“Encounter” (Encontro) is a white-marble sculpture by Portuguese architect and artist Álvaro Siza Vieira, unveiled in the Vatican Gardens on September 24. The anthropomorphic work depicts a slender, stylized figure positioned near an olive tree and facing the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was previously displayed as part of the Holy See Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale. At the unveiling, Vatican Governor Sister Raffaella Petrini described it as an encounter between art, the Pope’s gardens, and the community. Open to individual interpretation, the sculpture is intended to evoke care for our “Common Home,” fraternity, peace, and a “culture of encounter.”
New sculpture installed in Vatican gardens: My first associations are a giant outdoor Wi-Fi router, a solar-powered parking meter, a minimalist surveillance camera, a patio table growing out of a bollard, or an unfinished Starlink terminal for the Vatican.
St. Paisios ~ The devil spread three tentacles to capture the whole world-the rich to catch them with masonry, the poor with communism, and the religious with ecumenism...
Leo XIV rejected assisted dying at Lourdes, warning against “false compassion” and declaring that “what is legal is not necessarily moral.” Pope Leo XIV on Sunday strongly rejected euthanasia while addressing sick and disabled people and healthcare workers at the Sanctuary of Lourdes, France. Speaking at the Accueil Notre-Dame, Leo XIV said the human person is “worthy” simply by virtue of existing and that human dignity “cannot be measured or debated.” “No human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” he said. He continued: “We must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion.” Leo XIV added: “It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.” Turning directly to healthcare workers, he said their vocation is “to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person.” The Pope also repeated a warning he made in June that medicine must never become “the servant of programmed death,”…More
[English Video] Der panafrikanische Redner Joshua Mara-Rah Maponga III kritisiert die Überheblichkeit der Zionisten sowie des israelischen Ministerpräsidenten Benjamin Netanjahu und dessen Auftreten gegenüber der internationalen Gemeinschaft. Gegen Netanjahu besteht seit November 2024 ein Haftbefehl des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs wegen mutmaßlicher Kriegsverbrechen und Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit in Gaza. Zugleich steht Israel wegen des Vorwurfs des Völkermords vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof (IGH) . Auch Deutschland steht wegen des Vorwurfs der Beihilfe zum Völkermord vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof. Wie aktuell diese Kritik ist, zeigte Netanjahus gestrige Rede vor der UN-Generalversammlung . Während zahlreiche Delegationen demonstrativ den Saal verließen, beschimpfte er sie als „moralische Feiglinge“. Außerdem verteidigte Netanjahu die gemeinsamen völkerrechtswidrigen Angriffe mit den USA auf den Iran und behauptete, dessen militärische und nukleare …More
‘The Book of Questions’ – St. Birgitta of Sweden – Interrogation 14, Revelation 9, pages 36-37; ‘Christ warns her to conform herself to that same Spirit.…’; part I [Saint Bridget of Sweden – XIV Century AD; born: Uppland, Sweden/died: Rome, Papal States; Patron Saint of Europe, Widow, Mystic, Spiritual Writer] Interrogation 14 First question. Again the monk appeared on his rung as before, saying: ”O Judge, I ask you: Why do animals suffer disease, though they will not obtain eternal life nor have the use of reason?” Second question. ”Why is everything born in pain, though sin is not involved in every birth?” Third question. ”Why does an infant carry the sin of its father, though it does not know how to sin?” Fourth question. ”Why do unforeseen events happen so often?” Fifth question. ”Why does a bad person die in a good death like the righteous while a righteous person sometimes dies a bad death like the unrighteous?” Answer to the first question. The Judge answered: ”Friend, your …More
1,200+ Audio Tracks We are stepping into an emerging horizon where the dramatized audio Bible evolves beyond static playback into an adaptive, multi-dimensional sonic experience—weaving multi-cast voice acting, spatial acoustics, and contextual scoring directly into ancient text. Rather than settling for traditional single-narrator audiobooks, it represents an unfinished frontier in auditory technology: an evolving theater-of-the-mind framework striving to fully reconstruct biblical narratives, dynamic dialogues, and historical environments for tomorrow's listeners. Visit patrick.com.ng
