Saudi Airlines to Segregate by Sex, Holland Euthanizes Children & More…

VATICAN CITY

"Let us strive for peace" — Pope Francis: "Brotherhood among peoples and no more wars." The Pope, quoting the tolls of the ‘Mater Dolens’ bell in Rovereto, which remembers the fallen of all wars, repeated his "wish that there may be no more wars, but only the desire and commitment to peace and brotherhood among peoples"  
VATICAN INSIDER

 

The Pope has appointed Fr. Marcelino Antonio Maralit as bishop of Boac in the Philippines 
VIS

 

Memorable moments involving the Pontiff’s habiliments in 2014 
CHRISTIAN POST

 

 

NORTH AMERICA

New Year’s Day death in California — A man reportedly facing family and other problems shot and killed his wife and his two grown children before taking his own life Northern California, police have said 
FN

 

Four dead in Kentucky plane crash. Girl, 7, survives — A private plane has crashed in Kentucky killing the pilot and three other passengers, while a seven-year-old girl survived and wandered from the wreckage to find help, state police have said 
JERUSALEM POST  DAILY MAIL

 

The New America: Sickening moment when women beat up man’s girlfriend and wrote "I got my a*** whooped" on her head after he pulled her out of car 
DAILY MAIL

 

"It’s not worth making arrests if I’m going to get my head blown off" — NYPD Officer 
BB

 

Obama says "yes" to new sanctions against North Korea 
NBC

 

The New America: 2 fetuses found near Southern California church — Authorities say two well-developed human fetuses, apparently twins, were found along a road near a San Diego County church in Fallbrook 
FN

 

Thousands of American students to start the year in an unusual way — More than 20,000 students from around the nation are gathering in Atlanta over the weekend to start their new year by worshipping Christ 
CBN  CHARISMA

 

American illegal immigrants allowed to apply for California driver’s liceses — DMV expects massive surge in applications 
BB

 

Tough times ahead — 71% of Americans are "dissatisfied" with the direction the country has taken and less than half think 2015 will be a better year — (2015 is indeed likely to be worse than 2014 in terms of violence, both domestic and international), persecution against Christians and a "faltering" Western economy. People don’t always like to hear "discouraging news" but .. we need to prepare for what lies ahead) 
CHRISTIAN POST

 

Ku Klux Klan begins new year publicity initiative in Arkansas 
CHRISTIAN TIMES

 

Obama administration prepares regulatory rush in 2015 
FN

 

Did Mario Cuomo pave the way for today’s conservative Catholic dissenters? 
CRUX

 

Catholic diocese breaks ground for new spiritual home — The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh will break ground Saturday on a cathedral in southwest Raleigh that will seat 2,000 worshippers when finished 
WRAL

 

Canada designates April 2nd as "Pope John Paul II Day" — The Canadian parliament has passed an act designating the date of April 2nd each year  as
Pope John Paul II Day. Passed by both houses of parliament, the bill also recognizes Saint John Paul II as a champion of human dignity and freedom 
RADIO VATICANA

 

ISRAEL

Abbas mulls another UN Security Council bid for Palestinian state — Undaunted by its failed bid to win a United Nations Security Council resolution mandating an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority is now considering another push to lobby members to support its agenda  
JERUSALEM POST

 

Egyptian troops kill Palestinian youth — Egyptian border troops have shot dead a Palestinian youth as he tried to cross illegally from the Gaza Strip on Friday 
REUTERS

 

Fatah’s latest anti-Semitic taunt — The political party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has publicized an image showing a large pile of skulls and skeletons marked with the Jewish Star of David 
CNN  DAILY MAIL

 

RUSSIA

Russia accuses Ukraine of becoming Nazis!
 
GLOBAL POST

 

RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA

In the Canonry of St. Leopold’s 
"I’m an Epiphany" we read: "An epiphany is commonly thought of as the moment when a great idea or insight occurs to someone (“I had an epiphany last night . . .”). Both senses find their root in the original Greek verb which means to reveal. In our case, THE Epiphany is God’s revealing himself to the world (His debut, so to speak) in the child Jesus." Read about some of the symbolism surrounding the Epiphany and how we can "become occasions for others to encounter Christ." (See my comment at the end of today’s tips) 
ALETEIA

 

BRITAIN & IRELAND

The Catholic Church has much to learn from the Queen — "There is something deeply convincing about the example of a monarch who has raised a daughter who champions carers and an eldest son who defends disadvantaged young people; who has lost one daughter-in-law to divorce and another in a road accident; has worried about her husband’s health but is still able to smile at the wedding of her grandson and the arrival of a great-grandson. Her consistent example provides an impressive counter-point to the more vacuous varieties of morality marketed to us" 
THE TABLET

 

"And then there were Nun!" — A religious sister who has taken charge of two Catholic parishes in the south of England has been "warmly welcomed" by her parishioners, according to the priest who says Sunday Mass there 
THE TABLET

 

