Walz addresses fraud scandal: Minnesota’s ‘generosity has been taken advantage of’

by Ryan Mancini - 12/12/25 11:09 PM ET

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) addressed his state’s growing fraud scandal on Friday, telling residents that the North Star State’s “generosity has been taken advantage of.”

The scandal erupted after more than 50 people were convicted in connection with the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a federally funded nutrition program. As much as $1 billion in taxpayer money may have been stolen in separate plots, The New York Times reported in November.

“We are a state that chooses not to let people go hungry or homeless or uneducated,” Walz said in his address. “However, that generosity has been taken advantage of by an organized group of fraudsters and criminals. Minnesota’s longstanding high standards of integrity of public funds go hand in hand with a culture of generosity. You can’t have one without the other.”

Walz warned that anyone in Minnesota who commits fraud is “going to prison eventually.” He noted that federal funding that went to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic “opened up the door to relax the guard rails and to have fraud be committed.” The governor also announced Friday the appointment of a director of program integrity, who will work across the state government to strengthen fraud prevention and protect taxpayer dollars, according to a news release.

President Trump has latched onto the scandal over the pandemic-era fraud with the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, as dozens of Somali community members have been convicted or face charges. Trump accused Minnesota’s Somali population of “ripping off” the state.

The president is also planning to launch immigration enforcement operations to target Somalis in Minnesota who entered the U.S. illegally. The president claimed on Truth Social without evidence that “Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey.'”

“I understand when I speak up, it brings Donald Trump’s petty vindictiveness to Minnesota, and this is all about coming and attacking us,” Walz said. “He didn’t know anything about this.”

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Some of Walz’s longtime allies previously told The Hill that they wonder if he should not seek a third term because of the scandal. Ember Reichgott Junge, a former Minnesota Democratic state senator and a political analyst, said the fraud “happened on his watch” and Walz “can’t erase that.”

“The governor, I think, has done a very respectable job, a good job, in Minnesota for the years that he’s been here,” Reichgott Junge said. “But he clearly is vulnerable and in my view, he is riskier than any Democratic candidate that might run.”

Another ally previously told The Hill that Minnesota has “very low” threshold or “tolerance for fraud, waste and abuse,” making the scandal “clearly a real vulnerability.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5647309-minnesota-fraud-scandal-walz-address/

Timothy James Walz (/wɔːlz/ ⓘ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician, former educator, and Army National Guard veteran serving since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019, and was the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska. After high school, he joined the Army National Guard and worked in a factory. He later graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska and then moved to Minnesota in 1996. Before running for Congress, he was a high school social studies teacher and football coach. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2006, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht.

Walz was reelected to the House five times and was the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019. He was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022, holding office during the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota. During his first term, protests and riots related to the murder of George Floyd occurred. During his second term, he pushed for and signed a wide range of legislation, including tax modifications, free school meals, bolstering state infrastructure, universal gun background checks, codifying abortion rights, and free college tuition for low-income families.

On August 6, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election. Their ticket was defeated by Republican nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Walz

Governor Tim Walz May 14 2025 at 9:15 PM.

Wolves in

Governor Walz Proclaims Wolves Back Day in Minnesota

May 22, 2024

[ST. PAUL, MN] – Ahead of the first game in the Western Conference Finals, Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed today “Wolves Back Day” in the State of Minnesota to celebrate the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA playoff run.

“At 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, all eyes will be North as the Timberwolves bring conference championship basketball back to Minnesota again,” reads the proclamation issued by Governor Walz. “Sports have the power to bring people together, and Minnesota fans are excited to cheer on our beloved Timberwolves.”

Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan encourage Minnesotans to join in cheering on the Timberwolves tonight at 7:30 pm.

Permalink: https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/index.jsp?id=1055-625232

Governor Tim Walz

June 14, 2025 1h 0

One Minnesota.

893 comments 206 shares

Updated

June 14, 2025, 10:36 p.m. ET 9 minutes ago

Live Updates: Manhunt for Assassin Stretches On as Minnesota Mourns Lawmaker

The police are looking for a suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, in relation to the killing of a state representative and the shooting of a state senator. A list in his car included about 70 potential targets, a federal law enforcement official said.

Minnesota Lawmaker Is Assassinated in Act of ‘Political Violence’

State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, died in the attack at their home. The assailant also shot and injured another Democratic lawmaker and his wife, officials said.

“We’re here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota. My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination.” “My prayers also go out to State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were each shot multiple times. The Hoffmans are out of surgery at this time and receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.” “I just remind residents of Brooklyn Park. I know it’s been a long time, but those that are in the grid that we gave the alert out to continue to shelter in place. We’re also reminding them that if somebody comes to the door and they knock on the door and claiming to be a police officer, please do a couple of things. One, call 911 and confirm that the officer belongs there. If they are a police officer, dispatch will be able to confirm that that person is a police officer. Also, we’ve informed all our officers in Brooklyn Park that they are not to approach anybody by themselves. They’re to approach in pairs, meaning two officers. So if there’s only one officer outside the door, do not answer the door and call 911.”

My good friend and colleague,

Speaker Melissa Hortman,

State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, died in the attack at their home. The assailant also shot and injured another Democratic lawmaker and his wife, officials said.CreditCredit...Tim Gruber for The New York Times

Pinned

Mitch Smith

Mitch SmithReporting from Chicago

Here’s what to know about the attacks.

A manhunt unfolded across Minnesota’s Twin Cities region on Saturday after the assassination of a Democratic state legislator, the attempted assassination of another and the apparent escape of a suspect who fired at the police. Officials said the gunman was impersonating an officer and carrying a list of about 70 potential targets, and the authorities have been contacting the 70 to warn them.

State officials said the suspect, whom they identified as Vance Boelter, 57, was believed to still be in the Twin Cities area but might be trying to flee. They shared a photograph of him that they said was captured by a security camera in Minneapolis on Saturday, not long after the overnight attacks. He was wearing a cowboy hat.

Officials said that the gunman killed Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in separate attacks at the lawmakers’ homes in the Minneapolis suburbs. The gunman, who was wearing a rubber mask, also fired at police officers responding to one of the homes. “This was an act of targeted political violence,” Gov. Tim Walz said.

The attacks shook leaders from both parties, and many condemned the killings, which took place on a day of national protests of President Trump’s policies, including his deployment of the military in Los Angeles. The president attended a parade celebrating the Army on Saturday night, which coincides with his birthday.

Here’s what we’re covering:

Target list: Chief Mark Bruley of the police department in Brooklyn Park, Minn., where the Hortmans lived, said the gunman’s vehicle contained a manifesto and a target list. A federal law enforcement official said the list included about 70 potential targets, including politicians, doctors, community and business leaders, and locations for Planned Parenthood and other health care centers. Some were in other states. Authorities have been contacting the 70 to warn them, according to the official.

The suspect: Mr. Boelter served at one point on a state board with one of his victims, and a friend said that he was a Christian, opposed abortion and had voted for Mr. Trump. He is listed as the director of security patrols on the website of a Minnesota-based private security group. “We drive the same make and model of vehicles that many police departments use in the U.S.,” the firm’s website says. Investigators have recovered a ballistic vest and mask that the suspect was believed to have used, the law enforcement official said. Read more ›

The lawmakers: Ms. Hortman served as the speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives for a six-year period ending earlier this year and helped pass several key policies on abortion rights, marijuana legalization and medical leave. Mr. Hoffman is a fourth-term state senator from Champlin, another Minneapolis suburb and chairs the Senate’s Human Services Committee. Read more ›

Political hothouse: Both houses of the Minnesota Legislature are closely divided. Before Ms. Hortman’s death, the House had been evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats have a one-person majority in the Senate.

Wave of violence: The shootings in Minnesota were the latest in a series of attacks on political figures that have shaken U.S. politics. In the last year, gunmen and arsonists have targeted politicians in both parties, from state-level officials to a major-party presidential candidate. Read more ›

Condemnations: The attacks alarmed political leaders from both parties. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, said “it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy.” President Trump, who was the target of two attempted assassinations last year, said “such horrific violence will not be tolerated.”

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Adam Goldman, Ernesto Londoño, Glenn Thrush and Jonathan Wolfe contributed reporting.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/14/us/minnesota-shootings

Walton Goggins’ Grinch Is a Career-Making Performance (for an Unhinged Walmart Ad)

by Rotem Rusak

Dec 10 2025 • 6:13 AM

If there’s one thing we love, it’s an actor who is willing to do basically anything, knowing that if he does it, it will be cool. And there’s no actor capable of doing that quite like Walton Goggins. Goggins can pull off a deeply emotional performance without a nose as Fallout‘s The GhoulOpens in a new tab, he can make his wacky brand of sunglasses, Goggins’ GogglesOpens in a new tab, look incredibly suave, and, yes, he can transform into Walmart’s version of the Grinch and offer a devastating performance that is sassy, hilarious, and dare we say it, very queer. If we weren’t in love with Goggins before his award-winning take on the Grinch, we certainly are now. You can watch Goggins’ “Mt. Crumpit” Grinch short/Black Friday ad below.

We have to hand it to Walmart; hiring Walton Goggins to play the Grinch is a 10/10 way to get us to pay attention to their Black Friday deals. The man could make even… an ad for Black Friday Deals enticing. And we are obsessed with the ad’s chaotic, absurd energy. The Grinch shading “Mindy Lou” for not dressing appropriately for the occasion of sharing festive news? Truly the stuff of legends. We have to really applaud the commitment to acting that Goggins put into his rendition of the Grinch. He is NOT phoning it in. He is fully there, thinking green. Someone nominate this ad for an Oscar, stat.

Happily, the above is not the only ad Walton Goggins stars in as the Grinch for Walmart. There are actually four ads in the world now: one slightly extended version of the one above, and two brand-new outings… And we bet more to come. You can watch the rest of the series below. (And yes, they are each one as nutty as the next.)

We’re not sure if Walton Goggins is actually angling to play the Grinch in a reboot of the classic holiday movieOpens in a new tab, but we bet somewhere out there a studio is scrambling to make it happen right now. As the Grinch in this Walmart ad so aptly (and a bit smugly) predicts, “Prepare to go viral.” Uhuh. Well, you got us. If you put Walton Goggins in a Grinch suitOpens in a new tab, people are going to talk about it, and so are we.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published on November 18, 2025.

https://nerdist.com/article/walton-goggins-plays-grinch-in-unhinged-walmart-ad/

The first magnetic agent which is used to prepare the solvent designated, by some, Alkahest-is called the green Lion, not so

much because it is green in colour as because it has not yet acquired those mineral characteristics, which in chemistry distinguish the adult state from the nascent one. It is a green and sour fruit, compared with the red, ripe fruit. It is metallic youth on which Evolution has not yet worked, but which contains the latent germ of real energy, which will be called upon to develop later. It is arsenic and lead in respect of silver and gold. It is present imperfection from which the great future perfection will emerge; the rudiment of our embryo, the embryo of our stone, the stone of our Elixir. Certain Adepts, Basil Valentine among them, have called it green vitriol, in order to reveal its hot, burning and salty nature. Others have called it the Philosophers' Emerald, the Dew of May, the Herb of Saturn, the Vegetable Stone, etc. 'Our water takes the name of the leaves of all the trees, of the trees themselves, and of everything green in colour, in order to MISLEAD THE FOOLISH,' says Master Arnold of Villanova.

Fulcanelli Mystery of the Cathedrals

http://www.mtanthony13.org/library/Fulcanelli%20-%20The%20Mystery%20of%20the%20Cathedrals.pdf

ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN CHICAGO

CELEBRATE WITH US

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago invites you to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 11, 2023. There will be no better place to watch throughout the city as guests of Trump Chicago will have a front-row view to see the Chicago River dyed Green.

https://www.trumphotels.com/properties/chicago/propertycontent/chicago-vacation-packages/st-patricks-day-offers

A Dirty Bomb In Chicago? Mitt Romney’s Dangerous Take on Iran

Last night, Mother Jones magazine posted a series of videos of Mitt Romney speaking candidly to wealthy donors at a private fundraiser in May. In the videos, Romney weighed in on a number of topics, including Iran. In just over 30 seconds, Romney revealed not only a fundamental misunderstanding of dirty bombs, but also a disturbingly simplistic perspective on America’s challenges in the Middle East.

Here’s an excerpt of what Romney had to say on Iran:

“If I were Iran, if I were Iran—a crazed fanatic, I’d say let’s get a little fissile material to Hezbollah, have them carry it to Chicago or some other place, and then if anything goes wrong, or America starts acting up, we’ll just say, “Guess what? Unless you stand down, why, we’re going to let off a dirty bomb.” I mean this is where we have—where America could be held up and blackmailed by Iran, by the mullahs, by crazy people. So we really don’t have any option but to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon.”

Romney appears to believe that a dirty bomb is a nuclear weapon. It isn’t.

Crucially, a dirty bomb does not require fissile material (enriched uranium or plutonium whose atoms are split to produce a high-energy nuclear explosion). In fact, the uranium that Iran is enriching doesn’t work particularly well in dirty bombs. Rather, dirty bombs use radioactive waste. There’s virtually no connection between Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and the blackmail scenario that Romney outlines in the video.

In reality, the best way to reduce the threat posed by dirty bombs is to secure and eliminate excess stocks of this material, especially at medical facilities. If Romney is concerned about this threat, he should have a chat with his running mate. In 2011, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan proposed to slash $647.5 million from the Department of Energy account that includes vital programs tasked with securing radioactive materials stored and in use in the United States and abroad.

(The Obama administration hasn’t been exactly stellar on this front either. Earlier this year the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee expressed concern about the Department of Energy’s FY 2013 budget request for radiological security programs, which included a proposed 60% reduction in activities to remove and dispose of excess or abandoned radiological materials in other countries.)

But the video illustrates a problem much bigger than dirty bombs: Romney is peddling a distorted view of the threat posed by Iran. The threat from Iran has little to do with dirty bombs and much more to do with how Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear weapons (an outcome which is neither imminent nor inevitable) could affect regional stability and security in the Middle East. Romney lumps all of these issues together by outlining a highly dubious link between a nuclear Iran and a Hezbollah dirty bomb attack on American soil, suggesting that he understands little about the complex situation in the Middle East that would be his responsibility come January if he is elected.

And Romney’s language matters here as well. Describing Iran’s leaders as “crazed fanatic[s]” might make the base feel good, but it tells us nothing about Iran’s motivations. As the National Security Network reminds us, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey has stated: “We are of the opinion that Iran is a rational actor.” He later added: “The key is to understand how they act, and not trivialize their actions by attributing to them some irrationality… I think that’s a very dangerous thing for us to do.”

This video is just one more indication that a Romney White House would conduct a “mad-libs foreign policy” driven not by facts, but by fear.

https://armscontrolcenter.org/a-dirty-bomb-in-chicago-mitt-romneys-dangerous-take-on-iran/

Robert Swan Mueller III (/ˈmʌlər/; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013.

A graduate of Princeton University and New York University, Mueller served as a Marine Corps officer during the Vietnam War, receiving a Bronze Star for heroism and a Purple Heart. He subsequently attended the University of Virginia School of Law. Mueller is a registered Republican in Washington, D.C.,[1] and was appointed and reappointed to Senate-confirmed positions by presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.[2][3]

Mueller has served both in government and private practice. He was an assistant United States attorney, a United States attorney, United States assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division, a homicide prosecutor in Washington, D.C., acting United States deputy attorney general, partner at D.C. law firm WilmerHale and director of the FBI. He is the only FBI Director that Congress has allowed to serve more than the statutory limit of 10 years since the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972 by giving him a special two-year extension.

On May 17, 2017, Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as special counsel overseeing an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and related matters.[4] He submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr on March 22, 2019.[5] On April 18, the Department of Justice released it.[6][7] On May 29, he resigned his post and the Office of the Special Counsel was closed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mueller

Pope Leo XIV[a] (born Robert Francis Prevost,[b][c] September 14, 1955) is head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the first to hold American and Peruvian citizenship, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second from the Americas (after his predecessor Francis).

Prevost was born in Chicago and raised in the nearby suburb of Dolton, Illinois. He became a friar of the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in 1982. His service includes extensive missionary work in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s, where he worked as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator. Elected prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine, he was based in Rome from 2001 to 2013, and extensively traveled to the order's provinces around the world. He then returned to Peru as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Made a cardinal by Pope Francis, Prevost emphasized synodality, missionary dialogue, and engagement with social and technological challenges. He also engaged with issues such as climate change, global migration, church governance, and human rights, and expressed alignment with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

Prevost's election in the 2025 papal conclave was unexpected by observers; he was a dark horse candidate, with Vatican insiders believing that a pope would never emerge from the United States.[8][9] He took his papal name in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who developed modern Catholic social teaching amid the Second Industrial Revolution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

Fourteenth Rule. Although there is much truth in the assertion that no one can save himself without being predestined and without having faith and grace; we must be very cautious in the manner of speaking and communicating with others about all these things.

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YC_luOfFWl0Bm0BWkbANKZGC1kkmdHQf/view?usp=sharing

Regimini militantis Ecclesiae (Latin for To the Government of the Church Militant) was the papal bull promulgated by Pope Paul III on September 27, 1540, which gave a first approval to the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, but limited the number of its members to sixty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regimini_militantis_Ecclesiae

"The Day Called 'X' is a dramatized CBS documentary film set in Portland, Oregon, in which the entire city is evacuated in anticipation of a nuclear air raid, after Soviet bombers had been detected by radar stations to the north; it details the activation of the city's civil defense protocols and leads up to the moment before the attack (the ending is left intentionally unknown). The operations were run from the Kelly Butte Bunker, which was the emergency operations center at that time. It was filmed in September 1957[1] and aired December 8 of that year.[2][3] Apart from presenter/narrator Glenn Ford, none of the people shown are actors. They are locals of Portland shown in their real jobs, including Mayor Terry Schrunk.

Its local re-broadcast in 2004[4] and appearance in the on-line Prelinger Archives attracted interest among local history buffs due to its extensive outside shots of the city, and the use of non-actor participants (local officials and broadcasters). Whenever one of these individuals is heard uttering warnings or statements regarding attack, the words "AN ATTACK IS NOT TAKING PLACE" are superimposed over the picture.[2]

On September 27, 1955, Portland actually conducted an exercise evacuation of downtown called "Operation Greenlight",[5][6] and the film is often misattributed to that year. Ford's narration, however, does make direct reference to the 1955 exercise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_Called_%27X%27

Eyewitness Account of Hiroshima

By Father John A. Siemes, professor of modern philosophy at Tokyo's Catholic University

Hiroshima- August 6th, 1945

Up to August 6th, occasional bombs, which did no great damage, had fallen on Hiroshima. Many cities roundabout, one after the other, were destroyed, but Hiroshima itself remained protected. There were almost daily observation planes over the city but none of them dropped a bomb. The citizens wondered why they alone had remained undisturbed for so long a time. There were fantastic rumors that the enemy had something special in mind for this city, but no one dreamed that the end would come in such a fashion as on the morning of August 6th.

August 6th began in a bright, clear, summer morning. About seven o'clock, there was an air raid alarm which we had heard almost every day and a few planes appeared over the city. No one paid any attention and at about eight o'clock, the all-clear was sounded. I am sitting in my room at the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Nagatsuke; during the past half year, the philosophical and theological section of our Mission had been evacuated to this place from Tokyo. The Novitiate is situated approximately two kilometers from Hiroshima, half-way up the sides of a broad valley which stretches from the town at sea level into this mountainous hinterland, and through which courses a river. From my window, I have a wonderful view down the valley to the edge of the city.

Suddenly--the time is approximately 8:14--the whole valley is filled by a garish light which resembles the magnesium light used in photography, and I am conscious of a wave of heat. I jump to the window to find out the cause of this remarkable phenomenon, but I see nothing more than that brilliant yellow light. As I make for the door, it doesn't occur to me that the light might have something to do with enemy planes. On the way from the window, I hear a moderately loud explosion which seems to come from a distance and, at the same time, the windows are broken in with a loud crash. There has been an interval of perhaps ten seconds since the flash of light. I am sprayed by fragments of glass. The entire window frame has been forced into the room. I realize now that a bomb has burst and I am under the impression that it exploded directly over our house or in the immediate vicinity.

I am bleeding from cuts about the hands and head. I attempt to get out of the door. It has been forced outwards by the air pressure and has become jammed. I force an opening in the door by means of repeated blows with my hands and feet and come to a broad hallway from which open the various rooms. Everything is in a state of confusion. All windows are broken and all the doors are forced inwards. The bookshelves in the hallway have tumbled down. I do not note a second explosion and the fliers seem to have gone on. Most of my colleagues have been injured by fragments of glass. A few are bleeding but none has been seriously injured. All of us have been fortunate since it is now apparent that the wall of my room opposite the window has been lacerated by long fragments of glass.

We proceed to the front of the house to see where the bomb has landed. There is no evidence, however, of a bomb crater; but the southeast section of the house is very severely damaged. Not a door nor a window remains. The blast of air had penetrated the entire house from the southeast, but the house still stands. It is constructed in a Japanese style with a wooden framework, but has been greatly strengthened by the labor of our Brother Gropper as is frequently done in Japanese homes. Only along the front of the chapel which adjoins the house, three supports have given way (it has been made in the manner of Japanese temple, entirely out of wood.)

Down in the valley, perhaps one kilometer toward the city from us, several peasant homes are on fire and the woods on the opposite side of the valley are aflame. A few of us go over to help control the flames. While we are attempting to put things in order, a storm comes up and it begins to rain. Over the city, clouds of smoke are rising and I hear a few slight explosions. I come to the conclusion that an incendiary bomb with an especially strong explosive action has gone off down in the valley. A few of us saw three planes at great altitude over the city at the time of the explosion. I, myself, saw no aircraft whatsoever.

Perhaps a half-hour after the explosion, a procession of people begins to stream up the valley from the city. The crowd thickens continuously. A few come up the road to our house. We give them first aid and bring them into the chapel, which we have in the meantime cleaned and cleared of wreckage, and put them to rest on the straw mats which constitute the floor of Japanese houses. A few display horrible wounds of the extremities and back. The small quantity of fat which we possessed during this time of war was soon used up in the care of the burns. Father Rektor who, before taking holy orders, had studied medicine, ministers to the injured, but our bandages and drugs are soon gone. We must be content with cleansing the wounds.

More and more of the injured come to us. The least injured drag the more seriously wounded. There are wounded soldiers, and mothers carrying burned children in their arms. From the houses of the farmers in the valley comes word: "Our houses are full of wounded and dying. Can you help, at least by taking the worst cases?" The wounded come from the sections at the edge of the city. They saw the bright light, their houses collapsed and buried the inmates in their rooms. Those that were in the open suffered instantaneous burns, particularly on the lightly clothed or unclothed parts of the body. Numerous fires sprang up which soon consumed the entire district. We now conclude that the epicenter of the explosion was at the edge of the city near the Jokogawa Station, three kilometers away from us. We are concerned about Father Kopp who that same morning, went to hold Mass at the Sisters of the Poor, who have a home for children at the edge of the city. He had not returned as yet.

Toward noon, our large chapel and library are filled with the seriously injured. The procession of refugees from the city continues. Finally, about one o'clock, Father Kopp returns, together with the Sisters. Their house and the entire district where they live has burned to the ground. Father Kopp is bleeding about the head and neck, and he has a large burn on the right palm. He was standing in front of the nunnery ready to go home. All of a sudden, he became aware of the light, felt the wave of heat and a large blister formed on his hand. The windows were torn out by the blast. He thought that the bomb had fallen in his immediate vicinity. The nunnery, also a wooden structure made by our Brother Gropper, still remained but soon it is noted that the house is as good as lost because the fire, which had begun at many points in the neighborhood, sweeps closer and closer, and water is not available. There is still time to rescue certain things from the house and to bury them in an open spot. Then the house is swept by flame, and they fight their way back to us along the shore of the river and through the burning streets.

Soon comes news that the entire city has been destroyed by the explosion and that it is on fire. What became of Father Superior and the three other Fathers who were at the center of the city at the Central Mission and Parish House? We had up to this time not given them a thought because we did not believe that the effects of the bomb encompassed the entire city. Also, we did not want to go into town except under pressure of dire necessity, because we thought that the population was greatly perturbed and that it might take revenge on any foreigners which they might consider spiteful onlookers of their misfortune, or even spies.

Father Stolte and Father Erlinghagen go down to the road which is still full of refugees and bring in the seriously injured who have sunken by the wayside, to the temporary aid station at the village school. There iodine is applied to the wounds but they are left uncleansed. Neither ointments nor other therapeutic agents are available. Those that have been brought in are laid on the floor and no one can give them any further care. What could one do when all means are lacking? Under those circumstances, it is almost useless to bring them in. Among the passersby, there are many who are uninjured. In a purposeless, insensate manner, distraught by the magnitude of the disaster most of them rush by and none conceives the thought of organizing help on his own initiative. They are concerned only with the welfare of their own families. It became clear to us during these days that the Japanese displayed little initiative, preparedness, and organizational skill in preparation for catastrophes. They failed to carry out any rescue work when something could have been saved by a cooperative effort, and fatalistically let the catastrophe take its course. When we urged them to take part in the rescue work, they did everything willingly, but on their own initiative they did very little.

At about four o'clock in the afternoon, a theology student and two kindergarten children, who lived at the Parish House and adjoining buildings which had burned down, came in and said that Father Superior LaSalle and Father Schiffer had been seriously injured and that they had taken refuge in Asano Park on the river bank. It is obvious that we must bring them in since they are too weak to come here on foot.

Hurriedly, we get together two stretchers and seven of us rush toward the city. Father Rektor comes along with food and medicine. The closer we get to the city, the greater is the evidence of destruction and the more difficult it is to make our way. The houses at the edge of the city are all severely damaged. Many have collapsed or burned down. Further in, almost all of the dwellings have been damaged by fire. Where the city stood, there is a gigantic burned-out scar. We make our way along the street on the river bank among the burning and smoking ruins. Twice we are forced into the river itself by the heat and smoke at the level of the street.

Frightfully burned people beckon to us. Along the way, there are many dead and dying. On the Misasi Bridge, which leads into the inner city we are met by a long procession of soldiers who have suffered burns. They drag themselves along with the help of staves or are carried by their less severely injured comrades...an endless procession of the unfortunate.

Abandoned on the bridge, there stand with sunken heads a number of horses with large burns on their flanks. On the far side, the cement structure of the local hospital is the only building that remains standing. Its interior, however, has been burned out. It acts as a landmark to guide us on our way.

Finally we reach the entrance of the park. A large proportion of the populace has taken refuge there, but even the trees of the park are on fire in several places. Paths and bridges are blocked by the trunks of fallen trees and are almost impassable. We are told that a high wind, which may well have resulted from the heat of the burning city, has uprooted the large trees. It is now quite dark. Only the fires, which are still raging in some places at a distance, give out a little light.

At the far corner of the park, on the river bank itself, we at last come upon our colleagues. Father Schiffer is on the ground pale as a ghost. He has a deep incised wound behind the ear and has lost so much blood that we are concerned about his chances for survival. The Father Superior has suffered a deep wound of the lower leg. Father Cieslik and Father Kleinsorge have minor injuries but are completely exhausted.

While they are eating the food that we have brought along, they tell us of their experiences. They were in their rooms at the Parish House--it was a quarter after eight, exactly the time when we had heard the explosion in Nagatsuke--when came the intense light and immediately thereafter the sound of breaking windows, walls and furniture. They were showered with glass splinters and fragments of wreckage. Father Schiffer was buried beneath a portion of a wall and suffered a severe head injury. The Father Superior received most of the splinters in his back and lower extremity from which he bled copiously. Everything was thrown about in the rooms themselves, but the wooden framework of the house remained intact. The solidity of the structure which was the work of Brother Gropper again shone forth.

They had the same impression that we had in Nagatsuke: that the bomb had burst in their immediate vicinity. The Church, school, and all buildings in the immediate vicinity collapsed at once. Beneath the ruins of the school, the children cried for help. They were freed with great effort. Several others were also rescued from the ruins of nearby dwellings. Even the Father Superior and Father Schiffer despite their wounds, rendered aid to others and lost a great deal of blood in the process.

In the meantime, fires which had begun some distance away are raging even closer, so that it becomes obvious that everything would soon burn down. Several objects are rescued from the Parish House and were buried in a clearing in front of the Church, but certain valuables and necessities which had been kept ready in case of fire could not be found on account of the confusion which had been wrought. It is high time to flee, since the oncoming flames leave almost no way open. Fukai, the secretary of the Mission, is completely out of his mind. He does not want to leave the house and explains that he does not want to survive the destruction of his fatherland. He is completely uninjured. Father Kleinsorge drags him out of the house on his back and he is forcefully carried away.

Beneath the wreckage of the houses along the way, many have been trapped and they scream to be rescued from the oncoming flames. They must be left to their fate. The way to the place in the city to which one desires to flee is no longer open and one must make for Asano Park. Fukai does not want to go further and remains behind. He has not been heard from since. In the park, we take refuge on the bank of the river. A very violent whirlwind now begins to uproot large trees, and lifts them high into the air. As it reaches the water, a waterspout forms which is approximately 100 meters high. The violence of the storm luckily passes us by. Some distance away, however, where numerous refugees have taken shelter, many are blown into the river. Almost all who are in the vicinity have been injured and have lost relatives who have been pinned under the wreckage or who have been lost sight of during the flight. There is no help for the wounded and some die. No one pays any attention to a dead man lying nearby.

The transportation of our own wounded is difficult. It is not possible to dress their wounds properly in the darkness, and they bleed again upon slight motion. As we carry them on the shaky litters in the dark over fallen trees of the park, they suffer unbearable pain as the result of the movement, and lose dangerously large quantities of blood. Our rescuing angel in this difficult situation is a Japanese Protestant pastor. He has brought up a boat and offers to take our wounded up stream to a place where progress is easier. First, we lower the litter containing Father Schiffer into the boat and two of us accompany him. We plan to bring the boat back for the Father Superior. The boat returns about one-half hour later and the pastor requests that several of us help in the rescue of two children whom he had seen in the river. We rescue them. They have severe burns. Soon they suffer chills and die in the park.

The Father Superior is conveyed in the boat in the same manner as Father Schiffer. The theology student and myself accompany him. Father Cieslik considers himself strong enough to make his way on foot to Nagatsuke with the rest of us, but Father Kleinsorge cannot walk so far and we leave him behind and promise to come for him and the housekeeper tomorrow. From the other side of the stream comes the whinny of horses who are threatened by the fire. We land on a sand spit which juts out from the shore. It is full of wounded who have taken refuge there. They scream for aid for they are afraid of drowning as the river may rise with the sea, and cover the sand spit. They themselves are too weak to move. However, we must press on and finally we reach the spot where the group containing Father Schiffer is waiting.

Here a rescue party had brought a large case of fresh rice cakes but there is no one to distribute them to the numerous wounded that lie all about. We distribute them to those that are nearby and also help ourselves. The wounded call for water and we come to the aid of a few. Cries for help are heard from a distance, but we cannot approach the ruins from which they come. A group of soldiers comes along the road and their officer notices that we speak a strange language. He at once draws his sword, screamingly demands who we are and threatens to cut us down. Father Laures, Jr., seizes his arm and explains that we are German. We finally quiet him down. He thought that we might well be Americans who had parachuted down. Rumors of parachutists were being bandied about the city. The Father Superior who was clothed only in a shirt and trousers, complains of feeling freezing cold, despite the warm summer night and the heat of the burning city. The one man among us who possesses a coat gives it to him and, in addition, I give him my own shirt. To me, it seems more comfortable to be without a shirt in the heat.

In the meantime, it has become midnight. Since there are not enough of us to man both litters with four strong bearers, we determine to remove Father Schiffer first to the outskirts of the city. From there, another group of bearers is to take over to Nagatsuke; the others are to turn back in order to rescue the Father Superior. I am one of the bearers. The theology student goes in front to warn us of the numerous wires, beams and fragments of ruins which block the way and which are impossible to see in the dark. Despite all precautions, our progress is stumbling and our feet get tangled in the wire. Father Kruer falls and carries the litter with him. Father Schiffer becomes half unconscious from the fall and vomits. We pass an injured man who sits all alone among the hot ruins and whom I had seen previously on the way down.

On the Misasa Bridge, we meet Father Tappe and Father Luhmer, who have come to meet us from Nagatsuke. They had dug a family out of the ruins of their collapsed house some fifty meters off the road. The father of the family was already dead. They had dragged out two girls and placed them by the side of the road. Their mother was still trapped under some beams. They had planned to complete the rescue and then to press on to meet us. At the outskirts of the city, we put down the litter and leave two men to wait until those who are to come from Nagatsuke appear. The rest of us turn back to fetch the Father Superior.

Most of the ruins have now burned down. The darkness kindly hides the many forms that lie on the ground. Only occasionally in our quick progress do we hear calls for help. One of us remarks that the remarkable burned smell reminds him of incinerated corpses. The upright, squatting form which we had passed by previously is still there.

Transportation on the litter, which has been constructed out of boards, must be very painful to the Father Superior, whose entire back is full of fragments of glass. In a narrow passage at the edge of town, a car forces us to the edge of the road. The litter bearers on the left side fall into a two meter deep ditch which they could not see in the darkness. Father Superior hides his pain with a dry joke, but the litter which is now no longer in one piece cannot be carried further. We decide to wait until Kinjo can bring a hand cart from Nagatsuke. He soon comes back with one that he has requisitioned from a collapsed house. We place Father Superior on the cart and wheel him the rest of the way, avoiding as much as possible the deeper pits in the road.

About half past four in the morning, we finally arrive at the Novitiate. Our rescue expedition had taken almost twelve hours. Normally, one could go back and forth to the city in two hours. Our two wounded were now, for the first time, properly dressed. I get two hours sleep on the floor; some one else has taken my own bed. Then I read a Mass in gratiarum actionem, it is the 7th of August, the anniversary of the foundation of our society. Then we bestir ourselves to bring Father Kleinsorge and other acquaintances out of the city.

We take off again with the hand cart. The bright day now reveals the frightful picture which last night's darkness had partly concealed. Where the city stood everything, as far as the eye could reach, is a waste of ashes and ruin. Only several skeletons of buildings completely burned out in the interior remain. The banks of the river are covered with dead and wounded, and the rising waters have here and there covered some of the corpses. On the broad street in the Hakushima district, naked burned cadavers are particularly numerous. Among them are the wounded who are still alive. A few have crawled under the burnt-out autos and trams. Frightfully injured forms beckon to us and then collapse. An old woman and a girl whom she is pulling along with her fall down at our feet. We place them on our cart and wheel them to the hospital at whose entrance a dressing station has been set up. Here the wounded lie on the hard floor, row on row. Only the largest wounds are dressed. We convey another soldier and an old woman to the place but we cannot move everybody who lies exposed in the sun. It would be endless and it is questionable whether those whom we can drag to the dressing station can come out alive, because even here nothing really effective can be done. Later, we ascertain that the wounded lay for days in the burnt-out hallways of the hospital and there they died.

We must proceed to our goal in the park and are forced to leave the wounded to their fate. We make our way to the place where our church stood to dig up those few belongings that we had buried yesterday. We find them intact. Everything else has been completely burned. In the ruins, we find a few molten remnants of holy vessels. At the park, we load the housekeeper and a mother with her two children on the cart. Father Kleinsorge feels strong enough, with the aid of Brother Nobuhara, to make his way home on foot. The way back takes us once again past the dead and wounded in Hakushima. Again no rescue parties are in evidence. At the Misasa Bridge, there still lies the family which the Fathers Tappe and Luhmer had yesterday rescued from the ruins. A piece of tin had been placed over them to shield them from the sun. We cannot take them along for our cart is full. We give them and those nearby water to drink and decide to rescue them later. At three o'clock in the afternoon, we are back in Nagatsuka.

After we have had a few swallows and a little food, Fathers Stolte, Luhmer, Erlinghagen and myself, take off once again to bring in the family. Father Kleinsorge requests that we also rescue two children who had lost their mother and who had lain near him in the park. On the way, we were greeted by strangers who had noted that we were on a mission of mercy and who praised our efforts. We now met groups of individuals who were carrying the wounded about on litters. As we arrived at the Misasa Bridge, the family that had been there was gone. They might well have been borne away in the meantime. There was a group of soldiers at work taking away those that had been sacrificed yesterday.

More than thirty hours had gone by until the first official rescue party had appeared on the scene. We find both children and take them out of the park: a six-year old boy who was uninjured, and a twelve-year old girl who had been burned about the head, hands and legs, and who had lain for thirty hours without care in the park. The left side of her face and the left eye were completely covered with blood and pus, so that we thought that she had lost the eye. When the wound was later washed, we noted that the eye was intact and that the lids had just become stuck together. On the way home, we took another group of three refugees with us. They first wanted to know, however, of what nationality we were. They, too, feared that we might be Americans who had parachuted in. When we arrived in Nagatsuka, it had just become dark.

We took under our care fifty refugees who had lost everything. The majority of them were wounded and not a few had dangerous burns. Father Rektor treated the wounds as well as he could with the few medicaments that we could, with effort, gather up. He had to confine himself in general to cleansing the wounds of purulent material. Even those with the smaller burns are very weak and all suffered from diarrhea. In the farm houses in the vicinity, almost everywhere, there are also wounded. Father Rektor made daily rounds and acted in the capacity of a painstaking physician and was a great Samaritan. Our work was, in the eyes of the people, a greater boost for Christianity than all our work during the preceding long years.

Three of the severely burned in our house died within the next few days. Suddenly the pulse and respirations ceased. It is certainly a sign of our good care that so few died. In the official aid stations and hospitals, a good third or half of those that had been brought in died. They lay about there almost without care, and a very high percentage succumbed. Everything was lacking: doctors, assistants, dressings, drugs, etc. In an aid station at a school at a nearby village, a group of soldiers for several days did nothing except to bring in and cremate the dead behind the school.

During the next few days, funeral processions passed our house from morning to night, bringing the deceased to a small valley nearby. There, in six places, the dead were burned. People brought their own wood and themselves did the cremation. Father Luhmer and Father Laures found a dead man in a nearby house who had already become bloated and who emitted a frightful odor. They brought him to this valley and incinerated him themselves. Even late at night, the little valley was lit up by the funeral pyres.

We made systematic efforts to trace our acquaintances and the families of the refugees whom we had sheltered. Frequently, after the passage of several weeks, some one was found in a distant village or hospital but of many there was no news, and these were apparently dead. We were lucky to discover the mother of the two children whom we had found in the park and who had been given up for dead. After three weeks, she saw her children once again. In the great joy of the reunion were mingled the tears for those whom we shall not see again.

The magnitude of the disaster that befell Hiroshima on August 6th was only slowly pieced together in my mind. I lived through the catastrophe and saw it only in flashes, which only gradually were merged to give me a total picture. What actually happened simultaneously in the city as a whole is as follows: As a result of the explosion of the bomb at 8:15, almost the entire city was destroyed at a single blow. Only small outlying districts in the southern and eastern parts of the town escaped complete destruction. The bomb exploded over the center of the city. As a result of the blast, the small Japanese houses in a diameter of five kilometers, which compressed 99% of the city, collapsed or were blown up. Those who were in the houses were buried in the ruins. Those who were in the open sustained burns resulting from contact with the substance or rays emitted by the bomb. Where the substance struck in quantity, fires sprang up. These spread rapidly.

The heat which rose from the center created a whirlwind which was effective in spreading fire throughout the whole city. Those who had been caught beneath the ruins and who could not be freed rapidly, and those who had been caught by the flames, became casualties. As much as six kilometers from the center of the explosion, all houses were damaged and many collapsed and caught fire. Even fifteen kilometers away, windows were broken. It was rumored that the enemy fliers had spread an explosive and incendiary material over the city and then had created the explosion and ignition. A few maintained that they saw the planes drop a parachute which had carried something that exploded at a height of 1,000 meters. The newspapers called the bomb an "atomic bomb" and noted that the force of the blast had resulted from the explosion of uranium atoms, and that gamma rays had been sent out as a result of this, but no one knew anything for certain concerning the nature of the bomb.

How many people were a sacrifice to this bomb? Those who had lived through the catastrophe placed the number of dead at at least 100,000. Hiroshima had a population of 400,000. Official statistics place the number who had died at 70,000 up to September 1st, not counting the missing ... and 130,000 wounded, among them 43,500 severely wounded. Estimates made by ourselves on the basis of groups known to us show that the number of 100,000 dead is not too high. Near us there are two barracks, in each of which forty Korean workers lived. On the day of the explosion, they were laboring on the streets of Hiroshima. Four returned alive to one barracks and sixteen to the other. 600 students of the Protestant girls' school worked in a factory, from which only thirty to forty returned. Most of the peasant families in the neighborhood lost one or more of their members who had worked at factories in the city. Our next door neighbor, Tamura, lost two children and himself suffered a large wound since, as it happened, he had been in the city on that day. The family of our reader suffered two dead, father and son; thus a family of five members suffered at least two losses, counting only the dead and severely wounded. There died the Mayor, the President of the central Japan district, the Commander of the city, a Korean prince who had been stationed in Hiroshima in the capacity of an officer, and many other high ranking officers. Of the professors of the University, thirty-two were killed or severely injured. Especially hard hit were the soldiers. The Pioneer Regiment was almost entirely wiped out. The barracks were near the center of the explosion.

Thousands of wounded who died later could doubtless have been rescued had they received proper treatment and care, but rescue work in a catastrophe of this magnitude had not been envisioned; since the whole city had been knocked out at a blow, everything which had been prepared for emergency work was lost, and no preparation had been made for rescue work in the outlying districts. Many of the wounded also died because they had been weakened by under-nourishment and consequently lacked in strength to recover. Those who had their normal strength and who received good care slowly healed the burns which had been occasioned by the bomb. There were also cases, however, whose prognosis seemed good who died suddenly. There were also some who had only small external wounds who died within a week or later, after an inflammation of the pharynx and oral cavity had taken place. We thought at first that this was the result of inhalation of the substance of the bomb. Later, a commission established the thesis that gamma rays had been given out at the time of the explosion, following which the internal organs had been injured in a manner resembling that consequent upon Roentgen irradiation. This produces a diminution in the numbers of the white corpuscles.

Only several cases are known to me personally where individuals who did not have external burns later died. Father Kleinsorge and Father Cieslik, who were near the center of the explosion, but who did not suffer burns became quite weak some fourteen days after the explosion. Up to this time small incised wounds had healed normally, but thereafter the wounds which were still unhealed became worse and are to date (in September) still incompletely healed. The attending physician diagnosed it as leucopania. There thus seems to be some truth in the statement that the radiation had some effect on the blood. I am of the opinion, however, that their generally undernourished and weakened condition was partly responsible for these findings. It was noised about that the ruins of the city emitted deadly rays and that workers who went there to aid in the clearing died, and that the central district would be uninhabitable for some time to come. I have my doubts as to whether such talk is true and myself and others who worked in the ruined area for some hours shortly after the explosion suffered no such ill effects.

None of us in those days heard a single outburst against the Americans on the part of the Japanese, nor was there any evidence of a vengeful spirit. The Japanese suffered this terrible blow as part of the fortunes of war ... something to be borne without complaint. During this, war, I have noted relatively little hatred toward the allies on the part of the people themselves, although the press has taken occasion to stir up such feelings. After the victories at the beginning of the war, the enemy was rather looked down upon, but when allied offensive gathered momentum and especially after the advent of the majestic B-29's, the technical skill of America became an object of wonder and admiration.

The following anecdote indicates the spirit of the Japanese: A few days after the atomic bombing, the secretary of the University came to us asserting that the Japanese were ready to destroy San Francisco by means of an equally effective bomb. It is dubious that he himself believed what he told us. He merely wanted to impress upon us foreigners that the Japanese were capable of similar discoveries. In his nationalistic pride, he talked himself into believing this. The Japanese also intimated that the principle of the new bomb was a Japanese discovery. It was only lack of raw materials, they said, which prevented its construction. In the meantime, the Germans were said to have carried the discovery to a further stage and were about to initiate such bombing. The Americans were reputed to have learned the secret from the Germans, and they had then brought the bomb to a stage of industrial completion.

