LIFESITENEWS: Polish bishops end Year of Mercy by enthroning Christ as King in presence of president

KRAKOW- ŁAGIEWNIKI, Poland, November 23, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — On November 19, at the end of the Jubilee of Mercy, Poland celebrated a historical Act of Acceptance of Christ as King and Lord with a Mass at the Shrine of Divine Mercy, with the Polish bishops, government authorities, and many faithful in attendance. President Andrzej Duda from the Law and Justice Party took part in the event, thus attracting international media attention.

More than 100,000 Poles in Krakow recited the solemn pledge: “O Immortal King of Ages, Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior! In the Jubilee Year of the 1,050th anniversary of Poland’s baptism, in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, we Poles stand here before you to acknowledge your reign, to submit ourselves to your law, to entrust and consecrate to you our Fatherland and our whole people.”

The ceremony was organized by the Polish Bishops’ Conference, inspired by Pope Francis’ papal bull Misericordiae Vultus. In relation to the closing of the Holy Door of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Holy Father wrote, “We will entrust the life of the Church, all humanity, and the entire cosmos to the Lordship of Christ, asking him to pour out his mercy upon us like the morning dew, so that everyone may work together to build a brighter future.”

During the Mass, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow and the president of the Conference of the Polish Episcopate, said, “We invite Jesus into our hearts, families, communities, and surroundings … and to all which constitutes Poland.” The Cardinal added that all persons should not be afraid to proclaim such things.

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The idea for this proclamation came from the Commission for the Movements of Christ’s Enthronement. In an October pastoral letter, the Polish Bishops explained, “There is no need to enthrone Christ in the sense of placing him on the throne and giving him the power or proclaiming him king.” However, “there is an urgent need to enthrone Christ in the hearts of the faithful, by reviving living faith and the life of faith.” Therefore, the Act contains a profession of faith and renunciation of evil.

Bishop Andrzej Czaja, president of the Groups for Enthronement, said that the primary purpose of the Act is “faithful recognition of Jesus, surrendering and entrusting our personal, family, and national lives to Him in all dimensions, and living according to God’s law.” He added, “As such, it should therefore also be an act of justice, in the sense of devoting what is due to God, and at the same time an act of obedience to God in response to His Love.”

Most of the people were not able to enter the Shrine of Divine Mercy and stood outside in the rain. Among them were members of the Right to Life Foundation, who were holding pro-life posters. Many participants interviewed by Polonia Christiana TV mentioned that they wanted Poland to ban abortion, which the ruling party Law and Justice is unwilling to do.

It appears that the Church authorities hinted at that. During the homily, Bishop Czaja said, “There is a need for clear respect for God’s law, so that man’s law does not supercede it.” He clarified that this respect would assure that “what’s morally good and ethical would not be neglected.” Bishop Czaja also talked about giving the first place to Christ in all aspects of life, including professional.

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However, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin commented that the enthronement had no political meaning and that politicians present accepted Christ as King and Lord only as private citizens.

The Saturday celebration in the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow preceded the feast of the Solemnity of Christ the King in the Catholic liturgical year. Last Sunday, the Act of Acceptance of Christ as King and Lord was recited in all Catholic churches in Poland.

A short video from the celebration can be viewed here:

The full text of the Jubilee Act of Acceptance of Jesus Christ as King and Lord as translated by the Bishops’ Conference:

O Immortal King of Ages, Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior! In the Jubilee Year of the 1050th anniversary of Poland’s Baptism, in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, we Poles stand here before you [together with our authorities, clergy and laity] to acknowledge your reign, to submit ourselves to your law, to entrust and consecrate to you our Fatherland and our whole people.

Assyrian Christians Boldly Proclaim Jesus at the Presence of Muslim Migrants Attending Football in Germany

LONG LIVE ASSYRIAN BRETHREN!

CATHOLIC POLAND STANDS AGAINST THE INVADING MUSLIMS!

