, &c. [back]

Palestine Cry: Syria

Palestine Cry: Syria

Syria

Gospel According to Saint Matthew
Chapter 7

[16] By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? [17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. [19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. [20] Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.

[21] Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Look at Syria now and read the history below. If Francis is a true follower of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Who said, "Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them" and he addresses Syria and the whole host of genocides undertaken by Superpowers and the Zionists and the rest of those imbued with murderous agendas, especially the murderous agendas of abortion and Agenda 21, then he deserves the full support of all Christians and the Ummah and all people of good will - just like St. Francis of Assisi.

Palestine Cry: Palestine Cry: “Washington’s Pope”? Who is Pope Francis I? Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina’s “Dirty War” | Global Research



Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio Chosen As New Pope | Smart News

MARCH 13, 2013 4:42 PM

Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio Chosen As New Pope

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who chose the name of Francis is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In Vatican City today, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, became the new Pope Francis. After Catholic cardinals debated the options earlier today, a puff of white smoke issued from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney indicated that the decision was complete, the New York Times reports.

Pope Francis I, the 265th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic church, is the first South American to hold the position, and by choosing Bergoglio, the Church shows its support to the Global South, where most of the world’s Catholics reside, the Times writes. Born to Italian emigrant parents, Bergoglio grew up in Buenos Aires and formerly led the church’s Jesuit order. He is the first person born outside of Europe to be elected pope since the Byzantine era. Popes once hailed from Africa, Syria, Palestine and parts of the Byzantine Empire; the last pope to come from outside of Europe was Gregory III, of Syria, who was elected pope by acclamation in 731. [Eternal faith and beliefs: Gregory III of Rome]

Gregory III faced controversies over religious issues like the use of holy images. The host of troubles facing the newest pope include proper management of the Vatican banks. The Times writes that the cardinals who elected Pope Francis were looking for “a pope that understands the problems of the Church at present”—many of them bureaucratic—and who is strong enough to tackle them.

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/03/argentinian-jorge-mario-bergoglio-chosen-as-new-pope/#ixzz2NZTaWMRN 


In the Entire History of the Catholic Church, Only a Handful of Popes Have Resigned | Smart News

February 11, 2013 10:02 am

In the Entire History of the Catholic Church, Only a Handful of Popes Have Resigned

Image: Tadeusz Górny

Today, Pope Benedict XVI told the world that he would resign. No one saw this coming, really, because no one resigns from the position. The last time a pope resigned was in 1415, and there have been only a handful of other cases of papal abdication:

308: Pope Marcellinus stepped down from the position shortly before dying. No one is sure why.

366: Pope Liberius also stepped down without a clear reason.

1009: Pope John XVIII ended his time as pope and retired to a monastery. Many accounts suggest that John was beholden to the Crescentii family, a powerful Roman clan.

1045: Pope Benedict IX was the first pope to very clearly step down. (Earlier accounts are fuzzy, historically.) This Benedict was apparently quite a handful. His resignation was a business deal of sorts: he sold his seat for a large sum of money to the Archpriest John Gratain. This transaction was so scandalous that the king intervened, reinstating Benedict as pope. Benedict IX was then deposed again, reinstated once more, and finally driven away to make room for Damasus II.

1294: Pope Celestine V is probably the most famous of abdicators. After just five months in the seat, Celestine wrote a decree that allowed popes to step down, before doing so himself. The site Catholic Online puts it this way:

He was Pope only about five months. Because he was so humble and simple, everyone took advantage of him. He could not say “no” to anyone, and soon matters were in great confusion. At last, the Saint decided that he had better give up his position as Pope. He did so and then threw himself at the feet of the Cardinals for not having been capable of governing the Church.

About.com puts it this way:

Celestine V inherited a troubled papacy which was largely under the thumb of Charles II of Sicily. Through his reign Celestine was unable to do much of anything without approval and support from Charles – something Celestine himself recognized. This was probably the reason why he abdicated his position after only 5 months.

1415: Pope Gregory XII resigned in an attempt to end the Western Schism, a forty year period during which three different people—Roman Pope Gregory XII, Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII, and Pisan Antipope John XXIII—claimed to be the head of the Catholic Church.

2013: Which brings us to today. Here’s the full resignation from Benedict XVI.

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.

BENEDICTUS PP XVI

People will surely wonder exactly why Benedict stepped down, since it’s such a rare occurrence. The New York Times points out that during his predecessor’s tenure, the pope (then Cardinal Ratzinger) indicated that a pope who “sees that he absolutely cannot do [the job] anymore” would resign. But no one knows yet what exactly pushed him to make this decision.

