At the Vatican, Up Against the World

[Amer]

Shybastid I'm really very sorry for what you went through. I hope with all my heart you're healing.
Take care.

[shybastid]

Thanks.. appreciated. Not who I am though. That was one thing that happened.
giavvi was nice enough to be a friend last year when I was coming to grips with it.
I just hope I don't use it as an excuse for future mistakes I make.
That would be stupid..

I saw a therapist about it ,and she told me to get over it already. THAT pissed me off.
She was like...."Oh, so you compartmented a bad memory.You surprised your brain was/is capable of that?" I felt stupid. Bitch.

LOL... I wanted a "I'm sooo sorry"

Thanks for giving me that. Really appreciate it.. Moving on..

See ya at Trout maybe.. or here in Tahoe.

[shybastid]

Hey NO one can say my kids don't have a sense of humor. I turn 55 tonite.
OK Thanks....
My oldest daughter is in L.A. for the time . 19

Sends this crap for a laugh..

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qMHl_ck3u5E

I wondor where my kids get their sarcasm?

[shybastid]

TOO funny...... My kids got game.

[Arrowwind]

Just came by this thread to see if any mention was made on those 37 priests.. if not I was going too..thanks for having it done.

I was raised catholic too. I removed myself from its clutches at a fairly young age, 14 or so.

At this point in my life I can in no way support any form of the church or its work. I see nothing but lies promoted, deception rewarded and humans repressed. Everytime you lie to a child you teach them to lie. Every lie promotes misdirection, and the inability to see the truth when its staring you in the face. Every lie achild learns dismpowers them from their highest potential. I spent many years studying thier lies.. I thank my highest self that it had the intelligence to free me with n my mind, and I thank my lower self that I had the ears to hear and the ability take action.

about repressed abuse.... do no t beat yourself up if you spent a long time not remembering. Your subconscious is only waiting for that time when you are safe enough and strong enough to deal with the truth. I had a repressed memory also (not church related) for 20 years.. by the time it came to me I was mature enough and awake enough to handle it... and that is generally how it is for most people. Not that I didnt have things to consider and work though, but it did not blow me away to the point of self destrucition It is processed now and in the past. It can be the same for you if you want it to be that way.

The best gift you can give yourself when coming out of the church is freedom from guilt. that is their biggest chain onto your heart and soul that must be severed. That is your gateway to freedom

[shybastid]

Thanks Nicely worded.

[giovonni]

Power vs. Force

In regards to dying religious dogmas...

It is believed that true power arises from meaning; that which comes from ones motive (intent), principles (morals) and actions (conduct).

"Power is always associated with that which supports the significance of life itself. It appeals to that part of human nature that we call noble ~ in contrast to force, which appeals to that which we call crass. Power appeals to what uplifts, dignifies, and ennobles. Force must always be justified, whereas power requires no justification. Force is associated with the partial, power with the whole...Force always moves against something, whereas power doesn't move against anything at all. Force is incomplete and therefore has to be fed energy constantly. Power is total and complete in itself and requires nothing from outside. Because force has an insatiable appetite, it constantly consumes. Power, in contrast, energies, gives forth, supplies, and supports. Power gives life and energy ~ force takes these away. we notice that power is associated with compassion and makes us feel positively about ourselves. Force is associated with judgment and makes us feel poorly about ourselves."

From ~ "Power vs. Force ~ The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior"
By David R. Hawkins M.D., Ph.D.

A truly brilliant and fascinating human

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wnYJS5lg72w

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wnYJS...eature=related

more videos on David R. Hawkins
https://youtube.com/user/NYCHookmeup

[giovonni]

Benedict XVI former Hitler Youth member
video/story
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7576505/...ith_olbermann/

It appears of late there's a determined hurriedness, in this pontiff's need to clear his desk...especially with grand gestures such as this...?

***********

Pope Benedict: Jewish people not guilty for Jesus death



Pope Benedict says the Temple authorities were the real accusers, not the Jews

3 March 2011


Tackling an issue that has led to centuries of persecution, the Pope argues there is no basis in scripture for the Jewish people to be blamed.

The Catholic Church officially repudiated the idea in 1965.

But Jewish groups say the Pope's detailed analysis of the gospels is a major step forward.
'Historic moment'

"This is a personal repudiation of the theological underpinning of centuries of anti-Semitism," said Elan Steinberg, vice-president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants.

