Pope Leo XIV calls for end to Russia's war against Ukraine

"Pope Leo on Sunday said innocent people are being killed and wounded in Ukraine and Russia, and called for an end to the war.

"Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children," the pontiff said before worshippers gathered for Sunday's Angelus prayer.
"I renew my heartfelt appeal for international humanitarian law to be respected and for ⁠attacks against civilian targets to cease on both sides," the pope added." Ukrin

Muslims kill 9 members of prominent pastor's family in targeted attack

"A leading voice calling for action to halt the murders of Christians at the hands of Nigerian

Muslims says he will not be silent even after nine family members were slain by terrorists.
Pastor Ezekiel Dachomo, whose warnings about persecution in Nigeria were cited by President Donald Trump, was sought by Fulani gunmen before they killed nine people in the July 11 attack, according to Truth Nigeria." msn

Bulgaria to seek removal of Russia's Patriarch Kirill from EU sanctions list

"Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that his government will seek the removal of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, from the EU's next sanctions package.
Radev made the remarks ahead of the European Council summit, where EU leaders are expected to discuss a new round of sanctions against Russia and continued support for Ukraine." KI

Italian Woman Beheaded as Attacker Recites Passages From a Book. Yeah, THAT Book.

"And so in Italy recently, a woman was beheaded, in accord with commands found in the holy book of a rapidly growing segment of Italy’s population, and in case anyone remained determined to miss the point of what he had done (as many European authorities are), the perpetrator helpfully quoted from that book in justification of his actions. Welcome to the new Europe.

The Italian-language Firenze Today reported Friday that Issam Chlih, “a 29-year-old homeless Moroccan national,” is “the sole suspect in the murder of Silke Sauer,” who was “a 44-year-old German woman found decapitated near an abandoned farmhouse in the park of the former CNR site in Scandicci.” CNR is the National Research Council, an Italian government agency devoted to scientific and technological exploration.
Preliminary Investigations Judge (GIP) Roberta Di Maria ordered Chlih detained “due to the risk that Chlih might flee or reoffend.”
Issam Chlih, however, is not your average hardened criminal or garden-variety recidivist. This is clear from the details of what happened on the fateful night in which Chlih beheaded Silke Sauer. “According to the Carabinieri's reconstruction,” Firenze Today notes, “Issam Chlih and Silke Sauer were together on the evening and had stopped at a bar in Florence near the Leopolda station. Witnesses reported that Chlih shouted incoherent phrases and harassed customers. Police arrived at the scene after the bar manager called the emergency number (112).”
Early in the morning of the following day, however, “they returned to Scandicci by tram. Video surveillance cameras captured them walking toward the abandoned farmhouse. They reportedly began arguing right near the building.” It was at this point that “other homeless individuals present in the park at the former CNR site reportedly heard screaming and a male voice reciting verses from the Qur'an, shouting that the devil had taken possession of the woman. Immediately afterward, a female voice—presumably Silke Sauer’s—was heard shouting ‘stop’ in Italian.”
Issam Chlih did not stop. And “the following day, in a state of agitation, Chlih reportedly drove away anyone approaching the dog park adjacent to the farmhouse. Passersby called emergency services, and the twenty-nine-year-old was admitted to Torregalli Hospital. The next day Silke’s body was discovered.”
How could something like this have happened? Well, that ain’t exactly rocket science. What Qur'an verses could Issam Chlih have been reciting? These are good candidates: “When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks...” (47:4) And: “When your Lord inspired the angels, I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then strike the necks and strike their fingertips.” (8:12)." PJM

Corpse water, burned herbs, harrowing rituals: How Ukraine turned to magic in its war against Russia