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/02/in-the-entire-history-of-the-catholic-church-only-a-handful-of-popes-have-resigned/#ixzz2NZTFaJXG 


Now: The Final Trial

Palestine Cry: Palestine Cry: “Washington’s Pope”? Who is Pope Francis I? Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina’s “Dirty War” | Global Research

Palestine Cry: Palestine Cry: “Washington’s Pope”? Who is Pope Francis I? Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina’s “Dirty War” | Global Research


Palestine Cry: “Washington’s Pope”? Who is Pope Francis I? Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina’s “Dirty War” | Global Research

Oscar Romero

Archbishop Oscar Romero Assassination El Salvador 1980

SAINT ROMERO VERSUS THE DEVIL, THE ANTICHURCH, KISSINGERIAN ANTICHRIST AND INJUSTICE INCLUDING CIA

 
click on picture - and also see:The Justice of God: Tech_Journal: Kidnapping and Torture

Desaparecido

‘Assad must go to save Syria from intervention’ — RT News

‘Assad must go to save Syria from intervention’ — RT News

‘Assad must go to save Syria from intervention’

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Published time: February 15, 2012 09:03
Edited time: February 15, 2012 13:03

Syrian tanks are seen in Bab Amro near the city of Homs February 12, 2012. (Reuters / Mulham Alnader/Handout)

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Syrian President Bashar Assad should resign if he doesn’t want to repeat the fate of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, while Russia and China should help him to do so, the Middle East expert Tariq Ali told RT.

British historian and journalist Ali considers it unlikely that Syrian president will step down on his own accord.

“He has to be pushed out,” Tariq Ali insists, for which “the Syrian people are doing their best”.

Pressure is being mounted outside Syria by Turkey and NATO for intervention – that would be disastrous and bring enormous bloodshed, like in Libya, believes Tariq Ali.

The expert says both Assad and his father have spilled enough Syrian blood and that “this family is unacceptable”.

“Syria needs a non-sectarian national government to prepare a new constitution," Tariq Ali stressed.

He expressed hope that all the most influential parties, like Russia, China, Iran and even Hezbollah must realize that it is time for President Assad to go and to do so, no peacekeeping force is needed.

Tariq Ali agrees that mounting international pressure on Bashar Assad is needed because simple economic sanctions will not bring the desired results. Countries like Iran and China would not abide them, so it is time for Russia and China to realize they need Assad no more.

He believes that once Assad falls, the new government will keep good relations with Iran, because this will be in the interest of the new democratic government.

“If the Assad clan refuses to relinquish their stronghold on the country, sooner or later something disastrous will happen,” Tariq Ali predicts, threatening a foreign intervention and recalling the inglorious deaths of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi lynched by mobs inspired by the west.

“That is the future that stares them in the face, there is no other future,” Tariq Ali said.

“The fact is that the overwhelming majority of people in Syria want the Assad family out – and that is the key thing that we have to understand and he [Assad] should understand,” Tariq Ali claims.

He also warns about letting Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood take control of the Syrian government. Even if it becomes a moderate one, religious minorities will most probably be targeted to divert attention from economic and social problems.

Assad will die like Gaddafi – Syrian opposition — RT News

Assad will die like Gaddafi – Syrian opposition — RT News

Assad will die like Gaddafi – Syrian opposition

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Published time: January 31, 2012 11:37
Edited time: January 31, 2012 21:13

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) and First Lady Asma al-Assad arrive at Al-Jalaa Stadium in Damascus (AFP Photo / Str)

A leading member of the Syrian opposition has threatened President Assad, his British wife and three children with a bloody Gaddafi-esque end. Meanwhile, the West continues to push for a resolution to help the Syrian opposition oust Assad.

Haitham Maleh, a founding member of the executive committee of the Syrian National Council, made the shocking comment in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper. He declared that as soon as Assad’s regime falls, the opposition will have its way with him.

"Assad and his family will be killed in Syria. Their next steps will be very bloody," he said. "Two months ago we offered him the option to leave us alone and go, but instead he went for the blood of his people. The end for him will be that he is killed like Gaddafi."

Yet Mr Maleh’s call for a gruesome death for President Assad and his wife and children has thus far met with a wall of silence – despite the invocation of the summary execution of the late Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi, whose son also met a violent death during the  NATO-backed conflict.

“We came, we saw, he died," joked Hillary Clinton after Gaddafi’s death. It now looks very much as if the scenario is repeating itself, with Clinton saying the US will throw its weight behind the Arab-backed condemnation of Assad's regime, which she said was brutally blocking the country's hopes of peacefully transitioning to democracy.

Maleh’s comments give cause for great concern about what form democracy may take in SNC-ruled Syria.

While Russia tries to broker peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition, Maleh casually dismisses its efforts, saying the talks will not materialize.