The Anti-Defamation League said it was an "important and historic moment".

Excerpts of the book, Jesus of Nazareth-Part II, have been released in which the Pope considers the Gospels of John and Matthew and analyses the hours leading up to Jesus' death.

"Now we must ask: Who exactly were Jesus' accusers?" he says, as he considers Jesus' condemnation to death by Roman governor Pontius Pilate. He also asks why St John said Jesus' accusers were "the Jews".

"How could the whole people have been present at this moment to clamour for Jesus' death?"

Benedict explains how only a few Temple leaders and a small group of supporters were primarily responsible for the crucifixion. He believes John's reference to "the Jews" must have been towards the "Temple aristocracy", because Jesus had declared himself King of the Jews and had violated Jewish law.

In his analysis of the phrase taken from the gospel of Matthew - "His blood be on us and on our children" - Benedict says Jesus' blood "does not cry out for vengeance and punishment, it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone, it is poured out for many, for all."

The Catholic Church's most authoritative teaching until now came in the 1965 document "Nostra Aetate" which said Jesus' death could not be attributed to the Jewish people either at the time or now.

In a statement, the World Jewish Congress praised the Pope for setting an important marker against anti-Semitism and "unequivocally rejecting the argument that the Jewish people can be held responsible".

Source;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12634176

Pope Benedict has rejected the idea of collective Jewish guilt for Jesus Christ's death, in a new book to be published next week.

[giovonni]

These men are a disgrace to the imagery of Jesus Christ;
if proven and found guilty ~ they should be defrocked!


8 March 2011

Philadelphia priests suspended over sex abuse report

Twenty-one priests in the US city of Philadelphia have been suspended after being named in an inquiry into claims of widespread child molestation.

The move follows the release last month of a grand jury report in which 37 priests were identified as suspects.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, said the 21 Roman Catholic priests had been placed on leave while their cases were reviewed

He said he was "truly sorry" for the harm done to the victims of abuse.

The two-year grand jury investigation resulted in charges being brought against four priests and a Catholic school teacher last month.

The grand jurors also found that a panel set up by the archdiocese to handle abuse claims following an earlier grand jury probe in 2005 had worked mostly to protect the church.
'Difficult weeks'

Three of the 37 priests named as suspects in the grand jury report were suspended in February, a week after its release.

Five more were already on leave, serving elsewhere or no longer in active ministry, the Philadelphia archdiocese said.

The remaining eight identified were not being suspended because "independent examination of these cases found no further investigation is warranted", the archdiocese added.

The names of the priests concerned have not been released.

"These have been difficult weeks since the release of the grand jury report," Cardinal Rigali said in a statement.

"Difficult most of all for the victims of sexual abuse but also for all Catholics and for everyone in our community."

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams praised the archdiocese for taking some of the steps called for by the grand jury.

But Peter Isely, of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told the Associated Press news agency that Cardinal Rigali had put the interests of the church above those of children, and should have suspended the priests sooner.

Source;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12684494

[giovonni]

The trend away from religion in most of the industrialized world -- the U.S. being the notable exception, although even here religious affiliation is declining -- is a fascinating trend, particularly because concurrently there is another trend towards increasing spirituality. Spirituality arises from a personal experience of nonlocal consciousness. Religion is the dogma that arises from that experience, particularly as articulated by a powerful and charismatic figure.

***********

Two-thirds of Britons Not Religious, Suggests Survey

20 March 2011

by By John McManus BBC News

Nearly two-thirds of people do not regard themselves as "religious", a new survey carried out to coincide with the 2011 Census suggests.

The British Humanist Association (BHA), which commissioned the poll, said people often identified themselves as religious for cultural reasons.

The online poll asked 1,900 adults in England and Wales a question which is on this month's census form.

The Office for National Statistics has defended the wording of the census.

While 61% of the poll's respondents said they did belong to a religion, 65% of those surveyed answered "no" to the further question: "Are you religious?"

Two surveys were commissioned, one covering England and Wales, and the other for Scotland. The Scottish survey was commissioned by the Humanist Society of Scotland.

South of the border, 61% of respondents said they did have a religion.

But only 29% also said they were religious, while 65% said they were not.