"Yulia Mendel, former press secretary to Vladimir Zelensky, has made claims that would once have sounded like tabloid fantasy. Yet in today’s Ukraine, they land differently. Mendel says that Andrey Yermak, long the powerful head of the presidential office, allegedly sought help from magicians. People who, she claims, gathered water from corpses, burned herbs, and performed rituals.
She says she first heard whispers of this in 2019. After a briefing, a journalist did not chase

the then new president for comments but repeatedly asked Yermak what he had been doing at a cemetery. He ignored the question. A year later, a minister confided to Mendel that Yermak was “into magic.” By 2023, someone from an “important service” told her he supposedly kept a “chest of the dead.” These were dolls made by magicians from Latin America, Israel, and Georgia. That chest, she says, was already “filled with the dead.” Interpret that as you wish.
Mendel added that Yermak is not unique. Magical thinking, she suggested, is widespread among Ukrainian elites. That may sound exaggerated, but anyone who has travelled through western Ukraine knows mysticism is deeply rooted there. I once toured the Lviv region and the Carpathians out of sociological curiosity. In village after village, people spoke of a neighbor who was “a witch,” able to make children fall ill or cows stop giving milk with a single glance. They feared her, yet sought her out at night to cast spells against enemies.
Once, during a packed church holiday service, this “witch” entered. I saw people faint. Later I learned she had come for holy water and candles to place in graves. It was not her own idea, but at the request of a devout villager who had been praying moments before. The pattern was clear: society appoints a witch, fears her, and uses her. 

Church by day,

 spells by night. 

Both yours and ours.
This mindset is not confined to rural backwaters. It permeates Ukrainian culture. Soviet-era Ukrainian art reflected it. Folk songs spoke of witches cursing enemies. Even modern “social advertising” featured Lviv actresses dressed as witches, theatrically beheading men. Such imagery takes root only in a society comfortable with pagan mysticism.
If Mendel is right, Zelensky’s circle did not even limit itself to local traditions. Latin American shamanism, with its animal sacrifices and bone-and-flesh talismans, is far removed from Gogol’s Ukraine. To seek out such practices suggests obsession, not folklore." RT

Statue of ‘Fascist’ Pope John Paul II Defaced by Pro-Palestine Protesters in Rome

"Members of a pro-Palestine protest in Rome reportedly defaced a statue honoring the late
Pope John Paul II with graffiti that described him as a “fascist”.
The statue of Pope John Paul II in the Piazza Cinquecento outside of Rome’s Termini railway station was spray-painted with the communist hammer and sickle symbol and the words “fascist shit”. Meanwhile, a keffiyeh headdress was wrapped around the statue’s neck." Breitbart

Lavrov dismisses Vatican as possible venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on May 24 cast doubt on the Vatican as a possible venue for future peace talks with Ukraine, saying the Catholic seat would not be an appropriate platform for negotiations between two Orthodox Christian nations.

Previously, Pope Leo XIV expressed his willingness to host the next round of peace talks in the Vatican. Several of Ukraine's partners, including the United States, have suggested that the Vatican could become a neutral platform for further negotiations.
"Imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations," Lavrov reportedly said during a speech at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow. “It would be a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to use a Catholic platform to discuss issues on how to remove the root causes (of the war)."
Lavrov added that he believed "it would not be very comfortable for the Vatican itself to host delegations from two Orthodox countries in these circumstances." KI

Pope Leo holds first meeting with Zelensky

"After presiding over his official installation Mass after his election to the papacy, Pope Leo XIV held a private meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shortly after the two had a phone call amid ongoing ceasefire talks.
In remarks ahead of singing the Regia Coeli Marian prayer at the end of Sunday’s Mass, the pope voiced solidarity with those “who are suffering because of war.” Crux

Pope Leo XIV calls for a just peace in Ukraine during enthronement speech

"In his closing speech at the enthronement mass in St. Peter's Square, Vatican, Pope Leo XIV mentioned the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war and called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“At this moment, we cannot forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the war... The war has claimed the lives of many young people in Ukraine,” the pontiff stated.
“We all look forward to negotiations and a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he added.
The Pope also expressed gratitude to official delegations and tens of thousands of believers gathered in St. Peter’s Square and the surrounding streets of Rome for their faith, support of the Catholic Church, and desire to participate in the inauguration mass." Ukrin

Zelenskyy and wife attend Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass in Vatican

"The inauguration mass for Pope Leo XIV, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife, Olena Zelenska, is underway at the Vatican on Sunday 18 May." Pravada

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago Becomes First American Pope, Choses the Name Leo XIV

"Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago was chosen by the College of Cardinals to be the

new pope of the Catholic Church, making him the first American pope in the Church’s 2,000-year history. The Chicago native chose the papal name Leo XIV. White smoke appeared above the Sistine Chapel at approximately 6:08 p.m. Rome time, followed by the chiming of the Vatican’s bells." Breitbart

Ukrainian Drones Have Been Targeting Historic Orthodox Churches In Russia

"Famous, historic monasteries have been shut down or seized by authorities, monks expelled, and churches have been raided by far-right nationalist militant groups. As for the other side, Russian aerial raids have often devastated whole Ukrainian neighborhoods, including

destruction of local churches.
In a fresh incident, Russian government and media sources say a Ukrainian drone was sent across the border and struck an iconic, historic church in Belgorord region, which set the church on fire.
Local Belgorod governor Vyacheslav issued a statement on Telegram Saturday saying "the enemy is striking our holy sites again – an enemy drone has attacked Saint George Church in the village of Tolokonnoye."
Emergency crews were able to extinguish the blaze, but not before the church's domes caught on fire." ZH

Pope Francis Dead on Easter Monday

"In the wake of Pope Francis’ passing on Easter Monday, the Catholic Church will begin the

process of selecting the next Bishop of Rome, thereby setting the future course of the Church and its 1.3 billion followers.
Within 15 to 20 days of the death of the Pope, a conclave of the College of Cardinals will be convened within the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, where they will hold a secret ballot vote to elect the next Pontifex Maximus of the Church." Breitbart

Putin announces ‘Easter truce’

"Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire in the war against Ukraine during Easter. He added that Russian forces would halt military operations from 18:00 on April 19 until 00:00 on April 21." Ukrin

As ceasefire talk continues, Zelensky says he spoke with Cardinal Parolin

"As the United States continues to attempt to broker a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with the Vatican secretary of state.

In a long post on X March 14, the Ukrainian leader said that during the conversation with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, "I wished Pope Francis a speedy recovery and thanked him for his prayers and moral support for our people, as well as for his efforts in facilitating the return of Ukrainian children illegally deported and displaced by Russia. The Holy See has received a list of Ukrainians being held in Russian prisons and camps. We are counting on support for their release," the president posted.
"The voice of the Holy See is very important on the path to peace. I am grateful for the readiness to make efforts towards our shared goal," he wrote." 

DetroitCatholic

Ukrainian plot to assassinate top Crimean cleric foiled

"Russian law enforcement operatives have thwarted a terrorist attack against Crimean Metropolitan Tikhon of the Russian Orthodox Church which was ordered by Ukrainian military intelligence, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. One of the suspects was Tikhon’s aide, who received threats that his family would be killed if he refused to cooperate." RT

Putin Visits Chechen Mosque, Kisses Golden Quran

"During his visit to Chechnya Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped at the Prophet Isa mosque in Grozny and posed for photos while holding, and kissing, a gold-leaf copy of the Quran." 

Breitbart

Kiev's Plan To Ban The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Shows How Insecure It Is About National Identity

"Kiev hates that a significant share of the population refuses to conform with the “negative nationalism” that they’ve aggressively enforced upon them since 2014 by continuing to worship at the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches’ sites instead of the government-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s. The Rada passed a law earlier this week for banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) by the middle of next year if it doesn’t sever all ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC)." ZH

Hindu Homes and Temples Vandalized in Bangladesh After Prime Minister’s Ouster

"The Bangladeshi Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) said on Tuesday that hundreds of Hindu homes, businesses, and temples have been vandalized since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced out of office by protesters over the weekend." Breitbart

Ukrainian MPs block podium, demand vote on Moscow Patriarchate Church ban

"Ukrainian Parliament members protested by displaying placards and blocking the podium, demanding a vote on the bill to ban religious organizations affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), European Solidarity party MP Oleksiy Honcharenko reported on Telegram. Further parliamentary sessions were canceled, with the next meeting scheduled for August. The bill to ban the UOC-M was previously not included in the agenda because the ruling Servant of the People party and former MPs from Opposition Platform — For Life voted against bringing it to the floor." NV