>>btselem.org/the_elimination_project/?lang=en "All this didn't start with the current Israeli government, and it didn't begin on October 7th. Over time the methods have changed, the scale changed, but the direction remained. In the West Bank apartheid remains the central legal framework for understanding the Israeli regime and the crimes committed to maintain it", said Yuli Novak, B’Tselem’s Executive Director, at the launch of our new report The Elimination Project. A checkpoint. A community forced from its land. A farmer unable to reach his fields. An economy pushed further into crisis. A journalist arrested. These may look like separate events. B’Tselem’s new report shows that they are interconnected parts of the same system. Understand the logic behind what is happening in the West Bank. See the full picture. Read the full report... >> btselem.org/the_elimination_project/?lang=en facebook
Rev. Joseph was seven when he saw his father murder his mother. Decades later, he became a Catholic priest. Born Youssef in Cluses in the French Alps, he was seven when he returned from a ski camp and found his father stabbing his mother. She died hours later. His father was imprisoned and Youssef placed in foster care. At 18, he was expelled. Alcoholism cost him his work and housing, and he spent three years living on a bench in Grenoble. There, a priest named Gérard greeted him daily. After three years, Gérard sat beside him and invited him for coffee—the start of Youssef’s recovery. After three detoxifications and two rehabilitation stays, he became sober, converted to Catholicism and took the name Joseph. He later travelled to his father’s grave in Constantine, Algeria, where he says he forgave him. Joseph entered seminary at 44 and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Paris in 2020. He now serves at the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots | Give Mary the Knots You Cannot Untangle | September 28 Is there something in your life that feels completely tangled? A relationship you cannot repair. A family conflict that keeps returning. A decision with no clear answer. Resentment you cannot release. Financial problems. Fear about the future. Or perhaps a problem you've tried repeatedly to solve—and somehow the knot only becomes tighter. The devotion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots gives us a beautiful image of bringing these complicated situations to God through Mary's intercession. WHAT ARE THE KNOTS? The knots aren't magical objects. They represent the difficulties that become tangled in our lives: Misunderstandings. Arguments. Broken relationships. Sin. Fear. Pride. Unforgiveness. Anxiety. Problems we cannot solve by ourselves. Sometimes we pull harder at these knots and only make them tighter. This devotion invites us to stop trying to control everything and instead pray: “Mary, help me place this …More
Unsere Liebe Frau, die Knotenlöserin | Übergib Maria die Knoten, die du nicht lösen kannst | 28. September Gibt es etwas in Ihrem Leben, das sich völlig verstrickt anfühlt? Eine Beziehung, die Sie nicht retten können. Ein Familienkonflikt, der immer wiederkehrt. Eine Entscheidung, für die es keine klare Lösung gibt. Groll, den Sie nicht loslassen können. Finanzielle Probleme. Zukunftsängste. Oder vielleicht ein Problem, das Sie schon oft versucht haben zu lösen – und irgendwie wird der Knoten nur noch fester. Die Verehrung der Muttergottes, der Knotenlöserin, vermittelt uns ein wunderschönes Bild davon, wie wir diese komplizierten Situationen durch Marias Fürsprache zu Gott bringen können. WAS SIND DIESE KNOTEN? Die Knoten sind keine magischen Objekte. Sie stehen für die Schwierigkeiten, die sich in unserem Leben verstricken: Missverständnisse. Streitigkeiten. Zerbrochene Beziehungen. Sünde. Angst. Stolz. Unversöhnlichkeit. Sorgen. Probleme, die wir nicht allein lösen können. Manchmal …More
"She [Mary] made little shirts of the linen that she had spun during the early period of her marriage, with the intention of offering it at, the temple. Happily her intention was changed; nevertheless she made an offering of what was left. The blessed Virgin had woven this linen on her knees, with tears of an inexpressible devotion. St. Joseph also purchased flowers and aromatics, from which the holy Mother composed the most delicious perfume that ever was made."