We have discussed among ourselves the ethics of the use of the bomb. Some consider it in the same category as poison gas and were against its use on a civil population. Others were of the view that in total war, as carried on in Japan, there was no difference between civilians and soldiers, and that the bomb itself was an effective force tending to end the bloodshed, warning Japan to surrender and thus to avoid total destruction. It seems logical to me that he who supports total war in principle cannot complain of war against civilians. The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good that might result? When will our moralists give us a clear answer to this question?

https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/documents/hiroshima-nagasaki/hiroshima-siemes.html

CHILD WELFARE SUMMIT

April 23, 2024

Shayla Holmes | Director, Lyon County

Social Services

Shayla Holmes is the Director of Human Services and Public Guardian for Lyon County. It

is the mission of Lyon County Human Services to enhance the well-being of individuals

and families across the lifespan within Lyon County. As the Director she is blessed to lead

a team of professionals that are innovative and passionate about addressing the needs of

the communities they serve in a variety of topics such as aging and preventing institutional

long-term care, preventing adverse childhood events, reducing parental stress, housing

and homelessness, increasing financial stability, and enhancing behavioral health

response across the lifespan. She earned her Bachelors of Science from University of

Nevada, Reno in Human Development and Family Studies, her Masters of Arts in Grant

Management and Program Evaluation from Concordia University of Chicago, as well have

her Doctorate in Public Administration through West Chester University, Pennsylvania

conferred in May. Her focus is on social equity and creating flourishing communities.

https://webfiles.clarkcountynv.gov/Shayla%20Holmes.pdf

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

Unité d’Endocrinologie-Gynécologie Pédiatrique, CHU Montpellier, University Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France

INSERM 1203, Développement Embryonnaire Fertilité Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34295 Montpellier, France

CHU Montpellier, University Montpellier, Centre de Référence Maladies Rares du Développement Génital, Constitutif Sud, Hôpital Lapeyronie, 34295 Montpellier, France

Laboratoire Arago, Observatoire Océanologique, Sorbonne University, CNRS, 75016 Paris, France

Association HHORAGES-France, 66100 Perpignan, France

DES International Information and Research Network, Livermore, CA 94551, USA

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

J. Xenobiot. 2024, 14(1), 166-175; https://doi.org/10.3390/jox14010010

Submission received: 28 November 2023 / Revised: 8 January 2024 / Accepted: 10 January 2024 / Published: 12 January 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Human Health)

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Abstract

Diagnostic of transsexualism and gender incongruence are terms to describe individuals whose self-identity does not match their sex assignment at birth. A transgender woman is an individual assigned male at birth (AMAB) on the basis of the external or internal genitalia who identifies and lives as a woman. In recent decades, a significant increase in the number of transgender people has been reported. Although, its etiology is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic, environmental and cultural factors have been suggested to contribute to gender variation. In XY animals, it has been shown that environmental endocrine disruptors, through their anti-androgenic activity, induce a female identity. In this work, we described four XY individuals who were exposed in utero to the xenoestrogen diethylstilbesterol (DES) and were part of the French HHORAGES cohort. They all reported a female transgender identity starting from childhood and adolescence. This high prevalence of male to female transgenderism (1.58%) in our cohort of 253 DES sons suggests that exposure to chemicals with xenoestrogen activity during fetal life may affect the male sex identity and behavior.

Keywords: sexual identity; diethylstilbestrol (DES); prenatal exposure

1. Introduction

Gender identity defines each individual’s deeply held personal sense of their own gender as male or female or something else [1]. Moreover, gender diversity and variance are umbrella terms used to describe the wide range of gender identifications outside the conventional gender categories [2]. Gender dysphoria [3] relates to the distress and unease experienced by individuals who are discontent with their assigned gender and identify with a gender other than the one associated with their birth sex [4]. A transgender man or woman is a person born phenotypically female or male, assigned female or male at birth on the basis of their external or internal genitalia, who identifies and lives as a male or a female. Actually, for many experts [5] this definition should be enlarged to Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) individuals, people with disorders of sex development (DSDs) and people assigned male (AMAB) or female at birth (AFAB) [6].

All studies on secular trends have reported a dramatic increase in the number of transgender people in recent decades [7]. A temporal change in the age of presentation is another notable phenomenon [8]. Quoting Hassler et al. [8] in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5), signs of transgender in children include: “A repeated desire to be the other sex or an assertion that they are the other sex; a belief that their assigned sex will change on its own (e.g., thinking they will grow a penis or that their penis will come off when they get older); wanting to change their name to a name typically associated with another gender, or a gender-neutral name; a preference for presenting as another gender (e.g., a child assigned male at birth who prefers long hair and wearing dresses, or a child assigned female at birth who prefers short hair and wearing gender-neutral clothing); resistance or distress when made to present as a gender they do not identify with (such as a ‘girl’ throwing a tantrum over having to wear a dress or a ‘boy’ crying after having to get a haircut); assuming the role of another gender in fantasy games or make-believe; an intense desire to participate in the games and activities typical of the other gender (such as an assigned-male child playing with Barbie and an assigned-female child playing contact sports); a preference for playmates of another gender”.

Hassler et al. also wrote [8]: “In adolescence, signs of transgender includes: feelings of panic or severe discomfort concerning puberty and body changes (e.g., refusing to acknowledge or admit that changes are occurring, refusing to look at their body, or becoming distressed or uncomfortable with body development, menstruation, or ejaculation); discomfort or distress with certain forms of gender presentation, such as disliking long hair or certain types of clothing; increased bullying at school due to differences in acting out one’s perceived gender or lack of self-confidence; isolation from peers due to lack of connection or fear of bullying; depression and/or anxiety as a result of confusion over gender identity or not fitting in with peers; be aware that some adolescents may try to repress their true gender due to outside pressure, such as from family and peers, even if they previously expressed their true gender as a child”.

The literature on the prevalence of transgender people is heterogeneous, depending on the geographic area, inclusion criteria and age at presentation [9]. Specialized centers that manage transgender people estimate a prevalence between 17 and 33/100,000 individuals [10]. Actually, people who identify as transgender represent a sizable proportion of the general population, from 0.1% to 2% [11,12].

Although the biological basis of transgenderism/incongruence is unknown, biological, anatomical, genetic and environmental factors have been suggested to contribute to gender identity [13,14]. The role of sex hormones and genetics in sexual development was described by studies published between 1948 and 2019, and the implication of endogenous steroids in brain sexual differentiation has been widely studied [14,15,16,17,18]. According to the accepted dogma, high levels of fetal testosterone organize the brain towards a male phenotype [19]. Any exogenous chemical that can reduce testosterone action during fetal life can affect the differentiation of genitalia and sex behavior.

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a molecule that has strengthened the concepts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and the fetal basis of adult diseases [20]. It is well known that in utero exposure to DES, a compound with estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity, induces a wide range of reproductive tract/function abnormalities in the so-called ‘DES daughters’, e.g., alterations to Müllerian duct development, fertility problems, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, premature births and cancers, especially clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix in girls and young women [21]. In ‘DES sons’, epididymal cysts, hypospadias, cryptorchidism, hypoplastic testes and micropenises have been observed [22,23,24,25,26]. In addition, although less studied, in utero exposure to synthetic sex hormones, particularly DES, can cause psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, eating disorders and suicidal behavior [27]. Interestingly, some studies in patients exposed in utero to DES with psychotic disorders identified methylome changes that affect the expression of ZFP57 and ADAMTS9, two genes implicated in neurodevelopment regulation [28], with potential multigenerational and transgenerational effects [29,30].

In this work, we first describe four transgender women identified among the 253 sons exposed in utero to DES included in the HHORAGES-France cohort (a French National patient association). This high prevalence of male-to-female transgender individuals among DES sons (1.58%) strongly suggests that exposure of male fetuses to this xenoestrogen during fetal life may affect future male sex identity and behavior.

2. Patients and Methods

This study was based on a French national retrospective cohort of DES-treated women (HHORAGES-France Association) (n = 1200) and their families. Detailed standard questionnaires were obtained from all DES mothers when they joined the HHORAGES-France Association and all DES children were already adults at this time. The answers to this online questionnaire were used to select women who met the following inclusion criteria: (1) at least two pregnancies with two viable male babies (same father) among whom the first child was not exposed in utero to DES (pre-DES), followed by one or more children with fetal exposure to DES (DES); (2) confirmed data on the total DES dose (health record or physician’s observation). The cumulative dose D administered to the French pregnant mothers was 4050 mg < D < 7300 mg. This is considered a medium-low-dose cohort, in accordance with the observations by Tournaire et al. [31] and compared with the higher doses administered in the United States (7550 mg < D < 12,742 mg). The answers to the questionnaires were also used to identify women with a DES son who presented female gender variance. We then contacted all DES sons with female gender variance and we carried out an individual interview with them.

The local university hospital ethics committee approved this study (ID IRB No. 202301531), and all patients gave their informed consent through the HHORAGES-France Association (CNIL: J B/EM/DC042793, N° 1006460).

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

Beatie came out as a trans man in early 1997. Beatie had gender-affirming surgery in March 2002 and became known as "the pregnant man" after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007.[3] Beatie chose to be pregnant, with donated sperm,[4][5] because his wife Nancy was sterile.

The couple filed for divorce in 2012. The Beatie case is the first of its kind on record, where a documented legal male gave birth within a marriage to a woman, and for the first time, a court challenged a marriage where the husband gave birth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

Tracing boards are painted or printed illustrations depicting the various emblems and symbols of Freemasonry. They can be used as teaching aids during the lectures that follow each of the Masonic Degrees, when an experienced member explains the various concepts of Freemasonry to new members. They can also be used by experienced members as reminders of the concepts they learned as they went through the ceremonies of the different masonic degrees.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

Exoteric Masonry, which is only the husks of the Mystic Order formed by the Sons of Cain has in modern times attracted the masculine element with its positively polarized physical vehicles, and educated them in industry and statecraft, thus controlling the material development of the world. The sons of Seth, constituting themselves the Priestcraft have worked their spell over the positive vital bodies of the feminine element to dominate the spiritual development. And whereas, the sons of Cain working through Freemasonry and kindred movements, have openly fought for the temporal power, the Priestcraft has fought as strenuously and perhaps more effectively, by stealth, to retain their monopoly upon the spiritual development of the feminine element. To the casual onlooker it would seem as if there were no decided antagonism between these two movements at the present time, but though Freemasonry of today is but a shell of its true ancient mystic self, and though Catholicism has been terribly tarnished by the touch of time, in that one thing there is no difference, the war is as keen as ever, the efforts of the Church are not concentrated upon the masses however as much as upon those who are seeking to live the higher life, so that they may gain admission to the Mystery Temple and learn how to make the Philosophers’ Stone. As mankind advances in evolution, the vital body becomes more permanently positively polarized giving to both sexes a greater desire for spirituality, and though we change from the masculine to feminine in alternate embodiment, positive polarity of the vital body is becoming more pronounced regardless of sex, and this accounts for the growing tendency towards Altruism which is even being brought out by the suffering entailed by the great war we are now fighting, for all agree that they are seeking to obtain a lasting peace where the swords may be made into plowshares, and the spears into pruning hooks. In the past humanity has been claiming universal brotherhood as a great ideal, but we must come closer than that to be in full accord with the Christ. He said to his Disciples “ye are my friends.” Among brothers and sisters hate and enmity may exist, but friendship is the expression of love and cannot exist apart from that. This is therefore the magic word which will eventually level all distinctions, bring peace upon earth and goodwill among men. This is the great Ideal proclaimed by the Rosicrucian Fellowship, an Ideal which points the shortest way to the New Heaven and the New Earth, where the sons of Cain and the sons of Seth will eventually be united.

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM

by MAX HEINDEL

https://dn720206.ca.archive.org/0/items/freemasonryandca017137mbp/freemasonryandca017137mbp.pdf

The new pope was at the 2005 World Series

May 9th, 2025

Jeffrey Lutz

The baseball world has been buzzing this week upon the revelation that Robert Prevost (now officially known as Pope Leo XIV) is a White Sox fan. And as the world is finding out, he's pretty serious about the Pale Hose.

It was revealed by the Chicago Sun-Times this week that the new pope was in attendance for Game 1 of the Fall Classic against Houston at then-U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side of Chicago. And as pointed out on X by @SoxOn35th, he even made a brief appearance on the FOX broadcast, as you can see in the clip above.

White Sox pregame recognizes Pope Leo XIV

May 9, 2025 · 0:59

White Sox pregame recognizes Pope Leo XIV

Back then, Prevost was "Father Bob" to friends and followers like Heidi Skokal, whose father, Ed Schmit, was close friends with Prevost and attended the World Series with him.

Now, you may know Prevost better as Pope Leo XIV. Prevost, elected this week to become the first American pope, is a Chicago native and longtime White Sox fan. He was ordained after studying at Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.

“He’s always been there for our whole entire family and was very, very close to my dad,” Skokal told the Sun-Times. “And my dad told him all the time, ‘Father Bob, you’re going to be the next pope.’”

Upon being named Pope on Thursday, there was a brief debate about whether Prevost was a Cubs or White Sox fan, but that was quickly settled by his brother, who told WGN News that Pope Leo "was always a White Sox fan."

The club honored him with a pregame video tribute on Friday.

https://www.mlb.com/news/pope-leo-xiv-robert-prevost-white-sox-fan-2005-world-series

World, the: 1. It is proper to our vocation: to go to diverse places and live in whatever part of the world and to be sent wherever the greater service of God and the help of souls can be hoped for [82, 92, 304, 308, 588, 603, 605, 626, 749]; to this purpose is directed the vow of special obedience to the supreme pontiff regarding missions, FI no. 3 [603, 605], 2 §1; consequently a complete availability, mobility, and universality are necessary, 110, 121 4°, 242 §3, 246 7°, 248, 259, 411; at the service of which is chastity, 144 §2; consequently our community is a community for dispersion, 255 §1, 312, 314 §2, 315, 317; thus also the need for communicating with different cultures of the world and for insertion into them, 99 §2, 106 §2, 110, 111, 246 2°; and for promoting that perfect and open cooperation among the members of the entire Society, of whatever province or region they may be, 396 §2. See also Cooperation, interprovincial and supraprovincial; Culture(s); Insertion 2. God is present in the world: exercising the ministry of healing and reconciliation, 246 4°; thus he is there to be sought and found, 223 §§3-4; the world, in great part afflicted with atheism and injustice and increasingly divided by diverse economic, social, and ethnic systems and by other sources of division and opposition, 59 §2, 223 §3, 246 4° 3. The world, as distinguished from religious life: is to be left behind, trampled underfoot, and renounced [30, 50, 53, 61, 66, 297]; it is to be despised because of the love for and imitation of Christ [101]; contempt for it assists in the union of minds and hearts [671]: customs which smack of the world are not to be introduced, 322.

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's Florida brother Louis Prevost at the White House on May 20, after praising Prevost to reporters at the Capitol earlier in the day, calling him a "major MAGA fan."

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"I like the new pope and I like the pope's brother. You know, one of the pope's brothers – actually both of them – but one in particular is a major MAGA fan. Did you know that? He lives in Florida," Trump said.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

"Great meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and @Pontifex’s brother, Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah," Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X, along with a photo of the meeting.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

All historians acknowledge the ascendancy of the popes began in 308 A.D., when King Clovis of the Salian or Merovingian Franks (later France), won the decisive battle in the Catholic and Arian religious war, thereby settling the dispute in favor of the Catholics. But the popes' temporal reign officially began in the year 538 A.D. when Roman Emperor Justinian subdued the last of the three kingdoms, or "horns," that opposed the rise of the Papacy."

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

Clovis is the modern conventional French (and thence English) form of the Old Frankish name ᚺᛚᛟᛞᛟᚹᛁᚷ (in runic alphabet) or *"Hlōdowik" or "Hlōdowig" (in Latin alphabet), equivalent to the modern forms Louis (French), Lodewijk (Dutch), Lewis (English), and Ludwig (German).

Etymology

The name *Hlōdowik or *Hlōdowig is traditionally considered to be composed of two elements, deriving from both Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz ("loud, famous") and *wiganą ("to battle, to fight") respectively, resulting in the traditional practice of translating Clovis' name as meaning "famous warrior".

However, scholars have pointed out that Gregory of Tours consequently transcribes the names of various Merovingian royal names containing the first element as chlodo-. The use of a close-mid back protruded vowel (o), rather than the expected close back rounded vowel (u) which Gregory does use in various other Germanic names (i.e. Fredegundis, Arnulfus, Gundobadus, etc.) opens up the possibility that the first element instead derives from Proto-Germanic *hlutą ("lot, share, portion"), giving the meaning of the name as "loot bringer" or "plunder (bringing) warrior". This hypothesis is supported by the fact that if the first element is taken to mean "famous", then the name of Chlodomer (one of Clovis' sons) would contain two elements (*hlūdaz and *mērijaz) both meaning "famous", which would be highly uncommon within the typical Germanic name structure.[1][2]

Frankish royalty

Clovis I (c. 466 – 511), the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler

Clovis II (637 – c. 658), king of Neustria and Burgundy

Clovis III (reigned 675–676), the king of Austrasia

Clovis IV (682–695), the sole king of the Franks from 691 until 695

Clovis (died 580), son of Chilperic I and Audovera, assassinated by his father and stepmother

Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, King of Aquitaine from 781 and sole ruler of the Franks 814–840, but counted as "Louis I of France" even though West Francia (the nucleus of the later kingdom of France) was formed only after his death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clovis_(given_name)

Louis Raphaël I Sako (Arabic: لويس روفائيل ساكو;[1] born 4 July 1948) is a Chaldean Catholic prelate who has served as Patriarch of Baghdad since 1 February 2013. Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 28 June 2018.

Biography

Early life

Sako was born in the city of Zakho, Iraq, on 4 July 1948.[2] He comes from an ethnic Assyrian family of the Chaldean Catholic Church that has roots in a religious community that has had a presence in the city of his birth since the 5th century AD.[3]

He completed his early studies in Mosul and then attended the Dominican-run Saint Jean’s Seminary there. He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1974 and filled his first pastoral assignment at the Cathedral of Mosul until 1979. He then earned a doctorate in Eastern patrology at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. When denied a license to teach because he was only qualified for religious instruction, he earned a second doctorate in history from the Sorbonne in Paris.[4] With this he secured his teaching license and was able to provide religious instruction. From 1997 to 2002 he was rector of the Patriarchal Seminary in Baghdad. He then returned to Mosul and guided the parish of Perpetual Help for a year.[5][6]

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

A synod of the bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church meeting in Baghdad elected Sako Archeparch of Kirkuk on 24 October 2002. Pope John Paul II gave his assent on 27 September 2003.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 November 2003 from his predecessor in Kirkuk, André Sana.[8]

In August 2009, and at the beginning of Ramadan, Sako organized an appeal for national peace, reconciliation and end to violence on the part of more than fifty religious leaders in Kirkuk. He called it "a gesture of closeness to our Muslim brothers. We are all brothers, sons of the same God we must respect and cooperate for the good of the people and our country." The participants included representatives of Ali Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr.[9]

Patriarch

The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church, convoked in Rome on 28 January 2013, elected Sako to succeed Emmanuel III Delly as Patriarch of Babylon. He chose Louis Raphael I as his regnal name. Pope Benedict XVI gave his assent to the election on 1 February[2] and granted him ecclesiastica communio (ecclesiastical communion) as required by the canon law for Eastern-rite Catholic churches in recognition of their unity with the wider Catholic church.[10]

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

In July 2014 Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who demanded Christians either convert, submit to their radical rule and pay a religious levy or face death by the sword.[12] In September 2014 Sako said “The U.S. is indirectly responsible for what is going on in Iraq as it said it would ensure democracy and the well-being of the people, but 10 years have passed and on the contrary we have gone backward." He was responding to a question following remarks attributed to him in the local daily Ad-Diyar in which he accused the U.S. of supporting ISIS. Sako had also criticized Muslim countries for lack of support: "Our Muslim neighbours did not help us." He urged Muslim preachers to issue a religious ruling against the killing of all innocent people and said that "Issuing a fatwa preventing Muslims from killing fellow Muslims is not enough."[13]

In 2014, Sako ordered ten priests who had fled Iraq to return there by 22 October; he suspended them when they failed to comply. The priests, all living in the United States, some for as long as twenty years, appealed to Pope Francis for relief from the order.[14] In January 2015, Pope Francis granted them permission to remain in the United States.[15] Sako later renewed his order despite the pope's decision.[16]

In 2015, Sako proposed a "merger" or reunion of his own Chaldean Catholic Church with the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East to create one united "Church of the East" with a single patriarch in union with the pope. His proposal would have required both his own resignation and that of Mar Addai II, followed by a joint synod of the bishops of all three churches to elect a new patriarch for the reunited Church of the East. (The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East was vacant at the time, following the death of Mar Dinkha IV.)[17] He wrote that "Unity does not mean uniformity, nor the melting of our own church identity into one style, but it maintains unity in diversity and we remain one apostolic universal church, the Oriental Church, that maintains its independence of administration, laws and liturgies, traditions and support."[18] The Assyrian Church of the East respectfully declined this proposal citing "ecclesiological divergences still remaining" and proceeded with its election of a new patriarch.[19]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Pope Francis made Sako a cardinal in a consistory on 28 June 2018.[21] Later that year, Pope Francis named him one of the four cardinals to preside over sessions of the Synod of Bishops on Youth in October.[22]

On 6 October 2018 Sako was named a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches,[23] on 22 February 2019 a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,[24] and on 29 September 2021 a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.[25] On 4 January 2022, Pope Francis made him a member of the Council for the Economy.[26]

Sako was a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.[27] Patriarch Sako was also the first Chaldean Catholic Patriarch ever to participate in a papal conclave.[28][a] Sako opted not to wear the shash, the traditional headgear of East Syriac Christian bishops, and wore only his scarlet zucchetto.[32]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Baptist pastor serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]

Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 2005.[4] He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.[5]

Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker.

Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state, and the second black U.S. Senator directly elected from a Southern state, after Tim Scott.[11][12][13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

The United States presidential line of succession is the order in which the vice president of the United States and other officers of the United States federal government assume the powers and duties of the U.S. presidency (or the office itself, in the instance of succession by the vice president) upon an elected president's death, resignation, removal from office, or incapacity.

The order of succession specifies that the office passes to the vice president; if the vice presidency is simultaneously vacant, the powers and duties of the presidency pass to the speaker of the House of Representatives, president pro tempore of the Senate, and then Cabinet secretaries, depending on eligibility.

Presidential succession is referred to multiple times in the U.S. Constitution: Article II, Section 1, Clause 6, the 12th Amendment, 20th Amendment, and 25th Amendment. The vice president is designated as first in the presidential line of succession by the Article II succession clause, which also authorizes Congress to provide for a line of succession beyond the vice president. It has done so on three occasions. The Presidential Succession Act was adopted in 1947, and last revised in 2006. The 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967, also establishes procedures for filling an intra-term vacancy in the office of the vice president.

The Presidential Succession Act refers specifically to officers beyond the vice president acting as president rather than becoming president when filling a vacancy. The Cabinet has 15 members, of which the secretary of state is highest and fourth in line (after the president pro tempore of the Senate); the other Cabinet secretaries follow in the order of when their departments (or the department of which their department is the successor) were created. Those heads of department who are constitutionally not "eligible to the Office of President" are disqualified from assuming the powers and duties of the president through succession and skipped to the next in line. Since 1789, the vice president has succeeded to the presidency intra-term on nine occasions: eight times due to the incumbent's death, and once due to resignation. No one lower in the line of succession has ever been called upon to act as president.

Widely considered a settled issue during the late 20th century, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 demonstrated the potential for a decapitation strike that would kill or incapacitate multiple individuals in the presidential line of succession in addition to many members of Congress and the federal judiciary. In the years immediately following the attacks, numerous wide-ranging discussions were started, in Congress, among academics and within the public policy community about continuity of government concerns including the existing constitutional and statutory provisions governing presidential succession. These discussions remain ongoing. One effort put forward by the Continuity of Government Commission, a nonpartisan think tank, produced three reports (2003, 2009, and 2011), the second of which focused on the implicit ambiguities and limitations in the succession act, and contained recommendations for amending the laws for succession to the presidency.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_line_of_succession

Tulsi Gabbard (/ˈtʌlsi ˈɡæbərd/; born April 12, 1981) is an American politician and military officer serving since 2025 as the eighth director of national intelligence (DNI). She has held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2021, and previously served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. A former Democrat, she became an independent in 2022 and later joined the Republican Party in 2024. Gabbard was the youngest state legislator in Hawaii from 2002 to 2004.

Gabbard joined the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005, where she served as a specialist with a medical unit, and received the Combat Medical Badge. In 2007, Gabbard completed the officer training program at the Alabama Military Academy. She went to Kuwait in 2008 as an Army Military Police officer. In 2015, while also serving in Congress, Gabbard became a major with the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 2020, she transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2021.

In 2012, Gabbard was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district. She became the first Samoan American and Hindu American member of U.S. Congress. During her tenure in Congress, she served on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She supported the military campaign to defeat Islamic extremism but opposed the U.S. intervention in the Syrian civil war. In her fourth term, Gabbard also served on the HASC Subcommittee on Intelligence, which oversaw military intelligence and counterterrorism.

Gabbard launched her 2020 presidential campaign running on an anti-interventionist and populist platform, but dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden in March 2020. Previously, she also served as vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016 but resigned to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. After her departure from Congress in 2021, Gabbard took more conservative positions on issues such as transgender rights, border security, and foreign policy. In 2022, she spoke at the conservative CPAC conference and left the Democratic Party.

In 2024, Gabbard endorsed Donald Trump for the presidential election and joined the Republican Party later that year. After Trump nominated Gabbard for DNI, her past statements on Syria and the Russian invasion of Ukraine drew scrutiny and concern. Many veterans and Republicans defended Gabbard's record, noting her military service and Congressional experience. In February 2025, she was confirmed by the Senate, becoming the highest-ranking Pacific Islander American government official in U.S. history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard

The conspiracy is racist, considering Blacks, Hispanics, and Aboriginal Peoples to be inferior races of useless eaters. They believe or at least profess that the Anglo/Aryan race is the true Israel (British Israel and Christian Identity for the dupes and an Anglophile Secular Humanism for the leaders) and thus the Master race. They have convinced the so-called useless eaters that they are friends, benefactors, and protectors. In the meantime they plan to enslave these poor People under socialism or eliminate them altogether. The Illuminati has convinced them that Karl Marx is their savior, and the sheople follow this Judas goat eagerly.

There will be no individual Rights only privileges. These will be granted or denied at will by the world supra government. All property is to be owned by the State. There will be a redistribution of wealth. They plan to eliminate class differences and reduce the standard of living to a lower level in the advanced nations, such as the united States, and to a higher standard of living in the so-called third world nations. This leveling of the standard of living will be accomplished through a global economic collapse which is in its beginning stages. The economic collapse will fulfill the goal of Marx and Engles' Communist Manifesto mandating the elimination of the middle class. The graduated income tax was the first implementation of this process and is one of the planks of the Communist Manifesto. NAFTA and GATT are a part of this process encouraging industry to move into third-world nations in order to exploit cheap labor.

All existing religions will disappear. The only religion will be the state religion (humanism or illuminism).

All County and State governments will be eliminated and replaced with regional government. These regional governments (Home Rule) are already in place. Regionalism is gradually taking control throughout America.

There will be no more cash. Trade will be accomplished by a system of computer credits with accounts accessed through debit cards or computer chip implants. The cards or implants will also serve as personal identification, drivers license, and etc. When this is completed the human race will be shackled to a computer in a never ending cycle of debt. No action or movement will ever again be private.

HOTT - MAJESTYTWELVE (hourofthetime.com)

https://www.hourofthetime.com/majestyt.htm

After his initiation, which is said to have been conducted personally by Pike, his attitude and activities suddenly changed. While he outwardly remained anti-clerical and anti-Vatican, he no longer advocated the violent overthrow of the Vatican by force. Pike did with Lemmi what Karl Rothschild had had to do little more than a decade earlier with other Satanists when they stirred up so much anti-Vatican hatred that the governments of France and Italy were on the verge of destroying it. Karl Rothschild, an initiate of the Full Secret, stepped in to act as “Peacemaker” between the Vatican and her enemies. History relates how his intervention ‘saved’ the Vatican and made Karl Rothschild the ‘friend’ and ‘trusted adviser’ of the Pope. He reorganized the affairs of the Treasury and State Departments. But history has proved that Karl Rothschild was no true friend of the Vatican. Two World Wars, instigated by his family of moneylenders, and their international affiliates who direct the W.R.M.., have seen Christians of all denominations divided into opposing camps, been made to fight and kill each other off by the tens of millions. This has been done to bring Pike’s plan for the final social cataclysm nearer to fruition. Communism grew stronger as Christianity was weakened, until today, as Pike’s plan required, Communism has darkened the entire earth. While it would be inaccurate to deny that there have been ‘bad’ Popes, as there have been ‘bad’ Kings, it is only proper to point out that the ‘bad’ Popes and Kings were no worse than some of the other leaders of Christianity, when they became presidents of republics. Luciferianism demands that ALL temporal and spiritual authority be destroyed because of their alleged badness. Because the struggle in which we are involved, is against the spiritual forces of darkness, it stands to reason that there must be good and bad people in all walks of life; in all levels of government and in all religions. It is typical of all who serve the Devil’s cause that they always use destructive criticism aimed at those in authority, to undermine the confidence and loyalty of the individual in the remaining governmental and religious institutions. This policy helps those who direct the W.R.M. to at first weaken, and then destroy ALL remaining governments and religions. Let us never forget that there is nothing wrong with Christianity. Many things done in the name of Christianity were done by men who, knowingly or unknowingly, furthered the secret plans of the Luciferian conspiracy. What we need to do is clean upon and strengthen Christianity as God would wish. The above remarks are published to explain how it is that Satanists have always attacked the Popes and the Vatican, and advocated their destruction, while the High Priests of the Luciferian Creed have, to-date, always stepped in and prevented their doing so. The intervention of those who control the Synagogue of Satan AT THE TOP was not out of love or respect for the Pope of the Vatican. They intervened because, being initiated into the FULL SECRET, they knew that when their conspiracy reaches its final stage; after all temporal powers have been reduced in strength until they no longer remain World Powers; when a tired and weary people have been reduced to such a physical and mental condition that they became convinced that ONLY a One World Government can put an end to revolutions and wars, and give them peace, they must use the clash between Communism and Christianity to destroy ALL remaining religious institutions also. Gen. Albert Pike revealed how this was to be done in the letter he wrote Mazzini August 15,1871. That part which deals with this particular phase of the conspiracy reads as follows, “We shall unleash the Nihilists and Atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations (people of different nationalities), the effects of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens obliged to defend themselves against the world minority or revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with Christianity, whose deistic spirits will be from that moment without compass (direction), anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the TRUE LIGHT, through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view, a manifestation which will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and Atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time.” We ask the reader to study every word of this diabolically inspired document. According to Pike’s military blueprint, drawn up between 1859 and 1871, three global wars and three major revolutions were to place the High Priests of the Luciferian Creed in position to usurp world powers. Two World Wars have been fought according to schedule. The Russian and Chinese revolutions have achieved success. Communism has been built up in strength and Christendom weakened. World War Three is now in the making. If it is allowed to break out, all remaining nations will be further weakened, and Islam and political Zionism will be destroyed as world powers. The reader must not forget that the Arab world is made up of millions of people, many of whom are Christians; many are of the Jewish faith; many are Mohammedans, but all subscribe to belief in the same God Christians worship as the Creator of the Universe. The Koran of the Mohammedan faith is practically identical with the Bible, excepting only that the Mohammedan religion, while accepting Jesus Christ as the GREATEST of God’s prophets before Mohammed, does not permit its members to believe in the Divinity of Christ. The point we wish to make is this: Those who direct the Luciferian conspiracy AT THE TOP realize only too well that before they can provoke the final social cataclysm, they must first of all bring about the destruction of Islam as a world power, because if Islam were not destroyed, it would undoubtedly line up with Christianity in the event of an all out war with Communism. If that were allowed to happen, the balance of power would be held by Christianity, allied to Mohammedanism, and it would be very unlikely that both sides would conquer and exterminate each other. It is of the greatest of importance that these facts, which explain the political intrigue and chicanery now going on in the near, middle, and far East, be brought to the attention ofALL political and religious leaders so they may take action to prevent the last phases of the Luciferian conspiracy from being put into effect, and bring to fruition the prediction made in Chapter 20 of Revelations, i.e., that Satan shall be bound for a thousand years. The events of the past half century would indicate that we are rapidly approaching that period of the world’s history when, if it were not for the intervention of God, “No flesh would survive” (Matt. 24:22, Mark 13: 20). It is important that the general public know the diabolical fate being prepared for the whole of the human race. I cannot agree with some of the clergy of several denominations, with whom I have discussed this matter at considerable length, who say, “It is better that the public be left in ignorance of their pending fate. To tell them the truth will only alarm them and cause them to panic.” Even some Bishops, who are supposed to be the shepherds of their flocks, hold such views. This is beyond my comprehension. They are like physicians who advocate drugging a person they suppose to be dying at the first indication of pain. If the general public is told the whole TRUTH, knowledge of the TRUTH will certainly make the vast majority of people busy themselves about saving their immortal souls. Knowledge of the TRUTH regarding the diabolically inspired conspiracy will wake them up; it will put an end to lethargy and indifference. As Christ told us the TRUTH will set us free (spiritually) from the bonds with which we are being ever tighter bound, by the spiritual forces of darkness every day. What does it matter if Devil’s incarnate kill our bodies provided we prevent them deceiving us into losing our immortal souls? (Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:4). The TRUTH is that if World War Three is fought, the United States will be the only remaining world power after it is ended. Either ALL people will have to acknowledge that power, or they will clamour for, and demand a world government. And they will get it if the Luciferian conspiracy is allowed to be developed to its intended conclusion. Then, through the auspices of the United Nations, or some similar organization, a puppet King will be made World Sovereign, and he will secretly be under the influence and direction of the agentur of the Synagogue of Satan, who will have been appointed, not elected, to be his “Specialists,” “Experts,” and “Advisors.” The High Priests of the Luciferian Creed know they cannot usurp world power before the United States is ruined as the last remaining world power, so those who direct the W.R.M. ATTHE VERYTOP are arranging matters so the United States will, as Lenin stated, “Fall into our hands like an overripe fruit.” This is how events taking place today indicate the subjugation of the U.S.A. is planned. Pike’s plan requires that the final social cataclysm between the masses controlled by atheistic-communism and those who profess Christianity, be fought on a national as well as an international scale. That is the reason, and the only reason, that Communism is being tolerated, while being kept under restraint, in the remaining socalled Free Nations of the World. I have served in the higher levels of government, and in the naval forces, in positions that enabled me to realize that Communism in Canada and in the United States is tolerated, and is being controlled and contained, so its evil destructive force can be used on the national level, as well as the international level, when the final social cataclysm is provoked by those who direct the W RM. AT THE TOP I have tried to bring this great TRUTH to the attention of cabinet ministers since 1944, when I served on the staff of Naval Headquarters in Ottawa. The late Right Hon. Angus McDonald was then Naval Secretary. Admiral J.C. Jones was Chief-of-Naval Staff. I convinced both these chief executives regarding the TRUTH of what was going on BEHIND THE SCENES of government in Canada and the United States. I was ordered to submit these facts in the form of briefs, so they could be presented to the Canadian cabinet. I know these matters were presented to said cabinet, but Mackenzie King brushed them aside. Col. Ralston, Minister for the Army, and Major ‘Chubby’ Power, Minister for the Air Force, were so disgusted with Mackenzie King because of the manner in which he wielded autocratic power, that they both resigned from his government, even though it was war time. The Naval Minister told me personally, “Carr, the cabinet is full of the people you wish to expose. I intend to stick with the ship (Navy) until we win the war. Then I am going to resign from federal politics. What is going on is more than I can take ....” When I requested to be de-mobilized in Mayy, 1945 (after Germany collapsed), in order that I might start writing Pawns in the Game and Red Fog over America, Admiral Jones shook my hand as we said good-bye, and said, “I wish you luck with your new books. Publication of the TRUTH, as you have explained it to the Minister and myself, could do more to prevent World War Three than any defensive plan based on armaments.” Both of these men died suddenly shortly afterwards. In 1955 it required six times as many members of the RC.M.P and the F.B.I. to ‘contain’ Communism in Canada and the United States, as it did in 1945. In 1956 the Canadian Minister of Justice asked parliament to increase his budget by millions of dollars on the grounds that six RC.M.P officers were now required to keep check on Communists, where only one was required 10 years before. This was a superlative illustration of the double talk used by men who are involved in the W.R.M.. The Minister said: “To keep check on Communists.” What he should have said was: “To keep Communism in check until the time is ripe to use it.” I personally knew Inspector John Leopold who for many years headed the anti-subversive department of the RC.M.P We discussed these matters on many occasions. The RC.M.P and the F B.I. could arrest every Communist in Canada and the United States within twenty-four hours of the order being given by the heads of the respective departments of Justice, provided the Communists were not tipped off previously. It isn’t much of an exaggeration to say that John Leopold had one of his agents sleep with the Communist leaders every night. But the order to destroy the most destructive weapon the leaders of the Luciferian conspiracy possess, by legal means, was not given, and John Leopold retired from the RC.M.P a broken man, worn out bodily, mentally, and, I am sorry to say, spiritually, because of sheer frustration. The power of the United States can be destroyed only from within. The internal unrest now being fomented between citizens of different races, colors, and creeds is not so much the result of aggressive action taken by different groups as it is the result of rulings which have been passed by the Supreme Court. Their purpose was the creation of issues and troubles where previously no real issue or problem existed. I say with all gravity, fully realizing the seriousness of what I say, that if the day is allowed to come when those controlled by atheistic Communism are thrown at the throats of those who profess Christianity, on an international scale, over some real or cooked-up’ issue, then Communists in every one of the remaining socalled free nations will be released from the check-reins with which they are now being contained, and, as Pike boasted to Mazzini, the people will experience the worst social cataclysm the world has ever known. What I say is based on documentary evidence supported by historical facts, events which have taken place since the plans were laid. Everything Weishaupt planned between 1770 and 1776 to further the Luciferian conspiracy has developed EXACTLY as he intended. Everything Pike planned between 1859 and 1871 has occurred EXACTLY as he intended. We are now on the verge of World War Three, and about to enter the first stage of the conspiracy. But what is of even greater importance -the Holy Scriptures confirm what I say. All a person needs to do, to convince himself of this TRUTH, is to read Matt. 24:1-35 and Mark 13:1-30, and Luke 21: 25- 33. What abominations could the human mind conceive worse than those we know from experience happen when human beings fight civil wars? What could be worse than to use the atomic weapons and nerve gas? It seems that human beings are turned into devils incarnate when engaged in war, particularly civil war, because they practice every abomination upon each other that Dante in his Inferno describes as being practiced in Hell.

Satan Prince of This World

by William Guy Carr

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hw94yTrcRzvZjNQOo8T5_w-jqL8v5IMu/view?usp=sharing

In 2002, a group of Watchers, including Lydia, Nigel, and Phillip, were reunited to report to director Quentin Travers about the numerous attacks on the Council around the world. Quentin confirmed that the First Evil was responsible, and told the group to prepare for battle. Seconds later, the Watchers Council headquarters exploded,[1] in an attack orchestrated by Caleb.[6]

Behind the scenes

In "Consequences," the telephone number Wesley Wyndam-Pryce dials when contacting the Watchers Council appears to be a correct one, beginning with 11-44. Indeed, the international calling code from the US to the UK is 011-44-telephone number.

In the non-canon comic arc Viva Las Buffy!, the Watchers Council uses a building described as outside of London. The non-canon novel Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row locates the Watchers Council headquarters at the far end of Great Russell Street, in London.