Pope receives Charlemagne Prize and calls for a more humane Europe

Muslims Converting to Christianity in Austria, On the Rise Says Bishop

Please use Auto-Translation available in the link

Source: Katholische Kirche Österreich 

Religionsfreiheit von Islam einfordern

Wiener Erzbischof: Immer mehr Muslime wollen Christen werden, "aber wir prüfen sehr genau, ob es eine ehrliche Konversion ist"

Im Verhältnis zum Islam sind Gewissens- und Religionsfreiheit als "Schlüsselbegriffe der Menschenrechte" unaufgebbar, und sie müssen hier und in islamischen Ländern eingefordert werden. Das unterstrich Kardinal Christoph Schönborn am Sonntag in der "ORF-Pressestunde". Muslime, die nach Österreich kommen, müssten diese Werte kennenlernen und auch akzeptieren. Deswegen sage er auch deutlich Ja zur Vermittlung eines entsprechenden Wertekatalogs an Flüchtlinge. Anders als dem Christentum und dem Judentum fehle im Islam eine Aufklärung, die in Europa mühsam Stück für Stück errungen werden musste, wies Schönborn hin. In islamischen Ländern bestehe "Religionsfreiheit bestenfalls auf dem Papier".

"Eindeutig Nachholbedarf" ortete der Wiener Erzbischof beim Frauenbild vieler Muslime. Diskriminierungen von Frauen seien allerdings auch in Österreich spät beseitigt worden und noch immer im Gange, gab der Vorsitzende der Bischofskonferenz zu bedenken. Er erinnerte daran, dass seine alleinerziehende Mutter eine berufliche Führungsposition erarbeitete, jedoch bis zu ihrer Pensionierung Gehaltsnachteile gegenüber Männern erdulden musste.

Der Kardinal bestätigte, dass es immer mehr Muslime gebe, die zum Christentum konvertieren wollen. "Auch ich habe schon viele Muslime getauft", erklärte Schönborn und verwies gleichzeitig auf die klaren kirchenrechtlichen Regeln dafür. "Wir prüfen sehr genau, ob es eine ehrliche Konversion ist." Daher müssten alle erwachsenen Taufbewerber ein mindestens einjähriges Katechumenat absovieren, bevor die Taufe gespendet wird und die Konversion vom Asylgerichtshof gegebenenfalls als nachgereichter Asylgrund anerkannt wird.

The Great Cathedral of Cordoba (Spain), Who Owns it?

Photo Source: Wikipedia

In the headline of The Guardian, it reported that the government of Cordoba (Spain) rejected a Catholic claim over an ownership of a Cathedral turned mosques by the invading Muslims between 711 AD to 788 AD which was returned to Catholics in 1236 AD and was converted to a Catholic Church cathedral.

Due to its antiquity and it's cultural and historical importance, the UNESCO declared in 1984 as one of the prized World Heritage site with "exceptional universal value", thus rejecting any group or entity of its ownership.

But who really owns the Cathedral?

Here is what I've got from Wikipedia:

"The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba [2] (Spanish: Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba), also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba (Spanish: Mezquita de Córdoba),[3] whose ecclesiastical name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción),[4] is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia.[5] The structure is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

The site was originally built by the Visigoths as the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins.[6][7][8] When Muslims conquered Spain in 711, the church was first divided into Muslim and Christian halves. This sharing arrangement of the site lasted until 784, when the Christian half was purchased by the Emir 'Abd al-Rahman I, who then proceeded to demolish the entire structure and build the grand mosque of Cordoba on its ground.[7][9] Córdoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista, and the building was converted to a Roman Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century.[7][8]

Since the early 2000s, Spanish Muslims have lobbied the Roman Catholic Church to allow them to pray in the cathedral.[10][11] This Muslim campaign has been rejected on multiple occasions, both by the church authorities in Spain and by the Vatican.[10][12]

It must be also noted that the same fate of the famous Hagia Sophia Christian Cathedral in Istanbul (Turkey) fell at the hands of the invading Ottoman  Turks (Muslims) in 1453 AD.  As practiced by Muslim conquerors, non-Muslim holy sites were turned into mosques, either to humiliate the conquered state or to showcase the "glorious" victory of Islam over the unbelievers.

Photo Source: Wikipedia

Similarly, the fate of the fallen Jewish Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 70 AD was replaced by the Dome of the Rock Mosque when Jerusalem fell under the invading Muslims in 637 AD.

The Dome of the Rock sitting on top of the Jewish Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Here is a list of Converted non-Muslim Place of Worship into Mosques!