“How can we have dialogue with a criminal regime? We can't do it now," he told The Telegraph. "The game is over. How can we talk with a person who has put a pistol to our heads. It is impossible to make dialogue with this person.”

There have been numerous reports of Bashar al-Assad’s wife and other family members making attempts to leave the embattled country, but being ambushed en route to the airport by opposition forces who forced them to turn around. Now, it seems, Assad’s family is on the opposition’s hit-list.The next attempt might prove to be fatal.

Asma Assad grew up in the UK and her friends say they are sure she is repulsed by the violence currently gripping Syria.

"She would be horrified with what is happening," said Malik al-Abdeh, a TV magnate speaking to The Times. "She lived most of her life here. Her ethics and morality were formed here. I think she must be genuinely shocked."

However her pro-Western views are no longer of any importance. It seems all the opposition wants now is revenge.

Assad must go, no foreign forces in Syria: UNSC draft — RT News

Assad must go, no foreign forces in Syria: UNSC draft — RT News

Assad must go, no foreign forces in Syria: UNSC draft

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Published time: January 31, 2012 07:27
Edited time: January 31, 2012 22:34

The United Nations headquarters in New York (AFP Photo / Don Emmert)

The UN draft resolution on Syria reportedly calls for President Assad to hand power over to his deputy in 15 days or face “further measures”. It also clarifies that no foreign forces will be deployed to the country.

The draft, obtained by the Guardian, emphasized any punitive measures would be peaceful.

It also demands the Syrian government put “an end to all human rights violations and attacks against those exercising their rights to freedom of expression.”

The resolution is set to be debated by the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday. Further negotiations at the council will take place Wednesday, and a vote is expected on Thursday.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow has no intentions of telling President Assad to step down.

“Russian politics is not to ask someone to resign,” he told Australia’s ABC TV channel. “Regime change is not our profession,” the minister added.

He also rejected out of hand any accusation that Russia unconditionally supports the Syrian leader. “We are not President Assad’s friends or allies,” he stressed. Lavrov made it clear earlier on Tuesday that Assad’s continuing tenure as president is not a precondition for a settlement in Syria.

The resolution fails to take account of the positions of countries like Russia and China, which have presented a united front opposing regime change in Damascus.

Moscow says the new resolution contains a threat to “adopt further measures if Syria does not comply with the terms of the resolution,” opening the door to a Libya-style foreign intervention in the conflict-torn Middle Eastern country.

Lavrov said the UN Security Council would never support a tour de force against Syria.

“If [the Syrian] opposition refuses to sit at a negotiation table with the regime – what is the alternative? To bomb the regime? I’ve seen that before,” Lavrov said, “I guarantee the Security Council will never approve this.”

Reportedly, tensions are running so high that the US Secretary of State’s spokeswoman has accused Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, who is currently visiting Australia, of being unavailable by phone when Hillary Clinton allegedly called him to discuss the situation.

Syrian opposition’s hardline trade-off

Bashar Assad’s resignation is a non-negotiable precondition for talks on ending the bloody crisis engulfing Syria. Head of the opposition Syrian National Council Burhan Ghalioun stressed there could be “No negotiations without Assad’s exit.”

While Damascus accepted a Moscow proposal to host informal talks with all parties without any conditions, the Syrian opposition rejected Russia’s approach outright.

Burhan Ghalioun told the Lebanese Daily Star that Moscow has the power to urge Assad to leave, and offered to confirm the status of Russia’s naval base in Tartus in return.

Author and Middle East expert John Bradley told RT the National Council is now a pawn in greater Middle East game: “NATO is determined to bring the Assad regime to its knees as a prelude to invading Iran. The Syrian opposition is under huge pressure from outside powers who want these talks [between the Assad regime and the opposition] to fail even before they begin – most obviously NATO”.

The resolution on Syria has been worked out with no Russian participation whatsoever. Because Russia’s concerns were not taken into account, the resolution is one-dimensional, says Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chief of the Russian State Duma Committee for International Affairs.

“This draft resolution is addressed towards just one part of the conflict, namely President Assad and his government, to force them to resign. This undermines any perspective for a political solution to the crisis,”Kosachev said.

As well as rejecting peace talks, the Syrian opposition has gone so far as to state that President Assad and his family have lost their chance to make a peaceful exit, in an ultimatum which made reference to the brutal killing of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya last year.

Kosachev believes the Syrian opposition is simply listening to the message coming from abroad, from Washington or Brussels.  This message has always been “’this regime does not have a future, don’t talk to them’ – this message is wrong.”

The result of such a stance will be clashes, casualties and blood, Kosachev predicted, “But not due to Russia’s position, but due to the very unilateral and unfair position taken by the US and their allies.”