Hostage terror in Sydney, 129 drown in African ferry disaster, 19 slaughtered in Iraq, Chinese join ISIS, Church torched in Georgia, Hamas vows to destroy Israel ..

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VATICAN CITY

"Prayer is the breath of the soul" — Pope Francis 
RADIO VATICANA

The Pontiff’s "Five Finger Prayer" 
VATICAN INSIDER

“Christmas is not about consumerism, it’s about helping others" — Pope Francis 
VATICAN INSIDER

Pope Francis offers encouragement to beleaguered Middle Eastern faithful 
CATHOLIC HERALD

Pope Francis:
"Serving the poor is how to meet Jesus" — (
Amen to that Papa Francesco!) 
VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis meets with Italian Prime Minister 
RADIO VATICANA

Philippines: 
Army and Maoist rebels agree to truce during papal visit 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Knights donate $2 million to papal charities  
CNA

Vatican to visit front line in Ebola battle — His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will depart for Sierra Leone on Tuesday and then proceed to Liberia on 18 December 
RADIO VATICANA

Was 2014 the most progressive year for the Catholic Church? 
QUARTZ

Tacloban flights canceled for Pope Francis visit — All commercial flights to and from Tacloban scheduled for January 17, 2015 will be suspended for the arrival of Pope Francis 
PHILSTAR

 

NORTH AMERICA

"Peaceful" California protests involved flag burning and the smashing of stores 
BREITBART

Church set on fire in Roswell, Georgia — (Has anyone noticed the worldwide increase in the numbers of churches being burned?)  
WMAZ

What Jonathan Gruber taught as about Obamacare: Call it
the Arrogance of the Liberal Elite — "Gruber understood Americans had to be shielded from what the law actually did, because if they did know they would not have supported it. He additionally believed that subterfuge was necessary to pass the law because Americans are too stupid to understand what is good for them." 
CHRISTIAN POST

US cities vie for Pope’s attention 
CRUX

The New America: 
California University ‘de-recognizes’ Christian group for accepting only Christians in leadership roles 
CHRISTIAN POST

Voucher backers to Colorado high court:  
"Don’t exclude religious schools" — The Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs has joined several other Christian schools and organizations in a legal brief to support a county voucher program, saying the Colorado Supreme Court should not exclude schools that are “too religious.” 
CNA

Letter: 
A defense of Catholic services — "A genuine version of history reminds us that religious schools, particularly those in the Catholic tradition, were created because of anti-Catholic sentiment that prevailed in the early 19th century public school system. Catholic schools have since gone on to provide a superior education to all students, regardless of their background or income level, and in spite of the archaic language found in Article 8, Section 2 of the Michigan Constitution" 
THE DETROIT NEWS 

Calgary and Edmonton Catholic bishops pen letters on GSA’s — Calgary’s Roman Catholic Bishop Fred Henry and Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith have added their voices to the debate surrounding Bill 10, the controversial legislation about student-led gay-straight alliances (GSAs) 
CBC

 

LATIN AMERICA

Brazilian man confesses to killing over 40 people "for fun." 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

Mexican Federal Police may have been involved in deaths of 43 students 
BREITBART

 

ISRAEL

Hamas vows to destroy Israel 
RT

Washington undecided on UN resolution for Palestinian state 
REUTERS

Muslims arrested in east Jerusalem for using Facebook to incite terrorism 
JERUSALEM POST

Israel offers support in wake of Sydney hostage-taking 
BIN

No reason to believe US will reverse policy on supporting imposed Palestinian state 
JERUSALEM POST

Netanyahu vows support to persecuted Christians — 
“I promise we will support you” Netanyahu has said to Christians in Nazareth 
JERUSALEM POST

UN Security Council condemns attack on Israeli embassy in Athens 
YNET 

 

RUSSIA

Kissinger warns of West’s "fatal mistake" that may lead to new Cold War — (Welcome to the debate, Henry. Gorbachev already said this some weeks ago and others predicted a deterioration of "East-West" relations within the opening months of Obama’s administration) 
RT

Moscow condemns US aid to Ukraine 
RADIO VATICANA

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church faces possible ban 25 years after legalization — Twenty-five years after its legalization in the former Soviet Union, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church says his Church is faced once again with the possibility of being outlawed in parts of Ukraine  
VATICAN NEWS