‘Admirable Life Of Patriarch Saint Joseph’ by Venerable Mary of Agreda; Chapter VII; ‘MODE OF LIFE OF THE AUGUST MARY …’; part II; pages 118-120 [Venerable Mary of Agreda – XVII Century AD; born/died: Agreda, Spain; Mystic; Writer; ‘Blue Nun’] Chapter VIII ~ PREPARATIONS FOR THE BIRTH OF THE INFANT JESUS ——EDICT OF AUGUSTUS. ~-THE BLESSED MARY AND ST. JOSEPH GO TO BETHLEHEM. St. Joseph, having received payment for some of his work, purchased, according to the wishes of his spouse, two pieces of cloth, one white, i and the other nearer violet than gray—the best that could be found. Our lovely Lady made of them swaddling clothes for her most holy child. She made little shirts of the linen that she had spun during the early period of her marriage, with the intention of offering it at, the temple. Happily her intention was changed; nevertheless she made an offering of what was left. The blessed Virgin had woven this linen on her knees, with tears of an inexpressible devotion. St. Joseph also …More
Islam at the Gates By Diane Moczar D. Arts How Christendom defeated the Ottoman Turks Historian Diane Moczar pulls back the curtain on one of the most important acts in the drama of Muslim aggression against the West: the 500-year-long siege of Europe by the Ottoman Turks. Tracing the rise of the Turkish people from wandering Asian tribe to mighty pan-continental empire, Islam at the Gates chronicles the heroes and villains, the battles and atrocities, the tragic errors and timely miracles, that marked the Ottomans’ incursions from Europe’s borders to the very heart of Christendom; and then, by the grace of God, their eventual repulsion and final defeat. In these pages you’ll encounter: The bold sultans, timid emperors, and vile traitors who aided the Turkish advance — and the popes who tirelessly preached Crusade against it Brave saints who rallied Christian forces against the invaders — including the hardy warrior-monk who died in battle at the age of sixty-one The island fortress …More
Pope Leo at Lourdes: ‘The Church Must Have the Courage to Begin With Herself’ | SG News Pope Leo XIV has delivered one of the strongest calls for repentance of his Apostolic Journey to France, telling the Catholic Church that true conversion must begin within herself. Speaking before an estimated 150,000 pilgrims at Lourdes on September 27, the Pope reflected on penance, conversion and the wounds caused by sin. His message came only hours before a scheduled private meeting with survivors of sexual abuse in the French Church. Pope Leo told the enormous congregation: “This call to conversion also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself.” He continued: “In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze.” The Holy Father did not explicitly mention the French abuse crisis during this section of the homily. But the …More
Please tell us Robert FTR Prevost, why does the Church need to convert herself? That is certainly true of your SIN-odal mess, but not of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.
Redner Joshua Mara-Rah Maponga III kritisiert die Überheblichkeit der Zionisten sowie des israelischen Ministerpräsidenten Benjamin Netanjahu und dessen Auftreten gegenüber der internationalen Gemeinschaft.
wegen mutmaßlicher Kriegsverbrechen und Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit in Gaza. Zugleich steht Israel wegen des Vorwurfs des Völkermords vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof (IGH)
steht wegen des Vorwurfs der Beihilfe zum Völkermord vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof.
Fletch17 (@RealFletch17) on X
WHAT ARE THE KNOTS? The knots aren't magical objects. They represent the difficulties that become tangled in our lives: Misunderstandings. Arguments. Broken relationships. Sin. Fear. Pride. Unforgiveness. Anxiety. Problems we cannot solve by ourselves. Sometimes we pull harder at these knots and only make them tighter. This devotion invites us to stop trying to control everything and instead pray: “Mary, help me place this …More