Pope Francis calls Paris Muslim terrorist attack part of 'piecemeal World War III'

#FightIslam #PrayForParis

A mourner pays his respect outside the Le Carillon restaurant the morning after a series of deadly attacks in Paris that killed at least 127 [Photo Source: DailyMail.Co.UK]

Pope calls Paris terrorist attacks part of 'piecemeal WWIII'

By Ann Schneible

Vatican City, Nov 14, 2015 / 04:52 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The acts of terrorism which took place in Paris Friday night are the latest part in what Pope Francis has called a “piecemeal World War III,” describing the attacks as “inhuman.”

“There is no justification for these things,” the pontiff said in a phone interview Saturday with TV 2000, the official broadcasting station for the Italian Bishops Conference.

Speaking in response to the Nov. 13, which are the deadliest acts of violence the city has seen since the World War II, the Pope said he is “moved and pained” by what happened, and expressed his closeness to those affected by the tragedy.

“I am close to the people of France, to the families of the victims, and I am praying for all of them,” he said.

“These things are hard to understand,” he said, adding that he “loves France very much.”

At least 128 people are confirmed dead and more than 180 wounded in terrorist attacks which targeted bars, restaurants, a concert hall, and a football stadium in the heart of Paris on Nov. 13. Around 80 people are listed in critical condition, according to the BBC.

The deadliest attack came when militants overtook the Bataclan concert hall, in which at least 82 people were killed, after the terrorists had siezed dozens of hostages.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing the terrorists cry out “Allahu Akbar!” – Arabic for “God is Great!” The terrorists carried out the siege with suicide bombs and semi-automatic weapons. Police have said all eight attackers are dead.

In the wake of the attacks, Paris archbishop Cardinal André Vingt-Trois in a Nov. 14 statement appealed for the grace to be “artisans of peace.” He stressed that “we must never despair of peace if we are to build justice.

“Faced with the violence of men,” he said, “we can receive the grace of a steadfast heart without hate.” The French prelate called for people to not give in to panic or hatred.

“This morning I pray and I invite the Catholics of Paris to pray for those who were killed yesterday and for their families,” Cardinal André Vingt-Trois continued. He also called for prayers for the injured, those working to help those affected by the crisis, and the nation's leaders in order that they “remain together in unity and peace of heart.”

"We ask for the grace to be artisans of peace. We must never despair of peace, if you justice," he said.

The BBC reports that French president Francois Hollande has called the attacks “an act of war” by ISIS.

The French president declared a nationwide state of emergency soon after the rampage began and closed the country's borders. Parisians were urged to stay in doors.

This is the second and deadlier of two sieges against Paris by Islamic terrorists in 2015. 12 people were killed on Jan. 7 when Islamic terrorists stormed the headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

PROPHETIC STATEMENTS: Will a Future Pope Be Forced to Flee Rome?

I can never trust our Muslim brethren who are living in Europe and the Americas while their leading preachers or imam (speaking in Arabic which most of us do not understand) during their Friday prayers announce publicly their intention to conquer Europe and Rome. 

If that would happen (God forbids), will Protestant churches, or the anti-Catholic sects and culs such as the Iglesia Ni Cristo® of Felix Manalo protect Rome and defend the Vatican and the Pope? Then we will know the Judases and the traitors! -CD2000

The current arc of history seems to be drawing us back into a very dark past—a time when Islam ruled half the civilized world and threatened the rest of it.

By William Kilpatrick from The Catholic World Report

A demonstrator holds up a sign reading "I'm Muslim don't panic" during a protest against Islamophobia in front of the Brussels' Justice Palace in Belgium Oct. 26, 2014. (CNS photo/Francois Lenoir, Reuters)

Where will the Pope live when Rome falls to Islam?

It’s not an idle question. For one thing, there is historical precedent. Popes have been forced from Rome in the past. For another thing, numerous Islamic authorities have explicitly targeted Rome for conquest.

Rome may be the Eternal City, but it has seen rough times. In 846, for instance, Pope Leo IV had to briefly flee Rome when it was attacked by an Arab fleet. The following year, he ordered the construction of a great wall around the Vatican to protect it from marauding Muslims. Even as recently as the 1940s, Rome was occupied by a foreign army. Although the Nazis left the pope alone, there is no guarantee that that situation would have continued had the Germans been able to keep the Allied forces at bay.