Reference books such as The Watcher's Guide, Volume 2, The Making of a Slayer, and The Slayer Collection: Welcome to the Hellmouth also affirm that the headquarters are located in London.

https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Watchers_Council_headquarters

A car bomb attack was carried out by the armed Basque separatist group ETA in Madrid, Spain, on 14 July 1986, which killed 12 people and injured another 32. The dead were all members of the Guardia Civil studying in the nearby traffic school on Príncipe de Vergara.[1] The ETA members later convicted of participation in the attack included significant figures in the group, including Antonio Troitiño and Iñaki de Juana Chaos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Rep%C3%BAblica_Dominicana_bombing

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YC_luOfFWl0Bm0BWkbANKZGC1kkmdHQf/view?usp=sharing

14We ought to act on the principle that everyone who lives under obedience should let himself be carried and directed by Divine Providence through the agency of the superior 15as if he were a lifeless body, which allows itself to be carried to any place and treated in any way; or an old man s staff, which serves at any place and for any purpose in which the one holding it in his hand wishes to employ it. 16For in this way the obedient man ought joyfully to employ himself in any task in which the superior desires to employ him in aid of the whole body of the religious order; 17and he ought to hold it certain that by so doing he conforms himself with the divine will more than by anything else he could do while following his own will and different judgment.[3]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

At the thirty-first General Congregation of the Society of Jesus in 1965, Arrupe was elected twenty-eighth Superior General of the Jesuits, and served in that post until 1983. He was the second Basque to be Father General, the first being the founder Ignatius of Loyola himself.[13] Jesuit Vincent O'Keefe, a friend and advisor to Arrupe, said Arrupe was "a second Ignatius of Loyola, a refounder of the Society in the light of Vatican II."[14][15] At his election, Moscow Radio spoke of an unusual man who would bring the Society of Jesus to its powers of the past.[16]: 218

After the changes following Vatican II (1962–1965), there was tension within the Society as to how the life of a Jesuit was to be lived. While some religious groups in the Catholic church have limits on the works they take on, the Society of Jesus encourages its members to follow their interest and talents and the needs of the times into a whole range of ministries – as theologians, missionaries, retreat directors, teachers, artists, writers, musicians, counselors, scientists, and pastors – to bring glory to God in all areas of human endeavor.[17] This is in line with the crowning contemplation of Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises through which Jesuits learn to find God in all things (#236). As Arrupe's biographer said of him, he "saw the hand of God in everything."[16]: 226

Arrupe warned of repeating the answers of yesterday for tomorrow's problems, saying: "If we speak a language no longer appropriate to the hearts of people, we speak only to ourselves because no one will listen to us or try to understand what we say."[16]: 228 Arrupe was "hailed as a prophet of our time",[16]: 231 not unlike Jesuit Pope Francis,[citation needed] who was undertaking theological studies, learning, when Arrupe became Superior General and began speaking his "prophetic" words. The Union of Superior Generals of religious, seeing Arrupe as the right man for our time, elected him five times as their president.[16]: 231

Faith and justice

In an address to Jesuit alumni in 1973, Arrupe coined the phrase "men for others" which has become a theme for Jesuit education worldwide, educating students to be "men and women for others".[18][19][20]

At the thirty-second General Congregation which convened in 1975, Arrupe's dream of working for the poor was crystallised in the document "Our Mission Today: the Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice." It stated: "Our faith in Jesus Christ and our mission to proclaim the Gospel demand of us a commitment to promote justice and enter into solidarity with the voiceless and the powerless."[21] Thus, the decree basically defined all the work of the Jesuits as having an essential focus on the promotion of social justice as well as the Catholic faith. Arrupe was keenly aware that in the political climate of the 1970s, the Jesuits’ commitment to working for social justice would bring great hardship and suffering, particularly in those Latin American countries ruled by military juntas.[21][13]

In a speech to European educators Arrupe made it clear where he stood on matters of faith and justice, saying: "I take very seriously the words of Gandhi, 'I love Christ but I despise Christians because they do not live as Christ lived.' Without a doubt Christian love of neighbor entails a duty to care for the wounds of those that have fallen victim to robbers and are left bleeding by the wayside."[16]: 270 In the late 1960s and into the 1980s some theologians in Latin America became increasingly involved in the political sphere, adopting Marxist rhetoric. Many Jesuits were at the forefront of the movement which was called liberation theology and concentrated on seeing Christ as the liberator not only from sin but from all forms of oppression. In its extreme manifestations, liberation theology seemed to subordinate the message of the Gospel to political revolution, with a wholesale acceptance of Marxism. But Arrupe's strong support for relieving the burden of the poor in Latin America enables one to see his "cautionary statements about liberation theology, as efforts to impose self-discipline to fend off more severe sanctions from outside the order."[22]

A cause worth dying for

On 20 June 1977 the White Warriors Union death squad threatened to kill all 47 Jesuits serving in El Salvador unless they abandoned their work with the poor and left the country within a month.[23] After consulting with the Jesuit community in El Salvador, Arrupe replied "They may end up as martyrs, but my priests are not going to leave because they are with the people."[3] A few months earlier, Jesuit Rutilio Grande, a proponent of liberation theology, was assassinated in El Salvador. On 16 November 1989, six Jesuits (Ignacio Ellacuría, Armando Lopez, Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, Ignacio Martín-Baró, Segundo Montes and Juan Ramon Moreno, along with their housekeeper (Julia Elba Ramos) and her daughter (Celina), would be murdered at the Jesuit University of Central America. Others also suffered martyrdom: the chief bishop in El Salvador Archbishop Óscar Romero (who, in keeping with his longstanding commitment to Catholic social teaching, became increasingly concerned with the plight of the poor and marginalized[24]) was gunned down whilst celebrating the Eucharist on 24 March 1980. Lay missionary Jean Donovan, Ursuline sister Dorothy Kazel and Maryknoll sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford were beaten, raped and murdered by non-uniformed members of the Salvadoran National Guard on 2 December 1980.[25] They joined some 75,000 Salvadorans who were killed during this troubled period.[25]: 97 All the while, Arrupe continued to support and pray for those people who were willing to lay down their lives to help the poor initiate change.[10]

Jesuit Refugee Service

Touched by the plight of the "Vietnamese boat people" in 1979, Pedro Arrupe sent cable messages to some 20 Jesuit major superiors throughout the world sharing his distress at the suffering of these people.[20] He asked them what they could do to help bring relief to refugees and displaced persons in their own regions. He received a positive response, with numerous offers of personnel, medicine, and funding. The following year in 1980, Arrupe founded the Jesuit Refugee Service to coordinate the Society's refugee work. In a speech launching the service he said "Saint Ignatius called us to go anywhere where we are most needed for the greater glory of God. The spiritual as well as the material need of more than 16 million refugees throughout the world today could scarcely be greater. God is calling us through these helpless people." In 2017, JRS listed 47 countries where its 10 regional offices were currently serving nearly 950,000 individuals.[26] Over the years JRS had served an estimated 40 million refugees.[4]

Later life

On 7 August 1981, after a long and tiring trip throughout the Far East, Arrupe suffered a stroke just after his plane landed at Rome's Fiumicino Airport. He was paralysed on his right side and was able to speak only a few words. This ability gradually deteriorated until he was completely mute. From that time on he lived in the infirmary at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome. He then became the first-ever Jesuit superior general to resign. Pope John Paul II appointed Paolo Dezza as his personal delegate and interim Father General of the Society, passing over Arrupe's own choice (his vicar general). Many Jesuits saw this as an unwarranted papal interference in Jesuit affairs. For his part, Arrupe never expressed any disagreement or resentment.[13] Jesuit disobedience to the pope that was expected by some at the Roman Curia never came about.[27] With new respect for the Jesuits, Pope John Paul allowed Dezza to call the thirty-third General Congregation and elect a successor to Arrupe, whose resignation was accepted on 3 September 1983 during the Congregation. He was succeeded by Peter Hans Kolvenbach. During the opening Session of the Congregation, Arrupe was wheeled into the hall, and a prayer which he had written was read aloud:

"More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands."[9]

During his ten years in the infirmary, Arrupe received many and frequent well-wishers, including Pope John Paul II. Arrupe had earlier expressed what some regard as the key to his life: "Nowadays the world does not need words but lives that cannot be explained except through faith and love for Christ's poor."[4]

Death and burial

Arrupe died at 7:45pm on 5 February 1991, the anniversary of the 26 Martyrs of Japan. His final words had been: "For the present, Amen; for the future, Alleluia."[28]

His funeral was held in the Church of the Gesu, Rome, on February 9 and was attended by crowds that filled the piazza outside the church. Also in attendance were 10 cardinals, 20 bishops, Giulio Andreotti (the Prime Minister of Italy), as well as other religious and civil dignitaries. His body, first interred in the Jesuit mausoleum at Campo Verano, was brought back into the Church of the Gesù where it currently lies in a side chapel.[29]

Beatification process

On 11 July 2018, the Father General of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, announced the beginning of Arrupe's beatification process by the Diocese of Rome.[30] On 14 November 2018, a website was established with testimonials and archival material on his life.[31] On 14 November 2024, Cardinal-elect Baldassare Reina presided over the diocesan tribunal's termination of its inquiry at the Lateran Palace. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints will next determine whether Arrupe should be declared Venerable.[32]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Arrupe

Spaniard becomes Jesuits' new "black pope"

By Reuters

January 19, 2008 5:07 AM PST Updated 17 years ago

By Stephen Brown

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Spaniard Adolfo Nicolas was elected the Jesuits' "black pope", as the head of the largest and perhaps most influential, controversial and prestigious Catholic order is known, in a secret conclave on Saturday.

Nicolas, 71, has run Jesuit operations in east Asia and Oceania since 2004 and spent most of his career in the Far East after being ordained in Tokyo in 1967.

The order said in a statement that Nicolas had been elected to succeed Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, who received permission from Pope Benedict to retire as head of the order formally known as the Society of Jesus at the age of 79.

Jesuit superior generals are known as "black popes" because, like the pontiff, they wield worldwide influence and usually keep their position for life -- and because their simple cassock is black, in contrast to the pope who dresses in white.

The 468-year history of the Jesuit order has often included stormy relations with the Vatican. Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul, believed the order had become too independent, leftist and political, particularly in Latin America.

Soft-spoken, white-haired Dutchman Kolvenbach won widespread praise for mending relations with the Vatican during his years in the post, after conflicts between his charismatic Basque predecessor and Pope John Paul.

Kolvenbach also had to deal with declining vocations and the future of the order founded by St Ignatius Loyola in 1540.

In the 1960s, the all-male order peaked with some 36,000 members worldwide. It now has about 19,200 members involved in education, refugee help and other social services.

The general congregation that elected Nicolas gathered 217 electors from all over the world at Jesuit headquarters, a block from the Vatican.

They spent four days in prayer and what is known in Latin as "murmuratio", or murmurings, about who should be elected. It is strictly forbidden to lobby for the post and anyone actively seeking the job must be 'turned in' by the other delegates.

The election is by secret ballot and delegates are not allowed to leave the room until Pope Benedict is informed who has won, in keeping with a tradition that the "white pope" is first to know who is the new "black pope".

But unlike a conclave to elect the pontiff, a Jesuit general congregation can continue for weeks or even months after the election to discuss future challenges and priorities.

https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/spaniard-becomes-jesuits-new-black-pope-idUSL19414053/

The Actes and Monuments (full title: Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church), popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, is a work of Protestant history and martyrology by Protestant English historian John Foxe, first published in 1563 by John Day.

It includes a polemical account of the sufferings of Protestants under the Catholic Church, with particular emphasis on England and Scotland. The book was highly influential in those countries and helped shape lasting popular notions of Catholicism there.

The book went through four editions in Foxe's lifetime and a number of later editions and abridgements, including some that specifically reduced the text to a Book of Martyrs.

Background

After the Reformation, Catholic apologists raised the issue of the novelties of Protestant doctrines, as "exploiting religious credulity for material and sexual ends."[a] Protestant apologists such as Calvinist Anglican John Foxe "sought to establish the continuity of a proto-Protestant piety from apostolic times to the Reformation."[b]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxe%27s_Book_of_Martyrs

Église St-Pierre de Montmartre

Montmartre & Northern Paris,Paris,France,Europe

Montmartre & Northern Paris

All that remains of the former Benedictine Abbey of Montmartre, this church dates back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest in Paris, though it has been much restored. Built atop a Roman temple to Mars, it was witness to the founding of the Jesuits in 1534, who met in the crypt under the guidance of Ignatius of Loyola.

Some say that the name Montmartre is derived from ‘Mons Martis’ (Latin for Mount of Mars); others prefer the Christian ‘Mont Martyr’ (Mount of the Martyr), a reference to the 3rd-century St Denis, who, according to legend, walked across Montmartre and on to the site of today’s Basilique de St-Denis after having been beheaded by Roman priests."

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/montmartre-and-northern-paris/attractions/eglise-st-pierre-de-montmartre/a/poi-sig/1264286/1323143

Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, Named Next Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada

March 15, 2024 — The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) announced the appointment of Fr. Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, as the next provincial of the Jesuits of Canada. This appointment is the culmination of a thoughtful, prayerful process of consultation and discernment, marking a significant milestone for the Canadian Province.

Fr. Jeffrey Burwell, SJ

Fr. Burwell will succeed Fr. Erik Oland, SJ, assuming his new responsibilities on July 31, 2024, with an inaugural Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Toronto. A special celebration will also take place at the Jesuit infirmary in Richelieu, Quebec, on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2024.

Fr. Burwell, 48, is an educational specialist whose doctoral research took him to the Holy Land, where he focused on Catholic schools in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. A lecturer in Catholic studies, first St. Paul’s College at the University of Manitoba and now Campion College at the University of Regina, he balances university work with pastoral service as a chaplain to police (RCMP) and to prisoners. He dedicates his university holidays to ministering in the Dene and Cree Indigenous communities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Holding positions as a local superior since 2017 and a province consultor since 2021, Fr. Burwell brings a profound understanding of the Jesuit mission and a significant appreciation for Canada and Haiti’s diverse cultures.

This leadership change comes at a time when the Society of Jesus seeks to deepen its engagement with contemporary challenges, oriented by their Universal Apostolic Preferences: showing the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment; walking with the excluded; journeying with youth; and caring for our common home.

A Jesuit provincial leads a specific geographic region. This role is deeply spiritual, with responsibilities that extend beyond administrative tasks to include guiding the province’s mission and providing spiritual and pastoral care for its members. Provincials generally serve a six-year term.

There are five provinces within the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. The Canadian Province of the Society of Jesus encompasses a wide range of works, including colleges/universities, secondary and pre-secondary schools, parishes, retreat houses, formation in spirituality, Indigenous ministries, social justice center and ecological endeavors.

The Jesuits of Canada, together with their partners, look forward to supporting Fr. Burwell in his new role as they continue to serve the mission of the Church and society in Canada and beyond.

https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jeffrey-s-burwell-sj-named-next-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

Arturo Marcelino Sosa Abascal SJ (born 12 November 1948) is a Venezuelan Catholic priest who has served as the 31st superior general of the Society of Jesus since 2016. He was elected by the Society's 36th General Congregation to succeed Adolfo Nicolás. He is the first person born in Latin America to lead the Jesuits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Sosa

Etymology of Arturo

What does the name Arturo mean?

The surname Arturo is an Italian patronymic surname; that is, it was a name created from the first name of the father. Arturo is derived from the Breton given names Artuir and Arthur. This personal name is of very ancient origin and is derived from the Celtic word art, which means bear. The name Arthur is also related to the Greek Arcturus, which means bear or guardian and is the name of the bright star in the constellation Bootes.

Arturo Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Arturo include and others.

https://www.houseofnames.com/arturo-family-crest

Arcturus is a red giant star in the northern constellation of Boötes, and the brightest star in the constellation. It has the Bayer designation α Boötis, which is Latinized to Alpha Boötis and abbreviated Alf Boo or α Boo. With an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05,[2] it is the fourth-brightest star in the night sky and the brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere. Arcturus forms one corner of the Spring Triangle asterism.

Located relatively close at 36.7 light-years from the Sun, Arcturus is a red giant of spectral type K1.5III—an aging star around 7.1 billion years old that has used up its core hydrogen and evolved off the main sequence. It is about the same mass as the Sun, but has expanded to 25 times its size (around 35 million kilometers) and is around 170 times as luminous.

Nomenclature

The traditional name Arcturus is Latinised from the ancient Greek Ἀρκτοῦρος (Arktouros) and means "Guardian of the Bear",[9] ultimately from ἄρκτος (arktos), "bear"[10] and οὖρος (ouros), "watcher, guardian".[11] As ἄρκτος also came to mean "north", the name can also translate to "Guardian of the North".[12]

The designation of Arcturus as α Boötis (Latinised to Alpha Boötis) was made by Johann Bayer in 1603. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN, which included Arcturus for α Boötis.[13][14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcturus

The Beast (Koine Greek: Θηρίον, Thērion) may refer to one of three beasts described in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 12-13 describes these three beasts as follows:

The dragon (later revealed in the text to be Satan)[1]

The beast of the sea (commonly interpreted as the Antichrist)[2][3]

The beast of the earth (later revealed in the text to be the False prophet)[4]

However, many people have different beliefs about the meaning of these beasts.

In Revelation 13:1–10, the beast of the sea rises "out of the sea" and is given authority and power by the dragon. It persecutes God's people in the 2nd part of Revelation 13. To buy and sell, everyone is required to have its name or number on their forehead or right hand (Rev 13:16-17). It speaks blasphemous words against God, will rule the world for 42 months (Revelation 13:5-7), and is described as resembling a leopard, a lion, and a bear—which are three of the animals in Daniel 7. It suffers a fatal head wound which is miraculously healed, bewildering the world's population and causing many to worship it.

In Revelation 13:11–18, the beast of the earth, later known as the false prophet, comes "out of the earth," exercises all the authority of the Sea Beast, forces everyone on earth to worship the Sea Beast, and convinces the people, through signs and wonders, to make an image of the Sea Beast.

In their fight against God, the Sea Beast and the False Prophet ally with the Dragon to persecute the "saints" and those who do not "worship the image of the beast [of the sea]" and influence earthly kings through three unclean spirits to gather for the battle of Armageddon.[5] These two beasts are ultimately defeated by Christ and thrown into the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation 19:18–20, while Satan, the dragon, is imprisoned in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. After being released from the bottomless pit after the millennial reign, Satan deceives the nations one last time, ultimately ending in Satan being defeated and thrown in the lake of fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_(Revelation)

Revelation 20

1599 Geneva Bible

20 1 The Angel 2 bindeth Satan for a thousand years. 8 Being loosed, he stirreth up Gog and Magog, that is, privy and open enemies against the Saints, 11 but the vengeance of the Lord cutting off their insolency. 12 The books are opened, by which the dead are judged.

1 And [a]I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key [b]of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he took the dragon that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and he bound him [c]a thousand years:

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and he shut him up, and sealed the door upon him, that he should deceive the people [d]no more till the thousand years were fulfilled: for after that he must be loosed for [e]a little season.

4 [f]And I saw [g][h]seats: and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were [i]beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which [j]did not worship the beast, neither his image, neither had taken his mark upon their foreheads or on their hands: and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 [k]But the rest of the dead men [l]shall not live again, until the thousand years be finished: this is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he, that hath part in the first resurrection: for on such the [m]second death hath no power: but they shall be the Priests of God and of Christ, [n]and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7 [o]And when the [p]thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8 [q]And shall go out to deceive the people, which are in the four quarters of the earth: even Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the Sea.

9 And they went up into the [r]plain of the earth, and they compassed the tents of the Saints about, and the beloved city: but [s]fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10 [t]And the devil that deceived them, was cast into a lake of fire and brimstone, where that beast and that false prophet are, and shall be tormented even day and night for evermore.

11 [u]And I saw a great [v]white throne, and one that sat on it, [w]from whose face fled away both the earth and heaven, and their place was no more found.

12 And I saw the dead, both great and small stand before [x]God: and the [y]books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book [z]of life, and the dead were judged of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 [aa]And the sea gave up her dead, which were in her, and death and hell delivered up the dead, which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 [ab]And death, and hell were cast into the lake of fire: this is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire.

Footnotes

Revelation 20:1 Now followeth the third place of the prophetical history, which is of the victory whereby Christ overcame the dragon, as I note, Rev. 7:1. This place must necessarily be joined with the end of chapter 12 and be applied unto the just understanding thereof. This chapter hath two parts, one of the dragon overcome, unto verse 10, the other of the resurrection and last judgment unto the end of the chapter. The history of the dragon is double: First of the first victory after which he was bound by Christ unto verse 6. The second is of the last victory, whereby he has thrown down into everlasting punishment, thence unto verse 10. This first history happened in the first time of the Christian Church, when the dragon thrown down from heaven by Christ, went about to molest the new birth of the Church in the earth, Rev. 12:17, 18. For which cause I gave warning, that this story of the Dragon must be annexed unto that place.

Revelation 20:1 That is of hell, whither God threw down the Angels which had sinned, and bound them in chains of darkness to be kept unto damnation, 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6.

Revelation 20:2 The first whereof (continuing this history with the end of chapter 12) is the 36 year from the passion of Christ, when the Church of the Jews being overthrown, Satan assayed to invade the Christian Church gathered of the Gentiles, and to destroy part of her seed, Rev. 12:17. The thousandth year falleth precisely upon the times of that wicked Hildebrand, who was called Gregory the seventh a most damnable Necromancer and sorcerer, whom Satan used as an instrument when he was loosed out of bonds, thenceforth to annoy the Saints of God with most cruel persecutions, and the whole world with dissentions, and most bloody wars: as Benno the Cardinal reporteth at large. This is the first victory gotten over the dragon in the earth.

Revelation 20:3 Namely, with that public and violent deceit which he attempted before, Chapter 12, and which after a thousand years (alack for woe) he most mightily procured in the Christian world.

Revelation 20:3 Which being once expired, the second battle and victory shall be, of which verses 7, 8.

Revelation 20:4 A description of the common state of the Church of Christ in earth in that space of a thousand years, for which the devil was in bonds: in which first the authority, life, and common honor of the godly, is declared, verse 4. Secondly, newness of life is preached unto others by the Gospel, after that space, verse 5. Finally, he concludeth with promises, verse 6.

Revelation 20:4 For judgment was committed to them, as to members joined to the head, not [that] Christ’s office was given over [to] them.

Revelation 20:4 This was a type of the authority of the good and faithful servants of God in the Church, taken from the manner of men.

Revelation 20:4 Of the Martyrs, which suffered in those first times.

Revelation 20:4 Of the Martyrs which suffered after that both the beasts were now risen up, Chapter 13, for these three things are expounded.

Revelation 20:5 Whoever shall lie dead in sin, and not know the truth of God.

Revelation 20:5 They shall not be renewed with that newness of the life by the enlightening of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. For this is the first resurrection, by which the souls of the godly do rise from their death. In the second resurrection their bodies shall rise again.

Revelation 20:6 That whereby both body and soul, that is, the whole man is addicted and delivered unto eternal death. So Rev. 2:11.

Revelation 20:6 A return unto the intended history, by resuming the words which are in the end of the fourth verse.

Revelation 20:7 The second history, of the latter victory of Christ, as was said verse 1. In which are summarily described the work, overthrow and eternal punishment of Satan.

Revelation 20:7 Of which I spake, verse 2. Then therefore shall be given unto him liberty to rage against the Church, and to molest the Saints for the sins of men: unto whom the faithful shall have associated themselves more than was meet, tasting with them of their impurity of doctrine and life.

Revelation 20:8 The work or act of Satan (which is the first member as I distinguished in the verse beforegoing) to deceive the whole world, even unto the uttermost nations thereof: to arm them against the people of God, in this verse, and to besiege and oppress the Church, with his whole strength, in the verse following.

Revelation 20:9 As if he said insomuch that the whole face of the earth, how great soever it is was filled.

Revelation 20:9 The wrath of God, consuming the adversaries, and overthrowing all their enterprises, Heb. 10:27. And this is the second member mentioned, verse 7, the overthrow of Satan.

Revelation 20:10 The third member, eternal destruction against those that are overcome: as I noted in the same place.

Revelation 20:11 The second part of this Chapter, in which is described the judge, in this verse, and the last judgment in the verse following.

Revelation 20:11 That is, a tribunal seat most Princelike and glorious: for so doth the Greek word also signify.

Revelation 20:11 That is, Christ, before whom when he cometh unto judgment, heaven and earth shall perish for the greatness of his majesty, 2 Pet. 3:7, 10, etc.

Revelation 20:12 That is, Christ the judge, 2 Cor. 5:10.

Revelation 20:12 As it were, our books of reckoning or accompts: that is, the testimony of our conscience, and of our works, which by no means can be avoided. This is spoken after the manner of men.

Revelation 20:12 The book of the eternal decree of God, in which God the Father hath elected in Christ according to the good pleasure of his will, those that shall be heirs of life. This also is spoken according to the manner of men.

Revelation 20:13 This is a prevention or an answer to an objection: for happily some man will say, but they are dead, whom the sea, death and the grave hath consumed, how shall they appear before the judge? S. John answereth by resurrection from death, whereunto all things (however repugnant) shall minister and serve at the commandment of God, as Dan. 12.

Revelation 20:14 The last enemy which is death shall be abolished by Christ (that he may no more make any attempt against us), 1 Cor. 15:16, and death shall feed upon the reprobate in hell for evermore, according to the righteous judgment of God, in the next verse.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2020&version=GNV

Rosicrucianism is a theosophy advanced by an invisible order of spiritual knights who in spreading Christian Hermeticism, Kabbalah,

and Gnosis seek to enliven and to preserve the memory of Divine

Wisdom, understood as a feminine flame of love called Sofia or

Shekhinah, exoterically given as a fresh unfolded rose, yet, more akin to the blue fire of alchemy, the blue virgin. Rosicrucians have no organisation and there are no recognizable Rosicrucian individuals, but the order makes its presence known by leaving behind engrammatic writings in the genre of Hermetic-Platonic Christianity.

The historical roots of Hermeticism is to be located in Ancient

Egypt. Long before the rise of Christianity, Hermetic texts were structured around the belief that organisms contain sparks of a Divine mind unto which they each strive to attend. Things easily transform into others, thereby generating certain cyclical patterns, cycles that periodically renew themselves on a cosmic scale. These transformations of life and death were enacted in the Hermetic Mysteries in Ancient Egypt through the gods Isis, Horus, and Osiris. In the Alexandrian period these myths were reshaped into Hermetic discourses on the transformations of the self with Thot, the scribal god. These discourses were introduced in the west in 1474 when Marsilio Ficino translated the Hermetic Pimander from the Greek. The story of Christian Rosencreutz can be seen as a new version of these mysteries, specifically tempered by German Paracelsian philosophy on the Lion of the darkest night, a biblical icon for how the higher self lies slumbering in consciousness."

Rose Cross Over The Baltic: The Spread of Rosicrucianism In Northern Europe

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWI_uTVg5lzNCDm16itq-PLSavozNR_F/view?usp=sharing

The Latin word mare ('sea') was a pun upon the name Mary, and the phrase Stella maris is an mistranslation of the Hebrew form of her name, Miriam.

Mary as a star, giving guidance to sailors on a stormy ocean, became a popular metaphor for the help she gave to mankind on earth. The great fourteenth-century Italian poet Petrarch, wrote a powerful lyric on the subject:

Bright virgin, steadfast in eternity /

Star of this storm-tossed sea, /

Trusted guide of every trustful pilot, /

Turn your thoughts to the terrifying squall /

In which I find myself, alone and rudderless...

Interestingly, Stella maris was originally an epithet of the goddess Isis in Roman religion. Like Mary, Isis was a divine mother with a very popular cult, and representations of her with her baby son Horus in Egyptian art to some extent influenced the way early artists showed the Virgin and Child.

Here is an example in the Fitzwilliam, dating from between 715 and 525 BCE [E.122.1954].

https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-our-collection/highlights/context/sign-and-symbols/the-star-of-mary

In 1917, the Virgin appeared in Fatima. "The Mother of God" was a smashing success, playing to overflow crowds. As a result, the Socialists of Portugal suffered a major defeat. "Roman Catholics world-wide began praying for the conversion of Russia and the Jesuits invented the Novenas to Fatima which they could perform throughout North Africa, spreading good public relations to the Muslim world. The Arabs thought they were honoring the daughter of Muhammad, which is what the Jesuits wanted them to believe. "As a result of the vision of Fatima, Pope Pius XII ordered his Nazi army to crush Russia and the Orthodox religion and make Russia Roman Catholic." A few years after he lost World war II, Pope Pius XII startled the world with his phoney dancing sun vision to keep Fatima in the news. It was great religious show biz and the world swallowed it. "Not surprisingly, Pope Pius was the only one to see this vision. As a result, a group of followers has grown into a Blue Army world-wide, totaling millions of faithful Roman Catholics ready to die for the blessed virgin. "But we haven't seen anything yet. The Jesuits have their Virgin Mary scheduled to appear four or five times in China, Russia, and major appearance in the U.S.

"What has this got to do with Islam?

Note Bishop Sheen's statement: "Our Lady's appearances at Fatima marked the turning point in the history of the world's 350 million Muslims. After the death of his daughter, Muhammad wrote that she "is the most holy of all women in Paradise, next to Mary."

"He believed that the Virgin Mary chose to be known as Our Lady of Fatima as a sign and a pledge that the Muslims who believe in Christ's virgin birth, will come to believe in His divinity.

"Bishop Sheen pointed out that the pilgrim virgin statues of Our Lady of Fatima were enthusiastically received by Muslims in Africa, India, and elsewhere, and that many Muslims are now coming into the Roman Catholic Church."

How the Vatican created Islam (remnantofgod.org)

http://www.remnantofgod.org/books/docs/how-the-vatican-created-islam.pdf

The star of the Chaldean Church

The Church of the East of the Chaldeans uses ancient symbolism with historical meanings that are not always clear to everyone. An unfortunate fact, because behind symbols lie very valuable cultural elements that have often formed the basis of our thinking, our faith, our traditions, etc.

In this article we deal with the star that the Chaldean Church uses as its hallmark. The star we see in many churches is originally a pagan symbol dating back to ancient Babylonian times.

Picture 1: Shamash tablet

This star is depicted on the ‘Shamash tablet’ (see picture 1), a stone tablet excavated in 1881 by Hormizd Rassam in southern Iraq. The site of the archaeological find corresponded to the ancient Babylonian city of Sippar and was said to date from the 8th century BC.

The shamash tablet is on display today in the British Museum. Shamash, (sureth: ‘shemsha’) was known as the sun god in ancient times and the star symbolized the sun. But why does the Church of the East use this star?

To answer this, we go back to the story of the ‘ three magicians’, also known as ‘the three wise men’ or ‘the three kings’, who had followed the star to visit the baby Jesus.

According to the gospel of Matthew (2, 1-12) these three magicians came from the east, geographically referring to Mesopotamia (Beth Nahrin).

Picture 2: logo Chaldean patriarchate

These three persons were associated with magic, hence the term ‘magicians’ or ‘sages’, because they were engaged in astronomy (astronomy) and had also acquired a certain knowledge in it.

This argument, together with the geographical origin of the three magicians, would indicate that these men were Chaldeans, since Chaldeans were known as astronomers and were also called magicians.

This is why the Chaldean Church uses the star as a symbol. Also in the coat of arms (logo) of the Chaldean patriarchate these three magicians with a star during the visit to the infant Jesus are depicted (see picture 2).

The Church of the East has chosen the star, which is depicted on the ‘shamash tablet’, because of the link with antiquity.

Explanation on the use of pagan symbols within the Church, written by Nas David

Picture 3: Chaldean Church in Mardin, Turkey

The reason why this originally pagan symbol is still valid today is because many pagan symbols and customs were Christianized in the first centuries. Think, for example, of the Christmas tree or certain Hellenistic terms used by the apostles in their proclamation to make Christianity understandable. Also the first apologists used Greek (and thus pagan) terms and ideas to facilitate their proclamation. For example, Saint Justine the Martyr implemented the Greek ‘Logos’ concept – which stated that the ‘Logos’ was the origin and principle of all things – within the prologue of the Gospel of John to designate Christ as the eternal ‘Logos’, which is translated in English as ‘Word’, although this English term does not make a direct reference to the originally Greek ‘Logos’.

By analogy, we can say that the sun (Shamash) also refers to Christ as the Light of the world.

Thus, pagan symbols were often ‘desecrated’ and Hellenistic notions ‘deshelled’.

https://chaldeans.be/en/the-star-of-the-chaldean-church/

King Charles, Queen Camilla meet Pope Leo XIV during historic Vatican visit

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are in Italy for a historic Vatican visit.

ByAngeline Jane Bernabe via GMA logo

October 23, 2025, 8:32 AM

1:38

King Charles, Queen Camilla meet Pope Leo in historic visit

King Charles, Queen Camilla meet Pope Leo in historic visitKing Charles and Pope Leo brought the leaders of the Anglican and Catholic churches together in prayer for the first time since England broke with Rome in the 16th century.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla met with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday.

The trio met during an audience at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. They then went to the Sistine Chapel where, for the first time in 500 years, a King of England and a pope prayed together.

It marks the first time a British monarch has engaged in a public act of worship with the pope since the Church of England broke away from the Catholic Church in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII.

This historic state visit is King Charles III and Queen Camilla's first meeting with Pope Leo XIV since he was elected in May 2025.

Upon their arrival at Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy, King Charles and Queen Camilla were welcomed by Christopher Trott, the British Ambassador to the Holy See, and Colonel Matteo Zuliani of the Italian Air Task Force.

What we know about Leo XIV, the new American pope

PHOTO: King Charles III And Queen Camilla State Visit To The Holy See - Day One

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by British Ambassador to the Holy See Christopher Trott (L) after landing at Ciampino Airport on October 22, 2025 in Rome, Italy.

Pool/Getty Images

King Charles and Queen Camilla's visit included a visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls for an ecumenical service, during which King Charles was given the title of Royal Confrater of the Abbey of Saint Paul's as recognition of spiritual fellowship. Today's visit also included King Charles attending a reception at the Pontifical Beda College, a seminary that trains priests from across the Commonwealth.

Earlier, King Charles also attended a sustainability meeting at the Sala Regia in the Vatican with representatives from climate organizations and private sector leaders who have been working with Sustainable Markets Initiative, which he founded as Prince of Wales.

Meanwhile, Queen Camilla visited the Pauline Chapel, where cardinals assemble before entering a conclave to elect a new pope and viewed Michelangelo's last two frescoes. Later, she will meet Catholic Sisters from The International Union of Superiors General.

The king and queen's visit coincides with this year's jubilee, which is a time of pilgrimage, reconciliation and renewal in the Catholic Church.

Prior to his death in April, Pope Francis opened the Jubilee Year on Christmas Eve in December 2024, knocking on the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican from his wheelchair.

King Charles and Queen Camilla originally had plans to make a state visit to the Vatican earlier this year when they made a state visit to Italy. However, due to Pope Francis' declining health, instead had a private meeting with the late pope.

Harry Styles joined Vatican crowd during Pope Leo XIV's conclave election

Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla arrive at Rome's Ciampino airport on the eve of a visit to the Vatican, on October 22, 2025.

Arthur Edwards/AFP via Getty Images

In announcing this state visit, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying, "During Their Majesties’ State Visit, The King and Queen will join His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year. Traditionally marked every 25 years, a Papal Jubilee is a special time for the Catholic Church. The visit will also celebrate the ecumenical work by the Church of England and the Catholic Church, reflecting the Jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’."

King Charles previously visited the Holy See a few times prior to his visit this week. As the Prince of Wales, he attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and also the canonization of Cardinal John Henry Newman, and visited the Vatican in 2009 and in 2017.

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/king-charles-queen-camilla-arrive-italy-historic-vatican/story?id=126775757

The 7 July 2005 London bombings, also referred to informally as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamist terrorists that targeted commuters travelling on London's public transport during the morning rush hour.

Three terrorists separately detonated three homemade bombs in quick succession aboard London Underground trains in Inner London. Later, a fourth terrorist detonated another bomb on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. The train bombings occurred on the Circle Line near Aldgate and at Edgware Road and on the Piccadilly Line near Russell Square. All four explosions were caused by improvised explosive devices made from concentrated hydrogen peroxide and pepper, packed into backpacks.

Apart from the bombers, 52 people of 18 different nationalities were killed and nearly 800 were injured in the attacks. It was the UK's deadliest terrorist incident since the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 near Lockerbie and the UK's first Islamist suicide attack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bombings

Princess Charlotte of Wales (Charlotte Elizabeth Diana; born 2 May 2015) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a granddaughter of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. She is third in the line of succession to the British throne.

Infancy

Charlotte was born at 8:34 am on 2 May 2015 at St Mary's Hospital, London, during the reign of her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, as the second child of Prince William and Catherine, then known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.[1] Her birth was marked by gun salutes[2] and illuminating London landmarks pink.[3] On 4 May her name was announced as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana,[4] honouring her grandfather Charles, her great-grandmother, and her grandmother Diana.[5][6] Charlotte was christened on 5 July by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.[7]

Upbringing

The family lived at Anmer Hall in Norfolk during Charlotte's infancy, before relocating to Kensington Palace in 2017.[8][9] Charlotte started at Willcocks Nursery School in January 2018.[10] She joined her elder brother George at Thomas's School in Battersea in September 2019, where she was known as Charlotte Cambridge.[11] In 2022 the family relocated to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park,[12] after which she and her brothers, George and Louis, began attending Lambrook, an independent preparatory school in Berkshire.[13][14]

see caption

Charlotte with her parents, siblings and other senior royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, June 2022

Following the death of Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, Charlotte's grandfather acceded to the throne as Charles III, and Charlotte became third in line to the throne.[15][16] She and her brothers occasionally accompany their parents on royal engagements,[17] overseas tours, and diplomatic visits.[18][19]

Public image

Despite the efforts of her parents to keep their children from public view,[20] photographs and public appearances of Charlotte continue to cause media frenzies.[21] Shopping statistics and polls among parents show that Charlotte is a major children's style icon.[21][22][23] Brand Finance previously estimated that she will be worth more than £3 billion to the British economy throughout her lifetime.[21] In August 2023, Reader's Digest estimated her lifetime worth to the British economy at $4.6 billion or £3.6 billion.[24]

Title and styles

Charlotte is a British princess with the official style and title "Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales".[25] Before her father was created Prince of Wales on 9 September 2022, Charlotte was styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge".[26]

Succession

Charlotte is third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her father and elder brother.[27][28] Because of the implementation of the Perth Agreement, which replaced male-preference primogeniture with absolute primogeniture, she did not move down the line of succession upon the birth of her younger brother Louis in April 2018, making her the first British princess in history to rank above a brother in the line of succession.[29]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Charlotte_of_Wales_(born_2015)

Satan Prince of This World

by William Guy Carr

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hw94yTrcRzvZjNQOo8T5_w-jqL8v5IMu/view?usp=sharing

Inter caetera ('Among other [works]') was a papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on 4 May 1493, which granted to the Catholic Monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile all lands to the "west and south" of a pole-to-pole line 100 leagues west and south of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde islands.[1]

It remains unclear whether the pope intended a "donation" of sovereignty or an infeudation or investiture. Differing interpretations have been argued since the bull was issued, with some arguing that it was only meant to transform the possession and occupation of land into lawful sovereignty. Others, including the Spanish crown and the conquistadors, interpreted it in the widest possible sense, deducing that it gave Spain full political sovereignty.[2]

Inter caetera and its supplement Dudum siquidem (September 1493) are two of the Bulls of Donation.[3] While these bulls purported to settle disputes between Spain and Portugal, they did not address the exploratory and colonial ambitions of other nations, which became more of an issue after the Protestant Reformation.

Background

Further information: Age of Discovery, Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, Voyages of Christopher Columbus, and Portugal–Spain relations

Before Christopher Columbus received support for his voyage from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, he had first approached King John II of Portugal. The king's scholars and navigators reviewed Columbus's documentation, determined that his calculations grossly underestimated the diameter of the Earth and thus the length of the voyage, and recommended against subsidizing the expedition. Upon Columbus's return from his first voyage to the Americas, his first landing was made in the Portuguese Azores; a subsequent storm drove his ship to Lisbon on 4 March 1493. Hearing of Columbus's discoveries, the Portuguese king informed him that he believed the voyage to be in violation of the 1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas. The treaty had been ratified with the 1481 papal bull Aeterni regis, which confirmed previous bulls of 1452 (Dum diversas), 1455 (Romanus Pontifex), and 1456 (Inter caetera),[2] recognizing Portuguese territorial claims along the West African coast. It was the King's understanding that the terms of the treaty acknowledged Portuguese claims to all territory south of the Canary Islands (which had been ceded to Spain).[4]

Columbus's arrival in supposedly Asiatic lands in the western Atlantic Ocean in 1492 threatened the unstable relations between Portugal and Spain. With word that King John was preparing a fleet to sail to the west, the King and Queen of Spain initiated diplomatic discussions over the rights to possess and govern the newly found lands.[5] Spanish and Portuguese delegates met and debated from April to November 1493, without reaching an agreement.

Columbus was still in Lisbon when he sent a report of his success to the Spanish monarchs. On 11 April, the Spanish ambassador conveyed the news to Pope Alexander VI, a Spaniard and the former Administrator of Valencia, and urged him to issue a new bull favorable to Spain.[6] At the time, Pope Alexander, as ruler of the Papal States, was embroiled in a territorial dispute with Ferdinand's first cousin, Ferdinand I, King of Naples, hence he was amicable to any requests of Isabella and Ferdinand, to the extent that they could write to Columbus saying that if he thought it necessary, one of the bulls would be modified. They were at Barcelona, in close touch with Rome. The camera apostolica became almost an extension of the Spanish Court, which secured a rapid succession of bulls virtually liquidating Portuguese claims.[7] The Pope issued edicts dated 3 and 4 May 1493. The third superseded the first two. A final edict, Dudum siquidem of 26 September 1493, supplemented the Inter caetera.[2]

The first bull, Inter caetera, dated 3 May, recognized Spain's claim to any discovered lands not already held by a Christian prince, and protected Portugal's previous rights. Both parties found this too vague.

The second bull, Eximiae devotionis, also dated 3 May, granted to the kings of Castile and León and their successors the same privileges in the newly discovered land that had been granted to the kings of Portugal in the regions of Africa, and Guinea.[8]

The third bull, also entitled Inter caetera, dated 4 May, exhorts the Spanish monarchs to spread the faith west from a line drawn "one hundred leagues towards the west and south from any of the islands commonly known as the Azores and Cape Verde". Diffie notes that it has been suggested that this change may have been prompted by the Portuguese ambassador.[4]

The Inter caetera and the following Treaty of Tordesillas defined and delineated a zone of Spanish rights exclusive of Portugal. In relation to other states the agreement was legally ineffective (res inter alios acta). Spain's attempts to persuade other European powers on the legal validity of the Inter caetera were never successful.[2]

Provisions

Inter caetera states:

Among other works well pleasing to the Divine Majesty and cherished of our heart, this assuredly ranks highest, that in our times especially the Catholic faith and the Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread, that the health of souls be cared for and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself. ...[W]e ... assign to you and your heirs and successors, kings of Castile and Leon, ... all islands and mainlands found and to be found, discovered and to be discovered towards the west and south, by drawing and establishing a line from ... the north, ...to ...the south, ... the said line to be distant one hundred leagues towards the west and south from any of the islands commonly known as the Azores and Cape Verde.[9]

The bull notes that the Isabella and Ferdinand "had intended to seek out and discover certain islands and mainlands remote and unknown" but had been otherwise engaged in the conquest of Granada.[9]

The line of demarcation divided Atlantic zones only.[7] Spain and Portugal could pass each other toward the west or east, respectively, on the other side of the globe and still possess whatever lands they were first to discover. The bull was silent regarding whether lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal, which had only recently reached the southern tip of Africa (1488) and had not yet reached India (1498). These lands yet "to be discovered" lay beyond those along the west coast of Africa as far as Guinea, and were given to Portugal via the 1481 bull Aeterni regis, which had ratified the Treaty of Alcáçovas.[10] For the time being, the question was in abeyance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter_caetera

Guy Fawkes Day – The Jesuit Treason and the Gunpowder Plot

A plan was hatched by a joint collaboration of the Pope and the Jesuits to blow up the House of Lords during the state opening of Parliament on 5th November 1605. Robert Catesby was the leader of a group of English Catholics who plotted to assassinate the protestant King James 1 in the failed gunpowder plot.

Guy Fawkes, a key member of the group was chosen to bomb the parliament owing to his experience as a soldier in the Spanish army. He smuggled 36 barrels of gun powder into a cellar directly below the Parliament which was enough to obliterate the entire building thereby killing all the key members of the state including the king and high ranking officials.

However, through Divine providence, an anonymous letter was sent to a Catholic called William Parker who was a member of the Parliament. The letter warned him to stay away from the opening of the Parliament. Alarmed by this, he brought this to the attention of King James who then ordered a search of the basement of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was found hiding in one of the cellars guarding a stash of gunpowder and explosives. After being tortured, Guy Fawkes revealed that this was a preplanned Jesuit led Catholic conspiracy to annihilate England’s Protestant government and replace it with a Catholic one.

https://www.secretsunlocked.org/bible/bible-history/guy-fawkes-day-the-jesuit-treason-and-the-gunpowder-plot/

The Crown of Ba'al and Master Trusts of the World

The Crown of Ba'al, also known as the Papal Tiara and Triregnum is a three-tiered jewelled papal crown and symbol of claimed papal supremecy since the 16th Century. Since the 16th Century, it has featured prominently as part of the coat of arms of the Vatican, usually with the crossed keys of claims of authority from St Peter. Any text or other claim that alleges the three-tiered crown is older than the 16th Century is deliberately false.

Prior to Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) the antipopes of the Roman Cult wore fabric, not metallic headdress, similar to the Persian High Priests of Mithra. However in 1302 Boniface issued his infamous Papal Bull Unam Sanctam, being the first Express Trust claiming control over the whole planet and effectively "King of the world". In celebration, he commissioned a gold plated headdress in the shape of a pinecone, with an elaborate crown at its base.

The pinecone is an ancient symbol of fertility and one traditionally associated with Ba'al as well as the Cult of Cybele.

The 1st Crown of Crown Land

While Pope Boniface VIII was the first leader in history to create the concept of a Trust, the first Testamentary Trust through a deed and will creating a Deceased Estate was not until Pope Nicholas V in 1455 through the Papal Bull Romanus Pontifex. This is only one of three (3) papal bulls to include the line with the incipit "For a perpetual remembrance." This Bull had the effect of conveying the right of use of the land as Real Property from the Express Trust Unam Sanctam to the control of the Pontiff and his successors in perpetuity. Hence, all land is claimed as "crown land".

This 1st Crown is represented by the 1st cestui Que Vie Trust created when a child is born, depriving them of all their beneficial entitlements and rights on the land at birth.

The 2nd Crown of the Commonwealth

The second Crown was created in 1481 with the papal bull Aeterni Regis meaning "Eternal Crown" by Sixtus IV being only the 2nd of three papal bulls as deeds of testamentary trusts.

This Papal Bull created what is known as the "Crown of Aragon", later known as the Crown of Spain, being the highest sovereign and highest steward of all Roman Slaves subject to the rule of the Roman Pontiff. Spain lost the crown in 1604 when it was granted to King James I of England by Pope Paul V after the successful passage of the "Union of Crowns" or Commonwealth in 1605 after the false flag operation of the Gunpowder Plot.

