Latest news with #CatholicChristians
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German president welcomes Pope Leo XIV as a 'bridge-builder'
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier conveyed his warmest blessings to the newly elected Pope Leo XIV in a message on Thursday. "The people of Germany, especially Catholic Christians, look forward to your pontificate with great expectation and heartfelt affection, Steinmeier wrote. Pope Leo is taking on an important spiritual and moral responsibility in a time marked by discord and profound global challenges, he continued. "May your personal character as a bridge-builder between the United States and the countries of Latin America help you to give voice to the concerns and hopes of people throughout the world," Steinmeier added.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Why did Cardinal Robert Prevost choose the name Pope Leo XIV? Know its significance
Image credits: Getty Images The 267th Pope of the Catholic Church has been elected. Cardinal Robert Prevost is the new leader of almost 1.4 billion Catholic Christians spread across the globe. The 69-year-old pope has taken the name Pope Leo XIV , as announced by a senior cardinal to the crowds at St. Peter's Square. Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American missionary, has a history of serving the church by ministering in Peru and leading the Vatican's office of bishops. The new pope has also made history as the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church . The Pope's baptismal name was revealed after the traditional announcement of 'Habemus Papam'- 'We have a Pope' from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The first words spoken by the new Pope to the excited and awaiting people were 'Peace be with all you.' Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far Why did Cardinal Robert Prevost choose the name Pope Leo XIV ? Image credits: Getty Images In a conversation with The Independent, Catholic priest and blogger Ed Tomlinson shared that the choice of Cardinal Prevost's papal name had a long history. 'The papal name Leo unsurprisingly, shows a Pope who is going to be strong during a time of crisis, historically,' he said. The last pope who chose the same name was more than 100 years ago. Pope Leo XIII led the Church from 1878 to 1903. The first pope who chose the name, Pope Leo the Great , led the church from 440-461. When one thinks of the name Leo in Christianity, they are referring to Pope Leo the Great. He is known to have been brave even in front of Attila, a godless pagan who in the summer of A.D. 452, sacked, looted, murdered and pillaged through Italy, getting closer to Rome. At the time, Leo was the bishop of Rome and armed with a Gospel, he marched into the camp of the Huns and negotiated peace with their leader, Atilla. Additionally, he taught and led the Council of Chalcedon to affirm that Jesus was one fully divine and one fully human nature and that he was inseparably united in one Christ. Why does the papal name matter? The chosen name offers a glimpse into the vision the new pope has for the church. Had Cardinal Prevost taken the name Pope Francis II, it would have signified him following in the footsteps of the late pope, who focused on pastoral care and the marginalised. Pope Francis himself had suggested that his successor could be John XXIV, referencing the pope of the Second Vatican Council era. Pius is another frequently chosen papal name, and it indicates a traditionalist ideology. Thus, the papal name matters, and it shows the way the church is soon to be led.
Hans India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Making ethical sense of moral values
Ethical and moral values vary sharply, across religions, regions, cultures and over time. Abortion, for example, is prohibited for Catholic Christians, but the law permits it in India, no matter what religion one is professing. Morality is the standard by which we judge other people - Oscar Wilde. My association with the areas of ethics and morals, especially in the domain of governance, began with a request by K. Padmanabhaiah, a retired civil servant, now serving as the Chairman of the Court of Governors of the Administrative Staff College of India, to take lessons for civil service aspirants. After having taken some classes, I realised how difficult it was for students, to put the material together. I hit upon the idea of compiling my lessons into a book. That is how my book (Ethics in Governance – Resolution of Dilemmas with Case Studies) came to be published. Sometime later, I was invited by Dr. B. Somaraju, eminent cardiologist, to become a Member of the Ethics Committee of the CARE Foundation, set up by CARE Hospital, where he was working. I accepted and had firsthand exposure to the field of professional ethics and morals vis-à-vis practice of medicine, and the manufacture, and marketing, of drugs and pharmaceuticals. The Chairman was a former High Court Judge and the members brought to the table rich experience from different fields of expertise in medicine. The deliberations in the meetings were lively, animated and informative. It was a truly eye opening experience for someone new to the subject. Ethics, whose dictionary meaning is the philosophical study of moral values and rules relating to what is right and what is wrong, is clearly an abstract discipline, its precepts not amenable to verification/validation by the scientific tools of experiment, observation and inference, as first postulated by Sir Francis Bacon. It may