If Rome ever falls to Islam, the pope—whoever he may be at that time—may choose to remain in Rome and suffer the almost certain martyrdom that would follow. That is up to him and the Holy Spirit. However, in light of the escalating Islamization of Europe, it would seem prudent for Vatican officials to draw up some contingency plans. If the pope chooses exile, it would probably have to be in North or South American since it’s unlikely there will be any safe havens in Europe. In fact, Italy is currently a safer place than many other European nations. Although many Muslim immigrants pass through Italy, it is not their first choice of residence. Other European countries offer much more generous welfare incentives than does Italy. Countries such as England, Belgium, France, Sweden, and Germany are likely to fall first.

By “fall,” I don’t mean that these countries will fall to Muslim armies. That probably won’t be necessary. What we will see—what we are already witnessing—is a slow, steady process of submission. Well, slow and steady up to a point—and then, a rapid acceleration.

Some places in Europe seem already to be in the rapid acceleration phase. Birmingham, England now has more Muslim than Christian children. “That means,” as Mark Steyn observes, “that absent any countervailing dynamic, its future is Muslim.” What will that future look like? Steyn comments:

If you’re a Muslim girl, the authorities will systematically turn a blind eye to forced marriages and honor violence and, if you’re a lower-class infidel girl, to “grooming.” If you’re boorish enough to draw attention to such unpleasantness, you’ll be committing a hate crime…

It’s not necessary to consult a crystal ball to see the future of Birmingham (England’s second largest city). The forced marriages of Muslim girls and the grooming of lower-class girls is already a reality in England. And so is the blind eye response. Most Americans don’t know about it, but it was recently revealed that over a sixteen-year period, 1400 girls in the city of Rotherham had been groomed, gang-raped, and traded by Muslim gangs—and all with the full knowledge of police, city officials, and child protection agencies. No one in authority did anything about it because no one wanted to be charged with “committing a hate crime” by singling out Muslims.

An Open Letter To Muslim World by a French Muslim Philosopher!

Thousands of Germans go to the streets to protest against the Islamization of Europe!

While the world have seen the barbarity of Muslim Jihadists and Extremists from US, Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Australia and now in the heart of Europe, PARIS, FRANCE, it's very clear to us now that THEY won't be FRIENDLY with us yesterday, today and even tomorrow.

The only mistake we've done to them is that WE ARE INFIDELS in their eyes and so we are all their potential enemies.

In their understanding of PEACE, it can only be achieved when ISLAM becomes the DOMINANT RELIGION in the WORLD, and all non-Muslims or INFIDELS like me, will be SUBJUGATED under the Islamic Law (SHARIAH), stripped off of their basic rights as a human person and live a life of a DHIMMI and pay the JIZYA (Islamic Tax).

And if a non-Muslim or infidel doesn't want to convert to Islam and don't pay the JIZYA, the ultimate punishment is DEATH!

It's the TIME... the RIGHT TIME for us INFIDELS to call a SPADE a SPADE. Throw in the garbage all those political correctness statements by our coward politicians.

Of course, WE DO NOT GENERALIZE MUSLIMS but more or less 80% of all TERRORIST RELATED CRIMES around the world were committed by MUSLIMS.

Everytime there are Muslim related terrorism, "moderate" Muslims are quick to apologize saying "THEY AREN'T MUSLIMS" or they say "THEY DO NOT REPRESENT ISLAM" or still some other say, they are just a "MINORITY" around two per cent.

If these TERRORISTS aren't MUSLIMS, why they are following the very PILLARS of ISLAM:

• Profess the Shahada (La ilaha illa Allah wa-Muhammad rasul Allah - the same emblem written found in the Saudi Arabian flag and the ISIS symbol)
• They perform the Salat or prayer five (5) times facing Mecca, Saudi Arabia -- the center of Islamic world where the Kaaba is located.
• They give Zakat (charity) especially during the month of Ramadan.
• Religiously practice Sawm (fasting and self-control) during Ramadan
• Perform Hajj (pilgrimage) or Umrah to Mecca (where the black-stone in the Kaaba is) and Madina (where the burial site of Muhammad is located).
• Read the Qur'an and the Hadiths
• Implement Shariah 

TWO PER CENT of 1.6 BILLION Muslims around the world is NOT JUST a MINORITY! That is 1.6 MILLION TERRORISTS!