The Crown was finally lost by England in 1975 when it was returned to Spain and King Carlos I, where it remains to this day.

This 2nd Crown is represented by the 2nd cestui Que Vie Trust created when a child is born being the sale of the birth certificate as a Bond to the private central bank of the nation, depriving them of ownership of their flesh and condemning them to perpetual servitude as a Roman person, or slave.

The 3rd Crown of the Ecclesiastical See

The third Crown was created in 1537 by Paul III through the papal bull Convocation also meant to open the Council of Trent being the third an final testamentary deed and will of a testamentary trust, being the trust set up for the claiming of all "lost souls", lost to the See.

The Venetians assisted in the creation of the 1st cestui Que Vie Act of 1540 to use this papal bull as the basis of Ecclesiastical authority of Henry VIII. This Crown was secretly granted to England in the collection and "reaping" of lost souls.

The Crown was lost in 1815 due to the deliberate bankruptcy of England and granted to the Temple Bar, which became known as the Crown Bar, or simply the Crown.

The Bar Associations have been responsible ever since in administering the "reaping" of the souls of the lost and damned, including the registration and collection of Baptismal certificates representing the souls collected by the Vatican and stored in its vaults.

This 3rd Crown is represented by the 3rd cestui Que Vie Trust created when a child is baptized being the grant of the Baptismal certificate by the parents to the church or Registrar being the gift of title of the soul. Thus, without legal title over one's own soul, a man or woman may be "legally" denied right to stand as a person, but may be treated as a creature and thing without legally possessing a soul. Hence, why the Bar Association is able to legally enforce Maritime law against men and women- because they can be treated as things, cargo that does not possess a soul.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220707074738/http://www.friendware.net/final_writs_rome/final_writs_Master_Trusts.html

Templar Military Lodges

The Templars also stealthily entered America through military lodges. Of particular significance are those chartered by the Irish Grand Lodge, which offered the higher degrees of Jacobite Masonry. Later these lodges incorporated the French Templar Scottish Rite degrees, further dividing colonial America between two rival forms of Freemasonry. While British politics in the colonies was dominated by English Masons in the Northeast, her military was under the influence of French Templar Field Lodges throughout the colonies - not a stable union for governing "13" rebellious colonies.25

European Templars Settle America

Another identifying characteristic of the Beast's revived Roman empire, according to our analysis of Daniel 7:7-8 in chapter 26, is that it must be populated by immigrants from the territory governed by the old Roman empire. Of course colonial America was populated by peoples from a Europe shaped by ancient Rome and later by the Holy Roman Empire. Templar influence in America began after Prince Charles Edward, the Young Stuart Pretender, failed to regain his British throne. As you recall, in 1746 he was soundly defeated, forever dashing the hopes of Scottish Templars recapturing England. As a result, many Irish and Scottish Templar Jacobites who had fought with Charles Stuart fled to America. Those who returned to France with the Prince founded the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Between 1745 and 1753, the British and European Templar population in the New World had increased dramatically. In 1754 Benjamin Franklin attempted to relieve population pressure by proposing a plan for the union of all 13 colonies. The British government rejected Franklin's proposal, fearing a united America would be difficult to control. Subsequently, the exploding population was forced to move west into French territory, which precipitated the French and Indian War in America, a phase of the Seven Years War on the continent of Europe. During this war the French military brought to the New World the Templar Scottish Rite, first setting up base at Boston, then Charleston, S.C.26 Michael Baigent, in The Temple and The Lodge, explains: 565 Prior to the Seven Years War, most of the Freemasonry in North America was orthodox pro- Hanoverian, warranted by Grand Lodge [London]. During the Seven Years War, however, "higher degree" [Templar] Freemasonry, by means of regimental field lodges, was transplanted on a large scale to the American colonies and quickly took root. Boston - the soil from which the American Revolution was to spring - exemplifies the process of transplantation and the friction that sometimes arose from it.27

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England. During his childhood Scotland was governed by regents, firstly by his mother until she remarried, and then by his first cousin once removed, John Stewart, Duke of Albany. James's personal rule began in 1528 when he finally escaped the custody of his stepfather, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. His first action was to exile Angus and confiscate the lands of the Douglases.

James greatly increased his income by tightening control over royal estates and from the profits of justice, customs and feudal rights. He founded the College of Justice in 1532 and also acted to end lawlessness and rebellion in the Borders and the Hebrides. The rivalry among France, England and the Holy Roman Empire lent James unwonted diplomatic weight, and saw him secure two politically and financially advantageous French marriages, first to Madeleine of Valois and then to Mary of Guise. James also fathered at least nine illegitimate children by a series of mistresses.

James's reign witnessed the beginnings of Protestantism in Scotland, and his uncle Henry VIII of England's break with Rome in the 1530s placed James in a powerful bargaining position with the papacy, allowing James to exploit the situation to increase his control over ecclesiastical appointments and the financial dividends from church revenues. Pope Paul III also granted him the title of Defender of the Faith in 1537. James maintained diplomatic correspondence with various Irish nobles and chiefs throughout their resistance to Henry VIII in the 1530s, and in 1540 they offered him the kingship of Ireland. A patron of the arts, James spent lavishly on the construction of several royal residences in the High Gothic and Renaissance styles.

James has been described as a vindictive king, whose policies were largely motivated by the pursuit of wealth, and a paranoid fear of his nobility which led to the ruthless appropriation of their lands. He has also been characterised as the "poor man's king", due to his accessibility to the poor and his acting against their oppressors. James died in December 1542 following the Scottish defeat by the English at the Battle of Solway Moss. His only surviving legitimate child, Mary, succeeded him at the age of just six days old.

Early life

James V's parents, King James IV and Margaret Tudor

James was the third son of King James IV and his wife Margaret Tudor, the eldest daughter of Henry VII of England, and was the only legitimate child of James IV to survive infancy. He was born on 10 April 1512 at Linlithgow Palace and baptised the following day,[1] receiving the title Duke of Rothesay.[2] James became king at just seventeen months old when his father was killed at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_V

James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. Though he long attempted to get both countries to adopt a closer political union, the kingdoms of Scotland and England remained sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, ruled by James in personal union.

James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, and thus a potential successor to all three thrones. He acceded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother was forced to abdicate in his favour. Although his mother was a Catholic, James was brought up as a Protestant. Four regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1583. In 1589, he married Anne of Denmark. Three of their children survived to adulthood: Henry Frederick, Elizabeth, and Charles. In 1603, James succeeded his cousin Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, who died childless. He continued to reign in all three kingdoms for 22 years, a period known as the Jacobean era, until his death in 1625. After the Union of the Crowns, he based himself in England (the largest of the three realms) from 1603, returning to Scotland only once, in 1617, and styled himself "King of Great Britain and Ireland". He advocated for a single parliament for England and Scotland. In his reign, the Plantation of Ulster and English colonisation of the Americas began.

At 57 years and 246 days, James's reign in Scotland was the longest of any Scottish monarch. He achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced great difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and conflicts with the English Parliament. Under James, the "Golden Age" of Elizabethan literature and drama continued, with writers such as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and Francis Bacon contributing to a flourishing literary culture.[1] James was a prolific writer, authoring works such as Daemonologie (1597), The True Law of Free Monarchies (1598), and Basilikon Doron (1599).[2] He sponsored the translation of the Bible into English (later named after him, the Authorized King James Version), and the 1604 revision of the Book of Common Prayer.[3][4] Contemporary courtier Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed "the wisest fool in Christendom" (wise in small things, foolish otherwise), an epithet associated with his character ever since.[5] Since the latter half of the 20th century, historians have tended to revise James's reputation and treat him as a serious and thoughtful monarch.[6] He was strongly committed to a peace policy, and tried to avoid involvement in religious wars, especially the Thirty Years' War that devastated much of Central Europe. He tried but failed to prevent the rise of hawkish elements in the English Parliament who wanted war with Spain.[7] The first English king of the House of Stuart, he was succeeded by his second son, Charles I.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I

666 1 Samuel 26:15-16. And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. 2 Samuel 18:3. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. Esther 6:2. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus

THE

WESTMINSTER

LARGER

CATECHISM

https://www.freepresbyterian.org/uploads/Larger_Catechism.pdf

Can. 666 In the use of means of social communication, necessary discretion is to be observed and those things are to be avoided which are harmful to one’s vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a consecrated person."

TITLE II. RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES (Cann. 607 - 709) CODE OF CANON LAW

https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann607-709_en.html

18 U.S. Code § 666 - Theft or bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds

U.S. Code

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/666

Revelation 13:18

New International Version

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2013%3A18&version=NIV

The Order of Calatrava (Spanish: Orden de Calatrava, Portuguese: Ordem de Calatrava) was one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164. Most of the political and military power of the order had dissipated by the end of the 15th century, but the last dissolution of the order's property did not occur until 1838.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Calatrava

The Oculus was positioned as part of the World Trade Center masterplan by Daniel Libeskind and designed by SANTIAGO CALATRAVA. The structure’s white metal-clad steel ribs reach up and out in a monumental move symbolic of a hand releasing a dove.The structure's orientation serves as a lasting reminder of the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is in alignment with the sun’s solar angles on each September 11, from 8:46 am, when the first plane struck, until 10:28 am, when the second tower collapsed. Its central skylight fits this alignment and washes the Oculus floor with a beam of light."

World Trade Center Oculus

50 Church Street New York, NY 10007

Oculus Transportation Hub | World Trade Center (officialworldtradecenter.com)

https://www.officialworldtradecenter.com/en/local/learn-about-wtc/oculus-transportation-hub.html

Pope Alexander VI (Italian: Alessandro VI, Valencian: Alexandre VI, Spanish: Alejandro VI; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja;[Note 2] epithet: Valentinus ("The Valencian");[6] c. 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503.

Born into the prominent Borja family in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon (in present-day Spain), he was known as Roderic de Borja, and he is commonly referred to by the Italianized form as Rodrigo Borgia. He studied law at the University of Bologna. He was ordained deacon and made a cardinal in 1456 after the election of his uncle as Pope Callixtus III, and a year later he became vice-chancellor of the Catholic Church. He proceeded to serve in the Roman Curia under the next four popes, acquiring significant influence and wealth in the process. In 1492, Rodrigo was elected pope, taking the name Alexander VI.

Alexander's papal bulls of 1493 confirmed or reconfirmed the rights of the Spanish crown in the New World following the finds of Christopher Columbus in 1492. During the second Italian war, Alexander VI supported his son Cesare Borgia as a condottiero for the French king. The scope of his foreign policy was to gain the most advantageous terms for his family.[7][8]

Alexander is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, partly because he acknowledged fathering several children by his mistresses. As a result, his Italianized Valencian surname, Borgia, became a byword for libertinism and nepotism, which are traditionally considered as characterizing his pontificate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI

Francis Borgia SJ (Valencian: Francesc de Borja; Spanish: Francisco de Borja; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of both Pope Alexander VI and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After the death of his wife, Borgia renounced his titles and became a priest in the Society of Jesus, later serving as its third superior general. He was canonized on 20 June 1670 by Pope Clement X.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Borgia

Borja (Borgia)

Spanish: habitational name from a place in Zaragoza province named from Arabic burj ‘tower’. See also Borgia .

https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=borja

Pope Paul V (Latin: Paulus PP. V; Italian: Paolo V) (17 September 1550[5] – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a member of the papal Accademia dei Lincei and supported his discoveries.[6] In 1616, Pope Paul V instructed Cardinal Robert Bellarmine to inform Galileo that the Copernican theory could not be taught as fact, but Bellarmine's certificate allowed Galileo to continue his studies in search for evidence and use the geocentric model as a theoretical device. That same year Paul V assured Galileo that he was safe from persecution so long as he, the Pope, should live. Bellarmine's certificate was used by Galileo for his defense at the trial of 1633.[7]

Trained in jurisprudence, Borghese was made Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Eusebio and the Cardinal Vicar of Rome by Pope Clement VIII. He was elected as Pope in 1605, following the death of Pope Leo XI. Pope Paul V was known for being stern and unyielding, defending the privileges of the Church. He met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 and was involved in the controversy over heliocentrism. He canonized and beatified several individuals during his papacy and created 60 cardinals in ten consistories.

His insistence on ecclesiastical jurisdiction led to conflicts with secular governments, notably with Venice, which resulted in an interdict on the city in 1606. This disagreement was eventually mediated by France and Spain in 1607. Pope Paul V's diplomacy also strained relations with England, as his actions were perceived as undermining moderate Catholics in the country.

In Rome, he financed the completion of St. Peter's Basilica, improved the Vatican Library, and restored the ancient Roman aqueduct Aqua Traiana. Pope Paul V established the Banco di Santo Spirito in 1605 and is also known for fostering the rise of the Borghese family through nepotism. He died on 28 January 1621, after suffering from a series of strokes and was succeeded by Pope Gregory XV.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_V

Borghese

Recorded in many forms including Bourges, Bourgaize, Bourgeois, (France), Burgess, Burges and Burgis (England and Scotland), Borghese, Borgesio and Burgisi (Italy), and others, this interesting surname is of pre 8th century Old French origins. It derives from the word "burgeis", meaning inhabitant and FREEMAN of a fortified town, one which could apply municipal rates, taxes, and duties. A burgeis generally had tenure of land or buildings from a landlord by "burgage", which involved the payment of a fixed money rent. In Scotland, the position of burgess required not only the making of payments, but to be availble to take part in guarding the town. The surname is one of the earliest recorded anywhere in the world. These recordings are from England because this country was the first to adopt both hereditary surnames and to make the necessary registers in which to record them. France was several centuries later, and Italy, not until the 19th century in most areas. Early recordings showing the influence of the Norman-French in England after the Invasion of 1066 include: Ralph le Burgeis, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Sussex in 1195, and Philip Bourges in the cartulary of Oseney Abbey, Oxford in 1197. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Geoffrey Burgeis, which was dated 1115, in the "Winton Rolls" of Hampshire. This was during the reign of King Henry 1st, known as "The Lion of Justice", 1100 - 1135. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. Over the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Borghese

Facade of St Peter's

"Paul V Borghese, Roman, Pontiff, in 1612, the seventh of his pontificate, [built] in honour of the Prince of Apostles

On February 10, 1608 the first stone of the Facade was laid and on July 21, 1612 most of the work was completed. It took another two years for the ornamentation, and the basilica was finally consecrated by Urban VIII on November 18, 1926.

https://www.stpetersbasilica.info/Exterior/Facade/Facade.htm

AFA-27 [recorded 03/15/87] | The CIA, the Military & Drugs Part IV

Developing a line of inquiry presented in the preceding broadcast, this program focuses on narco-terrorism in Latin America. Particular emphasis is on intelligence-related elements that figured in the Iran-Contra scandal, anti-Castro Cubans in particular. Much of the discussion centers on activities that took place when George Bush was in charge of the CIA.

After reviewing the Latin American narcotics network of Corsican gangster and Third Reich collaborator Auguste Ricord, the broadcast focuses on the role of Ricord associate Klaus Barbie in the 1980 “Cocaine Coup” in Bolivia. The Gestapo chief of Lyons (France) during the war, Barbie found post-war employment with American intelligence, first with the Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps, and later with the CIA.

With the aid of elements of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon, Barbie and a group of fascist terrorists associated with the narcotics trade overthrew the Bolivian government and established a dictatorship under General Garcia-Meza. Under this regime, the business of cocaine kingpin Roberto Suarez thrived, aided by Barbie and his “bridegrooms of death.” Doubling as para-fascist terrorists and enforcers for the government, Barbie and his cutthroats aided the bloody suppression of trade unions and the political left in the coup’s aftermath.

Barbie’s cocaine mercenaries included some interesting individuals. German-born Joachim Fiebelkorn (a neo-Nazi and informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency) was joined with Italian fascists, such as Pierluigi Pagliai (a member of the infamous P‑2 lodge discussed in AFAs 18,19) and the notorious fascist Stefano Delle Chiaie, a principal architect of the “strategy of tension.”

The strategy of tension (a major focal point of AFA-19) was an out-cropping of what Danish journalist Henrik Kruger termed “the International Fascista.” (Kruger is the author of The Great Heroin Coup: Drugs, Intelligence and International Fascism, published in softcover by the South End Press of Boston, copyright 1980. Mr. Emory views the work as the best individual volume ever written on the subject of the intelligence community and the narcotics trade.) A consortium of fascists in Europe and Latin America, International Fascista included numerous Latin death squad elements, elements of U.S. intelligence and the Paladin mercenary group (funded by Libyan dictator Khadafy, as well as the weapons empire of SS officer and sometime CIA operative Otto Skorzeny.) A principal figure in the postwar ODESSA organization, Skorzeny is discussed at considerable length in AFA-22.

One of the major cogs of the International Fascista was CORU, arguably the most militant and deadly of the anti-Castro Cuban organizations. CORU was involved in a string of bombings, assassinations and terrorist attacks in the mid 1970’s, including the 1976 assassination of Orlando Letelier in Washington D.C. CORU’s reign of terror took place when George Bush was director of the CIA, and an element of the agency appears to have been involved with it.

Program Highlights Include: “Operation Condor” (an international assassination consortium of Latin American dictatorships); a number of assassinations and attempted assassinations conducted under “Condor;” Argentine fascist and P‑2 lodge member Jose Lopez Rega; Italian fascist and Skorzeny associate Prince Justo Valerio Borghese; former Goebbels Propaganda Ministry official Gerhard Hartmut Von Schubert (the operating manager of the Paladin group); Paladin’s overlap with Spanish intelligence and the CIA; Operation Condor’s attempts at disguising its acts as left-wing terror; the position of the World Anti-Communist League in the milieu set forth in this broadcast

For more related content, please visit:

http://ourhiddenhistory.org/

https://archive.org/details/@altviewstv-fanclub

https://rumble.com/v4e2vto-dave-emory-anti-fascist-archives-27-the-cia-the-military-and-drugs-part-4-o.html

Pope Francis speaks alongside US President Barack Obama during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 23, 2015. More than 15,000 people packed the South Lawn for a full ceremonial welcome on Pope Francis' historic maiden visit to the United States.

Pope Francis speaks at the White House on Sept. 23, 2015.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty

As the speech came to a close, he referred to a number of famous Americans — not all of whom were Catholic.

“A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton,” he said.

“In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people,” he continued. “It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.”

https://people.com/pope-francis-in-washington-look-back-rare-visit-white-house-obamas-11685594

Pope Francis Visits For Historic Multireligious Gathering

Pope Francis was joined by leaders from various religious traditions in a historic Multireligious Meeting for Peace at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Friday, September 25, 2015.

“I feel many different emotions standing here at ground zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction," said Pope Francis. “Here grief is palpable."

Pope Francis arrived just before 11:15 a.m. and met with a group of relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 victims on the 9/11 Memorial and offered condolences and prayers for healing. Pope Francis was then welcomed into the museum’s foundation hall by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York. Standing adjacent to the last column and with the slurry wall as his background, a symbol of this country’s resilience after 9/11, Pope Francis addressed the crowd with a prayer of remembrance for the victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 terror attacks.

Pope Francis said, "God of love, compassion and healing look on us, people of many different faiths and religious traditions, who gather today in this hallowed ground, the scene of unspeakable violence and pain, we ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here: the heroic first responders: our firefighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001."

As part of the program, reflections and meditations were read by a group of selected religious leaders. The Young People’s Chorus of New York City performed the song “Let there be peace on Earth.”

Before leaving the Museum, the Pope viewed some inspirational artifacts within the museum's historical exhibition, including an intersecting steel column and crossbeam known as the Cross at Ground Zero.

After lunch, Pope Francis will head to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in east Harlem where he will meet schoolchildren. He will then proceed through Central Park before conducting mass at Madison Square Garden. On Saturday, the Pope is scheduled to depart from NYC for Philadelphia.

By Hannah Coffman, Digital Content Manager

https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/pope-francis-visits-historic-multireligious-gathering

Ignatius Loyola, a Catholic Priest, theologian and founder of the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church in the 16th Century, said, among his many inspiring sayings, “Go forth and set the world on fire."

Inferno (Italian: [iɱˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".[1] As an allegory, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_(Dante)

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid02WNouKCnSnNMfPsL3951uvNC1McfKmhf7HSDvbNCdgpe22Wf5h4dD2SbapRKWhsZVl

Everyday magic

Friday, May 14, 2021 at 11:38PM

"Arc de Triomphe, Paris"

Jules Ernest Renoux, (France, 1863-1932)

https://www.facebook.com/Alfa.Viktoriya/posts/pfbid02fhQ8CQirDJudTusRLA1fJeyzPXG55wNV2XQbT84tYn1wwRUQTiPsVQPs4pTJA7PJl

Ellen G. White in a group at Reno, Nevada camp meeting held from May 24 to June 4, 1888.

Seated (left to right): A. S. Hickox ― Ellen G. White ― Unknown ― N. C. McClure ― Unknown ― J. N. Loughborough ― Unknown ― Unknown. Sarah McEnterfer stands behind Ellen G. White. All others unidentified.

Date circa June 1888

Source Adventist Digital Library

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ellen_G._White_in_Reno_camp_meeting_(1888).jpg

Jules Alphonse Ernest Renoux (5 May 1863 – 9 June 1932) was a French painter working during the height of French Impressionism and the Belle Epoque.

Training and career

Renoux was the son of Jules Alphonse Renoux and Ernestine Veron. He showed early a talent for drawing and was still young when he went to live in Paris with his mother; her husband had abandoned her and had gone off to fight as a volunteer in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.[1][2] A student of Jean-Léon Gérôme [3] and Alfred Philippe Roll, Renoux studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and collaborated with Roll on the painted ceilings of the Hôtel de Viller, the Sorbonne and the Petit Palais.

Count de Zogheb, a well-known personality of the Belle Epoque, commissioned Renoux to paint his portrait, which was shown in the Salon of 1901. Count de Zogheb subsequently purchased many other Renoux paintings; this association earned Renoux two medals, the Imperial Order of Medjidieh and the Cross of the Knights of the Portuguese Military Order of Christ (which, with typical modesty, he never wore).[4] A later patron was the industrialist Auguste Magnère, an amateur artist whom Renoux tutored.

Renoux exhibited in the Paris gallery of Georges Bernheim in 1916, and the public reception was an encouraging success, resulting in the sale of twelve paintings. From 1922 Renoux exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Francais where he became a member.[5][6] Ten of Renoux's paintings are on permanent display at the Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux Arts de la ville de Paris.[7]

Style

Renoux employed a palette based in yellow-orange and ochre in which he painted street scenes admired for their understated beauty and agility of hand. Renoux liked painting the human form, frequently with members of his family as sitters. But he was shy and disliked sketching in the open streets. He often chose some obscure corner from which to draw, which explains the interesting and unusual perspective of some of his paintings. As The Times of London wrote, "He might in the broad sense of the term be called Impressionist, being concerned with the open-air effect, taking particular pleasure in the dapple of sunlight on tree shaded avenues. Accurate in perspective, he used it with an eye to pictorial value and showed particular skill in placing his vividly sketched figures at varying distances from the spectator."[8]

Personal life

Renoux married Berthe Madeleine in 1895, although his mother opposed the marriage on financial grounds. His wife was a frequent model.

Renoux Museum and exhibition

Romeny-sur-Marne has a museum dedicated to Renoux’s life and work, la Maison Renoux, where his studio, in the center of his garden, has been preserved. A stèle and plaque, place de l'Église, are dedicated to his memory.[9] Renoux traveled frequently to Romeny-sur-Marne and settled there permanently after losing his studio in Paris, 50, rue Saint-Didier, in 1928. He is buried in the village cemetery of Romeny-sur-Marne. Renoux's sun umbrella, stool, paint box, and transport case for works-in-progress were displayed at an impressionism exhibit at the Albertina in 2009 and are now in the Petit Palais.[10][11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Ernest_Renoux

The Advent Rite

Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry

The following disclosure takes place in future chapters of the fictional novel Bipolar WINTER. It is presented here for those readers who have asked for coming plot elements. This document is lengthy, but you are encouraged to read to the end, as the information contained here explains foundational elements of Bipolar WINTER.

Like many other restrictive religious communities, the Seventh-day Adventist Church throws a cloak of secrecy over many of its practices and much of its history. One such example is that its founders were part of a newly-founded fraternity called The Shmita (Hebrew: שמיטה) Advent Rite of Freemasonry, a lodge that broke from regular lines of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, whose aim was to guide the formation and direction of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. One of those founders was William Miller, who was credited with starting the Advent movement and who served his lodge as Worshipful Master.

There are many indications that men who were previously members of a regular line of Freemasonry were responsible for establishing the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but their secrecy has concealed any specific information tying them to those events.

This corrupted, irregular line of Freemasonry (which had taken on the formal name The Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry) not only excluded women, but also permitted only a handful of men to join every year – making their invitation to Ellen White highly unusual. Ellen White, prophetess and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was asked to join the Advent Rite after she overheard a long conversation between a Noble Brother of the lodge and her husband. Because the Noble Brother and James White had unknowingly disclosed secrets (and they were under a blood oath to keep their secrets from being revealed), Ellen White was forced to join the covert society—herself under a blood oath to maintain the secrets of the Advent Rite. In their private conversation, the men discussed secret teachings, plans, and passwords, all of which Ellen White overheard.

One of the Advent order’s teachings held that members who passed on were to be buried on the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath (Saturday), and the number seven was to be extremely significant in the ceremony. (The secret meanings of “sevens within sevens”—the rituals, vestments, proper passwords, signs and tokens—will be explained in future volumes of Bipolar WINTER.)

The Advent Rite made clear that once the solemn formalities of the burial ceremony had begun, the service had to be completed without any interruption whatsoever.

The deceased was to be carried by seven men who, after setting the casket down near the grave, would walk around it seven times, stopping after each circuit to bow. They would then each turn around in a complete circle before walking around the casket again.

Seven other men would stand in a row near the head of the casket and recite Psalms 91 in its entirety, precisely 19 times (19 is the reverse of 91). That process would begin before and continue during the other parts of the service. Additionally, before beginning to read, the seven men would each be sprinkled with sacred oil seven times by the presiding Worshipful Master.

Ellen White, for reasons explained later, underwent four funeral ceremonies. Three were open to the public, but the fourth—performed in secret—was kept hidden from the non-Advent Rite Freemasons. The occurrence of a fourth secret ceremony begs the question: If the SDA church can bend the truth about Ellen White’s interment, is there anything they won’t do to keep their members in the dark, no matter what the subject? That’s certainly a question to ponder.

In Ellen White’s fourth funeral, seven pallbearers carried her casket to the gravesite, where seven Seventh-day Adventist ministers, who had all been initiated as Noble Brothers into the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, acted as guards. Each of the seven men who walked around her casket bowed to the east seven times and wore a black band around their left arm, on which the seventh letter of the alphabet had been embossed in gold. The seventh letter, G, represented the words ‘Grand Geometrician’, also known as ‘The Great (or Grand) Architect of the Universe’. Why the left arm? The presence of the band on the left arm indicates the sinister nature of the men was being controlled by the higher nature of God.

Each of the sevens from the funeral ceremony represented one of the sevens mentioned in the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy depicted on the 1850 prophetic chart, which Ellen White had asked her husband to print. At the time it was printed, she stated that it was perfect in every way: “I saw that God was in the publishment of the chart by Brother Nichols. I saw that there was a prophecy of this chart in the Bible, and if this chart is designed for God’s people, if it [is] sufficient for one it is for another, and if one needed a new chart painted on a larger scale, all need it just as much.” (Manuscript Releases, volume 13, 359). The chart Ellen White mentioned included a few errors that were corrected with a second chart. Both were to be used by Adventists evangelists in explaining the message until the very month and year of Christ’s return in clouds of glory.

Exactly 33 days passed from the time of Ellen White’s mock burial—her third memorial, in which a casket weighted with rocks was lowered into the ground—attended by hundreds of people, until she was actually interred on Thursday, August 26, 1915. On each intervening day, members of the Advent Rite held a ceremony, and during each ceremony, a different member of the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry read one of the 32 degrees near the room in which her body was held in a vault.

On the 33rd day, Ellen White had the 33rd honorary degree of the Advent Rite (Sovereign Grand Advent Inspector General) conferred upon her. It was read from an 1880 manuscript which had been slightly modified by her husband, James White.

During that period of 33 days, seven younger ministers were initiated into the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, each of them receiving the baptism of the 32nd degree. They had been closely observed and found to be perfect candidates for initiation, a process called being “stepped up to” in the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. The seven men were taught through rituals and read one level of initiation every day (from small books called ‘monitors’) in the presence of Ellen White’s body during the 33 days until her interment.

The initiations the Advent masons underwent had been altered from the original teachings of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, with the new initiates being taught the secrets of how and why the Catholic Church would be infiltrated in the years to come, how Masonic teachings would take over the Catholic Church hierarchy, and how the Catholic Church would one day be controlled by masons, with the top administrators, leaders, and the Pope himself all having been initiated into the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry.

The seven men were also told how Ellen White had been visited by 19 angels during her lifetime, and they learned the secrets of the number 19. Since then, SDA teachings have revealed additional insights into the number 19. The distinct orders of each of the 19 angels is explained here. Additionally, the seven men were coached in different aspects of the Qur’an, studying Islam in secret (which is still done to this day), and were instructed to greet each other with the words ‘As-Salaam-Alaikum’ when they met in secret. They were also schooled as to the reasons why the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy had to continue to be taught in secret and why the SDA church was to fade out any mention of The Third Woe or its connections to Islam. The church has also eliminated teachings on the second prophetic chart, which depicts Islam as bringing three levels of woes on the earth.

After having had the 32nd (highest) degree conferred upon them, the seven men were henceforth known as Masters of the Advent Royal Secret. At another meeting, they were given a second title of Advent Muslim, after which others present in the large chamber stood and in unison gave the secret sign and recited the Advent Obligation. The Masters of the Advent Royal Secret were informed that even though the main branches of the Seventh-day Adventist Church would begin to teach the Trinity doctrine, they, as the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, would revert back to Ellen White’s original teachings concerning the nature of One God, which she had never abandoned, never intending her church to embrace the Trinity doctrine. The Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry now secretly follows Ellen White’s original doctrine.

Years later, John Harvey Kellogg (founder of the cereal giant Kellogg’s), who knew that certain leaders were, like him, ready to adopt the Catholic teachings on the Trinity, pushed for this new teaching to be surreptitiously introduced into the SDA church over time. He did this despite knowing the new Trinitarian belief would erode any respect devout of Muslims for the Seventh-day Adventist Church (because Muslims would see it as a challenge to the reasons Abraham was taught about one God). Kellogg, who was like a son to Ellen White, understood how harshly Islam would one day judge the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church if it abandoned the beliefs of its founder, but Kellogg still pushed for the church to embrace what Jews and Muslims consider idolatry – that idea of more than one God. Ellen White saw the Son as an expansion of the Father. She believed in One God—Jesus is both the Creator of the universe and the Creation. According to White, Jesus is the begotten creative force that is the expanded energy of God. The Holy Spirit is the energy field of God that is in touch with the creative expansion of Himself. White believed The One expands itself without a triune existence.

Ellen White died on July 16, 1915 at her home in Elmshaven, St Helena, California, where her first funeral service was held on July 18.

A camp meeting concerning White’s Conflict of the Ages series was being held in Richmond, California, at the time, so her body was taken there by train and a second funeral service was presided over by the president of the Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. White’s body was then taken to Battle Creek, Michigan, where on Saturday, July 24 (the Sabbath) it lay in state in the Battle Creek Tabernacle so that church members and well-wishers could pay their respects.

Between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 am, around 2,000 people passed by her body. Six—not seven, as there were in the closed order’s service—Seventh-day Adventist ministers acted as honor guards, rotating in 19-minute shifts. Every 19 minutes, another group of six ministers took their place. One of the ministers stood at the head of the casket, another stood at the foot, and two ministers guarded each side, keeping those paying their respects from getting too close. The six guards represented the 6th millennium in which we now live.

A third funeral service was held in the Battle Creek Tabernacle later that same day. With many of the surrounding Seventh-day Adventist churches canceling their Sabbath services so their members could travel to the funeral, around 4,600 people attended, but since the Battle Creek Tabernacle could hold just over 3,000 people, not even standing room was available for all who attended.

The sermon was preached by Elder Stephen Haskell, who had asked Ellen White to marry him after both of their spouses had passed. (She declined his proposal.)

After the service, Ellen White’s body appeared to be taken to the Oak Hill Cemetery to be buried next to her husband, James White, but the casket was empty—except for the rocks bound in cloth intended to duplicate her weight—something those in attendance didn’t know, leaving them to assume that she had finally been laid to rest on the Sabbath, July 24th.

Very few church members know of the role John Harvey Kellogg played in all of this. The vertical headstone (obelisk) set in the White’s family grave site was purchased by Kellogg sometime after the death of James White, some 34 years earlier. Ellen White had seen the obelisk and wanted to purchase it for her family’s gravesite, so Kellogg gave the money to a family friend, asking them to pay for the obelisk and give it as a gift, making it appear to have come from them.

I have been asked if it is true that a symbol associated with the Order of the Eastern Star is engraved on the obelisk. (The Order of the Eastern Star is a Freemasonic appendant and concordant body which both men and women can join. It was started in 1850 by an attorney named Rob Morris, who shared many friends with James and Ellen White and William Miller.) That answer will be given in a later volume of Bipolar WINTER.

Kellogg was also responsible for creating a story designed to be told to anyone who might one day discover that Ellen White’s body was kept out of the grave until August 26. According to the story, leaders of the SDA church were afraid Kellogg might want to exhume White’s body to have an autopsy performed to determine if her brain had been affected by a childhood accident. (At the age of nine, she was struck in the face by a rock.)

There is, though, another explanation—one which I am reluctant to mention, as it might make some question their beliefs. However, after much consideration, I feel it’s important enough to share and allow you to decide for yourselves.

Those closest to Ellen White in the Advent Rite strongly believed that the most senior angel who had come to her throughout her life was going to return to resurrect her. In files kept at her home, Ellen White had written about others being translated, meaning being taken up to Heaven without seeing death.

Only a few people throughout history have been considered pure enough to be visited by an angel of the Lord. Because Ellen White had been visited by 19 angels, her fellow members of the Advent Rite believed that she was certain to be resurrected, and then later, as Christ, be translated into Heaven. As a result, they kept her body out of the grave to allow that to happen. They fervently wished it would happen, as having their prophetess resurrected right from the room in which they’d conferred the 33rd degree upon her would bring awareness of the church and its teachings to the wider world.

But as time went by and nothing happened, members of the Advent Rite made the decision to lay Ellen White’s body to rest after the 33-day period had passed.

It’s important to mention these events because the belief that the angel would come to resurrect White directly conflicts with the SDA church’s teaching that all resurrection will happen only at the second coming of Christ. The church teaching on the State of the Dead is that all who have died are still sleeping, unaware of the passage of time, and waiting for Christ to come again.

As a side note, it’s said that Ellen White was approached by many leaders of the church after her husband died, asking her to contact the Lord and request that her husband be raised from the dead, as the church might not be able to continue without his help. She told them to keep their request private and explained to them that she’d been inspired to allow her husband to remain in his slumber. She told them her husband was tired, having been over-burdened with work and needed to rest until the Lord came, and that her husband’s work was to be carried on by her and the other leaders of the church.

Kellogg was also influential in retaining one aspect of the text in Ellen White’s book The Desire of Ages. He asked one of her assistants to tell her that if she left the wording concerning the Holy Spirit within the text, it would ensure that the SDA church would not come under attack until the Time of Trouble began.

Ellen White never changed her teaching that both God the Father and His Only Begotten Son radiated an all-pervading, self-effulgent and fully conscious blue light outward from Their bodies. God, being one, had a material expansion indicated through His begotten Son and the Holy Spirit. Unlike the Catholic Church’s doctrine of the Trinity, White’s teachings held that a shared light or spirit radiated from the bodies of God the Father and His material expansion expressed as His Only Begotten Son, bringing healing to those who would accept this holy, healing, and comforting Spirit.

Many people have asked why the bodies of Ellen White, her husband, her son, and other Adventists, such as Samuele R. Bacchiocchi (29 January 1938 – 20 December 2008), John Nevins Andrews (July 22, 1829 – October 21, 1883) and Le Roy Edwin Froom (October 16, 1890 – February 20, 1974), were all buried on the Holy Sabbath.

There is an answer, half of which will be shared on the Bipolar WINTER blog. The rest will be disclosed in future volumes of Bipolar WINTER.

For those of you who are unaware of the significance of interments being made on the Sabbath, it’s important to know that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has made it a custom to refuse funeral services on the Sabbath. But the reason for that is probably not what you think. The real reason is to reserve the Sabbath for the secret funeral services (which still go on to this day) of the few members of the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. Being buried on the Sabbath sets those Noble Brothers of the Advent Rite and their wives aside as being special when compared to other members of the SDA church.

Even though Ellen White’s assistants were allowed to become 32nd degree Masons, and Ellen White was herself a 33rd degree Mason (an honorary degree), she didn’t support the regular lines of Freemasons. In secret, she supported the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. However, she still believed in what she preached because she had been forced to take a secret oath to preserve her life. Following her death, the only places to continue teaching about such things as the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy were the few secret lodges of the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry. At the same time, certain initiated leaders within the Seventh-day Adventist Church were being directed to begin fading out the 2520 teaching and to develop different – and controversial – teachings concerning the ‘Daily’ in Daniel.

Early Adventists didn’t consider their new order—the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry—to be like other Freemason societies. To early Adventists, the Advent Rite was like an extension of their church. Members of the Advent Rite even became known among themselves as ‘Excellent Masters of the Chart’ (a reference to the prophetic chart of 1850). According to the Shmita Advent Rite’s teaching, this can only be spoken of now that we live in the time of the coming of the Messiah heralded by a global pandemic—the plague of sores.

While Ellen White had not wanted her church members to join the traditional Freemason order, her fellow founders of the SDA church considered the Advent Rite’s secret and closed order to be a much higher and purer example of the ancient and accepted mysteries. She was forced to become a member when she overheard the secrets the Rite—because of this she warned SDA members to avoid any contact with secret societies lest they suffer the fate she did in being forced to join under the penalty of death.

The reasons Ellen White disapproved of the Freemasons while being a member herself are explained in later volumes of Bipolar WINTER.

Ellen White didn’t want the 2520 prophecy faded out of the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was not given any indication that it would happen. She watched as her husband became confused as to whether he should continue to support the 2520 teachings in public or go along with the other leaders of the Advent Rite and appear as if he no longer believed in it. Ellen White had already indicated that she would not openly continue to speak of the 2520 prophecy, but she did leave hidden references to it in her writings. Uriah Smith, along with others, would later agree with the leaders of the Advent Rite to keep their support of the 2520 prophecy private. That begs the question: Why did Sister White never publicly tell church members that the Seven Times Time Prophecy was an erroneous teaching?

Today, many (so-called) conservative Seventh-day Adventist ministers question why anyone would still give any importance to White’s prophetic charts. If you are one who disbelieves the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Why would a prophecy which claims Christ began His judgement in the year 1844, and which the Spirit of Prophecy endorsed, be mocked by me and many of today’s Bible students and ministers? Leaders of the SDA church believe Christ entered the Most Holy Place in October 1844 and began to judge the living and the dead. This is one of two prophecies of Ellen White upon which the Seventh-day Adventist Church was founded and, indeed, on which its continued existence depends. Ellen White insisted that two witnesses attest to each prophecy. She further asserted that the 2300 Day Prophecy pointed to the Investigative Judgement and thus served as the second basis for the founding of the Adventist church. Many who scrutinize the 1844 prophecy and its proof spend hours each day in personal prayer, contemplation, meditation, and studying of sacred texts (such as the oral and written Torah) and the Spirit of Prophecy in its fullness. Adventist church leaders are now trying to disconnect 2300 Day Prophecy from Adventism. Leaders of the Adventist church removed the 2520 Seven Times Time Prophecy as an official teaching because it was hard to understand, and in so doing, removed the second witness to the Investigative Judgement.

2) Why would I want to appear to be an expert and then scorn a prophecy which Ellen White asked to be left on the 1850 chart before she had it printed by her husband, especially at a time in history when the Spirit of Prophecy is already being questioned by forces around the world who want to see it discredited and abandoned? Many leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church want to eliminate these prophecies from church doctrine because they are being mocked by the world (Daniel 8:14). The Adventist church’s foundational prophecies are easily mocked by others, but leaders and scholars who have tried to get rid of 2300 Day Prophecy have not been allowed to do so because without it (and the scripture to which it allegedly points), the very existence of the SDA church is rendered invalid. Adventist leaders now feel a sense of urgency because they believe Jesus has completed His judgement of the dead and is now judging the living.

Why also does one of the wealthiest organizations on earth allow its ordained ministers to disparage the 2520 teachings? What spirit leads those ordained men and women to want to deny the 2520 prophecy? Why is it important for those men and women to appear on video and lead people around the world to doubt the Seven Times Time Prophecy? What are these men and women trying to accomplish?

Finally, another problem facing the SDA church stems from Ellen White’s frequent use of Freemasonic and occult terms. I have no answer as to why she used those terms in her writings, other than to note that while Freemasons and occultists do at times use Biblical terms, texts, and expressions, the Bible doesn’t use Masonic and occult terminology, and neither would a prophet of God. Make of that what you will.

Today, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is seeking new ways to keep its members from asking questions about its Masonic origins, the Trinity, and any continuations of a closed society or hidden hand active within the SDA church.

I encourage you to consider all of this – including the information linked in the preceding paragraphs – and ask yourself what is behind the actions of SDA church leadership. I also invite you to follow me as I consider these and many other questions.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230320223618/http://adventrite.com/

Raymond of Burgundy (c. 1070 – 24 May 1107) was the ruler of Galicia as vassal of Alfonso VI of León and Castile, the Emperor of All Spain, from about 1090 until his death. He was the fourth son of Count William I of Burgundy and Stephanie. He married Urraca, future queen of León and heir of Alfonso VI, and was the father of the future Alfonso VII.

Background

When Raymond and his cousin, Henry of Burgundy, first arrived in Iberia is uncertain, but it probably was with the army of Duke Odo I of Burgundy in 1086. In April 1087, the army abandoned the siege of Tudela. While most of the army returned home, Odo and his retinue went west. By 21 July 1087 they were probably at Burgos, at the court of Alfonso VI, and by 5 August he was in the capital city of León. There Odo most likely arranged Raymond's marriage to Alfonso's heiress, Urraca. All surviving charters which seem to place Raymond in Spain before 1087 are either mis-dated or interpolated.[1]

By his marriage Raymond received as dowry the government of the Kingdom of Galicia (which included the County of Portugal and the County of Coimbra),[2] although shortly after, in 1095, Alfonso VI gave the County of Portugal and the County of Coimbra to Henry of Burgundy, father of the first Portuguese King Afonso Henriques of Portugal, basing it in Bracara Augusta (nowadays Braga). During his government he was titled Count, Dominus, Prince, Emperor and Consul of Galicia or of the Galicians, exercising near absolute power in his domains ("in urbe Gallecia regnante Comite Raymundus"): "serenissimus totius Gallecie comes", "totius Gallecie Senior et Dominus", "totius Gallecie Consul", "totius Gallecie Princeps", "totius Gallecie Imperator".[3]

He was father of Alfonso VII of León and Castile (1104/1105–1157), already crowned king of Galicia in 1111, while his brother later became Pope Callixtus II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_of_Burgundy

Robert de Craon or Robert Burgundio (died 13 January 1149) was the second Grand Master of the Knights Templar from June 1136 until his death. He was instrumental in getting papal sanction for the Templar Order, making it independent from ecclesiastical and secular authorities. Robert negotiated the expansion of the Order into the Iberian peninsula with the acquisition of castles and territory. He died on 13 January 1149 and was succeeded by Everard des Barres.

