BENTO XVI APELA AO DIÁLOGO COM MUÇULMANOS

Após assassinato de bispo católico na Turquia

Bento XVI apela ao diálogo com muçulmanos
O Papa Bento XVI iniciou hoje uma visita de três dias ao Chipre e apelou a continuar com um diálogo com "os irmãos muçulmanos" apesar dos problemas,

As palavras do Sumo Pontífice, o primeiro na História a visitar o Chipre, adquirem um significado especial após o assasinato, na Turquia, do bispo Luigi Padovese, presidente da Conferência Episcopal turca. Bento XVI afirmou que o brutal assassínio não deve minar o diálogo com o Islão nem lesar a imagem da Turquia. Refira-se que segundo as autoridades turcas, Padovese terá sido mortalmente esfaqueado pelo seu motorista, um católico de 26 anos que trabalhava para o bispo há quatro anos e estava em tratamento psiquiátrico.

PRINCE ALBERT AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The Sovereign Prince of Monaco is serious about the environment -as absolutely everyone should know at this point- and he was banging the environmentalism drum again on the first of this month he officially opened "Monacology"; a week of environmental awareness in the Principality of Monaco. This year it corresponded with International Kids Day so there was some special attention given to children. A number of topics were talked about from fishing (bad), farming (bad), deforestation (bad), repotting plants (good) and recycling (good). The next day he was in Paris to talk plants and hand out Prince Rainier III scholarships. That is probably one reason why Prince Albert (who talks about environmentalism *alot*) is usually preaching to the choir when it comes to 'green' issues. There really is not much Monaco can do to impact the environment; it is extremely developed but does have a high percentage of park space for so small a country and the Prince is constantly on the move, jetting around the world which would not tend to make global warming skeptics take him very seriously (though the Prince has done far more than many others who only talk about the problem). It is obviously an issue he cares a great deal about, but talking about the polar ice cap or ocean temperatures simply does not stir the public sympathy in the same way as Princess Stephanie caring for AIDS victims or Princess Caroline caring for orphans and destitute children does.

Posted by MadMonarchist at 12:28 AM 0 comments
Labels: Albert II, environmentalism, news

BENEDICTUS XVI: LANDMARK VISIT TO CYPRUS

Pope Benedict is beginning an official visit to Cyprus - the first time a pontiff has gone to the divided island.

The three-day visit has been overshadowed by the murder in Turkey of a prominent Catholic bishop who was planning to meet the Pope in Cyprus.

A huge image of the Pope adorns the entrance of the Latin Church of the Holy Cross in Nicosia

The Vatican has expressed shock and concern at the stabbing to death of Bishop Luigi Padovese at his home.

A key issue for the Pope on this visit is the survival of minority Christian communities in the Middle East.

The bishop's violent death in Turkey on Thursday is evidence of the continuing pressure under which these communities live. Police say the killer was his driver, and that the murder was not politically motivated.

Bishop Padovese had been due to leave to meet the Pope on Friday In the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, the Pope will stay at the apostolic nunciature, which lies in no-man's-land - the buffer zone separating the Greek Cypriot side from the territory occupied by Turkey since 1974.

Cyprus's Ambassador to the Vatican, George Poulides, will be among those greeting the Pope on his arrival in Paphos, a popular tourist destination for British families.

"This is an historic visit because it's the first visit by a Pope ever to Cyprus and it's also the first visit by Pope Benedict XVI to an Orthodox country," he said.

Paphos was visited by the apostle Saint Paul and, according to the Bible account, he converted the Roman governor to Christianity during his journey across the Mediterranean from Jerusalem to Rome.

It was also for centuries the site of the cult of the Greek goddess Aphrodite - said to have risen from the sea near here.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded in response to a military coup backed by the junta ruling Greece at the time. The breakaway north is not recognised internationally