Pope Gives Christmas Eve Talk on BBC

Addresses Great Britain "and indeed every part of the English-speaking world"

Pope Benedict has set a new precedent by speaking specifically to one nation in a Christmas Eve broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 “Thought for the Day” program.  The BBC's David Willey says "it is the Pope's way of saying thank you for what he regarded as a hugely successful trip to England and Scotland in September."  The video and text follow:

 

"Recalling with great fondness my four-day visit to the United Kingdom last September, I am glad to have the opportunity to greet you once again, and indeed to greet listeners everywhere as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. Our thoughts turn back to a moment in history when God's chosen people, the children of Israel, were living in intense expectation. They were waiting for the Messiah that God had promised to send, and they pictured him as a great leader who would rescue them from foreign domination and restore their freedom.

God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them. The child that was born in Bethlehem did indeed bring liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place - he was to be the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history. And it was not a political liberation that he brought, achieved through military means: rather, Christ destroyed death for ever and restored life by means of his shameful death on the Cross. And while he was born in poverty and obscurity, far from the centres of earthly power, he was none other than the Son of God. Out of love for us he took upon himself our human condition, our fragility, our vulnerability, and he opened up for us the path that leads to the fullness of life, to a share in the life of God himself. As we ponder this great mystery in our hearts this Christmas, let us give thanks to God for his goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around us the good news that God offers us freedom from whatever weighs us down: he gives us hope, he brings us life.

Dear Friends from Scotland, England, Wales, and indeed every part of the English-speaking world, I want you to know that I keep all of you very much in my prayers during this Holy Season. I pray for your families, for your children, for those who are sick, and for those who are going through any form of hardship at this time. I pray especially for the elderly and for those who are approaching the end of their days. I ask Christ, the light of the nations, to dispel whatever darkness there may be in your lives and to grant to every one of you the grace of a peaceful and joyful Christmas. May God bless all of you!"

Advent Vespers - December 23 - "O Emmanuel"

Five minutes of daily prayer and contemplation to better recognize the Christ Child and to more fully receive His boundless blessings. Based on the seven Great "O Antiphons."

Nation’s Intelligence Chief Unaware of Significant U.K. Terror Plot

James Clapper, Obama's Director of National Intelligence, in an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, was unaware of the largest counterterrorism raid in nearly two years. 

News of the London terror plot was in our "Sunlit News" feed hours before this interview took place.  Perhaps if the Director of National Intelligence were to read  Sunlit Uplands, he would be as well informed as our readers.  Just a suggestion.

Advent Vespers - December 22 - "O Rex Gentium"

Five minutes of daily prayer and contemplation to better recognize the Christ Child and to more fully receive His boundless blessings. Based on the seven Great "O Antiphons."

Advent Lessons and Carols at Providence College

Providence College's Advent Service of Lessons and Carols featuring the Providence College Liturgical Choir and the Schola Cantorum, directed by Sherry Humes Dane, Director of Liturgical Music, St. Dominic Chapel. And I Cantori, the Concert Chorale, and the Women's Chorus, directed by Dr. Todd J. Harper, Assistant Professor, Department of Music.

Scriptural readings from Genesis, Isaiah, Matthew, Luke, and John.

Christmas Message of His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Below is the full text of the 2010 Christmas Message from His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem:

"I welcome all of you journalists present here and thank you for your role in providing information and conscience formation, and for your commitment to the truth".

The message of the recent Synod recognized your role: "We appreciate the role of the means of social communication, both printed and audio-visual. We thank you journalists for your collaboration with the Church in broadcasting her teachings and activities." (Nuntius 4.4)

To all of you and all the people of Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of surprises at the global, local, and personal levels, and a year of peace and prosperity.

I greet the Bishops here present: Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, our Patriarchal Vicar in Israel, and our new Auxiliary Bishop and Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Bishop William Shomali, who was ordained last May and comes with a new energy to help us in our mission. I also welcome Rev.Fr. David Neuhaus, SJ, our Patriarchal Vicar in Israel for the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community.

Like last year, I would like to present the important events that have happened this year, here in our Patriarchate. I would like to emphasize above all the positive events without, however, excluding the suffering and the concerns that remain.

1 -We thank our Holy Father for having convened the Synod for the Middle East, held in Rome from the 10th to 24th of October 2010. During that time, we were able to put our fingers on our wounds and our fears, and at the same time express our expectations and our hopes. The Synod called on Christians in the Middle East to live as true believers and good citizens, not distancing from public life, but involved in the development of our communities, whether in Arab countries or in Israel. The Synod also stressed the importance of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. We hope that this dialogue will advance not only within intellectual circles, among scholars and theologians, but be a dialogue of life, for all segments of society. The Synod condemned violence, religious fundamentalism, anti-Semitism, anti-Judaism, anti-Christianity and Islamophobia, and called on religions “to assume their responsibilities in promoting dialogue among cultures and civilizations in our region and in the entire world.” (Nuntius 11)

2 - Religious tourism and pilgrimages in the Holy Land are experiencing record numbers. In November 2010, three million people have visited the Holy Places. This number could still increase to arrive at nearly 3.4 million visitors, a figure never reached before, even in 2000, the Jubilee Year, which recorded very significant results. This reflects the universal dimension of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, the welcoming reception extended to pilgrims by our people and our Churches, and the good work of the Ministries of Tourism in Israel and Palestine.