Among respondents who identified themselves as Christian, fewer than half said they believed Jesus Christ was a real person who died, came back to life and was the son of God.

Another 27% said they did not believe that at all, while 25% were unsure.

In Scotland, 42% of respondents said they did not belong to a religion, yet in a further question "Are you religious?" 56% answered "no".

The BHA has complained the wording of the optional census question about religion encourages people to wrongly identify themselves as believers.

In the last census in 2001, 72% of people were classed as Christians - a figure which is much higher than other surveys.

The BHA believes people might tick "yes" to the census question on religion for reasons of cultural identity.

The chief executive of the BHA, Andrew Copson, is running a national campaign encouraging non-religious people to state their unbelief clearly on their census forms.

He said: "This poll is further evidence for a key message of the Census Campaign - that the data produced by the census, used by local and national government as if it indicates religious belief and belonging, is in fact highly misleading.
Religious affiliation

The humanists say data which might indicate a greater amount of religious belief than actually exists, is being used to justify faith schools, and the continuing presence of Anglican bishops in the House of Lords.

The Office for National Statistics has defended the wording of the religion question.

A spokesman told the BBC: "The religion question measures the number of people who self-identify an affiliation with a religion, irrespective of the extent of their religious belief or practice."

The think tank Theos, which undertakes research into religious matters, says attempting to measure cultural affiliation to religion - rather than actual, regular practice - is a good idea, as it shows the broad values society shares.

It also disputes the BHA's assertion that the collected data is used for political purposes.

Source;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12799801

Also a related story;

Religion May Become Extinct in Nine Nations, Study Says
A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion there is set for extinction, say researchers.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12811197

[giovonni]

Jesuit Priests, Sex Abuse Victims Announce Settlement

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—

March 25, 2011

A clergy organization representing Jesuit priests in Western states has reached a $166.1 million agreement to settle approximately 524 claims of clergy sex abuse. The settlement is one of the largest in U.S. history relating to the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal.

Under the settlement, the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus -- which represents Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Montana -- will pay $48.1 million into a trust for the victims, while one of its insurance carriers will pay $118 million. In addition, the society will publicize the names of perpetrators, issue a written apology to victims, release their medical records to them and take steps to protect children from future sexual abuse.

“Many victims blame themselves or believe they did something to cause this to happen, even though they were just children,” said Chris Cooke, an attorney representing several Alaskan clients. “I think the importance of something like an apology is the recognition that this wasn't the victim's fault.”

The plaintiff’s attorneys expect the payout to take up to six months. First the court will have to approve the order’s bankruptcy plan and evaluate the claims on a case-by-case basis. Some cases may not qualify; the money paid to each plaintiff will vary depending on a panel’s evaluation of the abuse suffered.

Attorneys for the victims say the abuse took place in Jesuit-operated mission schools and boarding schools on Indian reservations in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The order was accused of using villages as dumping grounds for priest known to have problems, a claim it has rejected.

After the lawsuits were filed in late 2008, the Oregon Province filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2009. Nearly 200 Alaska claims were brought by John Manly of Manly and Stewart (California).

“There is no question that the number of cases filed, and the establishment of prolific abuse, triggered the bankruptcy,” Manly said.

A year after the bankruptcy declaration, people claiming sex abuse filed 37 lawsuits demanding about $3.1 million against the Oregon Province. The plaintiffs told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland that the society gave money to various church-related entities before filing for Chapter 11 protection, and that the funds should be considered part of the order’s assets.

“This settlement recognizes that the Jesuits betrayed the trust of hundreds of young children in their care, and inflicted terrible atrocities upon them,” said Blaine Tamaki of Tamaki Law, which represented nearly a third of the non-Alaska clients in the case. “These religious figures should have been responsible for protecting children, but instead raped and molested them.”

There have been numerous cases of clergy sex abuse in Alaska. The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks announced a tour of the state last October to offer sympathy to victims of abuse, along with symbolic “penance patches” as a sign of repentance. A month later, the Child Maltreatment Conference in Anchorage saw several victims come forward and try to chart a path forward after their lawsuits’ conclusion.

Source;
http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-societ...,7117223.story

[giovonni]

So it's the Web's fault?