Life

Robert was the son of Renaud le Bourguignon and Ennoguen de Vitré.[1] He was engaged to the daughter of the lord of Angoumois but gave up his wedding and travelled to Palestine after learning of the foundation of the Templar Order by Hughes de Payens. He soon showed his military valour and his piety. From 1132-1134, he was the seneschal of the order, and following the death of Hughes, in 1136, he was chosen as the new Grand Master.[2] He proved to be a brilliant organizer and legislator,[3] and turned the Order into a major force in the Crusader states. On March 29, 1139, Pope Innocent II issued the bull Omne Datum Optimum, which exempted the order from tithes and made them independent of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction.[3] The Templars were also granted the habit of a red cross over a white tunic.[4][a]

In 1143, Robert and Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona negotiated the donation of six castles and dependent enclaves consisting of Monzon, Mongay, Chalamera, Barbara, Belchite, and Remolins.[6] He participated in the Council of Acre during the Second Crusade on 24 June 1148 and supported the decision to attack Damascus.[7] Robert died on 13 January 1149, and was succeeded by Everard des Barres in April that year.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Craon

Alan fitz Flaad (c. 1060 – after 1120) was a Breton knight, probably recruited as a mercenary by Henry I of England in his conflicts with his brothers.[1] After Henry became King of England, Alan became an assiduous courtier and obtained large estates in Norfolk, Sussex, Shropshire, and elsewhere in the Midlands, including the feudal barony and castle of Oswestry in Shropshire.[2][3][4] His duties included supervision of the Welsh border.[5] He is now noted as the progenitor of the FitzAlan family, the Earls of Arundel (1267–1580), and the House of Stuart,[6] although his family connections were long a matter of conjecture and controversy.

Career

Arrival in England

Flaad and his son Alan had come to the favourable notice of King Henry I of England who, soon after his accession, brought Flaad and Alan to England. Eyton, consistently following the theory of the Scottish origins of the Stewarts, thought this was because he was part of the entourage of the Queen, Matilda of Scotland,[7] Round pointed out that Henry had been besieged in Mont-Saint-Michel during his struggle with his brothers,[1] an event which probably occurred in 1091. He is known to have recruited Breton troops at that time and, after his surrender, left the scene via the adjoining regions of Brittany, where Dol is situated. This is a likely explanation for the Bretons in the military retinue he brought to England after the death of William Rufus.

Alan's career in England can be traced largely through his presence as a witness to charters granted by the king during his travels in the first decade or more of his reign. Some of his activities were traced by Eyton, and his researches overlap with William Farrer's calendar of Henry I travel. All of the business in which he took part was ecclesiastical, involving grants, sometimes disputed, to churches and monasteries.

Appearances at court

Alan appeared in Henry I's company at least as early as September 1101, probably at a court held in Windsor Castle,[8] when he witnessed important grants to Norwich Cathedral, confirming its foundation and various endowments.[9][10] Next, he appeared with the king at Canterbury in 1103,[11] where he witnessed the grant of a market to the nuns of Malling Abbey and land acquisitions by Rochester Cathedral, then in the process of rebuilding.[12]

Later that year,[13] or early in the next,[14] Alan was with the king in the New Forest, where the business concerned Andover Priory, a daughter house of the great Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur.[15] He was probably selected deliberately for this meeting because of his family's close connections with Saumur Abbey: one of his uncles was a monk there.[16] William Rufus had decreed that all chapels in the parish of Andover church should be handed over to the monks or destroyed.[17] One problem at issue revolved around the Foxcote chapel, which was evidently being defended from destruction or annexation by Edward de Foscote, a local landowner. Another seems to have been the administration of justice in the monastic estates.[18] Wihenoc, a monk of St Florent, had initiated an action against the reeve of Andover to have these issues clarified and resolved. Alan Fitz Flaad was called upon to witness a compromise, although Foxcote was among the properties confirmed to the priory by Pope Eugenius III in 1146.[19]

In the autumn of 1105, Alan was called to York to witness confirmation of Ralph Paynel's transfer of his refounded Holy Trinity Priory in York to Marmoutier Abbey, Tours[20][21] and his many endowments of the priory itself.[22][23] At some point, he also witnessed the Roger de Nonant's gift of the church at Totnes and various tithes to the Abbey of Ss Sergius and Bacchus at Angers, a gift earmarked as being for the souls of the royal family.[24]

In May 1110, Alan was at court at Windsor again to witness the king's settlement of a property dispute between Hervey le Breton, Bishop of Ely, and Ranulph Flambard, Bishop of Durham, resolved in favour of the former.[25]

Probably only later did he appear as a witness to a royal command issued to Richard de Belmeis I, the Bishop of London and the king's viceroy in Shropshire, to see that justice was done in the case of a disputed prebend at Morville.[26][27] The collegiate church there had been dissolved and replaced with a priory attached to Shrewsbury Abbey[28] and it seems that the son of one of the prebendaries was resisting the loss of what he regarded as his patrimony. Alan is listed among a group of Shropshire magnates, including Corbets and a Peverel, meeting perhaps during Henry I's 1114 military expedition into Wales. Johnson and Cronne tentatively place the meeting at Holdgate Castle in Shropshire. Eyton dates the event earlier, around the time of a royal expedition to Shropshire in 1109.[29] Whatever the date, it shows Alan as an important member of the Shropshire landowning class.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_fitz_Flaad

Stuart's Cape Audio CD – CD, May 1, 2013

Stuart's got problems...It's raining. He's bored.And worst of all, he's new in town.So he's got a lot to worry about.But what does a kid like Stuart need in order to have an adventure? A cape, of course.

https://www.amazon.com/Stuarts-Cape-Sara-Pennypacker/dp/1470886391

Elizabeth died childless. Her successor was her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots' son James VI of Scotland. The thrones of England and Scotland were joined in a dynastic union until 1707. The seven monarchs of this period continued to use the style King/Queen of France, though their claim was merely nominal. None of them was willing to engage in military campaigns for France against the actual Kings of France Henry IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France. Indeed, Charles I married a sister of Louis XIII, and his son Charles II spent much of his exile during the Interregnum in France (at which time, even if not formally abandoning his claim for its throne, he certainly did not emphasise it).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_claims_to_the_French_throne

The Capetians generally enjoyed a harmonious family relationship. By tradition, younger sons and brothers of the king of France were given appanages for them to maintain their rank and to dissuade them from claiming the French crown itself. When Capetian cadets did aspire for kingship, their ambitions were directed not at the French throne, but at foreign thrones. As a result, the Capetians have reigned at different times in the kingdoms of Portugal, Sicily and Naples, Navarre, Hungary and Croatia, Poland, Spain and Sardinia, grand dukedoms of Lithuania and Luxembourg, and in Latin and Brazilian empires.

In modern times, King Felipe VI of Spain is a member of this family, while Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is related to the family by agnatic kinship; both through the Bourbon branch of the dynasty. Along with the House of Habsburg, arguably its greatest historic rival, it was one of the two oldest European royal dynasties. It was also one of the most powerful royal families in European history, having played a major role in its politics for much of its existence. According to Oxford University, 75% of all royal families in European history are related to the Capetian dynasty.[4][5][6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capetian_dynasty

When were the Jesuits restored?

August 7, 1814

Pressured by the royal courts of Portugal, France and Spain, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society, causing Jesuits throughout the world to renounce their vows and go into exile. Pope Pius VII, a Benedictine, restored the Society on August 7, 1814."

https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/video-resources/jesuit-values-videos/suppression-of-the-society-of-jesus

In the second prelude, for Chief- Gene ral read highest Leader, and for captain read leader. For the first Leader the Spanish Autograph has Captain General, and for the second (leader), caudillo ; the former title expressing, as Father Rothaan remarks, a Commander-in-Chief of lawful warfare, the latter designating rather the leader of a faction, and being often used in a bad sense, as of a captain of robbers or malefactors. In order to express in some measure this distinction, he has made use of the terms Dux Generalis (LeaderGeneral) and CAPUT (HEAD) in his literal Version. The Common Version makes no distinction ; and hence, in order to render this Version with strict faithfulness, must read, both here and in the next two paragraphs, leader instead of captain, although (as the reader will already have perceived) this latter is the term which erceived) this latter is the term which corresponds the more nearly with the Spanish original. In all three places Father Rothaan has caput : in the third prelude he has again Dux instead of Imperator : see above. In the first point, in order to be strictly with the Common Version, readier?/ and smoky chair in stead of chair offire and smoke ; although this latter is what the Autograph has, a certain great chair of fire and smoke, " in which", observes Father Rothaan, there is no solidity, no true glory, but mere agitation and perpetual disturbance joined with thick darkness"; And this image", he adds, " exhibits the evil spirit such as he is, but not such as he offers himself to men's minds."

The Spiritual Exercises of Loyola

https://ia801306.us.archive.org/8/items/a588350800loyouoft/a588350800loyouoft.pdf

St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome is considered the mother church of all the Catholic churches in the Western world; inscribed on the church facade for all to see are the Latin words “omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et CAPUT,” meaning, “The mother and HEAD of all the churches of the city and of the world.”

https://www.simplycatholic.com/st-john-lateran-basilica/

Caput Mundi is a Latin phrase which literally means "Head of the world" whereas Roma Caput Mundi means "Rome capital of the world" and is one of the many nicknames given to the city of Rome throughout its history.[1]

The phrase is related to the enduring power of the city first as the capital of the Republic and the Empire, and later as the centre of the Catholic Church.[2]

Although it is not known for sure when it was first used, Rome was already named in this way by the poet Ovid in 1st century BC.[3]

Along with "Eternal City" and the "City of Seven Hills", Caput Mundi remains as one of the most commonly used names to refer to the city of Rome.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caput_Mundi

The Arch of Constantine (Italian: Arco di Costantino) is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312. Situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill, the arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the route taken by victorious military leaders when they entered the city in a triumphal procession.[a] Dedicated in 315, it is the largest Roman triumphal arch, with overall dimensions of 21 m (69 ft) high, 25.9 m (85 ft) wide and 7.4 m (24 ft) deep.[1] It has three bays, the central one being 11.5 m (38 ft) high and 6.5 m (21 ft) wide and the laterals 7.4 m (24 ft) by 3.4 m (11 ft) each. The arch is constructed of brick-faced concrete covered in marble.

The three-bay design with detached columns was first used for the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum (which stands at the end of the triumph route) and repeated in several other arches now lost.

Though dedicated to Constantine, much of the sculptural decoration consists of reliefs and statues removed from earlier triumphal monuments dedicated to Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138) and Marcus Aurelius (161–180), with the portrait heads replaced with his own.[2] The resulting mixture of sculptural styles has given rise to much discussion among art historians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Constantine

Mesopotamia was the name of a Roman province, initially a short-lived creation of the Roman emperor Trajan in 116–117 and then re-established by Emperor Septimius Severus in c. 198. Control of the province was subsequently fought over between the Roman and the Sassanian empires until the Muslim conquests of the 7th century.

Trajan's province

In 113, the Roman emperor Trajan (r. 98–117) launched a war against Rome's long-time eastern rival, the Parthian Empire. In 114, he conquered Armenia, which was made into a province, and by the end of 115, he had conquered northern Mesopotamia. This too was organized as a province in early 116, when coins were minted to celebrate the fact.[1]

Later in the same year, Trajan marched into central and southern Mesopotamia (enlarging and completing the province of Mesopotamia) and across the river Tigris to Adiabene, which he annexed into another Roman province, Assyria.[2] But he did not stop there. In the last months of 116, he captured the Persian city of Susa and deposed the Parthian king Osroes I, putting his own puppet ruler Parthamaspates on the Parthian throne. Never again would the Roman Empire advance so far to the east.

As soon as Trajan died, however, his successor Hadrian (r. 117–138) relinquished his conquests east of the Euphrates river, which became again the Roman Empire's eastern boundary.[3][4]

Severus's province

Lucius Verus's campaign

Northern Mesopotamia, including Osroene, came again under Roman control in the expedition of Lucius Verus in 161–166, but were not formally organized into provinces; instead, they were left under local vassal rulers, although Roman garrisons were maintained, notably at Nisibis.

Year of the Five Emperors

This control was threatened in 195, during the civil war between Septimius Severus (r. 193–211) and the usurper Pescennius Niger, when rebellions broke out in the area, and Nisibis was besieged. Severus quickly restored order and organized Osroene as a full province.[5][6]

Reconquest by Severus

Next, Severus embarked on a war against Parthia, which he concluded successfully with the sack of the Parthian capital Ctesiphon. In emulation of Trajan, he re-established a province of Mesopotamia in 198, with Nisibis, elevated to the status of a full colonia, as its capital.[7][8]

Unlike Trajan's province, which encompassed the whole of Roman-occupied Mesopotamia between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the new province was limited between the province of Osroene to the south, the Euphrates and Tigris to the north, and the river Chaboras (modern Khabur) to the east.[9]

Border conflict

Map showing the Mesopotamia province

For the remainder of its existence, the province would remain a bone of contention between the Romans and their eastern neighbors, suffering heavily in the recurrent Roman–Persian Wars. In the turmoil that followed the Year of the Six Emperors, in 239–243, Ardashir I (r. 224–241), the founder of the new Sassanid Empire which replaced the moribund Parthians, attacked and overran the area, but it was recovered by Timesitheus before his death in 243.[10] In the 250s, the Persian shah Shapur I (r. ca. 240–270) attacked Mesopotamia, and fought with the Roman emperor Valerian (r. 253–260), whom he captured at Edessa in 260.[11] In the next year, however, Odaenathus of Palmyra took a stand against Shapur, who eventually retreated.[12]

Diocletianic-Constantinian reorganization

Under the reforms of Diocletian (r. 284–305) and Constantine I (r. 306–337), it became part of the Diocese of the East, which in turn was subordinated to the praetorian prefecture of the East.

Map of Roman military stations in Mesopotamia from a 1436 manuscript

Nisibis and Singara, along with the territory in Adiabene conquered by Diocletian were lost after the debacle of Julian's Persian expedition in 363, and the capital was transferred to Amida, while the seat of the military commander, the dux Mesopotamiae, was located at Constantina. Other cities included Martyropolis and Kephas.[9]

The attendance list of the First Council of Nicaea lists the bishops of Edessa, Nisibis, Rhesaina, Makedonopolis and Fars, whereas by the time of the council of Constantinople in 381 the bishoprics included were those of Amida, Constantina and Amaria.[13]

Late Roman/Early Byzantine Mesopotamia

Not to be confused with Mesopotamia (theme).

After the troubles Roman forces faced in the Anastasian War of 502–506, the East Roman emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) built the fortress of Dara as a counter to Nisibis and as the new base of the dux Mesopotamiae.

During the reforms of Justinian I (r. 527–565), the province was split up: the northern districts with Martyropolis went to the new province of Armenia IV, while the remainder was divided into two civil and ecclesiastical districts, one (the region south of the Tigris) with capital at Amida and the other (the region of Tur Abdin) with capital at Dara.[9] The see of Amida was listed with eight suffragan bishoprics (Martyropolis, Iggilon, Bolebtina, Arsamosata, Beth Sophanaia, Qidarizon, Hesen Kepha, Zugmatos) while the see of Dara had only three (Reshaina, Tur Abdin, Menasobion) according to the Notitia Antiochena from the 580s.[13] The region around Tur Abdin became a monastic hotspot (including for instance the monastery of Qarṭmin) as well as the center of the Syrian Orthodox world for the coming centuries.[14]

The province suffered greatly during the near-constant wars with Persia in the 6th century. In 573, the Persians even took Dara, although the East Romans recovered it under the peace of 591. They lost it again to the Persians in the great war of 602–628, and regained it afterwards only to lose the entire region permanently to the Muslim conquests in 633–640.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia_(Roman_province)

Trump, Vance meet with Pope Leo's Florida brother, 'a major MAGA fan', at White House

Kim Luciani

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

May 22, 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET

Key Points AI-assisted summary

President Donald Trump met with Pope Leo XIV's brother, Louis Prevost, at the White House.

Trump publicly praised Prevost, a Florida resident, for being a "major MAGA fan."

Louis Prevost acknowledged his political views and stated his intention to "tone it down" to avoid causing issues for the pope.

Trump told reporters he likes the pope and both of his brothers, but spotlighted the eldest brother, Navy veteran and Port Charlotte resident Louis Prevost.

"And I look forward to getting him to the White House. I want to shake his hand, I want to give him a big hug."

Later that day, the White House visit happened. Louis Prevost and his wife Deborah met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

Louis Prevost excited and happy about brother Pope Leo XVI's papacy

The Prevost brothers — Louis, John and Robert (Pope Leo XIV) — grew up in Chicago in a traditional Catholic family.

Louis Prevost said his youngest brother Robert wanted to "play priest" when he was 6 and set his sights on the priesthood as a freshman in high school. Their parents, neighbors and even strangers told Robert, "You're going to be pope someday," he said.

Robert Prevost's election as Pope Leo XIV left Louis Prevost excited, happy, mind blown and a little worried about how the papacy would impact their relationship.

“I just freaked out and said ‘It’s Rob, OMG.’ I was up, dressed, out, just going nuts,” he told WBBH.

“We can only hope that we can maintain that closeness, and we don't do anything to embarrass him,” he said.

Louis Prevost attended Pope Leo's inaugural mass at the Vatican on May 18. The brothers shared a hug after the service.

Pope Leo's Florida brother Louis Prevost is a MAGA, Trump supporter

Trump told reporters Louis Prevost is a "major MAGA fan."

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Louis Prevost said, "I don’t want to create waves that don’t need to be there because I’m a MAGA type and I have my beliefs,” he said. “I don’t need to create heat for him. He’s going to have enough to handle as it is without the press going ‘the pope’s brother says this.’ He doesn’t need that.”

Asked about his reposts of controversial social media memes, including one calling Nancy Pelosi a drunk (expletive), and how they might affect the pope, Louis Prevost said he will "tone it down."

"He knows I am who I am," he said of the pope. "He's well aware of my position. He knows I'm probably not going to change and I don't think I will, other than to, just like you say, tone it down."

Contributing: Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Herald-Tribune, Ashley Ferrer, USA TODAY Network-Florida

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2025/05/22/trump-pope-leo-florida-maga-brother-louis-prevost-white-house-visit/83773944007/

-page 137

Chapter 19 "Exposed (Again): 1260 Years of World Domination

Codeword Barbelon book 2

by P.D. Stuart

Etymology

Frankish royalty

Clovis I (c. 466 – 511), the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler

Clovis II (637 – c. 658), king of Neustria and Burgundy

Clovis III (reigned 675–676), the king of Austrasia

Clovis IV (682–695), the sole king of the Franks from 691 until 695

Clovis (died 580), son of Chilperic I and Audovera, assassinated by his father and stepmother

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clovis_(given_name)

Biography

Early life

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid0CyvkSBSbwE7jz3zR7T3myTPJTEynU5UB2ts8sxrmNMg2N5EMZyuDMxWCVx8ti9sYl

Brooke Morris is 26 years old and was born in July of 1999. Currently Brooke lives at the address 2028 Lonnie Ln, Dayton NV 89403. Brooke has lived at this Dayton, NV address for about 1 year, after moving in around June of 2024. Brooke previously lived at 3593 Green Acre Dr, Carson City NV 89705 for 7 years, starting in February of 2017. Going further back, starting in March of 2017, Brooke lived at 3593 Green Acres Dr, Carson City NV 89705 for 5 years.

https://www.fastpeoplesearch.com/brooke-morris_id_G9137921864756804431

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

2. Patients and Methods

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM

by MAX HEINDEL

https://dn720206.ca.archive.org/0/items/freemasonryandca017137mbp/freemasonryandca017137mbp.pdf

The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings,[2] is an American think tank in Washington, D.C.

The institution conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global economy, and economic development.[3][4]

Brookings states that its staff "represent diverse points of view" and describes itself as nonpartisan.[5] Media outlets have variously described Brookings as centrist,[6] conservative,[7] liberal,[8] center-right,[9] and center-left.[10] An academic analysis of congressional records from 1993 to 2002 found that Brookings was cited by conservative politicians almost as often as by liberal politicians, earning a score of 53 on a 1–100 scale (with 100 representing the most liberal score).[11] The same study found Brookings to be the most frequently cited think tank by U.S. media and politicians.[11]

The University of Pennsylvania's Global Go To Think Tank Index Report named Brookings "Think Tank of the Year - Top Think Tank in the World" every year from its first edition in 2008 through 2015, and again from 2017 through its last edition in 2020.[12][13] As of 2025, Brookings is the most cited think tank in the world.[14][15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings_Institution

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (27 April 1941 – 20 October 2024) was a Turkish Muslim scholar, preacher, and leader of the Gülen movement[7][8] who as of 2016 had millions of followers.[9] Gülen was an influential neo-Ottomanist,[10] Anatolian panethnicist,[clarification needed][11][12] Islamic poet, writer,[13] social critic, and activist–dissident developing a Nursian theological perspective[14] that embraces democratic modernity.[12] Gülen was a local state imam from 1959 to 1981[15][16] and he was a citizen of Turkey until his denaturalization by the Turkish government in 2017.[17] Over the years, Gülen became a centrist political figure in Turkey prior to his being there as a fugitive. From 21 March 1999 until his death on 20 October 2024, Gülen lived in self-exile in the United States near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.[18][19][20] Gülen's body was buried in a plot of land near the Chestnut Retreat Center in Pennsylvania due to the political situation in Turkey.[21]

Gülen said his social criticisms are focused upon individuals' faith and morality and a lesser extent toward political ends,[22] and self described as rejecting an Islamist political philosophy, advocating instead for full participation within professions, society, and political life by religious and secular individuals who profess high moral or ethical principles and who wholly support secular rule, within Muslim-majority countries and elsewhere.[23] Gülen was described in the English-language media as an imam "who promoted a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work, and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures".[24][25]

In 2003, a number of Gülen movement participants allied with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's right wing Justice and Development Party (AKP), providing the AKP political and sorely-needed administrative support.[26][27][28] This political alliance worked together to weaken left-of-center Kemalist factions, but fractured in 2011. Turkish prosecutors accused Gülen of attempts to overthrow the government by allegedly directing politically motivated corruption investigations by Gülen-linked investigators then in the judiciary,[29][30] who illegally wiretapped the executive office of the Turkish president,[8] and Gülen's alleged instigations of the 2016 coup attempt.[31][32] Gülen denied the accusations.[33][34]

A Turkish criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Gülen in 2016,[35][36] and Turkey demanded his extradition from the United States.[37][38][39] U.S. government officials did not believe he was associated with any terrorist activity, and requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition, frequently rejecting Turkish calls for his extradition.[40][41][42]

Gülen was wanted as a terrorist leader in Turkey[43] and Pakistan,[44] as well as by the OIC[45][46] and GCC.[47]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fethullah_G%C3%BClen

Poppy Fields in the Tora Bora Region of Afghanistan

405027 04: An Afghan farmer cuts into a poppy bulb to extract the sap, which will be used to make opium, in a field May 6, 2002 in the village of Markhanai in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan. Afghanistan once supplied 70 percent of the world's opium. The country's former Taliban rulers banned poppies in 2000, but farmers quickly planted the lucrative crop again after a U.S. bombing campaign helped push the Islamic militia from power late last year. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-afghan-farmer-cuts-into-a-poppy-bulb-to-extract-the-sap-news-photo/1540301

The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from November 30 – December 17, 2001, during the final stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the United States and its allies with the objective to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were suspected of being responsible for the September 11 attacks three months prior. Tora Bora (Pashto: تورا بورا; Black Cave) is located in the Spīn Ghar mountain range near the Khyber Pass. The U.S. stated that al-Qaeda had its headquarters there and that it was bin Laden's location at the time.

Background

In Operation Cyclone during the early 1980s, CIA officers had assisted the mujahideen fighters in extending and shoring up the caves to use for resistance during the Soviet–Afghan War.[8] The U.S. then supported their effort. Several years later, the Taliban formed and took control of most of the country, enforcing Islamic fundamentalist rule. Several cave areas were used in much earlier periods, as the difficult terrain formed a natural defensive position and had been used by tribal warriors fighting foreign invaders.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom to dismantle the Taliban regime that had sheltered Osama bin Laden. To achieve this goal, the U.S. military joined forces with the Northern Alliance, a group of rebels who had long been waging a guerrilla war against the Taliban. Through a combination of air strikes and ground operations, the U.S. and its allies quickly gained the upper hand, seizing control of key Taliban strongholds and toppling the regime's grip on power. By November 13, 2001, the Northern Alliance had captured the capital city of Kabul.

The CIA was closely tracking Osama bin Laden's movements, hoping to locate and catch him. On November 10, 2001, he had been spotted near Jalalabad traveling in a convoy of 200 pick-up trucks heading in the direction of his training camp in Tora Bora mountain.[12] The U.S. had expected bin Laden to make a last stand at Tora Bora, hoping to repeat his success against the Soviets in the Battle of Jaji in 1987. Vice President Dick Cheney revealed in a November 29, 2001 television interview that bin Laden was believed to be in the general area of Tora Bora, surrounded by a sizable force of loyal fighters.[4] The CIA lead in the Panjshir, Gary Berntsen, sent a detachment to team up with Afghan tribal militias around Jalalabad who opposed the Taliban.[12] The Americans climbed the mountains guided by the locals who knew the terrain. After a few days of climbing, they arrived at the training camp in Tora Bora where hundreds of Al-Qaeda fighters could be spotted.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tora_Bora

Katharina von Bora (German: [kataˈʁiːnaː fɔn ˈboːʁaː]; 29 January 1499? – 20 December 1552), after her wedding Katharina Luther, also referred to as "die Lutherin" ('the Lutheress'),[1] was the wife of the German reformer Martin Luther and a seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. Although little is known about her, she is often considered to have been important to the Reformation, her marriage setting a precedent for Protestant family life and clerical marriage.[2]

Ancestry

Katharina von Bora was the daughter to a family of Saxon lesser nobility.[3][4][5] According to common belief, she was born on 29 January 1499 in Lippendorf, but there is no evidence of this in contemporary documents. Due to there being multiple branches in her family and the uncertainty of her birth name, there are diverging theories about her place of birth.[6] One of them proposes that she was born in Hirschfeld and that her parents were Hans von Bora zu Hirschfeld and his wife, born Anna von Haugwitz.[7][8] It is also possible that Katharina was the daughter of Jan von Bora auf Lippendorf and his wife Margarete, both of whom were only mentioned in 1505.[9]

Early life

A portrait of Martin Luther in 1526 by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Her father sent then five-year-old von Bora to a Benedictine convent in Brehna in 1504 to be educated, according to a letter Laurentius Zoch sent to Martin Luther in 1531.[10] At the age of nine, she was moved to Nimbschen Abbey, Cistercian community named Marienthron ('Mary's Throne') near Grimma, where her maternal aunt was a nun.[11] Von Bora's presence is in the financial accounts of 1509/10.[12]

Plaque on the ruins of Nimbschen Abbey, commemorating von Bora's time there and her escape.

After years of being a nun, von Bora became interested in the growing reform movement and grew dissatisfied with cloistered life. Conspiring with several other sisters, she contacted Luther and begged for his assistance.[13] On 4 April 1523, Holy Saturday, Luther sent Leonhard Köppe, a merchant and councillor of Torgau who regularly delivered herring to the convent. The nuns escaped by hiding in his covered wagon among the fish barrels, and fled to Wittenberg.[14]

Luther asked the family of the nuns to admit them into their houses, but they declined, possibly because this would have made them accomplices to a crime under canon law.[15]

Within two years, Luther was able to arrange marriages or find employment for all of the escaped nuns except von Bora. She was first housed with the family of Philipp Reichenbach, the municipal clerk of Wittenberg, then with Lucas Cranach the Elder and his wife, Barbara. Von Bora had a number of suitors, including Hieronymus Baumgartner from Nuremberg, and a pastor, Kaspar Glatz from Orlamünde, but none of the proposals resulted in marriage. She told Luther's friend and fellow reformer, Nicolaus von Amsdorf, that she would be willing to marry only Luther or von Amsdorf.[16]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharina_von_Bora

Augustinians and Cistercians | Church and Society in the Medieval West

One newly founded order broke with the rule of Benedict, finding its inspiration in a letter of Augustine is that prescribed simply that monks share all their property, pray together at regular intervals, dress alike, and obey a superior. Some of the “Augustinians,” as they called themselves, interpreted these general rules severely, living in silence, performing manual labor, eating and drinking sparingly, and singing psalms; others ate meat, conversed among themselves, and did not insist on manual labor.

Often beginning as small informal foundations, the Augustinians attracted modest donations from relatively modest donors. Unlike Cluny, with its vast collections of buildings crowned by a great and splendid church, the Augustinian foundations were simple and humble. The Augustinians preached, baptized, heard confessions, and helped the poor unobtrusively. They multiplied rapidly, and in the thirteenth century there were thousands of Augustinian houses in England and on the Continent.

Founded only a little later, the Cistercians abandoned the world instead of living in it. Their original house, Citeaux (Cistercium) in Burgundy, lay in a dismal wasteland far from the distractions of the world. There they pioneered land reclamation and launched a period of agricultural expansion. By the twelfth century the Cistercians were looked to for their knowledge of how to make previously uncultivated lands, often swamps, productive. They considered themselves the only true Benedictines, vet the self-denial, poverty, and wholly spiritual life that the Cistercians adopted was often seen by their contemporaries as arrogant, worldly, and even greedy.

https://bigsiteofhistory.com/augustinians-and-cistercians-church-and-society-in-the-medieval-west

The Cistercian Order

Main article: Cistercians

In 1075 Robert de Molesme, a Benedictine monk from Cluny Abbey, had obtained the permission of Pope Gregory VII to found a monastery at Molesme in Burgundy. At Molesme, Robert tried to restore monastery practice to the simple and severe character of the original Rule of Saint Benedict, called "Strict Observance". Being only partly successful in this at Molesme, Robert in 1098 led a band of 21 monks from their abbey at Molesme to establish a new monastery. The monks acquired a plot of marsh land just south of Dijon called Cîteaux (Latin: "Cistercium") and set about building a new monastery there which became Cîteaux Abbey, the mother Abbey of the newly founded Cistercian Order.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluniac_Reforms

Finally, the Constitutions train us all for perfection, instructing us in the weapons to be used in combatting our three fierce and raging adversaries. They teach us how to counter the lust of the flesh with chastity, the lust of the eyes with poverty, and the pride of life with obedience. I shall say nothing of our observance of chastity (in which we should imitate the purity of the angels so far as our frailty allows), or of our OBSERVANCE of poverty (which is so STRICT that neither churches nor professed houses may acquire any rents, lands, or even perpetual endowments). As for obedience, however, by which we consecrate the chief and noblest part of ourselves to God, our Constitutions require of us that it be so prompt, eager, perfect, and integral that we do not swerve even a hairsbreadth from our superiors commands. In matters falling under obedience, not only must our action be guided by the superior s command and our will by his will, but even something much more difficult our understanding by his understanding.

To sum up: men crucified to the world, and to whom the world itself is crucified[7] such would our Constitutions have us to be; new men, I say, who have put off their affections to put on Christ;[8] dead to themselves to live to justice; who, with St. Paul in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Spirit, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, show themselves ministers of God[9] and by the armor of Justice on the right hand and, on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, by good success finally and ill success, press forward with great strides to their heavenly country. This is the sum and aim of our institute.

And so I beseech you, brothers in the Lord, that we may walk in a manner worthy of our vocation,[10] and, in order to know that vocation, may read and reread these Constitutions that have been bestowed upon us by the gift of God. Let us study them day and night. Let us vie with each other in learning them, pondering them, and keeping them. If we do so, our name will be matched by our lives and our profession made manifest in deed.

Farewell in Christ.

Rome, the house of the Society of Jesus, 1559 [7]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The Gehlen Organization or Gehlen Org (often referred to as The Org) was an intelligence agency established in June 1946 by U.S. occupation authorities in the United States zone of post-war occupied Germany, and consisted of former members of the 12th Department of the German Army General Staff (Foreign Armies East, or FHO). It was headed by Reinhard Gehlen who had previously been a Wehrmacht Major General and head of the Nazi German military intelligence in the Eastern Front during World War II.

The agency was a precursor to the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND or Federal Intelligence Service) which was formed in 1956.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehlen_Organization

Operation Mockingbird is an alleged large-scale program of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that began in the early years of the Cold War and attempted to manipulate domestic American news media organizations for propaganda purposes. According to author Deborah Davis, Operation Mockingbird recruited leading American journalists into a propaganda network and influenced the operations of front groups. CIA support of front groups was exposed when an April 1967 Ramparts article reported that the National Student Association received funding from the CIA.[1] In 1975, Church Committee Congressional investigations revealed Agency connections with journalists and civic groups.

In 1973, a document referred to as the "Family Jewels"[2] was published by the CIA containing a reference to "Project Mockingbird", which was the name of an operation in 1963 which wiretapped two journalists who had published articles based on classified material.[3] The document does not contain references to "Operation Mockingbird".[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird

Kodashim (Hebrew: קׇדָשִׁים‎, romanized: Qoḏāšim, lit. 'holy things') is the fifth of the six orders, or major divisions, of the Mishnah, Tosefta and the Talmud, and deals largely with the services within the Temple in Jerusalem, its maintenance and design, the korbanot, or sacrificial offerings that were offered there, and other subjects related to these topics, as well as, notably, the topic of kosher slaughter.

Topics

This Seder (order, or division) of the Mishnah is known as Kodashim (“sacred things” or “sanctities”), because it deals with subjects connected with Temple service and ritual slaughter of animals (shehitah). The term kodashim, in the Biblical context, applies to the sacrifices, the Temple and its furnishings, as well as the priests who carried out the duties and ceremonies of its service; and it is with these holy things, places and people that Kodashim is mainly concerned. The title Kodashim is apparently an abbreviation of Shehitat Kodashim ("the slaughter of sacred animals") since the main, although not the only subject of this order is sacrifices.[1][2][3]

The topics of this Seder are primarily the sacrifices of animals, birds, and meal offerings, the laws of bringing a sacrifice, such as the sin offering and the guilt offering, and the laws of misappropriation of sacred property. In addition, the order contains a description of the Second Temple (tractate Middot), and a description and rules about the daily sacrifice service in the Temple (tractate Tamid). The order also includes tractate Hullin, which concerns the slaughter of animals for non-sacrificial use, as well as other dietary laws applying to meat and animal products. Although Hullin is about the slaughter of animals for non-sacrificial, and therefore unsanctified purposes, because the rules about the proper slaughter of animals and birds, and their ritual fitness for use were considered to be an integral part of the concept of holiness in Judaism, they were also included in the order regarding “holy things”.[2][3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodashim

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Revelation 18:2

Zevachim (“Sacrifices”), with FOURTEEN chapters, and originally called Shehitat Kodashim ("slaughtering of the holy animals") deals with the sacrificial system of the Temple period, namely the laws for animal and bird offerings, and the conditions which make them acceptable or not, as specified in the Torah, primarily in the book of Leviticus (Lev 1:2 and on).[1][2][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodashim

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The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

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14 And deceived them that dwell on the earth by the signs which were permitted to him to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make the [t]image of the [u]beast, which had the wound of a sword, and did live.

Revelation 13:14

Himmler used the Jesuits as the model for the SS, since he found they had the core elements of absolute obedience and the cult of the organisation.[59][60] Hitler is said to have called Himmler "my Ignatius of Loyola".[59] As an order, the SS needed a coherent doctrine that would set it apart.[61] Himmler attempted to construct such an ideology, and deduced a "pseudo-Germanic tradition" from history.[61] Himmler dismissed the image of Christ as a Jew and rejected Christianity's basic doctrine and its institutions.[62] Starting in 1934, the SS hosted "solstice ceremonies" (Sonnenwendfeiern) to increase team spirit within their ranks.[63] In a 1936 memorandum, Himmler set forth a list of approved holidays based on pagan and political precedents meant to wean SS members from their reliance on Christian festivities.[64] In an attempt to replace Christianity and suffuse the SS with a new doctrine, SS-men were able to choose special Lebenslauffeste, substituting common Christian ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings and burials. Since the ceremonies were held in small private circles, it is unknown how many SS-members opted for these kind of celebrations.[65]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology_of_the_SS

The large Latin inscription on the façade reads: Clemens XII Pont Max Anno V Christo Salvatori In Hon SS Ioan Bapt et Evang. This abbreviated inscription translates as: "The Supreme Pontiff Clement XII, in the fifth year [of his Pontificate, dedicated this building] to Christ the Savior, in honor of Saints John the Baptist and [John] the Evangelist".[5] The inscription indicates, with its full title (see below), that the archbasilica was originally dedicated to Christ the Savior and, centuries later, rededicated in honor of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. Christ the Savior remains its primary dedication, and its titular feast day is 6 August, the Transfiguration of Christ. As the cathedral of the pope as bishop of Rome, it ranks superior to all other churches of the Catholic Church, including Saint Peter's Basilica.

Name

The archbasilica's Latin name is Archibasilica Sanctissimi Salvatoris ac Sancti Ioannis Baptistae et Ioannis Evangelistae ad Lateranum,[6] which in English is the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, and in Italian Arcibasilica [Papale] del Santissimo Salvatore e Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbasilica_of_Saint_John_Lateran#Lateran_Palace

From modest beginnings the SS (Schutzstaffel; Protection Squadrons), became a virtual state within a state in Nazi Germany, staffed by men who perceived themselves as the “racial elite” of Nazi future.

In the Nazi state, the SS assumed leading responsibility for security, identification of ethnicity, settlement and population policy, and intelligence collection and analysis. The SS controlled the German police forces and the concentration camp system. The SS conceived and implemented plans designed to restructure the ethnic composition of eastern Europe and the occupied Soviet Union.

From 1939, the SS assumed responsibility for “solving” the so-called Jewish Question; after 1941, its leadership planned, coordinated and directed the so-called Final Solution of the Jewish Question. This “solution” was the annihilation of the European Jews, which we now refer to as the Holocaust

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/ss

2 §1. The character and charism of the Society of Jesus arise from the Spiritual Exercises which our holy father Ignatius and his companions went through. Led by this experience, they formed an apostolic group rooted in charity, in which, after they had taken the vows of chastity and poverty and had been raised to the priesthood, they offered themselves as a HOLOCAUST to God,[2] so that serving as soldiers of God beneath the banner of the cross and serving the Lord alone and the Church his spouse under the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth,[3] they would be sent into the entire world[4] for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine. [5]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Hajj Amin al-Husayni meets Hitler

In this German propaganda newsreel, the former Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, an Arab nationalist and prominent Muslim religious leader, meets Hitler for the first time. During the meeting, held in in the Reich chancellery, Hitler declined to grant al-Husayni’s request for a public statement—or a secret but formal treaty—in which Germany would: 1) pledge not to occupy Arab land, 2) recognize Arab striving for independence, and 3) support the “removal” of the proposed Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Führer confirmed that the “struggle against a Jewish homeland in Palestine” would be part of the struggle against the Jews. Hitler stated that: he would “continue the struggle until the complete destruction of Jewish-Communist European empire”; and when the German army was in proximity to the Arab world, Germany would issue “an assurance to the Arab world” that “the hour of liberation was at hand.” It would then be al-Husayni’s “responsibility to unleash the Arab action that he has secretly prepared.” The Führer stated that Germany would not intervene in internal Arab matters and that the only German “goal at that time would be the annihilation of Jewry living in Arab space under the protection of British power.”

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/film/hajj-amin-al-husayni-meets-hitler

The ratlines (German: Rattenlinien) were systems of escape routes for German Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe from 1945 onwards in the aftermath of World War II. These escape routes mainly led toward havens in the Americas, particularly in Argentina, though also in Paraguay, Colombia,[1] Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Bolivia, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland.

There were two primary routes: the first went from Germany to Spain, then Argentina; the second from Germany to Rome, then Genoa, then South America. The two routes developed independently but eventually came together.[2] The ratlines were supported by rogue elements in the Vatican, particularly an Austrian bishop and four Croatian clergy of the Catholic Church who sympathized with the Ustaše.[3][4][5] Starting in 1947, U.S. Intelligence utilized existing ratlines to move certain Nazi strategists and scientists.[6]

While consensus among Western scholars is that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler died by suicide in 1945, in the late 1940s and 1950s the U.S. investigated claims that he survived and fled to South America..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratlines_(World_War_II)

20. It is better and safer to make alliance and amity with [Moslem] Turks, [Communist] Infidels, or [Talmudic and anti-Torah, Zionist] Jews, than with [Reformation Bible-believing] Heretic Protestants [and Baptists], because they may draw us into the errors of their novelties. {1}

Absolutist Papal Maxims of the Jesuits

AI Overview

Timothy McVeigh, the perpetrator of the Oklahoma City bombing, was raised in the Catholic faith and baptized in the Catholic Church. However, he stopped practicing later in life and described himself as agnostic. He was also quoted as saying his only religion was science.

Despite his later agnosticism, according to CNN and The Oklahoman, he did request and receive last rites from a priest before his execution. Father Ron Ashmore of St. Margaret Mary Church in Terre Haute stated that McVeigh knew the significance of the sacrament, interpreting it as an act of asking God's forgiveness. However, he remained publicly unrepentant at the time of his execution, choosing to issue a defiant statement rather than express remorse.

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Explore the SOSA Neighborhood in Oklahoma City

South of St Anthony, referred to as SOSA by those who live there, offers a modern take on neighborhoods in Oklahoma City.

Welcome to SOSA - South of St Anthony

South of St Anthony, referred to as SOSA by those who live there, offers a modern take on neighborhoods in Oklahoma City. With an urban and hip environment and many eclectic restaurants and shops to visit, this community is fun and inviting. There are many modern-style homes that have been built in recent years, increasing their size and bringing more members into the fold.

What to Love

Many new builds allowing for growth

An inviting and fun atmosphere

Many eclectic shops and eateries

Extremely close to the midtown area of Oklahoma City

Local Lifestyle

The nearby St. Anthony Hospital helped give this neighborhood its namesake. This inner-city community is home to many urban influencers, developers, and prominent architects, which is why you will find many interesting and creative modern architecture in the homes and buildings here. Make your way through the Cottage District and see the beauty that surrounds you.

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

Many eclectic eateries fill the community, including places like McNellie's OKC. This Irish pub offers more than 350 beer choices and sometimes hosts tasting events.

Brown's Bakery nearby has a seating area so you can enjoy a donut, bread slice, cake, cookie, or another treat. Insomnia Cookies is known for its delightful desserts and is open late. Neighborhood JAM is a hip spot for breakfast and lunch.

Visit Elemental Coffee when you want a brew that's roasted in-house. Craft coffee, tea, and pastries fill the menu. The Collective Kitchens and Cocktails allows you to dine on a rooftop terrace. With a trendy food court and bar, you have an assortment of menu options.

Fassler Hall is a highly-rated German restaurant, while Barrios serves fine Mexican dishes. Many make their way to the Midtown Plaza Court for shopping. You get more options, however, if you make your North to Penn Square Mall past Uptown. Various department stores, service centers, and a food court make up the vicinity.

Things to Do

Red Andrews Park provides a place to play and relax for residents of the area. Provided benches give you a space to sit as you watch your kids enjoy their time on the play structure. The Johnie L. Williams Municipal Gymnasium is located here. It's a great spot for basketball. Many prefer to make their way Northeast of SOSA to Oklahoma City's Midtown Mutts Dog Park. The fenced-in area gives your pup a safe place to play. You get a great view of Midtown from here.

Right outside of SOSA, you'll find the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. This can't-miss locale features a memorial sculpture garden for the 1995 bombing that hit the Murrah Building. The outside space is complete with a scenic water backdrop. While the grounds are gorgeous to look at, the interior of the space offers various collections and archives, as well as video explanations to learn about what happened.

Schools

The Millwood School District operates in the area.