Archbishop of Armagh calls for open debate ahead of Ireland’s gay marriage referendum — The Archbishop of Armagh has encouraged open and unhindered debate by all sides ahead of May’s referendum in the Republic of Ireland on gay marriage. The Archbishop believes that it is a chance for faith groups to put forward their case 
THE TABLET

 

"Catholic first" school admissions policies may be illegal — School admissions policies run on a “Catholic first” basis may be in breach of both equality legislation and the Constitution, the State’s equality watchdog has been told 
IRISH TIMES

 

How feminist propaganda aims to harm men — Nagging and haranguing about supposed sexism has only been getting louder, the pinnacle of which was reached when scientist Dr Matt Taylor was reduced to apologising in tears after wearing a mildly risqué shirt on camera to celebrate his achievement of landing a spacecraft on a comet. On Twitter, a woman proclaimed that the shirt had signalled that women “weren’t welcome in science,” which over 1,000 of the usual suspects retweeted with feverish enthusiasm
 BB

 

Why Donald Dewar didn’t condemn Royal Catholic ban — Donald Dewar feared that backing SNP calls to end the ban on Catholics acceding to the throne would disrupt the Northern Ireland peace process, it has emerged 
SCOTSMAN

 

AFRICA

President of Sierra Leone asks for prayer to end Ebola epidemic 
CHRISTIAN TIMES

 

Amal Clooney is threatened with arrest in Egypt after exposing flaws in their judicial system that led to the conviction of three Al Jazeera journalists 
DAILY MAIL

 

7 Somali soldiers killed by Al Shabaab — “We fiercely attacked the military base near Baidoa,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabaab’s military spokesman told 
REUTERS

 

The Church in Africa in 2014: A Year in Review 
CWR

 

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia’s national airline to introduce gender segregation — Saudi Arabia’s national airline will introduce gender separation for male and female passengers in accordance with the kingdom’s strict Islamic rules 
DAILY MAIL

 

Iranian church leader arrested at house church service (Given that today we celebrate the life of St. Narses, let us hold in our hearts the constant struggle of the few Christians
— our brothers and sisters
— living in Iran) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

 

The Imam who preached that Muslims must turn to Christ in order to be saved from "hell fire" 
LINDA IKEJIST

 

ISIS targets Nineveh’s 2,000 year old walls 
BB

 

ASIA & THE FAR EAST

Indian policemen on the run after gang raping 14 year old girl at police station on New Year’s Eve — Indian authorities have launched a manhunt for the two constables, Veer Pal Singh Yadav and Avnish Yadav, and are calling for serious disciplinary action to be taken against them 
DAILY MAIL

 

Indian Justice: Married mother accused of having an affair is ordered to publicly BREASTFEED her lover after she is beaten by villagers and has her hair cut off 
DAILY MAIL

 

Cambodian teenagers being used as sex slaves in China — (Will no one speak-out against these abuses or about the widespread abuse of Filipinos and Africans in the Middle East?) 
DAILY MAIL

 

Christians in North Korea face unimaginable pressures in every sphere of life 
CHRISTIAN POST

 

Baby shortage imperils Japan’s economy — Just slightly more than 1 million babies were born last year in Japan, according to new government figures. The tally is the lowest figure on record, and the latest sign that little progress is being made in the country’s battle against unfavorable demographic trends 
CNN

 

FAMILY MATTERS

Doctors "euthanize" 650 babies under assisted suicide law in Netherlands — 650 babies have been killed in a single year in Holland because "parents" and "doctors" thought it was best 
LIFE NEWS

 

Idaho’s governor appeals to Supreme Court to reinstate ban on gay marriage — Idaho’s Republican governor and attorney general petitioned the US Supreme Court on Friday to hear their appeals of a court decision legalizing gay nuptials, arguing Idaho residents have the right to define marriage as between a man and a woman 
JERUSALEM POST

 

ADDITIONAL

Little boy sees beautiful visions of Jesus and heaven before dying of cancer 
GOSPEL HERALD

 

 

Michael Keaton to star in new movie about Catholic abuses in Massachusetts 
CHRISTIAN POST

 

How Catholics brought Napoleon to his knees — "Locking up the Pope alienated millions of the faithful and was one of Bonaparte’s most stupid mistakes"  
CATHOLIC HERALD

 

ASQUITH’S COMMENT

In the article by the Canonry of St. Leopold on "
The Epiphany" we are told that contained in the symbolism of the myrrh given by the Magi to the Christ-child, are our sufferings (the trials and traumas of life), which we may submit to God as part of our personal "offering." I would add that just as myrrh was a foreshadow of the spikenard which was poured upon the feet of our Lord by Mary the sister of Lazarus six days before the Jewish Passover (thereby affirming the prophetic association between myrrh and Christ’s burial), so we are able to appreciate the
additional symbolism which myrrh possesses as a call to "die" to ourselves for Christ’s sake, and which dying St. Paul encourages us to encounter daily. This 
"daily dying" is in fact the bigger part of the walk to which the followers of Christ are called. 

 

Beatus weekend!