Do not believe OBAMA, ABBOT, HOLLANDE, and other European country leaders who are all IN DENIAL of this reality!

But for us, WE KNOW our ENEMY! It's the ISLAMIC JIHADISTS / MUSLIM EXTREMISTS aka Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas, ISIS, Jamiat-e Islami, Jemaah Islamiah, Al Nusra Front, Abu Sayyaf, Al Shabaab, Ansar al-Islam, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine Liberation Front etc.

Egypt’s Sisi: Islamic “Thinking” Is “Antagonizing the Entire World”

It's time for MUSLIMS to face ISLAM and their IMAM!  There is a serious need to REFORM their RELIGION and that CALL has been STARTED by EGYPT PRESIDENT ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI Until then, they will ALWAYS see us as their ENEMIES to be CONVERTED, SUBJUGATED, or EXTERMINATED!

In Open Letter To Muslim World, French Muslim Philosopher Says Islam Has Given Birth To Monsters, Needs Reform

Taken from MEMERI (The Middle East Media Research Instutute)

In an essay published October 3, 2014 in the French newspaper Marianne, French Muslim philosopher Abdennour Bidar, author of Self Islam: A Personal History of Islam (Seuil, 2006); Islam without Submission: Muslim Existentialism (Albin Michel, 2008), and A History of Humanism in the West (Armand Colin, 2014), wrote that Muslims cannot make do with denouncing and repudiating terrorist barbarism, but must acknowledge that its roots lie within Muslim society, and especially within the Islam that is prevalent in the Arab world today. He points out that Islam, like all religions, has throughout its history been a source of much good, wisdom and enlightenment, but that today's mainstream Islam rejects the freedom and flexibility that are advocated by the Koran and instead promotes rigidity and regression that ultimately give rise to terrorism. The Muslim world, he concludes, must therefore reform itself, and especially its education systems, based on principles of freedom of religion and thought, equality, and respect for the other.

The following are translated excerpts from his essay:

Abdennour Bidar (image: aujourdhui.ma

"I See That You Are Losing Yourself And Your Dignity, And Wasting Your Time, In Your Refusal To Recognize That This Monster Is Born Of You"

"Dear Muslim world: I am one of your estranged sons, who views you from without and from afar – from France, where so many of your children live today. I look at you with the harsh eyes of a philosopher, nourished from infancy on tasawwuf (Sufism) and Western thought. I therefore look at you from my position of barzakh, from an isthmus between the two seas of the East and the West.

"And what do I see? What do I see better than others, precisely because I see you from afar, from a distance? I see you in a state of misery and suffering that saddens me to no end, but which makes my philosopher's judgment even harsher, because I see you in the process of birthing a monster that presumes to call itself the Islamic State, and which some prefer to call by a demon's name – Da'esh. But worst of all is that I see that you are losing yourself and your dignity, and wasting your time, in your refusal to recognize that this monster is born of you: of your irresoluteness, your contradictions, your being torn between past and present, and your perpetual inability to find your place in human civilization.

How Filipino Workers brought the Manalo Church- the Iglesia Ni Cristo® (INC-1914) to Europe and the Middle East

The Iglesia Ni Cristo® of Felix Manalo which was founded in the Philippines in 1914 was brought to Europe and the Middle East by migrant workers, thanks to the massive problem of unemployment in the Philippines. In contrast, Christianity was brought to the world by Catholic priests and nuns who are full-time missionaries. The rapid influx of Filipino Migrant Workers to other countries including Europe and the Middle East has contributed to the rapid evangelization of other Filipino Workers snatching ignorant Filipino Catholics to Manalo's recycled Arianism. It should be noted that NO INC Minister is has been full time missionary to countries that haven't been Christianized by Catholic Missionaries.  INC Ministers usually infest like parasites in places that have been cultivated and Christianized by Catholic Missionaries. Until now, INC Ministers do not have Bible Scholars and have relied heavily on Catholic and Protestant Versions of the Bible yet accused both Catholics and Protestants as "children of Satan" [PASUGO Disyembre 1965, p. 5; PASUGO Oktubre 1959, p. 5; PASUGO Agosto 1962, p. 9; PASUGO Oktubre 1956, p. 1]  As argued by INC Ministers, Felix Manalo only founded LOCALE CHURCHES implying that the ORIGINAL CHURCH is still in Jerusalem or Rome.  Upon close scrutiny, what Felix Manalo founded in the Philippines is NOT a locale but it's the CENTRAL CHURCH! Therefor proving that Felix Manalo FOUNDED the Iglesia Ni Cristo® and NOT Christ (Pasugo Agosto-Setyembre 1964, p. 5).  The Iglesia Ni Cristo® is a FILIPINO FOUNDED CHURCH! This is manifested by the fact that all Head Ministers of every locale around the world are FILIPINO MINISTERS. This would ensure that all proceeds, donations and monetary collections are sent back to their Central Office Treasury in Diliman, Quezon City in the Philippines-- thus enriching the MANALO FAMILY! This is the reason why money is never a problem in the Iglesia Ni Cristo® of Felix Manalo. - CD2000