***********

Surge in Satanism sparks rise in demand for exorcists, says Catholic Church



A surge in Satanism fueled by the internet has led to a sharp rise in the demand for exorcists, the Roman Catholic Church has warned.

By Nick Squires, in Rome 30 Mar 2011

The web has made it easier than ever before to access information on Devil-worshipping and the occult, experts said.

Exorcism is the subject of a six-day conference being held this week at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, which is under the Vatican's authority.

"The internet makes it much easier than in the past to find information about Satanism," said Carlo Climati, a member of the university who specialises in the dangers posed to young people by Satanism.

"In just a few minutes you can contact Satanist groups and research occultism. The conference is not about how to become an exorcist. It's to share information about exorcism, Satanism and sects. It's to give help to families and priests. There is a particular risk for young people who are in difficulties or who are emotionally fragile," said Mr Climati.

The object of seminars was to scrutinize the phenomenon of Satanism with "seriousness and scientific rigour", avoiding a "superficial or sensational approach", he said.

The conference in Rome has brought together more than 60 Catholic clergy as well as doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers and youth workers to discuss how to combat the dangers of Devil-worship.

Organisers say the rise of Satanism has been dangerously underestimated in recent years.

"There's been a revival," said Gabriele Nanni, a former exorcist and another speaker at the course.

In theory, any priest can perform an exorcism – a rite involving prayers to drive the Devil out of the person said to be possessed.

But Vatican officials said three years ago that parish priests should call in professional exorcists if they suspect one of their parishioners needs purging of evil.

An exorcist should be called when "the moral certainty has been reached that the person is possessed", said Father Nanni, a member of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

That could be indicated by radical and disturbing changes in the person's behaviour and voice, or an ability to garble in foreign languages or nonsensical gibberish.

While the number of genuine cases of possession by the Devil remained relatively small, "we must be on guard because occult and Satanist practices are spreading a great deal, in part with the help of the internet and new technologies that make it easier to access these rituals," he said.

The Vatican's chief exorcist claimed last year that the Devil lurked in the Vatican, the very heart of the Catholic Church.

Father Gabriele Amorth said people who are possessed by Satan vomit shards of glass and pieces of iron, scream, dribble and slobber, utter blasphemies and have to be physically restrained.

He claimed that the sex abuse scandals which have engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Germany and other countries, were proof that the anti-Christ was waging a war against the Holy See. He said Pope Benedict XVI believed "wholeheartedly" in the practice of exorcism.

Source;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/reli...ic-Church.html

[giovonni]

German Catholics leave church in droves



Grand architecture, but empty pews?

07.04.2011

A record number of Catholics in Germany have turned their backs on the church. They officially cancelled their membership in the wake of child abuse scandals that rocked church institutions across the country.

180.000 German Catholics left their church for good in 2010, and it appears the child abuse scandal was the main reason for the dramatic rise in departures. Data provided by 24 of Germany's 27 Catholic dioceses and published this week by the newspaper Die Zeit shows that 50.000 more Catholics cancelled their church membership last year than in 2009, an increase of 40 percent.

It was what the church had feared, Alois Glück, head of the lay Central Committee of German Catholics said.

"It's a dramatic signal and a clear message that we have to take the issue seriously; winning back people's trust has to be at the core of our efforts for renewal and dialogue."

Germany has faced revelations over the past year that hundreds of children were physically and sexually abused in church institutions throughout the country. All but a handful run were by the Roman Catholic Church.

It looks likely that this is also the first time in Germany's postwar history that more Catholics officially renounced their church membership than Protestants: Germany's protestant church estimates that just under 150.000 people left in 2010.

German bishops shocked

The wealthy diocese of Cologne, Germany's largest, saw the biggest drop in membership ever last year. The city's vicar-general, Dominik Schwaderlapp, said the departures were painful for the Catholic church because many people apparently chose to leave the church as "their personal form of protest and of expressing their disgust at the scandal."

Hardest-hit were a handful of dioceses in deeply Catholic Bavaria, which saw up to 70 percent more people leaving the church than the year before.

Matthias Kopp, press spokesman for the German Catholic Bishops' Conference, said that every single person who left was a human loss for the church. "The German bishops won't ignore that, they want to win back lost credibility."