also be defined as a field that deals with questions of organizing one's thoughts, words and deeds in a manner that conforms to the settled norms of societal values. Easily the most interesting of the activities I have undertaken after superannuating from service, has been lecturing on the subject of ethics in governance to various groups, including those preparing for Civil Services examinations. Recently, while preparing material for a lecture on the subject to a group of officials from different departments of the government of Gujarat, I looked at the question, of the application of the values of ethics and morals, to two issues; namely, the tariff war declared by US President Donald Trump, and the terrorist attack at Pahalgam. The aggressive tariff war triggered by Trump's decisions has sent shock waves through global markets, triggering panic among businesses and consumers, and escalating trade tensions between the US, Canada, Mexico, China, and even Europe. Quite obviously, domestic industries in the US are full of praise for what has been done since most of their products stand to benefit with foreign brands of the same products becoming more expensive. The move is also expected to raise over $ one trillion in revenue over the next decade for the country, leading to a spurt in domestic investments. On the other hand, there are experts who argue that prices of a range of imported goods will go up, from clothing and coffee to alcohol and electronics, pointing out that import of such goods may decline, increasing the cost of domestic products in the same areas. While that may be the scene within the US, as far as India is concerned, it is believed that sectors such as IT and software, pharma, textiles, automobile industry, and agriculture may be hit adversely. Clearly, so far as President Trump is concerned, at least in his own belief, his country and its citizens stand to benefit from his initiatives. That there are those, who believe quite the opposite, is another matter altogether. And if industries, workers, and consumers, in other countries suffer, it has to be accepted as a fallout that was inevitable. Evidently, the ethical implications of Trump's action are a function of the persuasion of those analysing them. Coming to the Pahalgam incidents, terrorism is generally considered morally wrong, as civilians are often indiscriminately targeted and fear and violence are used as instruments for the achievement of political goals. There are, on the other hand, those who argue that terrorism can be justified in specific circumstances, such as weak minorities being oppressed and ill-treated by a tyrannical majority. Another significant aspect of ethical and moral values is that they vary sharply, across religions, regions, cultures and over time. Abortion, for example, is prohibited for Catholic Christians, but the law permits it in India, no matter what religion one is professing. Likewise, a Muslim can take more than one wife, while polygamy is not permissible under the Hindu law in India. Another example is that of prohibition of the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages. It was illegal for a short while in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. But, today, it is not so in either Andhra Pradesh or Telangana. Even at the time when prohibition was imposed in the first instance in Andhra Pradesh, it was not in force in the neighbouring Karnataka. Drinking or possessing liquor, therefore, can be legal or otherwise, depending on the time and place. Clearly, as the saying goes, what is sauce for the goose is not sauce for the gander. In daily life, white colour has customarily been associated with knowledge, purity, good and right. And, black, on the other hand, with ignorance, contamination, bad and wrong. Most day-to-day experiences in life, however, lie in the area between the two extremes, namely, the grey area. There is no such thing as pure white or pure black. The same is the case, for example, with probity, and competence. They usually coexist in most people. We often find that thoroughly honest people are incompetent. And very efficient people are persons of doubtful integrity. While on the subject, I recall the case of a senior officer who was intending to suspend a Tahsildar. When a friend asked him why he intended to punish a person who was obviously very clean and honest, the officer's reply was that the Tahsildar was so incompetent, that his entire salary was illegal gratification! A somewhat similar approach is called for towards the impact of development effort on natural resources. Development activities, such as transport, industry, and agriculture invariably impact adversely upon the quantity and quality of natural resources such as land, water and air. We cannot abandon such imperatives in order to preserve natural resources. On the other hand, it is our duty to future generations, and posterity, to defend, protect, and preserve those resources. The grey area again! It demands a sensible and wise balance between use of resources and their preservation. To end this rather serious discussion on a lighter note, here is what I heard about the Professor of Ethics telling the student of Art. 'You have to draw the line somewhere!' (The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)
Jordan News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
The World Bids Farewell to Pope Francis - Jordan News