In the article below, I will attempt to refute the lies of Manalo's paid ministers (written in open-close parenthesis all in Blue font).

The unexplained unbiblical tri-color emblem of the Iglesia Ni Cristo® cult

Source: The Iglesia Ni Cristo Web

EUROPE

The Northern Europe Ecclesiastical District

It was an official letter of the Executive Minister, Brother Erano G. Manalo, sent in late 1971 to the pioneering brethren in England that triggered the burgeoning of Iglesia ni Cristo congregations in the United Kingdom and to the entire Europe. The husband-and-wife tandem of Brother Colin Ringwood (married to a Filipina) and Sister Melba Angeles (Filipina) was instrumental (of the Manalos) in the establishment of the (Manalo's ) Church's first locale in the UK. Sister Melba met Brother Colin, an Englishman. She introduced the Church of Christ (you mean the Iglesia Ni Cristo®) to him. He received instruction on Bible doctrines (you mean Manalo's version of understanding) and baptism at San Francisco Locale, in California, USA in 1971. Back in England, the then newly wed couple received the Executive Minister's letter. As instructed, they combed the emerging Filipino community in search of fellow members (INC is a proudly Philippine-made church). One evening in late October 1972, some 20 brethren (all Filipinos?) showed up at 42 Priestly Garden Chadwell, Heath, Romford, Essex for the first official gathering of Church members in England. Before the meeting presided over by Brother Colin ended, a congregation complete with officers was formed. On November 15, the Executive Minister approved the establishment of the London committee prayer. (Thanks to Filipino Migrant Workers. Without them, the Manalo Clan would have no Business Company called the Iglesia Ni Cristo in the UK.)

The telephone greatly facilitated the emergence of prayer groups in Europe. Since receiving the Executive Minister's letter, the Ringwoods' daily life had become a virtually endless series of phone calls as they got in touch with other brethren. They were able to reach even those in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. These brethren soon began holding prayer meetings and later worship services with tape-recorded sermons. Within ten years, fullfledged locales had taken deep root in major cities of these countries, including Austria. In May 1973, the Church of Christ was registered with the British government (Registered as the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) so as not to confuse other non-INC members who have registered another church called Church of Christ, of course name of founder was Felix Manalo). The registration was approved in September. After the purchase of a property in 32 Latchmere Road, Battersea, London, Brother Jose Salazar (a Filipino founded Church will always be controlled by a Filipino Minister to ensure the flow of money to the Philippines Central Church) was sent to oversee the Church's first locale in the UK. He arrived in London in June 1975, five months before the house of worship was dedicated to God. (God who? Father? Son? or the Holy Spirit? Does your Doxology confirmed the Triune One God?)

Across the English Channel that same year, a handful of brethren started holding prayer meetings at Sister Ruth Morales' house in Bonn, Germany (another Overseas Filipino Worker). It became a locale in 1986. In November 1987 the Dortmund Locale's first worship service was officiated at Blumstr. 36, Dortmund. Also, on March 7, 1979, the congregation in Hamburg, Germany held their first worship service at Sister Esther Elizaga's residence (another Filipino Migrant Worker) along Christian Forster Street. The Hamburg GWS became a locale in 1984. On April 27, I988 the Church of Christ was registered with the German government. (You mean the Iglesia Ni Cristo - Church of Christ)

The Western Church is Gaining members...