The bishops, who have been criticized for their slow response, have meanwhile offered compensation of up to 5,000 euros ($6,900) to the sexual abuse victims. None of the offenders can be prosecuted because of a three-year statute of limitations. Some of the sexual abuse cases occurred in the 1950s, most of them in the 1970s and 1980s.

In Germany, membership in a religion is more than symbolic - it has a concrete financial significance, as members of a religious group officially recognized by the government in Berlin pay a "church tax" that is automatically deducted from their monthly paychecks.

Author: Dagmar Breitenbach (dpa, epd, KNA)
Editor: Michael Lawton

Source;
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14971010,00.html

[modwiz]

The Church has been gay since Paul.

Back when the oldest son of almost any Catholic family was going to be a priest the clerics knew who they could "initiate" and when that young man made his way to the priesthood it was all contained. With so few going into the priesthood today there is confusion and desperation along with an inability to shift with the times.

The modern media is dominated by people who are not friends of the Church and are more than happy to seek out and break these stories.

People are horrified that the Vatican does nothing because they are unaware that molestation/initiation is part of the quiet tradition of the all male, and celibate, priesthood.

None of the above is an excuse but, it is an explanation. The Church is looking at its' last days IMO.

I did leave out even more shocking things that happen in the bowels of the Vatican. I think Jordan Maxwell has covered that part.

[giovonni]

from modwiz

"The Church has been gay since Paul."



sorry about that

[giovonni]

WTF




Belgium hears ex-bishop Vangheluwe play down abuse

14 April 2011 Last updated at 21:56 ET

Former Belgian bishop Roger Vangheluwe has gone live on TV to talk about how he sexually abused two boys but does not see himself as a paedophile.

Emerging from hiding, he revealed he had molested two of his nephews, and not one, as he confessed last year before resigning as bishop of Bruges.

He does not face prosecution because the abuse occurred decades ago.

"It had nothing to do with sexuality," he said, in comments that caused indignation among politicians.

Justice Minister Stefaan De Clercq said in a statement the Church authorities "had to take measures to stop the irresponsible behaviour of the former bishop".

"It is a slap in the face of his victims and all victims," the justice minister added.

The 74-year-old is believed to be living outside Belgium since being ordered to leave the country by the Vatican, which has yet to decide on his future.

A decision will be made "naturally taking into account the various aspects of this issue, starting with the suffering of the victims and the requirements of the justice system", Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told AFP news agency earlier this week.

'Not good'

Wearing a blue smock over a black shirt, with no clerical collar showing, Fr Vangheluwe spoke to the Flemish-language VT4 channel's interviewer in a room at an undisclosed location.

"Of course I know that this was not good," he said. "I have confessed many times."

He had considered suicide but believed it to be a "cowardly act".

He described the 13 years of sexual abuse to which he had subjected one nephew from the age of five as no more than "a little piece of intimacy".

"How did it begin?" he said.

"As with all families. When they came to visit, the nephews slept with me. It began as a game with the boys. It was never a question of rape."

"I don't have the impression at all that I am a paedophile," he said. "It was really just a small relationship. I did not have the feeling that my nephew was against it, quite the contrary. It was not brutal sex."

According to the former Roman Catholic bishop, the boy he abused over 13 years eventually told his family and he stopped.

He alleged he had later paid his former victim several large sums of money.

Walter Van Steenbrugge, a lawyer for the nephew, denied that such payments had been made.

He was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying: "Knowing what happened, I want to ask him what he then understands to be brutal sex."

Speaking in Vatican City, Fr Lombardi said Roger Vangheluwe had been ordered to leave Belgium and undergo spiritual and psychological treatment.

The disgraced cleric has not been defrocked but the Vatican spokesman added that it was "obvious" he would not be allowed to practise as a priest while he was undergoing treatment.

Source;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13089763

[conk]

Posted by giovonni (here)
I truly have come to believe ~IT~ was truly> Christ's intention through his teachings > that the divine feminine was always included and part of the holy trinty in regards too the Spirit.

Yo, Mary Magdeline was his girl, yo. Yes, sadly the church has relegated women to the role of servants.

[giovonni]

"For the first time in the history of the papacy, Benedict XVI agreed to take part in a programme in which he took questions from ordinary Catholics."
***********

Pope Benedict admits there isn't a full answer to suffering in rare TV interview



More than 3,000 questions were submitted after the initiative was announced a month


By Nick Squires, in Rome 12:01PM BST 22 Apr 2011

The Pope has spoken about the tsunami in Japan, conflict in Iraq, the civil war in Ivory Coast and victims of multiple sclerosis in an unprecedented television appearance due to be broadcast in Italy on Good Friday.