John W Rex Charter Elementary School, Pre-K-4th Grade

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, Grades 11-12

https://westrealestatecompany.com/neighborhoods/sosa-south-of-st-anthony

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Sosa

AI Overview

As of September 2025, there has been no 37th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The most recent assembly was the 36th General Congregation (GC 36), which met in Rome in October 2016.

What is a General Congregation?

A General Congregation (GC) is the highest governing body of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order. A GC can be called for two main reasons:

To elect a new Superior General: This happens when the previous Superior General resigns or dies. In 2016, GC 36 was called after Father Adolfo Nicolás announced his resignation.

To address important matters: A GC can be called by the Superior General to discuss and act on significant issues concerning the order, the Church, and the world.

Key outcomes of the 36th General Congregation (GC 36)

The last General Congregation made two major decisions for the Society of Jesus:

Election of a new Superior General: The delegates elected Father Arturo Sosa Abascal of Venezuela as the 31st Superior General.

Declaration on reconciliation and justice: The assembly released a decree titled "Companions in a Mission of Reconciliation and Justice," which recommitted the order to the service of faith and the promotion of justice, continuing a priority first established at the 32nd General Congregation.

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1987 Slammy Awards

The Slammy Awards returned a year later, now honoring the events and individuals involved within the professional wrestling aspect of the World Wrestling Federation. The second edition of the ceremony (referred to in commercials and on-air as the 37th annual Slammy Awards) took place on December 16, 1987, from Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It aired in syndication on December 19, 1987.[11][14][13] The ceremony was hosted by Jesse Ventura and Gene Okerlund.[15] Musical numbers were performed by Vince McMahon (singing the song "Stand Back")[16] and Jimmy Hart (singing "Girls in Cars"), with the entire WWF roster performing "If You Only Knew" as the show's closing number.[16][15]

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.[11][14][13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slammy_Award

Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, Named Next Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada

Fr. Jeffrey Burwell, SJ

The Jesuits of Canada, together with their partners, look forward to supporting Fr. Burwell in his new role as they continue to serve the mission of the Church and society in Canada and beyond.

https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jeffrey-s-burwell-sj-named-next-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

Montreuil (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃tʁœj] ⓘ), also known unofficially as Montreuil-sous-Bois (pronounced [mɔ̃tʁœj su bwa]), is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 6.6 km (4.1 mi) from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department and in the Métropole du Grand Paris. With a population of 111,367 as of 2020, Montreuil is the third most populous suburb of Paris after Boulogne-Billancourt and Saint-Denis. It is located north of Paris's Bois de Vincennes (in the 12th arrondissement), on the border with Val-de-Marne.

Name

The name Montreuil was recorded for the first time in a royal edict of 722 as Monasteriolum, meaning "little monastery" in Medieval Latin. The settlement of Montreuil started as a group of houses built around a small Merovingian monastery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreuil,_Seine-Saint-Denis

Église St-Pierre de Montmartre

Montmartre & Northern Paris,Paris,France,Europe

Montmartre & Northern Paris

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/montmartre-and-northern-paris/attractions/eglise-st-pierre-de-montmartre/a/poi-sig/1264286/1323143

The Carolingian dynasty (/ˌkærəˈlɪndʒiən/ KARR-ə-LIN-jee-ən;[1] known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD.[2] The dynasty consolidated its power in the 8th century, eventually making the offices of mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum hereditary, and becoming the de facto rulers of the Franks as the real powers behind the Merovingian throne. In 751 the Merovingian dynasty which had ruled the Franks was overthrown with the consent of the Papacy and the aristocracy, and Pepin the Short, son of Martel, was crowned King of the Franks. The Carolingian dynasty reached its peak in 800 with the crowning of Charlemagne as the first Emperor of the Romans in the West in over three centuries. Nearly every monarch of France from Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious till the penultimate monarch of France Louis Philippe have been his descendants. His death in 814 began an extended period of fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and decline that would eventually lead to the evolution of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire.

Name

The Carolingian dynasty takes its name from Carolus, the Latinised name of multiple Frankish kings including Charlemagne and Charles Martel.[3] The name originates from a common Germanic word, rendered in Old High German as Karl or Kerl,[4] meaning 'man', 'husband', or 'freeman'.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_dynasty

THE CONFLICT: PRIORY OF SION VERSUS KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Secret societies by virtue of their very secrecy have often kept historians at bay, and the historians, reluctant to confess their ignorance, prefer to diminish the consequence of their subject. Freemasonry.. is of vital importance to any social, psychological, cultural or political history of eighteenth-century Europe, and even to the founding of the United States; but most history books don't even mention it. It is almost as if an implicit policy obtained: If something cannot be exhaustively documented, it must be irrelevant and thereby not worth discussing I at all. Investigators of the Holy Grail' Freemasonry, French and English, as we know it today, finds its loots in two organizations of the Middle Ages - the Priory of Sion and the Order of the Knights Templar. What follows is the fascinating, if sometimes complicated and obscure history, of how these two modern, anti-Christian secular secret societies - English and French Freemasonry - developed from two groups that themselves had roots in the occult. We will see how the Priory of Sion desired to rule the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem through its counterfeit Jewish Merovingian bloodline, and how its own creation, the Knights Templar, moved beyond its role as police and protector of Sion to financial masters of medieval Europe. We will trace the alliance of Sion and the Templars, their dispute over the discovery of Solomon's treasures, and the terrible intrigues which followed that led to the undoing of the Templars in their struggle over wealth, power, and politics. We will reveal the beliefs of these two groups: that Jesus fathered children by Mary Magdalene; that a spiritual god of good (Satan) battles a material god of evil; that Lucifer, not Jesus, deserves worship; that a "Spear of Destiny" (later sought and possessed by Hitler) allows the holder to rule the world. We will also present data about the whereabouts of King Solomon's wealth, the plan to one day return it to Jerusalem, and reveal that the ultimate goal of these two groups is world government, and that their descendants, English and French Freemasonry, desire the same. The Historical Trail: The Priory of Sion and the Holy Grail In 1982 and 1986 three secular revisionist authors, Michael Baigent~ Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln published Holy Blood, Holy Grail followed by The Messianic Legacy. These two books dramatically reveal a secret order structured in the manner of Freemasonry, and founded in Europe twelve centuries before the Grand Lodge was officially formed in 1717. This order protects both the Holy Grail and the Merovingian bloodline, which bloodline carried Mystery Babylon into the Catholic Church in 496 A.D. 56 The Holy Grail, of course, is the so-called cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. The Merovingians, owners of the Holy Grail, teach that Jesus fathered children by Mary Magdalene. The Merovingians claim to be the offspring of that "holy" union, and as such, assert they are Jews of the Davidic line.

In Revelation 17:3-5 the apostle John describes a vision, which Rev. J. R. Church in Guardians of the Grail believes is fulfilled in the Grail legend. The Whore of Babylon is holding in her hand a golden cup full of blasphemy. Church believes the cup is the blasphemous Holy Grail Another element of the Grail legend is the spear supposed to have pierced the side of Jesus, also known as the Spear of Longinus or the Spear of Destiny. Whoever possesses this spear, so the legend goes, will rule the world. The Merovingians, whose descendants are the Habsburg pretenders to the Austrian throne today, are in possession of the spear. It is on display in the Habsburg museum in Vienna, Austria~ No one, however, knows the location of the Holy Grail. At least no one is telling. Although heretical, this secret society should not be discounted, for it is alive and well today. In fact, in 1956, an Order calling itself the Prieure de Sion, or Priory of Sion, registered itself publicly for the first time with the French government. (Sion is French for Zion.) It is from this Order that the legend of the Holy Grail originated five centuries after Christ's death. Rev. Church remarks of this organization: This mysterious group is presently made up of over 9,000 men, including Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, and Moslems. The members of this secret sect should be considered unfaithful to their respective beliefs, for in reality they are neither Christian nor Catholic, they are neither Jew nor Moslem. Their doctrine sidesteps the basic tenets of those beliefs and replaces them with the teachings of their greatest prophet - whom they believe to be Buddha.2 From this secret order J. R. Church believes will come the Anti-Christ, for he writes, "Their ultimate goal is world government!'

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCd0nFuvnM4OYWuVW5QUBCpsTfBv5bYx/view?usp=sharing

The Christmas Eve West Wing Fire of 1929

Joel D. Treese

Evan Phifer

On Christmas Eve 1929 the White House experienced its most powerful fire since the British torched the Executive Mansion 115 years earlier. At approximately 8:00 p.m., White House messenger Charlie Williamson smelled smoke coming from the West Wing executive offices so he alerted White House police officer Richard Trice and Secret Service agent Russell Wood. Trice and Wood ran up a winding stairway above the executive offices where the smell of smoke and heat was intense. They found that an estimated 200,000 government pamphlets on almost every imaginable topic, stored in an attic at the top of the stairway since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt, was going up like brushwood. 1

“The whole loft is burning up!” Wood cried. He and Trice grabbed fire extinguishers and went to work, but to no avail. They decided to change tactics. One turned on the alarm to the office of Chief Usher Ike Hoover (no relation to the president) while the other called the Washington, D.C., fire department.

Fire in the West Wing

Firefighters battle the blaze in the West Wing executive offices, December 24, 1929.

Library of Congress

President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Hoover were hosting a Christmas party for children of the president’s aides and friends, while a detail from the U.S. Marine Band playing Christmas carols in the corridor, when Ike Hoover appeared and whispered urgently in President Hoover’s ear: “The executive office is on fire. I want you to get your secretaries away from the table.”

“I’ll go too,” said President Hoover as he rose from the table and asked the men to follow him into the hallway; the president’s son Allan Hoover joined them. First Lady Lou Hoover was told about the fire and calmly remained to supervise the party. The children were never aware of any trouble. The next year some of them received a toy fire engine from the president. 2

When President Hoover’s group reached the executive office they crawled through a window to the left of the president’s desk and began removing steel cabinets packed with files. Allan Hoover and the president’s personal secretaries Lawrence Richey and George Akerson took the president’s desk drawers and hurried them away. Secret Service agents carried out Hoover’s chair and the presidential flag.

The fire was a four-alarmer that brought 19 engine companies and four truck companies—130 firefighters—to the White House. They began attacking the blaze by breaking a domed skylight and hacking holes in the roof to let smoke out and water from their fire hoses in.

The Christmas Eve West Wing Fire of 1929 - Photo 1

Workers collect fire-damaged debris from the Oval Office, December 26, 1929.

Library of Congress

Akerson was worried about water damage to the president’s desk. Ike Hoover thought quickly of the heavy tarpaulin that covered the sidewalk and east entrance of the White House when people lined up for the New Year’s Day reception—he used it to safely cover the desk.

In his small switchboard room in the basement, M.M. Rice of the White House telephone and telegraph unit refused to leave his post, Rice stayed on throughout the fire, working the switchboard, oblivious to the clamor of yelling and shouted orders, even though his eyes were stung by smoke and a foot of water filled the room. When his boss Edward W. Smithers arrived, he ordered Rice to leave immediately.

Responding firefighters braved danger battling the flames. Private Walter G. Clark of No. 1 rescue squad was on the hose line when his face and part of his clothing were scorched by a back draft of flames and smoke. Several firefighters, along with police and fire surgeon Dr. John A. Reed, carried Clark outside where he was taken to a hospital. Likewise, Private William T. Capps of No. 9 Engine Company was on the roof when the smoke became extremely intense. Climbing down, he collapsed on the ground and was taken to the hospital where he recovered overnight. 3

Pumpers worked furiously from hydrants up to five blocks away from the White House to supply the water necessary to combat the flames. Work became compounded by freezing temperatures as sheets of ice formed around the fire-fighting efforts. President Hoover, clad in a heavy blue overcoat and a black hat, stood watching on top of the West Terrace, puffing a cigar, rubbing his hands for warmth and occasionally dodging water spouts from the swinging hoses of the firefighters. After the child guests had left about 10:00, Mrs. Hoover and her sister Jean joined him. 4

The Christmas Eve West Wing Fire of 1929 - Photo 3

Engineers inspecting the White House roof after the fire, January 1930.

Library of Congress

By approximately 10:30 pm the fire had been put out. The executive offices were heavily damaged and the White House press room was ruined. Reporters lost personal effects and files—along with a new poinsettia plant, a holiday gift from the Hoovers. The next morning President Hoover, his physician and several cabinet members sloshed through still-standing water and looked at the damage. Lt. Col. Ulysses S. Grant III (the former president's grandson) of the Public Buildings and Parks Department and Chief George Watson of the Fire Department told President Hoover that either a blocked or faulty chimney vent or defective electric wiring had overheated and caused the pamphlets in the attic to ignite. Although the smoke-smudged walls were in good shape, the roof, attic and floors were severely damaged.

Because the White House was not insured; its officials had to ask Congress for a special appropriation to repair the damage. The Charles H. Tompkins Co. of Washington, D.C. was awarded the contract on January 4, 1930. After repair work was completed, President Hoover and his aides moved back into the West Wing on April 14. The next day he held a press conference and told the reporters: “This is a small assembly this morning, and I have small news—in fact, none at all. I will just welcome you back to the new White House. . . . You will be more comfortable and so will I.” 5

The Christmas Eve West Wing Fire of 1929 - Photo 4

President Herbert Hoover looks at debris from the White House fire heaped on the grounds of the executive offices, January 15, 1930.

Library of Congress

This was originally published on February 9, 2016

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-christmas-eve-west-wing-fire-of-1929

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

In the 2024 elections, the Republican Party gained a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and Senate. Incumbent president Donald Trump won a non-consecutive second term; per the limits set by the 22nd Amendment, he is constitutionally barred from being elected president again.[1]

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

The Republican Party returned to power in the United States with a government trifecta in January 2025 following the 2024 election. Trump, who was elected president in 2016 but lost a re-election bid in 2020 to Joe Biden, and JD Vance, a then-senator from Ohio defeated vice president Kamala Harris, who began her campaign following Biden's exit from the 2024 election, and Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Trump's victory was credited to a post-pandemic surge in inflation,[a] a migrant crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border,[b] and a global anti-incumbent backlash.[8][9][10] In addition, Republicans secured control of the Senate, flipping four seats and earning a three seat majority, while also retaining a House majority, though the party's majority narrowed to three seats after losing two seats.[11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

"The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a Christmas song written in 1945[note 1] by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946.

At Cole's behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made in August utilizing a small string section. This version became a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with another full orchestra arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. Cole's 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive, while the original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.[7] In 2022, the 1961 Nat King Cole recording was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[8]

History

Man roasting chestnuts on an open fire.

According to Tormé, the song was written in July 1945[1] during an exceptionally hot summer. It was in an effort to "stay cool by thinking cool" that the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song of all time was born.[2][4][5] "I saw a spiral pad on his (Wells's) piano with four lines written in pencil", Tormé recalled. "They started, 'Chestnuts roasting..., Jack Frost nipping..., Yuletide carols..., Folks dressed up like Eskimos.' Bob didn't think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics."

Nat King Cole recordings

"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"

1962 US single release

Single by The King Cole Trio

B-side "In the Cool of Evening"

Released November 1946 (2nd recording)

Recorded August 19, 1946

Genre

Jazzpop

Length 3:10

Label Capitol

Songwriters

Robert WellsMel Tormé

Nat King Cole (1958)

First recording

Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, June 14, 1946. Label credit: The King Cole Trio (Nat King Cole, vocals & piano; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist).[9][10] Not issued until 1989, when it was (accidentally [citation needed]) included on the various-artists compilation Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1935–1954) Rhino R1 70637(LP) / R2 70637(CD).

Second recording

Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, August 19, 1946. First record issue. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocals & piano; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist; Jack "The Bear" Parker, drummer; Charlie Grean, arranger and conductor of 4 string players and a harpist).[11][12] Lacquer disc master #981. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311 (78rpm). It is available on the Cole compilation CDs Capitol Collectors Series and Christmas for Kids: From One to Ninety-Two, as well as on a CD called The Holiday Album, which has 1940s Christmas songs recorded by Cole and Bing Crosby.

Third recording

Recorded at Capitol Studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, on August 24, 1953. It was the song's first magnetic tape recording. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocals; Buddy Cole, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Lee Young, drummer; Ann Stockton, harp; Charlie Grean, Pete Rugolo and Nelson Riddle, orchestral arrangement; Nelson Riddle, orchestra conductor).[12][13] Master #11726, take 11. Issued November 1953 as the "new" Capitol 90036(78rpm) / F90036(45rpm) (Capitol first issued 90036 in 1950 with the second recording). Correct label credit issued on October 18, 1954, as Capitol 2955 (78rpm) / F2955 (45rpm). Label credit: Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Nelson Riddle. This recording is available on the Cole compilation CD Cole, Christmas, & Kids, as well as on the various-artists CDs Ultimate Christmas and Casey Kasem Presents All Time Christmas Favorites. It was also included, along with both 1946 recordings, on the Mosaic Records box set The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio.

Fourth recording

Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, March 30, 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo,[12] is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season, and has become the most popular/familiar version of this song.[4] Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocals; Hank Jones, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Lee Young, drummer; Charlie Grean, Pete Rugolo and Ralph Carmichael, orchestral arrangement; Ralph Carmichael, orchestra conductor).[12][14] The instrumental arrangement is nearly identical to the 1953 version,[12] but Cole's vocals are deeper-sounding and more focused. Originally done for The Nat King Cole Story (a 1961 LP devoted to stereo re-recordings of Cole's earlier hits), this recording was later included in a reissue of Cole's 1960 album The Magic of Christmas replacing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1962 as Capitol W-1967 (mono) / SW-1967 (stereo) and today is available for streaming, download and on vinyl and CD. This recording of "The Christmas Song" has also been included on numerous compilation albums of Christmas pop standards (for example, WCBS-FM's Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 3). An alternate take of the 1961 recording, featuring a different vocal and missing the solo piano on the instrumental bridge, appears on the Deluxe Edition of the 2014 compilation The Extraordinary Nat King Cole.[12] There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. The first of these was said to be by Dick Haymes on the Decca label, but his was released first – not recorded first. The first cover of "The Christmas Song" was performed by pop tenor and bandleader Eddy Howard on Majestic. Howard was a big Cole fan, and also covered Nat's versions of "I Want to Thank Your Folks" and "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons", among others.

Charts

For the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated January 7, 2023, the song entered the top 10 for the first time, giving Cole a record span between appearances of 59 years, six months and a week (since June 29, 1963's "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" appearance) and giving the song the record for longest journey to the top 10 (62 years and 26 days), surpassing "Run Rudolph Run" by 8 days. The song had previously peaked at number 11 during the 2018 holiday season.[15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Song

Die Hard 2 (also known by its tagline Die Harder or Die Hard 2: Die Harder)[Note 1] is a 1990 American action film directed by Renny Harlin, written by Steven E. de Souza and Doug Richardson, co-produced by Joel Silver, and starring Bruce Willis[5] as John McClane alongside Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler, Art Evans, William Atherton, Franco Nero, Dennis Franz, Fred Thompson, John Amos, and Reginald VelJohnson. The sequel to Die Hard (1988) and the second installment in the Die Hard film series, the film was released on July 4, 1990 by 20th Century Fox, in the United States.

As with the first film, the action in Die Hard 2 takes place on Christmas Eve. McClane is waiting for his wife to land at Washington Dulles International Airport when terrorists take over the air traffic control system. He must stop the terrorists before his wife's plane and several other incoming flights that are circling the airport run out of fuel and crash. During the night, McClane must also contend with airport police and a military commander, none of whom want his assistance.

The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences and criticism for some plot elements; it was nevertheless considered to be inferior to its predecessor. Die Hard 2 was a major box-office success, grossing $240 million and doubling the earnings of its predecessor and finishing as the year's seventh-highest-grossing film. The film was followed by Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013).

Plot

On Christmas Eve, two years after the events of the previous film,[Note 2] John McClane is now a lieutenant with the LAPD, who arrives at Dulles International Airport to pick up his wife, Holly. Meanwhile, a plane carrying corrupt foreign military leader General Ramon Esperanza is also headed to Dulles under extradition for using U.S. funds to buy drugs.

Waiting to meet Esperanza's plane is disgraced former United States Army Colonel William Stuart and a group of ex-military sympathizers who supported Esperanza's actions. McClane follows two of Stuart's men into a restricted baggage sorting area where a gun fight ensues. He kills one man, but the other escapes. With the help of his friend Sergeant Al Powell, he discovers that the dead man's fingerprints correspond to an American soldier who was listed as having died in a helicopter accident two years earlier. McClane reports his concerns to the ill-tempered airport police chief, Carmine Lorenzo, and air traffic control director Ed Trudeau, but neither believes him.

Stuart and his men, operating out of a church on the outskirts of the airport, cut all communications with incoming airplanes, disable all runway lighting, and demand that Esperanza's plane be allowed to land without interference. Under Stuart's direction, Trudeau orders all air traffic controllers to have all planes in Dulles airspace hold in the air despite their low fuel warnings.

McClane becomes worried about Holly's plane and enlists the help of the airport janitor Marvin to fight back. Chief airport engineer Leslie Barnes decides to try using an unfinished antenna array to communicate with the stranded circling airplanes. Lorenzo sends an airport SWAT team with him, but Stuart's men kill the officers and destroy the antenna. McClane saves Barnes and kills Stuart's men in turn. In retaliation, Stuart crashes a British airliner, killing everyone on board, by impersonating air traffic control and faking the airplane's altimeter reading by recalibrating sea level, leaving a powerless McClane distraught at being unable to save the passengers.

Esperanza's plane lands and McClane wounds Esperanza before Stuart and his men arrive. They blow up the plane and take Esperanza to the church, but McClane survives. A Blue Light team arrives, led by Major Grant, of whom Stuart is a protégé. Grant's men and McClane attack the church. McClane kills one of Stuart's men and gives chase with his gun, but the mercenaries escape on snowmobiles. McClane follows but his vehicle is destroyed by gunfire. Confused as to how he failed to wound anyone, McClane realizes the gun was filled with blanks, meaning the earlier firefight was staged and Grant's team are secretly working with Stuart.

Grant, Stuart, their men, and Esperanza all rendezvous at an airport hangar, where a Boeing 747 that they demanded is waiting for them. On Holly's flight, arrogant reporter Richard Thornburg becomes suspicious as to why the plane has not landed. He taps into the cockpit communications and records a transmission from Barnes to all the circling airplanes describing the situation. From the airplane's lavatory, Richard broadcasts the recording live on television, leading to a panic in the airport terminal which prevents McClane and Lorenzo from getting to the 747. Holly subdues Thornburg with a fellow passenger's taser.

McClane asks reporter Samantha Coleman's crew to fly him via helicopter to intercept the 747. McClane jumps onto the wing and uses his coat to jam the aileron, preventing the plane from taking off. During a fistfight, McClane kicks Grant into a jet engine. While fighting Stuart, McClane opens a fuel valve in the engine pylon just as Stuart kicks him off the wing. McClane uses a cigarette lighter to ignite the fuel trail, causing the plane to blow up and killing everyone on board. The fire trail also serves as a landing guide for all airborne aircraft, including Holly's, to land safely.

After McClane and Holly are reunited, Marvin picks them up in his airport cart and drives them away.

Cast

Bruce Willis as LAPD Detective Lieutenant John McClane

Bonnie Bedelia as Holly Gennero McClane

William Atherton as Richard "Dick" Thornburg

Reginald VelJohnson as LAPD Sergeant Al Powell

Franco Nero as General Ramon Esperanza

William Sadler as United States Army Colonel William Stuart

John Amos as Major Grant

Dennis Franz as Airport Police Captain Carmine Lorenzo

Art Evans as Leslie Barnes, airport chief engineer

Fred Thompson as Ed Trudeau, air traffic flight director

Tom Bower as Marvin, airport janitor

Sheila McCarthy as Samantha "Sam" Coleman

Robert Costanzo as Dulles International Airport Police Sergeant Vito Lorenzo

Colm Meaney as Windsor Pilot

James Lancaster as Windsor Navigator

Additional cast members include Colonel Stuart's hitmen: Don Harvey as Garber, John Costelloe as Sergeant Oswald Cochrane, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Miller, John Leguizamo as Burke, Robert Patrick as O'Reilly, Tom Verica as Kahn, Tony Ganios as Baker, Michael Cunningham as Sheldon, Peter Nelson as Thompson, Ken Baldwin as Mulkey, and Mark Boone Junior as Shockley. Patrick O'Neal appears as Telford, Major Grant's radio operator.

Production

Evergreen Boeing 747 (registration N473EV) used in the film

Filming of the Dulles airport concourse scenes took place in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

The screenplay was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel 58 Minutes. The novel has the same plot but differs slightly: a police officer must stop terrorists who take an airport hostage while his daughter's plane circles overhead, and has 58 minutes to do so before the plane crashes. Roderick Thorp, who wrote the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, upon which Die Hard was based, receives credit for creating "certain original characters", although his name is misspelled onscreen as "Roderick Thorpe".

One of the writers of the screenplay, Steven E. de Souza, later admitted in an interview for the book Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie that the villains were based on America's "Central American" meddling, primarily the Iran–Contra affair.[6]

The film was originally budgeted at $40 million.[7] Bruce Willis was paid $7.5 million for reprising his role for the film.[8][2] Producer Joel Silver was accused of profligate spending and it was claimed the film cost $60–70 million.[9][7] Fox domestic distribution president Tom Sherak dismissed the $70 million claim as "absurd".[7] It was reported at the end of filming that Silver had been relieved of day-to-day producing duties.[10]

Scenes of Dulles airport in the snow were to be filmed in Denver but filming was scrapped due to warm weather. Some outdoor scenes were filmed in Alpena, Michigan, while others needing to accommodate the landing of the 747 with snow were filmed at former Kincheloe Air Force Base in Kincheloe, Michigan.[11] Other scenes were filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles using fake snow.[10]

Die Hard 2 was the first film to use digitally composited live-action footage with a traditional matte painting that had been photographed and scanned into a computer. It was used for the last scene, which took place on a runway.[12]

According to Franco Nero, Silver got the idea to cast him after he saw movie posters of Nero hanging in the office of their mutual accountant. Nero did not want to do Die Hard 2 because he did not like the script and he had committed to do the film Breath of Life. Finally, Silver scheduled Nero's scenes in such a way that the actor could do both films.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard_2

Jesuit Superior General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, 2000 ##1-0

This photo, taken from the October 14, 2000 edition of the

Reading Eagle, is of the Jesuit General, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach,

speaking at the former Jesuit Novitiate on a beautiful estate, now

called “the Jesuit Center,” in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.

Remembering that he is the master of Pope John Paul II, Archbishop

Edward Cardinal Egan of New York, and President “elect” George W. Bush (of

the Bush pro-Nazi crime family descending from England’s House of Stuart), as

well as the petty military dictators of Communist Russia and China, we would do

well to meditate on the words of Napoleon recorded in his Memoirs—the Emperor

having been betrayed into the hands of his captors by his Jesuit masters—while

imprisoned on the island of St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean:

“The Jesuits are a military organization, not a religious order. Their

chief is a general of an army, not the mere father abbot of a monastery.

And the aim of this organization is POWER. Power in its most

despotic exercise. Absolute power, universal power, power to control

the world by the volition of a single man . . .

The General of the Jesuits insists on being master, sovereign, over the

sovereign. Wherever the Jesuits are admitted they will be masters, cost

what it may . . . Every act, every crime, however atrocious, is a

meritorious work, if committed for the interest of the Society of the

Jesuits, or by the order of the general.” {57}

Web Page 57

Cardinal Egan, a staunch supporter of the “infallible” Pope’s Temporal

Power and the Jesuit General’s evil Council of Trent, will continue the Great

Jesuit Cover-up, even as did his predecessors, Cardinals Spellman, Cooke and

O’Connor. This power is exercised through New York’s Council on Foreign

Relations, as both former Democratic Presidential candidates, Albert Gore and

John Kerry as well as incumbent President George W. Bush, are under its control.

Both candidates of the 2000 Presidential “race” were also present (along with former

President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, now a N.Y. Senator) during Cardinal

O’Connor’s funeral overseen by the Knights of Malta at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, 1999 ##1-1

President and Mrs. Clinton were flanked by presidential candidates George

W. Bush (left) and Al Gore—none of whom were Roman Catholics—at the

funeralMass for their obvious political boss, John CardinalO’Connor.

Of this Jesuit power over statesmen through the Pope and his Hierarchy, M. F.

Cusack wrote in her 1896masterpiece, The Black Pope, on page 106:

“It is here that the tremendous power of the Church makes itself felt. It is

through this [Jesuit] ‘direction’ that statesmen are compelled to act, not for the

benefit of the country to which they belong, but for the benefit of the Church,

which controls them. It is here that matters of the most secret nature are

discussed and decided [like the present Crusade against Islam, the attack into

Afghanistan commencing on the anniversary of the naval Battle of Lepanto when

the Armada of the Pope’s Knights of Malta destroyed the Armada of the Islamic

Ottoman Turks on October 7, 1571]. It is here that alliances . . . are arranged,

and political treaties are agreed on.” {58}

58 Vatican Assassins

Hopefully, the Jesuit Order, in control of the Archbishop with his Network of

Vatican Assassins, will be brought to justice for the cold-blooded murder of

President Kennedy and for continuing the Great Jesuit Cover-up of his death. This

includes the most recent murder of John F. Kennedy, Jr. along with his beautiful

wife, Carolyn Bessette and her sister, Lauren. Justice will only be done when the

Jesuit presence has been purged from the Justice Department in control of the FBI

—Rome’s political Holy Office of the Inquisition within the American Empire.

And why was John F. Kennedy, Jr., along with his innocent passengers,

murdered? According to the late Tom Kuncl in the August 31, 1999 issue of the

National Examiner, JFK, Jr. (having promised in his George magazine (October,

1998, Volume 3, Issue 10, page 136) that if elected President he would abolish the

Federal Reserve System and warned that America’s most pressing foreign issue was

a “dangerous, nuclear armed Russia that is economically unstable”) had

“. . . recently launched an all-out investigation, to find his father’s real

killer . . .

[For John had said in his own words:]

‘I want to know who killed my father. I want there to be absolutely no

doubt.’ ” {59}

G. B. Nicolini, in his History of the Jesuits published in 1889, gives us further light,

declaring on page 269:

“We insist upon that point [that the Jesuits vindictively persecuted the

Roman Catholic Jansenists for exposing the Society in using Jacques

Clement to murder King Henry III of France] one of the most

prominent characteristics of Jesuitism, [is] never to forgive an injury,

and to persecute the remotest descendants for the offences they may

have received from their ancestors.” {60}

Vatican Assassins:

“Wounded In The House Of My Friends”

Third Edition

by Eric Jon Phelps

https://ia802505.us.archive.org/28/items/EricJonPhelpsVaticanAssassins3rdEdition/Eric%20Jon%20Phelps%20-%20Vatican%20Assassins%203rd%20Edition.pdf

Spaniard becomes Jesuits' new "black pope"

By Reuters

January 19, 2008 5:07 AM PST Updated 17 years ago

By Stephen Brown

Nicolas, 71, has run Jesuit operations in east Asia and Oceania since 2004 and spent most of his career in the Far East after being ordained in Tokyo in 1967.

Kolvenbach also had to deal with declining vocations and the future of the order founded by St Ignatius Loyola in 1540.

In the 1960s, the all-male order peaked with some 36,000 members worldwide. It now has about 19,200 members involved in education, refugee help and other social services.

The general congregation that elected Nicolas gathered 217 electors from all over the world at Jesuit headquarters, a block from the Vatican.

But unlike a conclave to elect the pontiff, a Jesuit general congregation can continue for weeks or even months after the election to discuss future challenges and priorities.

https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/spaniard-becomes-jesuits-new-black-pope-idUSL19414053/

AI Overview

As of September 2025, there has been no 37th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The most recent assembly was the 36th General Congregation (GC 36), which met in Rome in October 2016.

What is a General Congregation?

A General Congregation (GC) is the highest governing body of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order. A GC can be called for two main reasons:

To elect a new Superior General: This happens when the previous Superior General resigns or dies. In 2016, GC 36 was called after Father Adolfo Nicolás announced his resignation.

To address important matters: A GC can be called by the Superior General to discuss and act on significant issues concerning the order, the Church, and the world.

Key outcomes of the 36th General Congregation (GC 36)

The last General Congregation made two major decisions for the Society of Jesus:

Election of a new Superior General: The delegates elected Father Arturo Sosa Abascal of Venezuela as the 31st Superior General.

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

1987 Slammy Awards

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.[11][14][13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slammy_Award

Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, Named Next Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada

Fr. Jeffrey Burwell, SJ

The Jesuits of Canada, together with their partners, look forward to supporting Fr. Burwell in his new role as they continue to serve the mission of the Church and society in Canada and beyond.

https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jeffrey-s-burwell-sj-named-next-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

The Domus Sanctae Marthae (Latin for House of Saint Martha; Italian: Casa di Santa Marta) is a building adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Completed in 1996, during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, it is named after Martha of Bethany, who was a sibling to Mary and Lazarus of Bethany. The building functions as a guest house for clergy having business with the Holy See and as the temporary residence of members of the College of Cardinals while participating in a papal conclave to elect a new pope.

Pope Francis lived in a suite in the Domus Sanctae Marthae from his election in 2013 to his death in 2025, declining to live in the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domus_Sanctae_Marthae

Theologian: John Paul II wanted to show respect by kissing the Koran

Bonn - John Paul II kissed the Koran as a gesture of respect. The picture went around the world. In an interview with katholisch.de, Islamic scholar Felix Körner talks about the sign of the Polish head of the Church and looks at the following pontificates.

Published on 14.05.2024 at 00:01 – by Mario Trifunovic

The picture of 14 May 1999 of Pope John Paul II kissing the Koran went around the world and sparked discussions within the Church. At that time, the Polish Pope received a Muslim delegation of Shiites and Sunnis as well as the Chairman of the Iranian Ministry of Religion in the Vatican. Among them was the then Archbishop of Baghdad, Raphael I. Bidawid. The Polish church leader received a copy of the Koran as a gift from the Muslim visitors. As a sign of respect, John Paul II kissed the book, which is sacred to Muslims. In an interview with katholisch.de, the Islam expert and Jesuit Felix Körner talks about the gesture 25 years ago and takes a look at the pontificates of Benedict XVI and Francis.

Question: Mr Körner, it is now 25 years since John Paul II kissed the Koran. Why was this event so controversial?

Körner: Behind it was the big theological question: what is the Koran for us? For in Christ are hidden all the treasures of knowledge. That's what it says in Colossians. But for the Koran, Jesus is just one of many prophets. So if the Pope kisses the Koran, does that mean that the Catholic Church no longer sees Jesus as the all-important Saviour? Of course not! The dispute about the kiss only arises if you want to misunderstand John Paul II.

Question: What was the significance of this gesture? Does it still have an effect on the dialogue between Christians and Muslims?

Körner: What did the Pope want to say with it in 1999? Firstly, that he was happy about the gift; and secondly, that he respects the faith of others. In other words, a gesture that was completely in line with the Second Vatican Council. And it went even further: Benedict XVI prayed in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. No press spokesperson said afterwards that it was a silent meditation. Benedict prayed in the mosque and Francis said to the Muslim guests: "Pray for me. In an atmosphere like this, we can also say clearly today where we disagree, what we expect from each other - and how we can work together.

Question: Have there been similar actions, whether by John Paul II or his predecessors?

Körner: Yes, there certainly were. As Apostolic Envoy to Turkey, John XXIII already made the Muslims feel that he liked them. Then Paul VI - he introduced the word dialogue into the vocabulary of the Church, also for Islamic-Christian relations. John Paul II later brought real experts on Islam into the dialogue council. Networks were established, texts written - the 1984 document "Dialogue and Mission" was already outstanding. And John Paul II himself then in his encyclical "Redemptoris missio" that the Holy Spirit also touches cultures and religions. In doing so, he opened doors.

Bild: ©KNA/Stefano dal Pozzolo/Romano Siciliani

The Jesuit Felix Körner is Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is considered one of the Catholic Church's best experts on Islam.

Question: What was the headwind like in this regard?

Körner: Sometimes the headwind seemed to slam the doors of dialogue shut again. But now there are the texts, the relationships and above all the institutions - and ever more courageous signs. In the Holy Year 2000, we saw the Pope praying in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. At the time, his press spokesman said he had to deny it afterwards, saying it was just a moment of quiet meditation.

Question: Fundamentalist Christians criticised John Paul II for his gesture. Some said at the time that he was confirming the Islamic faith. What can be said in response?

Körner: There are fundamentalists on all sides, because they want to establish a firm identity for themselves. The Christian faith is much more exciting. You can always discover something new there! If you look into the world with the gospel, you can see how the kingdom of God is already growing, how the spirit of Christ is already at work. When I say that I see the good in you, your faithfulness, your seriousness, I am not saying that I am adopting your view. Sometimes we agree to disagree. But there are things that we find exemplary in each other, and in the end we learn from each other.

Question: Benedict XVI was criticised for his Regensburg speech, while Francis was criticised for the Abu Dhabi document on brotherhood between people, which he signed in 2019 together with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Sheikh of Azar University and therefore one of the most respected representatives of Sunni Islam. What is the current mood on both sides?

Körner: I am interested in the arguments of the critics. Those who are worried are often right, because there is cause for concern. But the crucial question is not how bad it is, but what we do now. After Regensburg, we have started a new, serious series of Christian-Islamic encounters. This has become theologically serious. There are now even Islamic theology programmes at German universities. I have respectful and curious encounters with students and colleagues on an almost daily basis. You can also bear witness to your own faith.

Joint declaration by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Mohammad Al-Tayyeb

Bild: ©picture alliance/AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Mohammad Al-Tayyeb sign a joint declaration on "Human Fraternity" on 4 February 2019.

Question: The so-called Abu Dhabi Document provided a new impetus in the Church's dialogue with Islam. How did this come about?

Körner: The document is also based on the Second Vatican Council. There it said: We condemn all discrimination based on skin colour or religion. In 2019, it now said: Differences are willed by God. In the case of religious differences, this means that if the other person believes differently, then the encounter can also be purifying and enriching for me - and that is God's will.

Question: Francis has been sharply criticised for this God-ordained pluralism. Why?

Körner: Well, almost everything a pope does gets a shitstorm, including a Catholic one. Good theology helps here too. The question behind such voices is usually whether the Gospel is still really being emphasised. And we can use it to make that clear. In any case, these gestures are a testimony to the Gospel.

„Wir haben nach Regensburg eine neue, ernsthafte Reihe christlich-islamischer Begegnungen begonnen. Das ist theologisch seriös geworden.“

— Zitat: Jesuit und Islamkenner Felix Körner zum interreligiösen Dialog

Question: In what way do these gestures serve to clarify?

Körner: Pope Francis aptly said in the programmatic letter "Evangelii gaudium" at the beginning of his pontificate: evangelising means making the kingdom of God present in the world. When people come closer to God and to one another, then what the Good News of Jesus promises happens: then God's kingdom grows among us. A sign of this can also be a courageous word of fraternity, or a respectful kiss on a book that is sacred to Muslims and which they present to a pope.

Question: In your opinion, what else should Francis do to advance the dialogue?

Körner: Francis knows that Christian-Islamic dialogue is not about agreement on matters of faith. Rather, he is talking about the courage to be different and to deal with each other as people of different religions. He is now moving from friendship to institutions, from the atmospheric to the legal. Because living in dialogue also requires political freedom.

by Mario Trifunovic

https://english.katholisch.de/artikel/53269-theologian-john-paul-ii-wanted-to-show-respect-by-kissing-the-koran

PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created. From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created.

PARTICULAR AND DAILY EXAMEN

It contains in it three times, and two to examine oneself. The first time is in the morning, immediately on rising, when one ought to propose to guard himself with diligence against that particular sin or defect which he wants to correct and amend. The second time is after dinner, when one is to ask of God our Lord what one wants, namely, grace to remember how many times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect, and to amend himself in the future. Then let him make the first Examen, asking account of his soul of that particular thing proposed, which he wants to correct and amend. Let him go over hour by hour, or period by period, commencing at the hour he rose, and continuing up to the hour and instant of the present examen, and let him make in the first line of the G------- as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. Then let him resolve anew to amend himself up to the second Examen which he will make. The third time: After supper, the second Examen will be made, in the same way, hour by hour, commencing at the first Examen and continuing up to the present (second) one, and let him make in the second line of the same G------- as many dots as were the times he has fallen into that particular sin or defect. FOUR ADDITIONS FOLLOW TO RID ONESELF SOONER OF THAT PARTICULAR SIN OR DEFECT First Addition. The first Addition is that each time one falls into that particular sin or defect, let him put his hand on his breast, grieving for having fallen: which can be done even in the presence of many, without their perceiving what he is doing. Second Addition. The second: As the first line of the G------- means the first Examen, and the second line the second Examen, let him look at night if there is amendment from the first line to the second, that is, from the first Examen to the second. Third Addition. The third: To compare the second day with the first; that is, the two Examens of the present day with the other two Examens of the previous day, and see if he has amended himself from one day to the other. Fourth Addition. The fourth Addition: To compare one week with another, and see if he has amended himself in the present week over the week past. Note. It is to be noted that the first (large) G------- which follows means the Sunday: the second (smaller), the Monday: the third, the Tuesday, and so on.

GGGGGG

"The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola

TRANSLATED FROM

THE AUTOGRAPH

FATHER ELDER MULLAN, S.J.

I.H.S.

NEW YORK

P.J. KENEDY & SONS

PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE

https://ia601603.us.archive.org/32/items/spiritualexercis00ignauoft/spiritualexercis00ignauoft.pdf

The word asas in Arabic means "principle". The Asāsiyyūn (plural, from literary Arabic) were, as defined in Arabic, the principle people. The term "assassin" likely has roots in hashshāshīn ("hashish smokers or users"), a mispronunciation of the original Asāsiyyūn, but not a mispronunciation of Assasiyeen (pronounced "Asāsiyyeen", the plural of "Asasi"). Originally referring to the methods of political control exercised by the Assasiyuun, one can see how it became "assassin" in several languages to describe similar activities anywhere.

The Assassins were finally linked by the 19th-century orientalist Silvestre de Sacy to the Arabic word hashish using their variant names assassin and assissini in the 19th century. Citing the example of one of the first written applications of the Arabic term hashish to the Ismailis by 13th-century historian Abu Shama, de Sacy demonstrated its connection to the name given to the Ismailis throughout Western scholarship.[87] Following de Sacy's account, various popularizers of the "Hashishi myth" – including self-proclaimed Sufi scholar Idries Shah (who, in fact, never belonged to any Sufi tariqa nor even graduated from any university) – continue to pejoratively describe the Assassins (and, by extension, Ismailis in general) as 'druggers' who used hashish "in stupefying candidates for the ephemeral visit to paradise".[88] However, the first known usage of the term hashishi has been traced back to 1122 when the Fatimid caliph al-Amir bi-Ahkami'l-Lah, himself later assassinated, employed it in derogatory reference to the Syrian.[87] Used figuratively, the term hashishi connoted meanings such as outcasts or rabble.[87] Without actually accusing the group of using the hashish drug, the caliph used the term in a pejorative manner. This label was quickly adopted by anti-Isma'ili historians and applied to the Isma'ilis of Syria and Persia. The spread of the term was further facilitated through military encounters, whose chroniclers adopted the term and disseminated it across Europe. The Crusaders and other European travelers accepted and spread myths such as the 'paradise legend', the 'leap of faith' legend, and the 'hashish legend', sewn together in the writings of Marco Polo.[89]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Assassins

page 221

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The Old Man of the Mountain (Persian: پیر کوهستان (pir koohestan)[citation needed], Latin: Vetulus de Montanis),[1] is the expression used by Marco Polo in a passage from Book of the Marvels of the World, to indicate Hassan-i- sabbah, the grand master of the Order of Assassins which was based in Alamut Castle. It later became a common name used by the Crusaders.[2]

Subsequently, this nickname was given to various Isma'ili successors of Hassan, in Syria, particularly,[3] for example Rashid al-Din Sinan, the da'i (missionary)[4] and a leader of the Syrian branch of the Nizari Isma'ili state.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man_of_the_Mountain_(nickname)

Al-Andalus[a] (Arabic: الأَنْدَلُس) was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The term is used by modern historians for the former Islamic states in modern Spain, Portugal[1] and France. The name describes the different Muslim[2][3] states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most of the peninsula[4][5][6] and part of present-day southern France (Septimania) under Umayyad rule. These boundaries changed constantly through a series of conquests Western historiography has traditionally characterized as the Reconquista,[2][3][7][8][9] eventually shrinking to the south and finally to the Emirate of Granada.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Andalus

1236

June 29 – Siege of Córdoba: Castilian forces under King Ferdinand III (the Saint) capture Muslim Córdoba from Emir Ibn Hud, as part of the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula.[2]

July – At a diet (princely convention) in Piacenza, Emperor Frederick II proclaims his wish to recover all Italy for the Holy Roman Empire.[3]

Pope Gregory IX condemned the links that both the Knights Templer and Knights Hospitaller have with the Assassin fighters in the Middle East. He issues a bull, a formal proclamation issued by the pope, preventing further contact with the Assassins.