Olalla Oliveros, the 36-year-old Spanish model stunned Spanish society by becoming a nun of the semi-cloistered Order of Saint Michael [Photo Source: JesusCaritasEst]

IS SPAIN REGAINING ITS FAITH?

AND WHY ISN’T ANYONE ELSE?

by Filip Mazurczak from First Things

Like Quebec, Ireland, or Boston, Spain has epitomized the fading of Catholic faith. In the twentieth century, religious practice in Spain fell sharply, especially as the country transitioned to democracy and resentment of the Church’s support for Franco’s dictatorship surfaced.

Recently, however, the downward trend has stopped and is recovering. According to Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS), the proportion of Spaniards attending Mass has increased from 12.1 to 15 percent between 2011 and 2012. In absolute terms, the number of Spanish Catholics attending Mass weekly grew by an astonishing further 23 percent between 2012 and 2013, according to CIS. Meanwhile, between 2007 and 2013 the number of Spaniards contributing part of their taxes to the Church rose from eight to nine million.

Not only are Spaniards attending Mass more frequently, but also youths are rediscovering the priesthood and religious life. In 2013–2014, the number of Spanish diocesan seminarians increased for a third consecutive year to 1321, a steady growth from 1227 in 2010–2011. Active female religious orders are also vibrant—each year, about 400 Spanish girls become non-cloistered sisters, a slowly increasing number. The number of women at the Poor Clares Convent of the Ascension in Lerma has surged from 28 in 1994 to 134 in 2009. One of the Lerma nuns, Sister Verónica, created her own community, Jesu Communio. The Vatican approved the rapidly growing order, known as the “sisters in jeans” because they wear denim habits, in 2010.

Immigration cannot explain this growth in monastic and priestly vocations. Today, young Spaniards are leaving the country for the more prosperous parts of Latin America (especially Chile) and for Germany and Britain. Considering Spain’s massive youth emigration and the fact that the country has one of Europe’s lowest birth rates, Spain’s youth population is shrinking, so this vocations rebound is more impressive.

Perhaps no one puts a more attractive face on Spain’s return to Catholicism than Olalla Oliveros. Last month, the 36-year-old Spanish model stunned Spanish society by becoming a nun of the semi-cloistered Order of Saint Michael. Perhaps Oliveros did this out of frustration? On the contrary, she was at the height of her career and was recently offered a lead role in a big-budget film. Oliveros experienced a conversion several years back and made her decision after much thought.

Some would dismiss these recent developments as resulting from the economic crisis. Currently, unemployment in Spain is almost 27 percent; in the European Union, only Greece suffers from a worse jobless rate. Spain plunged into recession in 2008, with anemic GDP growth in recent quarters. Perhaps Spaniards are rediscovering the pews and seminaries because economic hardship is leading them to look for a last resort in religion?

Catholic Church Vandalised in France: "Death to France, Long Live Islam, Long Live Bin Laden"

On Saturday morning a parishioner discovered the graffiti on the wall of the Saint John the Baptist church in Bourgoin-Jallieu. These were done with a marker on two pillars, and on a notice on a panel at the back of the church. The messages were signed GIA, which may be a reference to the armed Islamic group. [Armed Islamic Group of Algeria]. Story source: LeDauphine.com

Islamization of Europe is Imminent and Real!

The Islamization of the West and the death of the Christian religion in Europe

"Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you".

- The Archbishop emeritus of Smirne, Giuseppe Germano Bernardini, recounts a conversation he had with a Muslim leader

"The mosques are our barracks, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers."

- Turkish poem, written in 1912 by the Turkish nationalist poet Ziya Gökalp

Source: Vatican Insider

Best images of pope's trip to Germany

Czech Government Agrees To Turn Over Seized Churches

A Catholic Church in Praque
(Source: Praque.net)

WARSAW, Poland (The Church Report)-- A prominent Czech church leader has welcomed an agreement that would allow churches to reclaim land and buildings seized under communist rule, but forfeit state subsidies in return.

A draft settlement was finalized in Prague on Aug. 25 that allows religious groups to retrieve assets that were confiscated after the 1948 communist takeover, while obtaining financial compensation for others.

"The ball is now in the government's court to prepare the necessary legislation," said Joel Ruml, chairman of the Czech Ecumenical Council, and a member of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren.