For the first time in the history of the papacy, Benedict XVI agreed to take part in a programme in which he took questions from ordinary Catholics.

More than 3,000 questions were submitted after the initiative was announced a month ago, of which seven were chosen and put to the 84-year-old pontiff.

One of the most moving was put by the parents of a 40 year old man who has suffered from multiple sclerosis since 1993 and has been in a vegetative state for the last two years.

Francesco and Maria Teresa Grillo asked Benedict whether the soul of their son Francesco remained within his body or was elsewhere given his degenerating mental state.

The Pope, speaking from his office in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, told them: "Certainly his soul is still present in his body.

"The situation is a little like a guitar which has had its strings broken and can no longer be played....the soul cannot be heard but it remains within.

"I'm also sure that this hidden soul can feel your love, even if it cannot understand the details, the words. But it feels the presence of love."

The parents' round-the-clock care for their son was "a testimony to faith in God, to respect for human life," the Pope said.

He also answered a question from a seven-year-old Japanese girl who was caught up in the tsunami about why so many children had to suffer in natural calamities.

"I ask myself the same question," he said. "We don't have the answers, but we know that Jesus suffered as innocent children suffer."

Benedict also responded to questions about the civil war in Ivory Coast, calling for greater dialogue between Islam and Christianity, and the dangers endured by Christians in Iraq.

The programme, In His Image, was recorded last week and will be aired on Italian state television at 1.10pm GMT.

It is expected to be rebroadcast by television networks around the world.

Source;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/reli...interview.html

[giovonni]

Pope: Humanity isn't random product of evolution


Pope Benedict XVI holds a candle as he celebrates the Easter Vigil mass, in St. Peter's Basilica.

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Nicole Winfield, Associated Press – Sat Apr 23, 6:33 pm ET

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI marked the holiest night of the year for Christians by stressing that humanity isn't a random product of evolution.

Benedict emphasized the Biblical account of creation in his Easter Vigil homily Saturday, saying it was wrong to think at some point "in some tiny corner of the cosmos there evolved randomly some species of living being capable of reasoning and of trying to find rationality within creation, or to bring rationality into it."

"If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe, then his life would make no sense or might even be a chance of nature," he said. "But no, reason is there at the beginning: creative, divine reason."

Church teaching holds that Roman Catholicism and evolutionary theory are not necessarily at odds: A Christian can, for example, accept the theory of evolution to help explain developments, but is taught to believe that God, not random chance, is the origin of the world. The Vatican, however, warns against creationism, or the overly literal interpretation of the Bibilical account of creation.

Benedict's voice was hoarse and he coughed several times during the three-hour service, which ended after midnight. It was the second late night in a row for the 84-year-old pontiff following his participation in the Good Friday Way of the Cross procession at Rome's Colosseum, which commemorates Jesus' death.

On Sunday, he celebrates Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square and gives his traditional Easter greetings in dozens of languages — his last major celebration before next week's beatification of Pope John Paul II.

The Easter Vigil is the most important liturgy on the church's calendar, when the faithful mark the passage from Christ's death to his resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is rich with symbols: fire and light signifying Jesus' resurrection, and the water used to baptize people into the faith.

On Saturday night, Benedict baptized six adults from Switzerland, Albania, Russia, Peru, Singapore and China, pouring water over their heads as he prayed.

Benedict began the service by lighting a candle and walking down a darkened central aisle of St. Peter's Basilica in silence, while hundreds of faithful in the pews shared the flame from candle to candle until the entire basilica twinkled.

This year, students of the Legion of Christ, the conservative order undergoing a major Vatican-mandated overhaul, provided the liturgical service at the vigil. The Vatican took over the Legion last May 1 after confirming its founder was a pedophile.

Source;
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110423/...easter_vigil_4

[OnyxKnight]

Posted by shybastid (here)
Now I read the Pope is upset that how could anyone have the nerve to combine Pedophiles with Homosexuality, and Priests against Jesus ?
What???? It did'nt happen?

Well its not one and the same, and everyone should know that.