May 6 – Roger of Wendover, English Benedictine monk and chronicler, dies at St. Albans Abbey. His chronicle is continued by Matthew of Paris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1236

Atheism: resisting it with all our forces is a special mission given to the Society by the supreme pontiff, 253 2°; a mission which should permeate all forms of our apostolate, 254; our efforts are to be directed toward nonbelievers, ibid.; toward that end, an experience of God must be fostered in ourselves, 223 §§3-4, 224, 247

1° 2° 3° 6°;

and also in others, by means of the Spiritual Exercises, 271

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

The idea of uniting the Templars with the Hospitallers was first argued publicly in a book published in 1305 by Raimon Llull, a renowned illuminatus from Majorca. Llull’s book, Libre de Fine, (“Free At Last”) appeared in the midst of a raging controversy between the French monarchy and the Roman papacy over who held jurisdiction over the Templars. That is the subject of our next chapter.

Rulers of Evil

by F. Tupper Saussy

https://dn790006.ca.archive.org/0/items/rulers-of-evil-f.-tupper-saussy/Rulers%20of%20Evil%20-%20F.%20Tupper%20Saussy.pdf

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The alumbrados of Castile were a movement that caused much trouble during the first three decades of the sixteenth century. Their ideas were represented by the “Big Three” beatas who, under noble patronage, for at least a decade previous to the arrest in 1524 of the “mother” of the movement (Isabel de la Cruz) had successfully proselytized and spread their ideas throughout Old and New Castile.1

The alumbrados certainly were a charismatic bunch; they enjoyed success with the elites of Castilian society, comuneros, but above all with women and conversos. As a religious movement led by women the alumbrados were part of a growing trend of individual, charismatic female piety. By the time of Cardinal Cisneros’s death in 1517, however, the era of the alumbrados and their grassroots converso spirituality was nearing its end. While the actual heyday of their movement was short-lived the alumbrados made a huge impact upon the minds Prospering in the environment of Catholic spiritual exploration fostered by the personal theological interests of the Archbishop of Toledo Cardinal Ximenez de Cisneros the alumbrados presented an interiorized approach to Christianity. Equipped with the meditational practice of dejamiento the alumbrados stressed the importance of an individual, pseudo-mystical “abandonment” to God and His will. They also emphasized the insignificance of external rituals and works, calling them ataduras or “shackles” to the material world, ties that only served to hinder one’s abandonment to God.

of the Inquisitors who prosecuted them and upon the Spanish religious imagination, an impact that would last across seas and time."

EL SABOR DE HEREJIA: THE EDICT OF 1525, THE ALUMBRADOS

AND THE INQUISITORS’ USAGE OF LOCURA

JAVIER A. MONTOYA

http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0041385/montoya_j.pdf

Alumbrado, (Spanish: “Enlightened”, ) Italian Illuminato, plural Illuminati, a follower of a mystical movement in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Its adherents claimed that the human soul, having attained a certain degree of perfection, was permitted a vision of the divine and entered into direct communication with the Holy Spirit. From this state the soul could neither advance nor retrogress. Consequently, participation in the liturgy, good works, and observance of the exterior forms of religious life were unnecessary for those who had received the “light.” The Alumbrados came primarily from among the reformed Franciscans and the Jesuits, but their doctrines seem to have influenced all classes of people. The extravagant claims made for their visions and revelations caused them to be relentlessly persecuted. The Inquisition issued edicts against them on three occasions (1568, 1574, and 1623)."

https://www.britannica.com/event/Alumbrado

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Pali Buddha (“the Awakened One, the Enlightened One”), from buddha (“awakened, enlightened”), from Sanskrit बुद्ध (buddha, “awakened, enlightened”), past participle of बोधति (bodhati, “to wake, to awaken”). Distantly related to English bid and bede. Also cognate with Russian будить (buditʹ, “to wake up”)."

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Buddha

Gautama

surname of the Buddha, from Sanskrit Gotamah, properly a patronymic, literally "descendant of the greatest ox," from superlative of gauh "ox, bull, cow."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/buddha

Unam Sanctam

One God, One Faith, One Spiritual Authority

Pope Boniface VIII - 1302

Bull of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

Urged by faith, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins, as the Spouse in the Canticles [Sgs 6:8] proclaims: ‘One is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only one, the chosen of her who bore her,‘ and she represents one sole mystical body whose Head is Christ and the head of Christ is God [1 Cor 11:3]. In her then is one Lord, one faith, one baptism [Eph 4:5]. There had been at the time of the deluge only one ark of Noah, prefiguring the one Church, which ark, having been finished to a single cubit, had only one pilot and guide, i.e., Noah, and we read that, outside of this ark, all that subsisted on the earth was destroyed.

We venerate this Church as one, the Lord having said by the mouth of the prophet: ‘Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword and my only one from the hand of the dog.’ [Ps 21:20] He has prayed for his soul, that is for himself, heart and body; and this body, that is to say, the Church, He has called one because of the unity of the Spouse, of the faith, of the sacraments, and of the charity of the Church. This is the tunic of the Lord, the seamless tunic, which was not rent but which was cast by lot [Jn 19:23- 24]. Therefore, of the one and only Church there is one body and one head, not two heads like a monster; that is, Christ and the Vicar of Christ, Peter and the successor of Peter, since the Lord speaking to Peter Himself said: ‘Feed my sheep‘ [Jn 21:17], meaning, my sheep in general, not these, nor those in particular, whence we understand that He entrusted all to him [Peter]. Therefore, if the Greeks or others should say that they are not confided to Peter and to his successors, they must confess not being the sheep of Christ, since Our Lord says in John ‘there is one sheepfold and one shepherd.’ We are informed by the texts of the gospels that in this Church and in its power are two swords; namely, the spiritual and the temporal. For when the Apostles say: ‘Behold, here are two swords‘ [Lk 22:38] that is to say, in the Church, since the Apostles were speaking, the Lord did not reply that there were too many, but sufficient. Certainly the one who denies that the temporal sword is in the power of Peter has not listened well to the word of the Lord commanding: ‘Put up thy sword into thy scabbard‘ [Mt 26:52]. Therefore, both are in the power of the Church, namely, the spiritual sword and the material. But indeed, the latter is to be exercised on behalf of the Church; and truly, the former is to be exercised by the Church. The former is of the priest; the latter is by the hand of kings and soldiers, but at the will and sufferance of the priest.

However, one sword ought to be subordinated to the other and temporal authority, subjected to spiritual power. For since the Apostle said: ‘There is no power except from God and the things that are, are ordained of God‘ [Rom 13:1-2], but they would not be ordained if one sword were not subordinated to the other and if the inferior one, as it were, were not led upwards by the other.

For, according to the Blessed Dionysius, it is a law of the divinity that the lowest things reach the highest place by intermediaries. Then, according to the order of the universe, all things are not led back to order equally and immediately, but the lowest by the intermediary, and the inferior by the superior. Hence we must recognize the more clearly that spiritual power surpasses in dignity and in nobility any temporal power whatever, as spiritual things surpass the temporal. This we see very clearly also by the payment, benediction, and consecration of the tithes, but the acceptance of power itself and by the government even of things. For with truth as our witness, it belongs to spiritual power to establish the terrestrial power and to pass judgement if it has not been good. Thus is accomplished the prophecy of Jeremias concerning the Church and the ecclesiastical power: ‘Behold to-day I have placed you over nations, and over kingdoms‘ and the rest. Therefore, if the terrestrial power err, it will be judged by the spiritual power; but if a minor spiritual power err, it will be judged by a superior spiritual power; but if the highest power of all err, it can be judged only by God, and not by man, according to the testimony of the Apostle: ‘The spiritual man judgeth of all things and he himself is judged by no man‘ [1 Cor 2:15]. This authority, however, (though it has been given to man and is exercised by man), is not human but rather divine, granted to Peter by a divine word and reaffirmed to him (Peter) and his successors by the One Whom Peter confessed, the Lord saying to Peter himself, ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in Heaven‘ etc., [Mt 16:19]. Therefore whoever resists this power thus ordained by God, resists the ordinance of God [Rom 13:2], unless he invent like Manicheus two beginnings, which is false and judged by us heretical, since according to the testimony of Moses, it is not in the beginnings but in the beginning that God created heaven and earth [Gen 1:1]. Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid032z7eGFHZVWVMAz7ZfhxHm5NMwDAPAkWjbGuUAB2LQaQFzt39MbSJ5CooxMbGe5Ryl

The Capetian dynasty (/kəˈpiːʃən/; French: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Capet, the founder of the dynasty, and his male-line descendants, who ruled in France without interruption from 987 to 1792, and again from 1814 to 1848. The senior line ruled in France as the House of Capet from the election of Hugh Capet in 987 until the death of Charles IV in 1328. That line was succeeded by cadet branches, the Houses of Valois and then Bourbon, which ruled without interruption until the French Revolution abolished the monarchy in 1792. The Bourbons were restored in 1814 in the aftermath of Napoleon's defeat, but had to vacate the throne again in 1830 in favor of the last Capetian monarch of France, Louis Philippe I, who belonged to the House of Orléans. Cadet branches of the Capetian House of Bourbon house are still ruling over Spain and Luxembourg."

Name origins and usage

The name of the dynasty derives from its founder, Hugh, who was known as "Hugh Capet".[4] The meaning of "Capet" (a nickname rather than a surname of the modern sort) is unknown. While folk etymology identifies it with "cape", other suggestions indicate it might be connected to the Latin word caput ("head"), and explain it as meaning "chief" or "head".[citation needed]

Historians in the 19th century (see House of France) came to apply the name "Capetian" to both the ruling house of France and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet. It was not a contemporary practice. The name "Capet" has also been used as a surname for French royalty, particularly but not exclusively those of the House of Capet. One notable use was during the French Revolution, when the dethroned King Louis XVI (a member of the House of Bourbon and a direct male-line descendant of Hugh Capet) and Queen Marie Antoinette (a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine) were referred to as "Louis and Antoinette Capet" (the queen being addressed as "the Widow Capet" after the execution of her husband).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capetian_dynasty

The phrase is related to the enduring power of the city first as the capital of the Republic and the Empire, and later as the centre of the Catholic Church.[2]

Although it is not known for sure when it was first used, Rome was already named in this way by the poet Ovid in 1st century BC.[3]

Along with "Eternal City" and the "City of Seven Hills", Caput Mundi remains as one of the most commonly used names to refer to the city of Rome.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caput_Mundi

The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus (died 306) to the death of Julian in 363. It is named after its most famous member, Constantine the Great, who became the sole ruler of the empire in 324. The dynasty is also called Neo-Flavian because every Constantinian emperor bore the name Flavius, similarly to the rulers of the first Flavian dynasty in the 1st century.

Stemmata

In italics the augusti and the augustae.

Constantius I

From relationship between Constantius I and Helena

Constantine I

From marriage between Constantine I and Minervina

Crispus

From marriage between Constantine I and Fausta

Constantina, wife of Hannibalianus and Constantius Gallus

Constantine II

Constantius II

No offspring from marriage between Constantius II and his first wife, daughter of Julius Constantius

No offspring from marriage between Constantius II and Eusebia

From marriage between Constantius II and Faustina

Constantia, wife of Gratian

Constans I

Helena, wife of Julian

From marriage between Constantius Chlorus and Theodora

Flavius Dalmatius

From marriage between Flavius Dalmatius and unknown wife

Flavius Dalmatius

Hannibalianus, husband of Constantina

Julius Constantius

From marriage between Julius Constantius and Galla

son, died in the purges of 337[1]

daughter, first wife of Constantius II

Constantius Gallus

No offspring from marriage between Gallus and Constantina

From marriage between Julius Constantius and Basilina

Julian

No offspring from marriage between Julian and Helena, daughter of Constantine I

Hannibalianus (must have died before the imperial purges that occurred in 337 because he is not listed among its victims);

Anastasia;

Flavia Julia Constantia, wife of Licinius

Licinius II

Eutropia

Nepotianus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantinian_dynasty

The Carolingian dynasty ceased to rule France upon the death of Louis V (d. 987). After the death of Louis, the son of Hugh the Great, Hugh Capet was chosen as king of the Franks, nominally the last ruler of West Francia. Given the resurgence of the Holy Roman Empire title and dignities in the West Francian kingdom, Europe was later believed to have entered a new age, so became to be known in historiography as the first king of France, as western civilization was perceived to have entered the High Middle Ages period. Hugh was crowned at Noyon on July 3, 987 with the full support from Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor. With Hugh’s coronation, a new era began for France, and his descendants came to be named, after him, the Capetians. They ruled France as the Capetians, Valois, and Bourbons until the French Revolution. They returned after 1815 and ruled until Louis Philippe was deposed in 1848.

However they continue to rule Spain, with two republican interruptions, through the Bourbon Dynasty right down to Juan Carlos of Spain.

[edit] Family branches

Ro(d)bert (-764), dux of Hesbaye from 732, married Williswinda of Worms

Ingerman of Hesbaye

Ermengarde of Hesbaye (780-818), wife of Emperor Louis the Pious

Cancor (-782), founder of Lorsch Abbey

Heimrich (-795), count in the Lahngau

Poppo of Grapfeld (-839/41), ancestor of the Frankish House of Babenberg

Landrada, married Sigram

Saint Chrodogang (-766), Archbishop of Metz, Abbot of Lorsch Abbey

Robert II of Hesbaye (770-807)

Robert III of Worms (800-822)

Robert IV the Strong (820-866)

Odo of Paris (860-898), king of West Francia from 888, married Théodrate of Troyes

Raoul

Arnulf

Guy

Richildis, or Regilindis, married William I of Périgueux, son of Count Wulgrin I of Angoulême

Robert (866-923), king of West Francia from 922, second marriage to Béatrice of Vermandois

Emma (894-934), married Rudolph of Burgundy

Adela, married Herbert II, Count of Vermandois

Hugh the Great (898-956), married for the 3rd time to Hedwige of Saxony, daughter of German king Henry the Fowler

Béatrice (939-987), married Frederick of Bar

Hugh Capet (940-996), ancestor of the Capetian dynasty

Otto of Paris (944-965), Duke of Burgundy from 956

Odo-Henry (946-1002), Duke of Burgundy from 965

Emma (-966), married Richard I, Duke of Normandy

Herbert (-994), Bishop of Auxerre

Ermengarde of Hesbaye (or Irmengarde) (c. 778 – 3 October 818) was Queen of the Franks and Holy Roman Empress as the wife of Emperor Louis I. She was Frankish, the daughter of Ingeram, count of Hesbaye, and Hedwig of Bavaria. Her family is known as the Robertians.

In 794/5 Ermengarde married Louis the Pious, king of Aquitania, king of Franks, king of Italy, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.

She had six children:

Lothair I, born 795 in Altdorf, Bavaria

Pepin I of Aquitaine, born 797

Adelaide, born ca. 799

Rotrude, born 800

Hildegard / Matilda, born ca. 802

Wife of Gerard, Count of Auvergne, possible mother of Ranulf I of Poitiers.

Louis the German, born ca. 805

She died at Angers, France on 3 October 818. A few years after her death, her husband remarried to Judith of Bavaria, who bore him Charles the Bald.

https://rosamondpress.com/2012/06/25/merovingian-grail-lineage-of-the-swan-knight/

https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swanick

The Robertians (sometimes called the Robertines in modern scholarship) are the proposed Frankish family which was ancestral to the Capetian dynasty, and thus to the royal families of France and of many other countries (currently Spain and Luxembourg). The Capetians appear first in the records as powerful nobles serving under the Carolingian dynasty of Charlemagne in West Francia, which later became France. As their power increased, they came into conflict with the older royal family and attained the crown several times before the eventual start of the continuous rule of the descendants of Hugh Capet (ruled 987–996).

Hugh's paternal ancestral family, the Robertians, appear in documents that trace the family back to his great-grandfather Robert the Strong (d. 866). His origins remain unclear, but medieval records hint at an origin in East Francia, in present-day Germany, an area then still also ruled by the Carolingians. In particular, Regino of Prüm (died 915) states that Robert the Strong's son Odo was said to be a relative (nepos) of a Count Meingaud, count of an area near Worms, who died in 892, and there are indications that Maingaud's family used the names Robert and Odo.

Modern proposals about their ancestry further back are based on the idea that there was one family which frequently named its sons Robert, including Robert III of Worms (800–834), Robert the Strong (d. 866), and Robert I of France (866–923). For example, one proposed ancestor is Robert of Hesbaye (c. 800), about whom there are almost no records.

The Robertian family figured prominently amongst the Carolingian nobility and married into this royal family. Eventually, the Robertians themselves produced Frankish kings such as the brothers Odo (reigned 888–898) and Robert I (r. 922–923), then Hugh Capet (r. 987–996), who ruled from his seat in Paris as the first Capetian king of France.

Although Philip II Augustus (r. 1180–1223) was officially the last monarch of France with the title "King of the Franks" (rex Francorum) and the first to style himself "King of France" (roi de France), in (systematic application of) historiography, Hugh Capet holds this distinction. He founded the Capetians, the royal dynasty that ruled France until the revolution of the Second French Republic in 1848—save during the interregnum of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Members of the family still reign in Europe today : both King Felipe VI of Spain and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg descend from this family through the Bourbon cadet branch of the dynasty.

Origin

The oldest known Robertians probably originated in the county of Hesbaye, around Tongeren in modern-day Belgium. The first certain ancestor is Robert the Strong count of Paris,[1] probably the son of Robert III of Worms, grandson of Robert of Hesbaye, and nephew of Ermengarde of Hesbaye, who was the daughter of Ingram, and wife of Louis the Pious. Other related family includes Cancor, founder of the Lorsch Abbey, his sister Landrada and her son Saint Chrodogang, archbishop of Metz.

History

Robert the Strong

The sons of Robert the Strong were Odo and Robert, who were both king of Western Francia and ruled during the Carolingian era. His daughter Richildis married a count of Troyes. The family became Counts of Paris under Odo and "Dukes of the Franks" under Robert, possessing large parts of the ancient Neustria. Although quarrels continued between Robert's son Hugh the Great and Louis IV of France, they were mended upon the ascension of Lothair I of France (954–986). Lothair greatly expanded the Robertian dominions when he granted Hugh Aquitaine as well as much of Burgundy,[2] both rich and influential territories, arguably two of the richest in France.

The Carolingian dynasty ceased to rule France upon the death of Louis V (d. 987). After the death of Louis, the son of Hugh the Great, Hugh Capet was chosen as king of the Franks, nominally the last ruler of West Francia. Given the resurgence of the Holy Roman Empire title and dignities in the West Francian kingdom, Europe was later believed to have entered a new age, so Hugh came to be known in historiography as the first king of France, as western civilization was perceived to have entered the High Middle Ages period. Hugh was crowned at Noyon on July 3, 987 with the full support of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. With Hugh's coronation, a new era began for France, and his descendants came to be named, after him, the Capetians. They ruled France as the Capetians, Valois, and Bourbons until the French Revolution. They returned after 1815 and ruled until Louis Philippe was deposed in 1848.

However, they have continued to rule Spain, with two republican interruptions, through the Bourbon Dynasty right down to the current king Felipe VI.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertians

When were the Jesuits restored?

August 7, 1814

https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/video-resources/jesuit-values-videos/suppression-of-the-society-of-jesus

The Hohenstaufens were ruling in absentia, and their rule was not liked. The local barons managed to induce various people to claim the regency. Alix de Brienne, second daughter of queen Isabeau, had married Hughes de Lusignan (d. 1218), son of Amaury by a previous wife, and king of Cyprus. Alix died in 1246 and her son Henri (1218-53) succeeded her as regent of Jerusalem. At his death, his son grandson Hugues II (1252-67) was a minor and the widow Plaisance (d. 1261) was regent of both Cyprus and Jerusalem. At her death, a new regent was required; the late king Henri had two sisters Marie (d. 1252) married to Gauthier de Brienne, and Isabelle (d. 1264), married to Henri de Poitiers. The elder one's son, Hugues de Brienne, was passed over in favor of the younger one's son Hugues d'Antioche as regent of Cyprus, while Isabelle herself was accepted as regent for Jerusalem. On her death in 1267, Hugues de Brienne's attempt to claim his rights was rebuffed and the throne of Cyprus, along with the regency of Jerusalem, passed to Hugues d'Antioche, whose descendants assumed the name of Lusignan and reigned over Cyprus.

At the death of Conradin, the issue of Queen Isabeau's eldest daughter became extinct. Hugues III of Cyprus, descended from her second daughter and already regent, now claimed the throne. But another claim emerged through the third daughter of Queen Isabeau, Mélissende, who married Bohémond IV of Antioch (uncle of Hugues III) and whose only daughter Marie of Antioch claimed the throne as being closer in kinship to Isabeau. She was unsuccessful and Hugues III was crowned king of Jerusalem in 1269. She went to Rome to plead her case with the Pope, and was eventually induced to cede her rights in 1277 to Charles of Anjou, whom the pope had established as king of Naples and Sicily (the same who had defeated Conradin in 1268). Henceforth there were two lines of claimants, the kings of Cyprus and the kings of Naples.

The kings of Cyprus continued to be crowned kings of Jerusalem, although from 1277 to 1282 the remnants of the kingdom (Acre) were actually under Charles d'Anjou's control, and the kings of Cyprus only gradually restored their authority. But soon after, with the fall of Acre in 1291, there was nothing left of the kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1458 Jean III, last male of the line, died without male heirs. His only sister Anne had (d. 1462) married Louis I de Savoie. His only daughter Charlotte (d. 1487) was recognized as queen of Cyprus, Armenia and Jerusalem, and married to her first cousin Louis de Savoie. But she was dethroned in 1460 by a bastard son of her father, namely Jacques II (d. 1473), and fled to Italy. Ultimately, in 1485, she ceded her rights to her husband's nephew Charles I, duke of Savoie, and his successors; at that point the dukes of Savoie (later kings of Sardinia and kings of Italy) added the title of king of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia to their titles and the arms to their achievement. The kings of Italy used the title until 1946.

https://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/jerusale.htm

The Order carries through ancient tradition, the Coat of Arms attributed to the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, which is of silver to the Jerusalem Cross of gold and enamelled in the color of blood." "Motto: “Deus lo vult” in capital ROMAN characters on a forked band under the point of the shield."

Insignia, Decorations and Attire – Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (midatlanticeohs.com)

EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM

https://www.midatlanticeohs.com/insignia-decorations-and-attire/

The History and Legend of Scottish Rite Origins

The Story Unfolds…

Like much of early Masonic history, the origins of the Scottish Rite are uncertain. This is primarily due to the lack of historic documentation prior to the early 1700’s and not to any great veiled mystery. The few records kept were subject to loss, fire, weather and aging. So we can at best only speculate on many of our origins by looking at the few documents, historical references and legends that remain.

What We Know

In 1754, near Paris, Chevalier de Bonneville established the Chapter of Clermont. The Chapter resided in the College of Jesuits of Clermont, hence the name. It is said to have been created to honor the Duc de Clermont, then Grand Master of the English Grand Lodge of France.

The Chapter of Clermont was a “Chapter of the Advanced Degrees” and initially entailed six degrees and was later extended to 25 known degrees. The six initial degrees were 1˚, 2˚ and 3˚ St John’s Masonry, 4˚ Knight of the Eagle, 5˚ Illustrious Knight or Templar, 6˚ Sublime Illustrious Knight.

Interestingly enough historically, prior to the time of the Rite’s creation, James II had been in residence at Clermont in exile from Britain from 1688 to his death in 1701. As noted by German Masonic historian, Lenning… “whilst in exile, James II residing at the Jesuit College of Clermont in France, allowed his closest associates to fabricate certain degrees in order to extend their political views.” Lenning believed this to have been an attempt on the part of James and his associates to regain control of the British throne for the House of Stuart. If Lenning is right, this places the origins of the “Rite of Perfection” in the hands of James II and the Jacobite (Stuart) Freemasons who at the time were in exile from Great Britain throughout France and Italy. Lenning also contends that these degrees were introduced into French Freemasonry under the name of the Clermont System.

James II died in exile in 1701. His son James III is said to have continued his father’s Masonic legacy and later created further higher degrees.

Perhaps James II saw in the Jesuit morality plays of the College of Clermont a vessel for passing on a set of moral lessons. Some of the world’s greatest playwrights had emerged from Clermont. Jesuit tutelage had previously produced great writers such as Lope de Vega, Moliere, Racine, and the Corneille brothers. Ensconced in exile, I believe James II did find the inspiration and the training to help produce what would later become the first six degrees. From out of the darkness… comes light.

To be continued… (Author’s note… An in depth look at the Templar influence in Scottish Rite masonry’s origins can be found by visiting the Rosslyn Templars’ website.)

https://web.archive.org/web/20190615041607/http://www.traversecityscottishrite.com/scottish-rite-history.html

PART VI 1THE PERSONAL LIFE OF THOSE ALREADY ADMITTED AND INCORPORATED INTO THE BODY OF THE SOCIETY

SECTION 1: THE APOSTOLIC CHARACTER OF OUR VOWS IN GENERAL

143 §1. Our consecration by profession of the evangelical counsels, by which we respond to a divine vocation, is at one and the same time the following of Christ poor, virginal, and obedient and a rejection of those idols that the world is always prepared to adore, especially wealth, pleasure, prestige, and power. Hence, our poverty, chastity, and obedience ought visibly and efficaciously to bear witness to this attitude, whereby we proclaim the evangelical possibility of a certain communion among men and women that is a foretaste of the future kingdom of God.[1]

§2. Our religious vows, while binding us, also set us free:

free, by our vow of poverty, to share the life of the poor and to use whatever resources we may have, not for our own security and comfort, but for service;

free, by our vow of chastity, to be men for others, in friendship and communion with all, but especially with those who share our mission of service;

free, by our vow of obedience, to respond to the call of Christ as made known to us by him whom the Spirit has placed over the Church, and to follow the lead of all our superiors.[2] [1] See GC 32, d. 4, no. 16; see GC 31, d. 16, no. 4; d. 17, no. 2; d. 18, no. 3. [2] GC 32, d. 2, no. 20. 215

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Rito Scozzese

Antioco Ed Accettato

History

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is the final and the only result of a complex reform that involves various Masonic Systems which developed separately one from another during the XVIII century in the range of the so called Scottish Regime. This regime originated from the advent of the Scottish Masters since about 1738 and continued with the Chapters of Clermont (1754), the Emperors of the Orient and the Western world (1758) which put in practice rituality defined as the Rite of Perfection or the Rite of Heredom. The aim of the reform, that unified all in one single Order, was aside from these veins, also minor branches with more recent manifestation among which the Primitive Rite and others.

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is the rituality that characterises a particular Masonic Body which it adopts and makes his. This Masonic Body is called “The Supreme Council of the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the 33 rd and Last Level of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite”.

The first Supreme Council (SC) called Mother of the World was founded in Charleston, Carolina, USA on the May 31st 1801 and presently has headquarters in Washington DC, USA.

In some ten years the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, under the impetus of the SC of Charleston, practically spread to all the world through further Supreme Councils which were formed in national territorial Jurisdictions, each independent and autonomous, jealous of their very sovereignty.

The Scottish Rite in Italy

The SC of Italy, that today is denominated “the Supreme Council SS.GG.II.GG. of the 3 rd and Last Level of the Free Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the Italian Jurisdiction – Grand Orient of Italy – Palazzo Giustiniani” as shown in a manuscript handed down as the Verbal of the Foundation, also called the “Seal of Foundation” which was founded and installed ritually in Milan on March16th 1805 by the Count Alexandre Francois Auguste De Grasse Tilly S.G.C. of the SC of France (1804), duly assisted by the French and Italian Brothers, with Licenses conferred by the SC Mother of the World of Charleston. The SC of Italy was a direct emanation of this Ritual Body.

In the same constitutional act of the SC of Italy, it is formally declared that it “creates and constitutes by its sovereign authority a General Grand Lodge in Italy under the name of G.O. Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite“. The Grand Orient of Italy, thus founded, was ritually installed on June 20th 1805 by the same founders of the SC of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

The SC of Italy with headquarters in Milan, had jurisdiction only in the territory of the Italian Kingdom and the Sovereign Grand Commander was the Vice King Eugenio Beauharnais.

Subsequently, on the not yet unified Italian territory, other SS.CC ‘s were formed among which (in Naples) a SC called of the two Sicilies (1809), a SC of Palermo (1860), a SC of Naples (1860). Following the unification of Italy initially a SC was formed with the fusion of the SC Milan with that of Turin (1862), then with the transfer of the capital to Florence another SC of this city (1864) was formed. A further SC was established in 1870 in Rome, permanent Capital of the Kingdom. Following numerous agreements and with much difficulty, the unification between the various SS.CC in a single SC of Italy was achieved with headquarters in Rome.

From a schism which occurring 1908, a second SC was born called “Piazza del Gesù” which since 1912 was recognized by many SS.CC. of the world opposed to that of 2Palazzo Giustiniani”. The fascist period, during which all Masonic activity in Italy was prohibited, actually eliminated the problem of this atypical duplication between the historical continuity and the possession of recognition of the various Jurisdictions.

The separation between the Jurisdictions of the Grand Orient of Italy and the SC was sanctioned in 1922. The conference of Paris of the SS.CC. of the world, held in 1929, authorized this principle for all the SS.CC.

Upon recommencement of Masonic activity in 1943, after the failures of unification attempts, those who possessed the Supreme Level of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, formed two SS.CC. of “Palazzo Giustiniani” and “Piazza del Gesù”.

From 1960 to 1973, the residual incomprehension between the two historical blocks of Italian Masonry were settled. Since then, in spite of other efforts of schism, in particular that of 1977 which failed owing to the loyalty of the Scottish Brothers of Italy and the wisdom of SS.CC. of the rest of the world, the SC of “Palazzo Giustiniani” represents the regularity for 54 Supreme Councils in the world.

https://www.ritoscozzese.it/en/rsaa/history/

Note 370.—"Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret. The 32nd degree of the Ancient and Accepted rite, and for many years, or until the institution of the 33d degree, this was the highest degree, or ne plus ultra of Masonry. The body is styled a Consistory, and should be held in a building of two stories. The officers are, a Thrice Illustrious Commander, First and Second Lieutenants, a Minister of State, a Grand Chancellor, a Grand Treasurer, a Grand Secretary, and a Grand Captain of the Guard. In the East a throne, elevated on seven steps, which is the seat of the Thrice Illustrious Commander, who wears a robe of royal purple, and he and the Lieutenants, wear swords. The collar of this degree is black, lined with scarlet, and in the center, at the point, a double-headed eagle, of silver or gold, on a red Teutonic cross. The apron is of white satin, with a border of gold lace, one inch wide, lined with scarlet; on the flap is a double-headed eagle, on each side of which is the flag of the country in which the body is located, the flag of Prussia and the Beause- -ant of the Kadosh degree; on the apron is the camp of the Crusaders, , which is thus explained; it is composed of an enneagon, within which is ' inscribed a heptagon, within that a pentagon, and in the center an equilateral triangle, within which is a circle. Between the heptagon and pentagon are placed five standards, in the designs of whigjl are five letters, which form a particular word. The first standard is purple, on which is emblazoned the ark of the covenant, with a palm, tree on each side; the ark has the motto Laus Deo. The second is blue, on which is a lion, of gold, couchant, holding in his mouth a golden key, with a collar of the same metal on his neck, and on it is the device, Ad majorem Dei gloriam. The third is white, and displays a heart in flames, with two wings; it is surmounted by a crown of laurels. The fourth is green, and bears a double-headed black eagle, crowned, holding a sword in his right claw, and a bleeding heart in his left. The fifth bears a black ox. on a field of gold. On the sides of the enneagon are nine tents, with flags, representing the divisions of the Masonic army; on the angles are nine pinions, of the same color as the flag of the tent that precedes it. The hall of the Consistory is hung with black, strewed with tears of silver. The jewel is a double-headed white and black eagle, resting on a Teutonic cross, of gold, worn attached to the collar or ribbon. ^The members are called Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret. The moral of the degree teaches opposition to bigotry, superstition, and all the passions and vices which disgrace human nature.

—Macoy's Encyclopaedia and Pictionary of Freemasonry, Article Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret

MISSIONS FROM THE SUPREME PONTIFF

252 §1. To be truly Christian, our service to the Church must be anchored in fidelity to Christ, who makes all things new; to be proper to the Society, it must be done in union with the successors of Peter[32]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Biography

Early life

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

Patriarch

That same year, Iraq's President Jalal Talabani issued a decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church.[11]

On 14 November 2015, the Synod of Bishops announced that Pope Francis had named Sako as one of his three appointments to that body's council.[20]

Cardinal

Government recognition dispute

On 15 July 2023, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the revocation of the government's 2013 decree recognizing Sako as Patriarch. In response that same day Sako announced he was leaving Baghdad to take up residence in Iraqi Kurdistan. He called the revocation "unprecedented in the history of Iraq".[11] Rashid said his action "does not affect the religious or legal status of patriarch Sako" and said it was based on the fact that Sako's office is not recognized by the Iraqi Constitution; Sako viewed as an extension of the government's ongoing "deliberate and humiliating campaign" against him and its wider failure to protect Iraqi Christians.[33] Rashid had recently rejected requests for comparable decrees from the Patriarchs of the Assyrian Church and the Old Assyrian Church. Others cited complex political manoeuvering.[34]

On 15 July 2023, Sako announced his intention to "retire from the Patriarchal See in Baghdad and move to a church, a mission, in one of the monasteries of Iraqi Kurdistan". His announcement followed a decision by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, to revoke a decree established in 2013 by the former Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, recognising Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The revocation "is unprecedented in Iraq's history," Sako said, highlighting "the government's silence" about the incident and the suffering of the Christian community.[35] For months, Sako had been embroiled in a war of words with a Shia lawmaker and militia leader, Rayan al-Kildani. Both accused each other of exploiting their influence to illegally seize Christian-owned properties. Al-Kildani is the leader of the Babylon Movement, whose militia fought ISIS within the state-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces, a network of largely pro-Iran paramilitaries. Since then, al-Kildani forged strong alliances with powerful Tehran-allied Shiite militias. Sako criticized the Babylon Movement as falsely Christian, noting most of its members and supporters are Shia Muslims using the label for political gain.[36][37] Furthermore, the Babylon Movement, led by al-Kildani, is accused of pillaging homes, unlawful confiscation of land, coercion, extortion, abuse of women, persecution of religious minorities, and torture of detainees. As a result, in 2019, the US imposed sanctions on al-Kildani and another Shiite militia leader, calling them "perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption", and penalizing entities that interact with them.[38]

Cardinal Sako has accused Archbishop Bashar Warda of collaborating and conspiring with Rayan al-Kildani in an effort to subvert his authority and push for his resignation as head of the Chaldean Church. Warda is criticized for supporting al-Kildani despite his horrendous actions, and for not supporting Sako's efforts to counter the Babylon Movement's seizure of Christian assets. This has led to accusations that Warda prioritizes benefits from al-Kildani's support over protecting church interests. Sako has referred to Warda as the "Godfather" of the Babylon Movement.[39][40][41]

On 7 August 2023, Sako told an interviewer that "Withdrawing the decree is very bad. For 15 centuries, there were decrees recognising the Patriarch as head of the Church and administrator of the properties of the Church. Revoking it is a humiliation for the Church. Those behind this move want to put their hands on the properties of the Church and administer them separately from the ecclesiastical authorities. We cannot accept that."[42]

In April 2024, after nine months of exile, Sako returned to Baghdad with the assistance of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.[43][44]

On 28 August 2024, Sako demanded a public apology from five bishops based on perceived disunity in the Chaldean Catholic Church, including absence from a mandatory July episcopal synod, setting a deadline of September 5. The five bishops, led by Bashar Warda, the Archbishop of Erbil, also withdrew from an August spiritual retreat and pulled their students from the Chaldean Seminary. The bishops refused to apologize, citing dissatisfaction with Sako's leadership style and unilateral decision-making. As a result, he would suspend them and ask Pope Francis to impose canonical penalties, including excommunication.[45][46] The actions of Bashar Warda and the other bishops have been described by the Chaldean Patriarchate as a "dangerous precedent" that goes against their episcopal vows to support the patriarch. The 17 bishops who attended the July 2024 synod issued a communiqué, calling for "appropriate legal measures" against the "clear violations" committed by the boycotting group of Warda.[47]

The rivalry between Louis Sako and Bashar Warda is driven by a fierce personal conflict, with Sako perceiving Warda as ruthlessly ambitious to seize the patriarchate. This perception has led Sako to backtrack on his initial plans to retire at 75, driven by a determination to thwart Warda's power grab. Warda's actions are seen as a betrayal of Sako's leadership.[48]

Honours

Defensor Fidei Prize, 2008

Pax Christi International Peace Award, 2010

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Constantine

Jonathan Del Arco (born March 7, 1966) is an Uruguayan American actor and gay rights and political activist. He is best known for his role as Hugh the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard, and for his series regular role as medical examiner Dr. Morales in The Closer and Major Crimes. He was awarded the 2013 Visibility Award by the Human Rights Campaign.

Career

As a teenager, Del Arco became interested in acting and the theater. He often traveled by commuter train from his home in Port Chester, New York to Manhattan, where he attended plays. He eventually enrolled in acting classes there, and after graduating from high school, he moved to New York City permanently.[2][3] Shortly after, Del Arco won a role in the touring company of Torch Song Trilogy.

In 1990, with a role on the Miami Vice television show and a role in the independent film Lost Angeles under his belt, Del Arco moved to Los Angeles, California. Guest starring roles on the television series True Colors, Sisters, The Wonder Years, and Blossom as well as a small role in the film The Mambo Kings followed. His most notable role during this period was as the Borg drone "Hugh" on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1992, which he reprised in 1993 and again in 2020.[4][5]

Del Arco has appeared in a wide range of live theatrical plays. His New York theater debut came in 1987 in Milcha Sanchez-Scott's Roosters at the INTAR Theatre. Theater critic Mel Gussow called his a "most sensitive performance", and said his debut was "auspicious".[6] His Broadway theater debut followed in 1988, when he understudied and then played Martin in Michael Weller's play Spoils of War at the Music Box Theatre, replacing Christopher Collet.[7] This was followed in 1990 by an off-Broadway role in John Jesurun's Everything That Rises Must Converge at the Kitchen Theatre Company.[8]

Del Arco's other stage performances include Amulets Against the Dragon Forces by Paul Zindel,[9] House Arrest by Anna Deavere Smith,[10] The Virgin Molly by Quincy Long, Common Infractions / Gross Injustices (produced by American Repertory Theater),[11] and Blood Wedding by Federico García Lorca.[12]

In 1996, Del Arco joined the Hispanic Playwrights Project at the South Coast Repertory and spent six seasons there. He also spent the summers of 1998 and 1999 at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at Harvard University, working under Anna Deavere Smith.[10]

His breakout role came in 2003 when he landed a recurring guest star role FX Networks's series Nip/Tuck, playing a transgender woman named Sofia Lopez. Roles on other highly rated shows such as 24, The Sopranos, and Dollhouse followed.[2] Beginning in 2007, Del Arco had a recurring role on TNT cable network's The Closer as the openly gay medical examiner, Dr. Morales.[13] He continued the role as a series regular in the series' spin-off, Major Crimes.

In 2014, he appeared in the episode "Love Sucks" of The Crazy Ones, as the previously offscreen husband of Brad Garrett's character. Del Arco also reprised his role of the Borg drone "Hugh" in Star Trek: Picard (2020), a direct sequel to The Next Generation.[citation needed]

Political activism

In addition to acting, Del Arco is a political, environmental, and gay rights activist. Del Arco turned to waiting tables in 1995 for an income. Instead, through a friend, he found paid work on an environmental campaign being led by actor/director Rob Reiner.[14][1] Del Arco then worked on numerous political campaigns.[14] Del Arco credits the political activism with allowing him to find a new passion and expansiveness as an actor, which led to new acting roles.[2]

Del Arco volunteered for Barack Obama and has worked for five presidential campaigns,[15] including as a celebrity surrogate for President Obama in 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the Biden/Harris campaign in 2020. Most recently, he has volunteered as surrogate for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock for their campaigns in the 2020 Georgia Senate runoff elections.

He works to raise awareness for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which Del Arco described as life-changing.[13][16] "Never did I imagine that working for a nonprofit organization would have such a great effect on me personally. It's changed the structure of how I use my career as an actor because now I have a reason beyond entertainment to promote something other than me."[2]

In 2013, Del Arco was awarded the 2013 Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign and now works with the campaign as a guest speaker.

Del Arco is a member of Actors' Equity Association.[10]

Personal life

Del Arco was born in Uruguay. When he was 10 years old his family left their home for the United States, moving into a two-bedroom, "rat-infested" apartment in Port Chester, New York.[17][1]

When Del Arco was age 24 and living in New York City, he lost his first partner, Eddie, to AIDS. Later, when preparing the role of Hugh for Star Trek, Del Arco based the character's "innocence" and "wonder" upon Eddie, and channelled his own grief into the part: "I had just lost my partner a year before, so I was broken and lost and lonely, and I was willing to share that."[18][1][2][14]

Del Arco subsequently met Kyle Fritz, a talent manager, a year and a half after moving to Hollywood. They began a relationship around the time Del Arco appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "I, Borg", and later married.[1]

One of Del Arco's best friends is Jeri Ryan, who like Del Arco played a Borg character in the Star Trek franchise; when Ryan returned to her role in 2020, Del Arco rehearsed with her to help her prepare.[19]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Del_Arco

Pope Alexander VI[Note 2] (born Rodrigo de Borja;[Note 3]; epithet: Valentinus ("The Valencian");[6] c. 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into the prominent Borgia family in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon, Rodrigo studied law at the University of Bologna. He was ordained deacon and made a cardinal in 1456 after the election of his uncle as Pope Callixtus III, and a year later he became vice-chancellor of the Catholic Church. He proceeded to serve in the Curia under the next four popes, acquiring significant influence and wealth in the process. In 1492, Rodrigo was elected pope, taking the name Alexander VI.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI

Pope Paul III (Latin: Paulus III; Italian: Paolo III; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.

He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church as the Protestant Reformation progressed. His pontificate initiated the Catholic Reformation with the Council of Trent in 1545, and witnessed wars of religion in which Emperor Charles V launched military campaigns against the Protestants in Germany. He recognized new Catholic religious orders and societies such as the Jesuits, the Barnabites, and the Congregation of the Oratory. His efforts were distracted by nepotism to advance the power and fortunes of his family, including his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese.

Paul III was a significant patron of artists, including Michelangelo, and Nicolaus Copernicus dedicated his heliocentric treatise to him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III

Pope Julius III (Latin: Iulius PP. III; Italian: Giulio III; 10 September 1487 – 23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1550 to his death, in March 1555.