3 - I wish to highlight the improvement in the process of obtaining visas for religious, seminarians and volunteers. I thank all those who worked to achieve this result. We still have a long way to go.

4 - On December 7th, talks resumed between the Holy See and the Palestinian Authority for the application of the basic agreement signed in 2000. The deliberations focus on religious freedom and fiscal legislation. We pray for the success of these negotiations and those already under way with Israel.

5 - Last November, I had the joy of visiting several countries in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Honduras. I met with the bishops of these countries, top government and civilian authorities, and especially our faithful living in the ‘diaspora.’ In Chile alone, there are over 400,000 who emigrated between 1900 and 1950, because of poverty and security problems. Now they are all well integrated into the local society, and many have expressed their willingness to support our projects in the Holy Land and come on pilgrimage.

Among the major projects that the Latin Patriarchate is trying to accomplish, I would like to mention: the new pediatric hospital in Bethlehem which will be named after Pope Benedict, the University of Madaba, which will open in October next year, and the new Pilgrims’ Center in Jordan, on the site of the Baptism of Christ.

6 - We were very concerned about the fire that destroyed entire forests in the Haifa area. We offer our condolences to the families of victims, and our admiration for the courage of those who died in the line of duty. This sad event made us experience international solidarity. The fact that the Palestinian Authority made available their team of firefighters was a very significant gesture and may be a beginning of a fruitful collaboration in the future, when peace will be stablished in this troubled land.

7 - We suffer from the failure of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. This should not lead us to despair. We continue to believe that on both sides, and in the international community, there are men of goodwill who will work and put their energies together in their commitment for peace. We believe that nothing is impossible with God and we want to carry out the wishes sang by the angels on Christmas night : "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”(Lk.2 :14) We also wish Europe to play a more significant role in this process.

8 - We were shocked and troubled by the massacre of Christians in Baghdad in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. These innocent victims are added to the thousands of victims of fundamentalism and violence afflicting our world. Readily, I echo the words of Pope Benedict: "Given the violence that continue to tear the peoples of the Middle East, I would like to renew my urgent appeal for peace. Peace is a gift of God. It is also the result of efforts by men of good will, of national and international institutions, all working together to put an end to all violence! "

Dear friends, let me conclude this message with my good wishes for a reconciliation between our peoples, the Israelis and the Palestinians. It is time to commit ourselves together for a genuine, true and long-lasting peace.

May the joy of Christmas be in our hearts and peace upon all of you. Merry Christmas!

+Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch

Listen to Chris Altieri's report: 

South Carolinians Celebrate 150th Anniversary Of Secession

In the tragic but unlikely event that Barack Hussein Obama is reelected in 2012, our advice to our beloved South Carolina would be: "if at first you don't secede, try, try again!"  Such an outcome would surely be the result of voter fraud and would be the final "nail in the coffin" of the old republic.

From TPM

David Taintor

South Carolinians literally had a ball last night celebrating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. The secession ball, organized by the Confederate Heritage Trust -- and sponsored by the Sons of Confederate Veterans -- reportedly featured a 45-minute theatrical play re-enacting the signing of the Ordinance of Secession, where South Carolina declared its intention to secede from the union.

According to the event's website, the original Ordinance of Secession was actually on full display at the event, and the South Carolina Senate's interim president Glenn McConnell -- an avid Civil War re-enactor himself -- was expected to attend. The event's dress code called for modern black tie, period formal or pre-war militia, and tickets cost $100.

The gala's website describes it as an "EVENT OF A LIFETIME"!!! (emphasis theirs). But South Carolina NAACP president Lonnie Randolph told The State he thinks the event is more about celebration than history, and he planned on boycotting the ball. About 120 protesters marched in opposition to the event.

"We are not opposed to observances," he said. "We are opposed to disrespect. This is nothing more than a celebration of slavery."

Thomas Hiter, of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, appeared on Hardball last night, along with Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson. Hiter defended the event, called the state's secession an "act of immense political courage" and went so far as to claim the Civil War didn't start over slavery.

But Robinson, of course, rejected Hiter's premise. "If it had not been for slavery, there would not have been the Civil War," he said. "There's no other reading of history."

Hiter continued to sidestep any questions regarding any potential celebration of slavery, but he was sure of one thing: "Had I found myself alive in those days, I think, I hope, to pray to God, I would have fought the way my ancestors did ... for the South."

Organizers were not available to speak to TPM before the event.