Rome is witnessing the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, as his body is laid to rest in the Italian capital, with the attendance of a large number of world leaders and thousands of mourners. اضافة اعلان His Majesty King Abdullah II, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, had traveled to Italy to participate in the funeral ceremonies of His Holiness Pope Francis. Crowds of Catholic Christians and world leaders are bidding farewell to Pope Francis as his body is carried from the Vatican to his final resting place, a cemetery at his favorite church in Rome, which he personally chose. Authorities expect around 200,000 people to attend the funeral, which will be held in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, starting at 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT). Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the funeral Mass at the front of St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican stated that 162 delegations have confirmed their attendance, including dozens of heads of state and government, as well as many reigning monarchs. After the Mass, the Pope's coffin will be returned to St. Peter's Basilica before the procession departs for the burial. Tens of thousands of mourners are lining the six-kilometer route through central Rome, passing landmarks such as Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum, on the way to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where Pope Francis will be buried—a church he frequently visited during his 12-year papacy.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CM to launch ‘Aapka Shahar Aapki Baat' campaign on Friday
Patna: CM Nitish Kumar is scheduled to formally launch on Friday the govt's ' Aapka Shahar Aapki Baat ' campaign for the newly added areas and wards in 90 of the 261 urban local bodies across the state. While the campaign was to be launched on Tuesday, its date was postponed to Friday due to the death of Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Christians, on Monday. During the campaign, the priorities and needs of people in the newly included wards of the 90 urban local bodies will be enlisted, and schemes be framed accordingly for their implementation on a priority basis, urban development and housing department (UDHD) secretary Abhay Kumar Singh said at a review meeting held at the official residence of the CM. The CM went through the campaign literature, saw a short film and inspected a model 'rath (decorated motor van)', which will cover the newly included wards of the 90 urban local bodies. Singh said that the number of urban local bodies in the state had increased from 120 in 2006 to 261 in 2025, while population in such areas also increased to 1.57 crore or 15.23% of the total population, as per the 2011 Census. Moreover, 1,609 newly created wards had been included in the 90 urban local bodies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 25 Popular Facts That Are Actually False Debunking Common Misconceptions Undo Overall, 2,491 programmes will be conducted to ascertain and enlist people's priorities and the need to do follow-up action. Singh said that the district administrations and urban local bodies concerned will hold dialogue with the people. "The exercise is being conducted as per the vision of the CM, who has envisioned to give quality urban life and matching infrastructure based on inclusive development and growth of urban bodies," Singh said. Among those present at the review were deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Jiwesh Kumar, as well as CM's principal secretaries Deepak Kumar and S Siddharth, development commissioner Pratyaya Amrit, CM's secretary Kumar Ravi, besides other senior officials of the UDHD. Patna: CM Nitish Kumar is scheduled to formally launch on Friday the govt's 'Aapka Shahar Aapki Baat' campaign for the newly added areas and wards in 90 of the 261 urban local bodies across the state. While the campaign was to be launched on Tuesday, its date was postponed to Friday due to the death of Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Christians, on Monday. During the campaign, the priorities and needs of people in the newly included wards of the 90 urban local bodies will be enlisted, and schemes be framed accordingly for their implementation on a priority basis, urban development and housing department (UDHD) secretary Abhay Kumar Singh said at a review meeting held at the official residence of the CM. The CM went through the campaign literature, saw a short film and inspected a model 'rath (decorated motor van)', which will cover the newly included wards of the 90 urban local bodies. Singh said that the number of urban local bodies in the state had increased from 120 in 2006 to 261 in 2025, while population in such areas also increased to 1.57 crore or 15.23% of the total population, as per the 2011 Census. Moreover, 1,609 newly created wards had been included in the 90 urban local bodies. Overall, 2,491 programmes will be conducted to ascertain and enlist people's priorities and the need to do follow-up action. Singh said that the district administrations and urban local bodies concerned will hold dialogue with the people. "The exercise is being conducted as per the vision of the CM, who has envisioned to give quality urban life and matching infrastructure based on inclusive development and growth of urban bodies," Singh said. Among those present at the review were deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Jiwesh Kumar, as well as CM's principal secretaries Deepak Kumar and S Siddharth, development commissioner Pratyaya Amrit, CM's secretary Kumar Ravi, besides other senior officials of the UDHD.