Ruml said the restitutions -- expected to begin in January 2013 -- would particularly affect the Czech Republic's predominant Roman Catholic Church, which lost the most under communist rule.

However, he said all denominations would have to prepare for the gradual end of state support in a country where clergy salaries have been paid by the state since the 18th century.

In Rome, experts discuss peace-building, church's 'best-kept secret'

By John Thavis

Catholic News Service

Website:IKV Pax Christi

ROME (CNS) -- When Sudanese Bishop Paride Taban of Torit wanted to help stop traditional cattle raiding by rival groups of young men, he turned to the Catholic peace-building organization IKV Pax Christi from the Netherlands.

The cattle raiding had become extremely dangerous and violent, and Pax Christi helped develop a program that would bring together the youth warriors from different rural communities to discuss the problem and come up with alternative ways of relating.

After two conferences, participants were able to launch a peace and sports program called Playing for Peace. It engages the young people in a platform for debate and involves them in building a sports infrastructure.

If Muslims ask for Europe’s "empty" churches...

by Samir Khalil Samir

In France, an Islamic organization has asked the French Church for the opportunity to pray in unused churches. And what if Christians in Egypt and Algeria request the use of mosques on Sundays? In order to avoid increasing conflicts in Europe, Islam needs to become mentally and culturally Western.

Muslims praying occupying the streets of London and Paris
Source: 4freedom

Rome (AsiaNews) - A Muslim group has asked to use the empty churches in France for Muslims to pray in, solving (at the expense of Christians) the traffic problems caused by Muslims who pray in the streets. Fr. Khalial Samir Samir, an expert scholar of Islam, reflects on the embarrassing proposal, calling for Islam in Europe to become more "European" and less "Arab".

In a press release published Friday, March 11, 2011, the "Banlieuses Respect " Collective asked authorities in charge of organization of the Church of France, to place at Muslims’ disposal "empty churches for Friday prayers". Hassan M. Ben Barek, a spokesman for the Collective, said the measure would "prevent Muslims from having to pray on the streets" and being "politicians’ hostages”.

Vatican welcomes European court decision on crucifixes

A crucifix hangs in a school classroom in Rome (CNS photo/Reuters)

Source: Catholic Herald UK - A Vatican official has welcomed a European Court of Human Rights ruling on the display of crucifixes in Italian classrooms.

Crucifixes displayed publicly in Italy, including in classrooms, are a sign of Christianity’s key contribution to European culture and civilisation, said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Christianity is a “founding element” of western civilisation and “even if someone does not want to recognise it, it is an objective fact that the Christian presence is absolutely relevant, decisive”, the cardinal told reporters today.

Cardinal Ravasi spoke just a few hours before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of Italy in a case where a mother claimed crucifixes in Italian public-school classrooms violated her children’s freedom of conscience.

One in five future Catholics in England and Wales headed for ordinariate

People participate in the Rite of Election
in the Westminster cathedral. Credit: Mazur

London, England,(CNA).- About 900 prospective members of the new ordinariate, including 61 former Anglican clergy, prepared for their reception into the Catholic Church in England and Wales over the weekend.

They were among the more than 4,700 others who gathered for the Rite of Election in cathedrals across England and Wales over the weekend of March 12-13 to prepare to be received into the Church during Holy Week.

“I am greatly encouraged that these people will be received into the Catholic Church at Easter as members of the ordinariate,” said Fr. Keith Newton, the ordinary heading Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. “During the next few weeks they will continue their prayerful preparation for this significant step.”

European bishops call for EU action on behalf of persecuted Christians

Catholic Culture - The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) has welcomed the Council of the European Union’s decision to condemn violence “against Christians and their places of worship, Muslim pilgrims and other religious communities” and urged the EU to follow up with “concrete action” to assist persecuted Christians.

“The fusion of ‘common sense’ and ‘political will’ has prevailed to secure the strong statement urgently needed to stop the widespread acts of terrorism and sectarianism against Christians worldwide,” COMECE said in a statement. “Yet the security and survival of Christian communities, especially in the Middle East, requires concrete action.”

“COMECE hopes that the EU will implement its conclusions in significant political action, and thus help to eradicate the stark sectarian divide, the war of cultures and religions, and the wave of religious-cleansing.”