Archive for the 'Religion' Category
Pope Francis: Open Thread
March 14th, 2013I’ve only spent about a minute on this so far and here are my impressions: 1) He doesn’t look much like a Sith Lord and 2) He isn’t a former Nazi. Mmkay? Is this Petrus Romanus? Will he welcome our alien overlords? The first Jesuit Pope will______ (Fill in the blank). Etc. etc.
Vatican Department Shares Rome Palazzo with Gay Sauna
March 12th, 2013Via: BBC: A historic palazzo in Rome that houses a key Vatican department is also the home of a well-known gay sauna. The Holy See paid 20m euros (£17.5m) in 2008 for around 20 apartments in the building for the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. Its Prefect Emeritus, Cardinal Ivan Dias, is one of […]
Israel: Palestinian-Only Buses
March 4th, 2013Via: Telegraph: From Monday Palestinians travelling to day jobs into central Israel from the West Bank will be urged to board special buses at a checkpoint instead of the regular services used by Israelis. The scheme was drawn up by the Israeli transport ministry after residents in two Jewish settlements complained that Palestinians travellers on […]
‘Pope Will Have Security, Immunity by Remaining in the Vatican’
February 17th, 2013Via: Reuters: Pope Benedict’s decision to live in the Vatican after he resigns will provide him with security and privacy. It will also offer legal protection from any attempt to prosecute him in connection with sexual abuse cases around the world, Church sources and legal experts say. “His continued presence in the Vatican is necessary, […]
Vatican’s New Bank Chief Has Military Ship Links
February 15th, 2013Via: AP: The Vatican was drawn into a new controversy Friday after acknowledging that its bank’s new president is also chairman of a shipbuilder making warships — a significant conflict for an institution that has long shunned ties to military manufacturing. The Vatican announced to great fanfare that Pope Benedict XVI had signed off on […]
Pope Benedict to Resign at the End of the Month, Vatican Says
February 11th, 2013Yeah, Disney is looking for someone to play a Sith Lord in the upcoming Star Wars films. Via: CNN: The spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI, surprised the world Monday by saying he will resign at the end of the month “because of advanced age.” It’s the first time a pope has […]
Iran Unveils Machine for Amputating Thieves’ Fingers
January 26th, 2013Via: France24: One of Iran’s official press agencies published photos showing the public amputation of a thief’s fingers on Wednesday. These show a man getting his finger chopped off with a machine resembling a rotary saw. WARNING: These images may shock viewers.
Stephen Hawking ‘More Machine Now Than Man’
January 9th, 2013This article is great for those considering enrolling in Ph.D. programs. While the example of Hawking twitching his eyebrow to set swarms of minions aflutter with activity might seem extreme, this is actually the essence of the graduate school experience for many. Your adviser probably won’t be a cyborg, but my guess is that this […]
RFID Tracking for Vatican Employees
December 3rd, 2012Via: Telegraph: Vatican clergy and employees will be issued with an identity card complete with a microchip-tracking device in sweeping new security measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Vatileaks scandal. Much tighter controls have already been introduced for anyone seeking access or photocopies of the Holy See’s archives, dossiers and documents. The Papal […]
Vatican Banker Linked to Pablo Escobar
November 28th, 2012Via: Gang Sonny: A Vatican banker found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in 1982 had previously undisclosed links to the notorious Colombian drug smuggler, Pablo Escobar, the author of a new book has claimed. Roberto Calvi, who earned his nickname for his close ties to the Vatican Bank, was found hanged beneath Blackfriars Bridge amid strong […]