Cold War II: 
Defense Secretary warns Putin he is playing "dangerous game"
 allowing bombers to fly over UK waters 
DAILY MAIL

Why is Russia buying-up weapons? 
CNN

 

RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA

Greg Daly’s report on 
"Moral Authority" covers aspects of the recent report into the CIA torture of terrorist suspects and briefly quotes David Cameron’s statement defending the need to maintain moral authority
— and in this regard, Cameron is absolutely right. 
ALETEIA

 

The Pope’s Christmas Greeting to those in prison. Read how Pope Francis has written to prisoners in Italy encouraing inmates not to view their time as "lost" but as
an opportunity for growth. 
ALETEIA

 

BRITAIN & IRELAND

Britain to send hundreds more troops to Iraq — (Why pussyfoot around by drip-feeding troops into this situation, unless of course the intention is to drag-out the campaign for as long as possible?) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

British Foreign Office caught funding training program for North Korean propagandists 
BREITBART

British soldiers told not to shout at or insult terror suspects, report claims (Yes I can see it now, "Excuse me Sir, would you like one lump or two with your tea during interrogation?
Pathetic!) 
FOX

The War on Catholics: 
Catholics demand apology after Ofsted makes "unsubstantiated" extremism claim against school 
DAILY TELEGRAPH

85-year-old dies after being moved out of care home in the cold — (We need to love and care for our elderly, at all times. God help us!) 
DAILY MAIL

Bishop of Durham says 
"Stay at home parenting is best for children" 
CHRONICLE LIVE

 

EUROPE

Armed Siege in Ghent, Belgium: Four armed men have entered a flat in the Belgian city of Ghent  
BBC

Police raid Turkish media group critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — (Watch as Turkey becomes increasingly aligned with fundamentalist Islam) 
BBC

10 arrested in French jihadi recruiting network 
FOX

 

AFRICA

129 Die in Lake Tangananyika ferry disaster 
DAILY MAIL  BBC

Christian widow killed in Nigerian bomb blast 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

Christians and Muslims gather at Egypt’s al-Azhar University to condemn Islamist terrorism 
ALETEIA

African child burned by Islamists — 3-year-old Joel was on his way home from Sunday school when Islamic terrorists ripped his children’s Bible from his hands and tossed it onto a burning pile. Joel ran after his Bible and tried to scoot it out of the flames with a stick. When one of the insurgents saw him, he shoved Joel’s head into the fire and held it down with his boot.
“You stubborn infidel,” the Muslim hissed. 
VOTM

 

MIDDLE EAST

ISIS slaughters 19 policemen in Iraq 
ALJAZEERA

Afghanistan: 
Supreme Court official shot dead by Taliban 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Does the West ignore Christians in Iraq because they lack economic stake? 
CNA

Hundreds of Chinese said to be fighting alongside Islamic State in Middle East 
JERUSALEM POST

Iraqi churches used as torture chambers by Islamic State 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s news channel to start broadcasting from Bahrain in February — (Oh joy of joys! And what, pray tell, can we expect from Alwaleed’s news channel
— fair unbiased reporting of Middle East politics?)  
FOX

 

FAMILY MATTERS

7 Basics for Ministers who want to maintain their sexual integrity 
ICH

An open letter to my porn-watching Dad! 
FAITH IT

 

~ ~ ~

 

ADDITIONAL

New religious demographic to watch out for: 
Those who are Christian, but who are "Done" with Church 
ICH

Louis Zamperini’s daughter talks about his extraordinary life and walk with God 
GOSPEL HERALD

Are Christian podcasts replacing Church? 
SLATE

Hallmark apologizes for ‘swastika’ wrapping paper — (Has anyone noticed how the swastika has made a "reappearance" recently?)  
CHRISTIAN TODAY

The world’s largest Hanukkah menorah, as verified by the Guinness World Records, will be proudly standing once again on New York City’s Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, just below Central Park in what is known as the Big Apple’s most fashionable plaza 
BIN

Bonhoeffer in Advent — "The joy of God goes through the poverty of the manger and the agony of the cross" 
FIRST THINGS