After a career as a distinguished and effective diplomat, he was elected to the papacy as a compromise candidate after the death of Paul III. As pope, he made only reluctant and short-lived attempts at reform, mostly devoting himself to a life of personal pleasure. His reputation, and that of the Catholic Church, were greatly harmed by his scandal-ridden relationship with his adopted nephew, Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Borgia

Pope Paul V (Latin: Paulus V; Italian: Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a member of the papal Accademia dei Lincei and supported his discoveries.[2] In 1616, Pope Paul V instructed Cardinal Robert Bellarmine to inform Galileo that the Copernican theory could not be taught as fact, but Bellarmine's certificate allowed Galileo to continue his studies in search for evidence and use the geocentric model as a theoretical device. That same year Paul V assured Galileo that he was safe from persecution so long as he, the Pope, should live. Bellarmine's certificate was used by Galileo for his defense at the trial of 1633.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_V

AFA-27 [recorded 03/15/87] | The CIA, the Military & Drugs Part IV

For more related content, please visit:

http://ourhiddenhistory.org/

https://archive.org/details/@altviewstv-fanclub

https://rumble.com/v4e2vto-dave-emory-anti-fascist-archives-27-the-cia-the-military-and-drugs-part-4-o.html

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

25th Amendment

Presidential Disability and Succession

Section 1

In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2

Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section 3

Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

The Farnese Cup or Tazza Farnese is a 2nd-century BC cameo hardstone carving bowl or cup made in Hellenistic Egypt of four-layered sardonyx agate. It is at the Naples National Archaeological Museum.[1] It is about 20 cm (8 in) wide and similar in form to a Greek phiale or Roman patera, with no foot.[2][3] It features relief carvings on both its exterior and interior surfaces.[2][3]

There is no surviving evidence regarding when and why the piece was made, though there is consensus among scholars that it was created in Alexandria, due to the blending of Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek or Roman iconography found in its relief carvings. This provides a range of time wherein it may have been created, spanning from approximately 300 BC to 20 BC.[2][4]

The underside has a large Gorgon's head occupying most of the area, probably intended to ward off evil. The upper side has a scene with several figures that has long puzzled scholars. It seems clearly an allegory containing several divine figures and perhaps personifications, but corresponds to no other known representation and has been interpreted in several different ways.

History

The origin of the Tazza Farnese is unknown, leaving archaeologists and art historians to theorize a date and purpose for its creation. While its size and the material used are usually considered, theories of origin are mainly arrived at via individual analysis of the iconography of the piece, and therefore vary from one analysis to the next.[2][3][4]

Many archaeologists and art historians attribute the Tazza to the Hellenistic Period, asserting that its blending of Greek and Egyptian cultural symbols, as well as the funds necessary to commission such a large gemstone cameo, tie it to the Ptolemaic court.[4] Though not a widely held view, more recent analyses of the piece have assigned it a later date in the Augustan Period.[2][3]

After Octavian's conquest of Egypt in 31 BC, the Farnese Cup was possibly acquired by the Treasury of Rome; according to some, it was only made after the Romans took Egypt. It seems it was later taken to Byzantium, then back west after this city was sacked in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade. By 1239 it was in the court of Frederick II,[5] from which it then reached the Persian court of Herat or possibly Samarkand, where a contemporary drawing documents it;[6] thence it found its way to the court of Alfonso of Aragon in Naples, where Angelo Poliziano saw it in 1458. Lorenzo the Magnificent finally purchased the famous "scutella di calcedonio" in Rome, in 1471. From there it came into the possession of the Farnese family through Margaret of Austria and thus into the Naples National Archaeological Museum[1]

Iconography

Though some analyses of the iconography of the Tazza Farnese build upon and expand previous analyses, each scholarly writing on the piece leads to a slightly different theory about its inherent meaning.

Eugene J. Dwyer

In his analysis of the Tazza Farnese, Dwyer builds upon previous analyses by experts in the field, including Ennio Quirino Visconti, Frederic Louis Bastet, and Reinhold Merkelbach, among others. Dwyer's two major assertions are that the iconography found in the interior and exterior carvings is a sophisticated mix of Greek and Egyptian philosophic and religious concepts and that the composition of the carved figures correspond to specific constellations which, in their orientation, resemble a map of the night sky during the time of year in which the flooding of the Nile would have occurred. In assigning the piece a multi-faceted religious and philosophic meaning, Dwyer repeatedly references the Corpus Hermeticum. More specifically, he points to the Poimandres and how the figures of the interior carving closely match the elements it presents in its discussion of the creation of life. He uses this reference to assign each figure a corresponding Greek and/or Egyptian god. In this sense, Dwyer sets up the piece as a direct illustration of the creation of life that would have been easily understood by both Greeks and Egyptians living at the time the Tazza was created. Though he credits Merkelbach with first coming up with the theory, Dwyer also discusses the figures' and their placement on the piece as corresponding to specific constellations in an astronomical map. In particular, Dwyer assigns each figure to constellations that would be seen together in the sky during the time of year when the flooding of the Nile took place. He argues that through this apparent map of the night sky, the creator of the Tazza was directly referencing the time of the Nile flooding in order to present more fully the concept of divine creation of life.[4]

Julia C. Fischer

Fischer is one of the few who have assigned the Tazza Farnese an Augustan date rather than a Hellenistic one. Her analysis of the piece therefore focuses on reexamining preconceived notions arrived at by other scholars who have assigned it a Hellenistic date, as well as attempting to provide evidence for her assertion of an Augustan date. Fischer's main evidence for placing the piece in the Augustan period is its size and the material it was carved from. She discusses the unstable economic position of the Ptolemaic Court, asserting that the funds for such a piece would not have been available until the improvement of the economy during the Augustan period. Fischer also discusses that while the piece features a mix of Greek and Egyptian figures, concepts, and methods, it also contains distinctly Roman aspects, especially in the Romanesque features of the Gorgon carving found on the piece's exterior.[2]

John Pollini

Like Julia C. Fischer, John Pollini attributes the Tazza Farnese to the Augustan period in Rome. His evidence is also based on the size and material used, but Pollini's primary focus is providing analysis of the piece's iconography in an attempt to prove that it was made during Augustus' reign, and was possibly even commissioned by Augustus himself. To this end, Pollini discusses the figures carved on the inner and outer surfaces, and how the symbolism found in each relates it to an aspect or region of the Augustan empire. Pollini's interpretation of the piece's iconography leads him to assert that it was meant to convey the Golden Age of Augustus and act as a sort of talisman to propagate the strength of the empire.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnese_Cup

Louis Farrakhan (/ˈfɑːrəkɑːn/; born Louis Eugene Walcott; May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader who heads the Nation of Islam (NOI), an organization which combines black nationalism and Islamic teachings.[2][3][4] Prior to joining the NOI, Farrakhan was a calypso singer who used the stage name Calypso Gene. Early in his career, he served as the minister of mosques in Boston and Harlem and was appointed to the post of National Representative of the Nation of Islam by then-NOI leader Elijah Muhammad. He adopted the name Louis X before being named Louis Farrakhan.

After Warith Deen Mohammed reorganized the original NOI into the orthodox Sunni Islamic group American Society of Muslims, Farrakhan began to rebuild the NOI as "Final Call". In 1981, he officially adopted the name "Nation of Islam", reviving the group and establishing its headquarters at Mosque Maryam. In October 1995, Farrakhan organized and led the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. Due to health issues, he reduced his responsibilities with the NOI in 2007.[5] However, Farrakhan has continued to deliver sermons[6] and speak at NOI events.[7] In 2015, he led the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March: Justice or Else.

Farrakhan is known for antisemitic statements and racist remarks directed at white people. His antisemitic statements and views have been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL),[8][7] and other organizations.[9] Farrakhan's views and remarks have also been called homophobic.[10] He has denied assertions that he is antisemitic, racist, or anti-gay.[11][12][13] Farrakhan was banned from Facebook in 2019 along with other public figures Meta considered to be extremists.[14][15]

Early life and education

Farrakhan, who is Black,[16] was born Louis Eugene Walcott on May 11, 1933 in The Bronx, New York City.[1] He is the younger of two sons of Sarah Mae Manning (1900–1988) and Percival Clark, immigrants from the Anglo-Caribbean islands. His mother was born in Saint Kitts, while his father was Jamaican. The couple separated before their second son was born, and Walcott says he never knew his biological father.[17] Walcott was named after Louis Walcott, a man with whom his mother had a relationship after becoming separated from Percival Clark.[1] In a 1996 interview with Henry Louis Gates Jr., Walcott speculated that Percival Clark, "a light-skinned man with straight hair from Jamaica", may have been Jewish.[18][19]

After Walcott's stepfather died in 1936, the Walcott family moved to Boston, where they settled in the largely African-American neighborhood of Roxbury.[17]

Walcott received his first violin at the age of five. By the time he was 12 years old, he had been on tour with the Boston College Orchestra.[17][20] A year later, he participated in national competitions and won them. In 1946, he was one of the first black performers to appear on the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour,[20] where he also won an award. Walcott and his family were active members of the Episcopal St. Cyprian's Church in Roxbury.[17]

Walcott attended the Boston Latin School, and later attended and graduated from the English High School.[21] He completed three years at Winston-Salem Teachers College, where he had a track scholarship.[20]

Khadijah and Louis Farrakhan, 1996

In 1953, Walcott married Betsy Ross (later known as Khadijah Farrakhan) while he was in college.[22] Due to complications from his new wife's first pregnancy, Walcott dropped out after completing his junior year of college to devote time to his wife and their child.[1][23]

Music career

In the 1950s, Walcott began his professional music career as a singer billed as "The Charmer". It was during a tour in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that he took this nickname.[24] At this point, earning $500 a week, Walcott was touring the northeastern and midwestern United States, sometimes also using the nickname "Calypso Gene".[25] In 1953–1954, preceding Harry Belafonte's success with his album Calypso (released in 1956), he recorded and released a dozen cheeky, funny tunes as "The Charmer" in a mixed mento/calypso style, including "Ugly Woman", "Stone Cold Man" and calypso standards like "Zombie Jamboree", "Hol 'Em Joe", "Mary Ann" and "Brown Skin Girl". Some were reissued: "Don't Touch Me Nylon" has mild, explicit sexual lyrics as well as "Female Boxer", which contains some sexist overtones[26] and "Is She Is, Or Is She Ain't" (inspired by Christine Jorgensen's sex change operation).[27]

When Farrakhan first joined the NOI, he was asked by Elijah Muhammad to put aside his musical career as a calypso singer.[28] After many years, Farrakhan decided to take up the violin once more primarily due to the urging of prominent classical musician Sylvia Olden Lee.[29]

On April 17, 1993, Farrakhan made his return concert debut with performances of the Violin Concerto in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn. Farrakhan intimated that his performance of a concerto by a Jewish composer was, in part, an effort to heal a rift between him and the Jewish community. (Mendelssohn's family converted to Christianity).[20] The New York Times music critic Bernard Holland reported that Farrakhan's performance was somewhat flawed due to years of neglect, but "nonetheless Mr. Farrakhan's sound is that of the authentic player. It is wide, deep and full of the energy that makes the violin gleam."[20]'

In 2021, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Farrakhan performed Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61 with the New World Symphony.[30]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Farrakhan

Inside the Abandoned Babylon That Saddam Hussein Built

“If I could, I would go without shoes here, because it’s a holy place,” says a guide to the ancient site.

by Pesha Magid

December 2, 2019

Inside the Abandoned Babylon That Saddam Hussein Built

Outside the gates of Babylon is a vast maze.

Outside the gates of Babylon is a vast maze. Pesha Magid

Meky Mohamed Farhoud grew up in a small village called Qawarish on the edge of the Tigris River, among pomegranate, orange, and date trees. The village is just steps away from the ruins of ancient Babylon, the Mesopotamian kingdom that Hammurabi helped build into one of the world’s largest cities. As a child, Farhoud played soccer in fields studded with ceramic shards and bricks from long ago. “I had a golden childhood,” he says.

But Qawarish’s famed location ultimately doomed it. In the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein became obsessed with the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar, who is notorious for waging bloody wars to seize large swaths of current-day Iran and Israel. Saddam saw himself as a modern reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, and to prove it, he spent millions building a massive reconstruction of Babylon.

Saddam wanted a palace to overlook his works, and Qawarish had the unfortunate luck of standing in the perfect location. In 1986, Saddam’s workers blasted away Farhoud’s village and built an artificial hill in its place. Today, Saddam’s palace upon a hill stands on the same site where Farhoud went to school; from it, you can see reconstructed walls and mazes with perfect clarity. That beautiful view came at an immense cost. “I cried,” remembers Farhoud. “At that time, I felt like the village was a member of my family. I loved it.”

Nowadays, Farhoud waits daily outside the entrance to Babylon, where he works as a tour guide for hundreds of visitors from all over the globe. The gate, made from bright-blue bricks and polished off with a gold overlay, looks like it could have been transplanted from Vegas, or Disneyland*. Farhoud is now in his mid-50s, with a face worn by 25 years of working under the unforgiving sun. He has seen Babylon transform from an archeological site to the jewel of Saddam’s vanity projects—and then to an occupied territory under the Americans. Today, it seems to fall between picnic site and abandoned theme park. Teenagers wander among Saddam-era walls and Nebuchadnezzar-era bricks. They smoke cigarettes, steal kisses, and blast music from their speakers. The site belongs to a new generation now.

The ruins of Babylon, also known as Babel, date back over 3,000 years. The world’s first-known civil code was written here; Alexander the Great died here; countless Bible stories take place here. It holds an imagined as well as real presence in many people’s minds, which may be why so many rulers have tried to build their dreams here.

When Saddam invaded Iran in 1980, the country was still reeling from the 1979 revolution, and he believed a few weeks of fighting would solidify his position as the leader of a unified pan-Arabist dream. It proved to be one of the greatest political errors of his career. Farhoud, like many other Iraqis, was conscripted. Within a few years, Iran had not only retaken its territory, but also launched an offensive against Iraq. By 1983, the pan-Arabist dream was drawing thin. The war showed no sign of ending, and Iraqis did not understand why they were fighting in a conflict they never asked for.

To fuel support for the battle, Saddam turned increasingly turned to grand nationalist building projects. That was when he ordered the reconstruction of Babylon.

“Babylon is neither Islamic nor Arab—it is obviously deeply pre-Islamic,” says says Kanan Makiya, an Iraqi author and professor at Brandeis University who has written a book on Saddam’s building projects. “In celebrating Babylon and reconstructing the city of Babylon, what one is doing is essentially calling upon the idea of Iraq—not the idea of Arabism, or the idea of Baghdad as the spearhead of a new pan-Arabism in the region, or Islamism, but Iraq.”

Saddam siphoned millions into the rebuilding, and pushed to have the reconstruction built on the foundations of the original site. The project was not only nationalistic, but also narcissistic. “There was megalomania involved in that,” says Makiya. “Saddam wanted every Iraqi to know that he rebuilt Babylon. The point is that it’s not just an archaeological reconstruction of the city of Babylon for the sake of science and history and the past. It’s an idealization of that history for the purposes of the cementing of the legitimacy of the regime’s presence.”

His palace at Babylon is the clearest example of his hubris. It’s carved with Arabic calligraphy that at first glance resembles religious iconography, but upon closer appraisal reveals itself to be Saddam Hussein’s initials. Brutalist, hyper-realist reliefs depict him leading soldiers on the battlefield; the ceilings are painted with symbols of Iraqi civilization, ranging from Babylonian lions to towers that Saddam built in Baghdad.

When Saddam heard that Nebuchadnezzar had stamped the bricks of ancient Babylon with his name and titles, he ordered that the reconstruction mimic this practice. To this day, in the maze behind the Southern Palace, scores of bricks are stamped with a declaration: “In the reign of the victorious Saddam Hussein, the president of the Republic, may God keep him the guardian of the great Iraq and the renovator of its renaissance and the builder of its great civilization, the rebuilding of the great city of Babylon was done in 1987.”

The war killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers. When it ended in 1988, under a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations, Farhoud returned to a totally different Babylon than the one he remembered. Looking at the bright new cement bricks, he was aghast. “Saddam wanted to be like a king,” he says. “The building was not right.”

But Farhoud still loved Babylon. It was still the place where his father and grandfather had worked before him. He took up his job as a tour guide and welcomed crowds of Iraqi tourists, who marveled at what Saddam had built.

When President Bush ordered U.S. forces to invade Iraq in 2003, they occupied Babylon and turned Saddam’s castle into their command center. Their graffiti remains on the walls: notes of longing about faraway loved ones, reminders of soldierly protocol. The military also caused immense damage to the site, looting precious artifacts and running tanks over ancient ruins. Farhoud remembers that time with fury. “I would not sell a single piece for a $1,000,” he says, “Babel is more precious to me to me than my children.”

Visitors walk through the graffiti-painted halls of the palace at Babylon, built by Iraqi former President Saddam Hussein.

Visitors walk through the graffiti-painted halls of the palace at Babylon, built by Iraqi former President Saddam Hussein. Ameer Al Mohammedaw/Getty Images

Farhoud says that the U.S. military arrested him in a broad sweep of Iraqi civilians and held him for two weeks in a sunless room. “I don’t remember the number of days in prison. I suffered from torture and I still feel pain today in my chest, because of the beatings from the Polish and American soldiers,” he says. Poland was one of only three nations whose soldiers joined U.S. forces in Iraq, as part of the so-called “coalition of the willing.”

But Farhoud doesn’t like to remember those days. Instead, he likes to tell stories of good days in Babylon. He met his wife within its walls, when she came for a visit in 1999. She was taking a tour with her family, and he says that as soon as he saw her, his heart started beating quickly and he knew he wanted to become close to her. His daughters, inspired by the site, are now studying archaeology and history at the University of Babylon. He loves Babylon with a fervor that burns through any dark memories he has of the place. “If I could, I would go without shoes here, because it’s a holy place,” he says.

A man stands in front of a window in Saddam's abandoned palace.

A man stands in front of a window in Saddam’s abandoned palace. Pesha Magid

Over 15 years after Saddam’s fall from power, his palatial tribute to the emperor has become a ghostly shell. Broken glass and graffiti are scattered through the once-grand palace halls. Teenagers and families smoke shisha and listen to music on Saddam’s vast balconies, overlooking the mind-boggling spread of Babylon.

From a balcony, Farhoud points out his favorite grove of date trees. He tells the story of the time he met Saddam in an entrance hall. He points out how the southern walls were constructed to confuse invaders. For all of the painful memories, he loves the city with naked affection. “I love Babel, and feel that Babel is like my father, mother, wife, brother, and sister,” he says.

In front of him stretches a vast maze, its walls engraved with the name of the ruler who once cast a shadow over this land–a man with the power to twist Farhoud’s home into a grand palace. He still loves this place. Its history is a poignant reminder that nothing built by men can last forever.

* Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Cinderella Castle is part of Disneyland. It is part of Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/babylon-iraq-saddam-hussein

Trajan's province

As soon as Trajan died, however, his successor Hadrian (r. 117–138) relinquished his conquests east of the Euphrates river, which became again the Roman Empire's eastern boundary.[3][4]

Severus's province

Lucius Verus's campaign

Year of the Five Emperors

Reconquest by Severus

Border conflict

Map showing the Mesopotamia province

Diocletianic-Constantinian reorganization

Under the reforms of Diocletian (r. 284–305) and Constantine I (r. 306–337), it became part of the Diocese of the East, which in turn was subordinated to the praetorian prefecture of the East.

Map of Roman military stations in Mesopotamia from a 1436 manuscript

Late Roman/Early Byzantine Mesopotamia

Not to be confused with Mesopotamia (theme).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia_(Roman_province)

THE CONFLICT: PRIORY OF SION VERSUS KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zCd0nFuvnM4OYWuVW5QUBCpsTfBv5bYx/view?usp=sharing

The Song dynasty (/sʊŋ/ SUUNG) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song often came into conflict with the contemporaneous Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties in northern China. After retreating to southern China following attacks by the Jin dynasty, the Song was eventually conquered by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_dynasty

A famous Jesuit General Michael Angelo Tambourini once boasted, in 1720, to the Duke of Brissac: " See, My Grace [my Lord], from this room, I govern not only Paris, but China; not only China, but the whole world, without anyone knowing how it is managed."

"Andrew Steinmetz, History of the Jesuits, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lea and Blanchard Publ.,/New York: Richard Bentley, 1848), pp.107, 168-169; see also, Constitution of the Jesuits, edited by Paris Paulin (1843); Eugene Sue (Marie Joseph), The Wandering Jew, (London: Chapman and Hall, 1844/ New York; Harper & Brothers,, 1845), Bk I, Chap. XV, P. 183; see also, p. 618, and Bk. II, p. 21; Abrige de I'Hist. Eccles. de Racine, Chap. xii. P. 77." page 129 Chapter XII "Unhesitating Obedience: The General And The Holy Office" Codeword Barbelon book One by P.D. Stuart

"Steinmetz was fourteen years a Jesuit; see also, Constitutions of the Jesuits, ed. by P. Paulin (1843); Morale Pratique Des Jesuites: Histoire De La Persecution De deux Saints, Vol. I (Cologne, 1669), pp. 50 and 51." "Epilogue-For Such A Time As This"

Pope Francis Lord of the World

by P.D. Stuart

Chaldean Catholic Church

Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ

Interior of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baghdad, Iraq

Type Particular church (sui iuris)

Classification Christian

Orientation

Eastern Catholic

Syriac

Scripture Peshitta[1]

Theology Catholic theology

Governance Holy Synod of the Chaldean Church[2]

Pope Leo XIV

Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako

Region Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon; diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia

Language Liturgical: Syriac[3]

Liturgy East Syriac Rite

Headquarters Cathedral of Mary Mother of Sorrows, Baghdad, Iraq

Founder Traditionally traced to Thomas the Apostle via Addai and Mari; established in 1552 under Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa

Origin 1552

Ottoman Iraq

Separated from Church of the East

Members 616,639 (2018)[4]

Other name Chaldean Patriarchate

Official website chaldeanpatriarchate.com

The Chaldean Catholic Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĒdtā Kalḏāytā Qāṯōlīqāytā; الكنيسة الكلدانية, al-Kanīsa al-Kaldāniyya; Latin: Ecclesia Chaldaeorum Catholica) is an Eastern Catholic particular church (sui iuris) in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholic Church. It uses the East Syriac Rite in the Syriac language and forms part of the Syriac tradition.

The church is headed by the patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, currently Louis Raphaël I Sako, and is based in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows in Baghdad, Iraq. As of 2018, it counted approximately 616,639 members globally, with most residing in Iraq and significant diasporic communities in North America, Europe, and Australia.[4]

The Chaldean Catholic Church emerged following the Schism of 1552, when a faction of the Church of the East sought to restore communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was elected patriarch and traveled to Rome, where Pope Julius III confirmed his position in 1553.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldean_Catholic_Church

9. Interprovincial Works and Houses in Rome

304 §1. In the spirit of our fourth vow, the Society confirms its commitment to the interprovincial Roman works entrusted to it by the Holy See: the Pontifical Gregorian University and its associated institutes, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, as well as the Pontifical Russicum College, the Vatican Radio, and the Vatican Observatory, all of which are common works of the whole Society, placed directly under the superior general. Recognizing the very valuable service that these institutions have offered and continue to offer today, it calls upon major superiors who share Father General s responsibility for them to continue their help through subsidies and especially by training and offering professors and other personnel to them.

§2. Also recommended to the care of all the provinces are those other works or houses in Rome that render a service to the entire Society, such as the Historical Institute of the Society of Jesus and the international colleges of the Society in Rome.[142]

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

Kim Jong Un[d] (born 8 January 1982, 1983 or 1984)[b] is a North Korean politician and dictator who has been the third supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012.[e] He is the third son of Kim Jong Il, who was the second supreme leader of North Korea, and a grandson of Kim Il Sung, the founder and first supreme leader of the country.

From late 2010, Kim was viewed as the successor to the North Korean leadership. Following his father's death in December 2011, state television announced Kim as the "great successor to the revolutionary cause". Kim holds the titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs. He is also a member of the Presidium of the WPK Politburo, the highest decision-making body in the country. In July 2012, Kim was promoted to the highest rank of marshal in the Korean People's Army, consolidating his positions as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. North Korean state media often refer to him as "Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un" or "Marshal Kim Jong Un". He has promoted the policy of byungjin, similar to Kim Il Sung's policy from the 1960s, referring to the simultaneous development of both the economy and the country's nuclear weapons program. He has also revived the structures of the WPK, expanding the party's power at the expense of the military leadership.

Kim Jong Un rules North Korea as a totalitarian dictatorship, and his leadership has followed the same cult of personality as his father and grandfather. In 2014, a United Nations Human Rights Council report suggested that Kim could be put on trial for crimes against humanity. According to reports, he has ordered the purge and execution of several North Korean officials including his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, in 2013. He is also widely believed to have ordered the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in Malaysia in 2017. He has presided over an expansion of the consumer economy, construction projects and tourist attractions in North Korea.

Kim expanded the country's nuclear weapons program, which led to heightened tensions with the United States and South Korea, as well as China. In 2018 and 2019, Kim took part in summits with South Korean president Moon Jae-in and U.S. president Donald Trump, leading to a brief thaw between North Korea and the two countries, though the negotiations ultimately broke down without progress on reunification of Korea or nuclear disarmament. He has claimed success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, as the country did not report any confirmed cases until May 2022, although several independent observers have questioned this claim. Under his rule, North Korean soldiers have been deployed under Russian command in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Early life

North Korean authorities and state-run media have stated that Kim Jong Un was born on 8 January 1982,[4] but South Korean intelligence officials believe that the actual date is a year later, in 1983.[5] The US government lists his birth year as 1984, based on the passport he used while studying in Switzerland.[6] Ko Yong Suk, Kim's aunt who defected to the United States in 1997 also confirmed the 1984 birthdate, claiming that Kim was the same age as her own son who was a playmate from a young age.[7] It is thought that Kim's official birth year was changed for symbolic reasons; 1982 marked the seventieth birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, and forty years after the official birth of his father Kim Jong Il.[8]

Kim Jong Un is the second of three children of Ko Yong Hui and Kim Jong Il; his elder brother, Kim Jong Chul, was born in 1981, while his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, is believed to have been born in 1987.[9][10] He is a grandson of Kim Il Sung, who was the founder of and led North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.[11] Kim is the first leader of North Korea to have been born a North Korean citizen, his father having been born in the Soviet Union and his grandfather having been born during the Japanese colonial period.

All of Kim Jong Il's children are said to have lived in Switzerland, as well as the mother of the two youngest sons, who lived in Geneva for some time.[12] First reports said that Kim Jong Un attended the private International School of Berne in Gümligen in Switzerland under the name "Chol-pak" or "Pak-chol" from 1993 to 1998.[13][14] He was described as shy, a good student who got along well with his classmates, and was a basketball fan.[15] He was chaperoned by an older student, thought to be his bodyguard.[16] His elder brother Kim Jong Chul also attended the school with him.[17]

The Liebefeld-Steinhölzli public school in Köniz, Switzerland, reportedly attended by Kim Jong Un

Later, it was reported that Kim Jong Un attended the Liebefeld Steinhölzli state school in Köniz, near Bern, under the name "Pak-un" or "Un-pak" from 1998 until 2000 as the son of an employee of the North Korean embassy in Bern. Authorities confirmed that a North Korean student attended the school during that period. Kim first attended a special class for foreign-language children and later attended the regular classes of the 6th, 7th, 8th and part of the final 9th year, leaving the school abruptly in the autumn of 2000. He was described as a well-integrated and ambitious student who liked to play basketball.[18] However, his grades and attendance rating are reported to have been poor.[19][20] The ambassador of North Korea in Switzerland, Ri Chol, had a close relationship with him and acted as a mentor.[12] One of Kim's classmates told reporters that he had told him that he was the son of the leader of North Korea.[21][22] According to some reports, Kim was described by classmates as a shy child who was awkward with girls and indifferent to political issues, but who distinguished himself in sports and had a fascination with the American National Basketball Association and Michael Jordan. One friend claimed that he had been shown pictures of Kim with Kobe Bryant and Toni Kukoč.[23]

In April 2012, new documents came to light indicating that Kim Jong Un had lived in Switzerland since 1991 or 1992, earlier than previously thought.[24]

The Laboratory of Anatomic Anthropology at the University of Lyon, France, compared the picture of Kim taken at the Liebefeld Steinhölzli school in 1999 with a picture of Kim Jong Un from 2012 and concluded that the faces show a conformity of 95%, suggesting that it is most likely that they are the same person.[25]

The Washington Post reported in 2009 that Kim Jong Un's school friends recalled he "spent hours doing meticulous pencil drawings of Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan".[26] He was obsessed with basketball and computer games,[23][27][28] and was a fan of Jackie Chan action movies.[29]

Most analysts agree that Kim Jong Un attended Kim Il Sung University, a leading officer-training school in Pyongyang, from 2002 to 2007.[30] Kim obtained two degrees, one in physics at Kim Il Sung University and another as an Army officer at the Kim Il Sung Military University.[31][32]

In late February 2018, Reuters reported that Kim and his father had used forged passports—supposedly issued by Brazil and dated 26 February 1996—to apply for visas in various countries. Both 10-year passports carry a stamp saying "Embassy of Brazil in Prague". Kim Jong Un's passport records the name "Josef Pwag" and a date of birth of 1 February 1983.[33]

For many years, only one confirmed photograph of him was known to exist outside North Korea, apparently taken in the mid-1990s, when he was eleven.[34] Occasionally, other supposed images of him surfaced but were often disputed.[35][36] It was only in June 2010, shortly before he was given official posts and publicly introduced to the North Korean people, that more pictures were released of Kim, taken when he was attending school in Switzerland.[37][38] The first official image of him as an adult was a group photograph released on 30 September 2010, at the end of the party conference that effectively anointed him, in which he is seated in the front row, two places from his father. This was followed by newsreel footage of him attending the conference.[39]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong_Un

Switzerland - The Oligarchy Strongbox

During the course of nine months, from September 1814 to June 1815, the crowned heads and their renowned diplomats had redrawn the map of Europe. They were not, however, secure in what they had accomplished. Although they scorned the theories of democratic government and opposed the doctrines of national self-determination, they feared the principles of the French Revolution. Not only had the Revolution endangered their sovereignty, it had compromised their wealth as well. The final agenda at the Congress was to remedy that problem.

The House of Rothschild had in the past played a significant role in the transport and protection of royalty's wealth, but in 1815 their banks were not in neutral nations. A nonpartisan location was needed to satisfy all parties. Austria was not acceptable. Moreover, the Merovingians were insecure in their remote headquarters in Vienna. Should the Templar Republicans revive, territory closer to the French border was more desirable for intelligence gathering. Switzerland had proven its strategic worth earlier. When the Big Four were closing in on Napoleon, Metternich had shifted Austrian imperial headquarters from Vienna to Freiburg, Switzerland, to better organize at close range his defense against the Corsican.66 Hence, the decision was made at the Congress of Vienna to create Switzerland as a bank with an army attached.67 Should the revolutions ever again regain momentum, and royalty be exiled from their respective lands, neutral Switzerland would protect them, as well as supply them with ample funds to live several lifetimes in luxury.

England, not hampered by the fears of the Venetian oligarchy and determined to safeguard her commercial and colonial interests, was fully agreed to ratify the neutrality of Switzerland. Before any financial moves were made, however, London required Swiss Grand Orients closed and replaced with Swiss Grand Lodges with English obedience. Only then would England cooperate.

In Paris on November 20, 1815, Switzerland's neutrality was guaranteed by France, Austria, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia. A century later, in 1919, at the Treaty of Versailles, neutrality was again confirmed. In 1920 the League of Nations acknowledged Switzerland as "conditioned by a centuries-old tradition explicitly incorporated in international law."68 The tradition of Swiss neutrality was again upheld from 1935 to 1945 - even while war raged around its borders.

The Congress of Vienna adjourned on June 18, 1815. Two days earlier Napoleon had been defeated at Waterloo. Over the next few decades the oligarchy's Grail bloodline moved their financial headquarters from Vienna to Zurich, Switzerland. Immediately they went to work absorbing the French Grand Orient Lodges, placing them under English Masonic obedience. Thirty-second degree Mason A.E. Waite, in A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, gives us a century of history concerning the Masonic maneuvers in Switzerland. He reports that Swiss Freemasonry was founded by the British as early as 1736. In 1775 the Swiss lodges transferred their allegiance from English Masonry to the German Strict Observance. Under Napoleon the French Grand Orient invaded Switzerland, and a certain number of existing lodges came under its obedience. Geneva was ceded to France during the wars of Napoleon, and Swiss Masonry then became an appendage of the French Grand Orient. In 1818, as demanded by London, English Masonic obedience began to replace the Grand Orients, except in Geneva where the aristocracy permitted one Grand Orient Lodge to function.69

By 1844 fourteen lodges in Switzerland had united under English obedience, agreed to a Grand Lodge Constitution, and organized the Grand Lodge Alpina in Zurich.70 Within a few decades Alpina headquarters moved to Geneva, next to its Grand Orient rival. From these two lodges, both within a neutral nation, both headquartered in the same city, Scarlet and the Beast would continue to plot their separate intrigues to dominate the world. From Geneva both the right wing and the left wing revolutions would spread over the face of the earth. In Geneva both would unite a century later.

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

The Pontifical Swiss Guard,[note 1] also known as the Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard,[3] is an armed forces, guard of honour, and protective security unit, maintained by the Holy See to protect the Pope and the Apostolic Palace within the territory of the Vatican City State. Established in 1506 under Pope Julius II, it is among the oldest military units in continuous operation[4] and is sometimes called "the world's smallest army".[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Guard

Lieutenant Harry S.L. Kim was a Human Starfleet officer who served as the operations officer aboard the starship USS Voyager during the seven years it was lost in the Delta Quadrant and, in the 2380s, he served as a tactical officer aboard the USS Dauntless. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Non Sequitur", "The Disease", "Warhead", "Nightingale": PRO: "Supernova, Part 1")

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Harry_Kim

Operation Warp Speed (OWS) was a public–private partnership initiated by the United States government to facilitate and accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.[1][2] The first news report of Operation Warp Speed was on April 29, 2020,[3][4][5] and the program was officially announced on May 15, 2020.[1] It was headed by Moncef Slaoui from May 2020 to January 2021 and by David A. Kessler from January to February 2021.[6] At the end of February 2021, Operation Warp Speed was transferred into the responsibilities of the White House COVID-19 Response Team.[7]

The program promoted mass production of multiple vaccines, and different types of vaccine technologies, based on preliminary evidence, allowing for faster distribution if clinical trials confirm one of the vaccines is safe and effective.[citation needed] The plan anticipated that some of these vaccines will not prove safe or effective, making the program more costly than typical vaccine development, but potentially leading to the availability of a viable vaccine several months earlier than typical timelines.[8]

Operation Warp Speed, initially funded with about $10 billion from the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) passed by the United States Congress on March 27, 2020,[1] was an interagency program that includes components of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); the Department of Defense; private firms; and other federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.[1]

History

President Donald Trump formally announced Operation Warp Speed on May 15, 2020, in the White House Rose Garden.

On May 15, 2020, President Donald Trump officially announced the public-private partnership.[4][1][9] The purpose of Operation Warp Speed was to coordinate Health and Human Services-wide efforts, including the NIH ACTIV partnership for vaccine and therapeutic development, the NIH RADx initiative for diagnostic development, and work by BARDA.[1]

Operation Warp Speed was formed to encourage private and public partnerships to enable faster approval and production of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The name was inspired by terminology for faster-than-light travel used in the Star Trek fictional universe, evoking a sense of rapid progress.[10][11]

The Food and Drug Administration announced on June 30, 2020, that a vaccine would need to be at least 50% effective for diminishing the severity of COVID-19 symptoms to obtain regulatory and marketing approval.[12]

In January 2021, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced that the program was expected to undergo a restructure and renaming under the Biden administration.[13][14] Also in January 2021, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, former Operation Warp Speed lead, was told not to use the name Operation Warp Speed anymore.[15] At the end of February 2021, responsibilities of Operation Warp Speed were transferred into the White House COVID-19 Response Team.[7][16]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Warp_Speed

The CORONA [1] program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force. The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORONA_(satellite)

Covid origins: Chinese scientists publish long-awaited data Published 7 April

By Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News

A research team in China has published analysis of samples taken more than three years ago from the market linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The Huanan seafood and wildlife market has been a focal point in the search for the origin of the coronavirus. But this is the first peer-reviewed study of biological evidence gathered from the market back in 2020. By linking the virus with animals sold in the market, it could open new lines of inquiry into how the outbreak began. The research reveals swabs that tested positive for the virus also contained genetic material from wild animals. Some scientists say this is further evidence that the disease was initially transmitted from an infected animal to a human. But others have urged caution in interpreting the findings and it remains unclear why it took three years for the genetic content of the samples to be made public. Another theory has centred on the suggestion that the virus accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. No definitive proof The Chinese research team posted an early version of their study online back in February 2022, but they did not publish the full genetic information that was contained in the samples gathered from the market. In March this year, another international group of researchers shared their own assessment of what those crucial market swabs had revealed, after spotting that the genetic sequences had been posted on a scientific data-sharing website. This new analysis, which has been validated by other scientists before being published in the journal Nature, includes more important detail about the content of those samples, which were collected from stalls, surfaces, cages and machinery inside the market. The Chinese research team's paper showed that some samples - collected from areas where wildlife was being sold - had tested positive for the virus. Their analysis also showed that animals now known to be susceptible to the virus, particularly raccoon dogs, were being sold alive in those locations. But the Chinese researchers have pointed out that their discoveries fall short of definitive proof of how the outbreak started. "These environmental samples cannot prove that the animals were infected," the paper explains. The possibility remains, it adds, that the virus was brought into the market by an infected person, rather than an animal. Prof David Robertson, from the University of Glasgow, is a virologist who has been involved in the genetic investigation into the origin of SARS-CoV-2 since it emerged in 2020. He told BBC News: "The most important thing is that this very important dataset is now published and available for others to work on." But he added that the contents of the samples were "compelling evidence that animals there were probably infected with the virus". "It's the whole body of evidence that's important," he said. "When you bring this together with the fact that the early Covid-19 cases in Wuhan are linked to the market, it's strong evidence that this is where a spillover from an animal in the market occurred." The published findings come amid signs that the lab leak theory is gaining ground among authorities in the US. The Chinese government has strenuously denied suggestions that the virus originated in a scientific facility, but the FBI said it now believes that scenario is the "most likely", as does the US Department of Energy. Various US departments and agencies have investigated the mystery and produced differing conclusions, but on 1 March the FBI's director accused Beijing of "doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate", and disclosed the bureau had been convinced of the lab leak theory "for quite some time now". The FBI has not made their findings public, which has frustrated some scientists. The lead researcher of the new report, from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) in Beijing, has been contacted by the BBC for comment."

Covid origins: Chinese scientists publish long-awaited data - BBC News

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65204169

Crown Plaza - Chinese restaurant 1 Tiyuguan Rd Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei China 430071

"Nowadays, everyone is aware of the word “corona” in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. “Corona” is a Latin word which means “crown or garland”. Coronaviruses have a crown or halo-like appearance of their envelope glycoproteins.[1] Few body structures and dermatoses also share the name corona. This article summarises all such structures and diseases." Coronavirus is Not the Only Corona We Know in Dermatology - PMC (nih.gov)

East Lake High-tech Zone is short for Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone, which is also known as Optics Valley of China (OVC). East Lake High-tech Zone was founded in 1988 and was approved by the State Council in succession as one of the first national high-tech zones, the second National Innovation Demonstration Zone, the China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone – Wuhan Area and the core area for the Hubei Cross-Straits Industrial Cooperation Zone. Optics Valley has also been recognized as a National Optoelectronic Information Industrial Base, a National Bio-industry Base, a talent base for central SOEs, a National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Demonstration Base, as well as a National Memory Base.

http://www.chinaopticsvalley.com/2021-03/23/c_631197.htm

La tiara papal es una triple corona que fue usada por los papas, líderes de la Iglesia católica, desde el siglo VIII hasta el XX. Fue utilizada por última vez por el papa Pablo VI.

El término «tiara» se refiere a la totalidad de la pieza, sin importar cuántas coronas o diademas la hubieran adornado a través de los siglos,[1][2] mientras que su forma de tres niveles, que fue ideada en el siglo XIV, es también llamada triregnum[3][4] «triple tiara»[5][6][7] o «triple corona».[8]

De 1143 a 1963, la tiara papal se colocó solemnemente en la cabeza del papa durante su ceremonia de coronación. Las tiaras papales supervivientes poseen todas el triregnum, siendo la más antigua la de 1572, y el resto no anteriores al año 1800.

Una representación del triregnum, combinada con las dos llaves cruzadas de San Pedro, continúa siendo utilizada como un símbolo del papado y aparece en sus documentos, edificios e insignias.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiara_papal

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid02Ayc1npvLmJQZ5VzzcBQ6EDe2S7uzRSBFXDXAnptSVeisjhGxw5WE2WQNUVPfvuqDl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

Electoral system

Main article: United States Electoral College

See also: United States presidential primary and Primary elections in the United States

The president and vice president of the United States are elected through the Electoral College, determined by the number of senators and representatives with an additional three representatives for Washington, D.C. A majority of 270 votes is needed to win the election. Forty-eight states use a winner-take-all system, in which states award all of their electors to the winner of the popular vote. In Maine and Nebraska, two votes are allocated to the winner of the popular vote, while each of the individual congressional districts have one vote. Electoral votes are certified by state electors in December and by Congress on January 6.[12] Presidential candidates are selected in a presidential primary, conducted through primary elections run by state governments or caucuses run by state parties which bind convention delegates to candidates.[13] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[14] or when a candidate withdraws.[15]

Election Day in the United States has been held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[16] Previously, states could determine their own Election Day prior to the first Wednesday in December. The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.[17]

Eligibility

The United States Constitution limits occupancy of the presidency to individuals who are at least thirty-five, who have been a resident in the United States for at least fourteen years, and who are a natural-born citizen.[18] Section three of the Fourteenth Amendment prevents current and former federal, state, and military officials from holding office—including the presidency—if they have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the United States;[19] in March 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that former president Donald Trump could seek office after challenges to his ballot eligibility were raised by several state attorneys general.[20] A convicted felon may serve as president.[21] Elon Musk, who emerged as a political influencer in the 2024 presidential election, is ineligible to serve as president as he was born in South Africa and is a naturalized citizen.[22]

Trump is ineligible to be elected to a third term, as the Twenty-Second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice.[23] Nonetheless, he has repeatedly suggested running for a third term, an idea supported by several of his allies, including Steve Bannon.[24] In January 2025, Tennessee representative Andy Ogles proposed a resolution to amend the Twenty-Second Amendment, allowing for presidents who have served two non-consecutive terms to seek a third term. The verbiage of the amendment would prevent living presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, all currently ineligible under the 22nd Amendment, from running for a third term.[25] At CPAC 2025, conservative groups, such as the Third Term Project, supported the Ogles resolution and promoted the idea of Trump running for an as-yet unconstitutional third term.[26][27] In response, New York Democratic representative Dan Goldman planned to introduce a resolution affirming the Twenty-Second Amendment.[28]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

Kamala Devi Harris (English: /ˈkɑːmələ ˈdeɪvi/ ⓘ,[1] born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who has been the 49th and current vice president of the United States since 2021, serving under President Joe Biden. Harris is the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 United States presidential election. She is the first female vice president of the United States, making her the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history. She is also the first African American and first Asian American vice president. From 2017 to 2021, she represented California in the United States Senate. Before that, she was Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017.

Born in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her law career in the office of the district attorney of Alameda County. She was recruited to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office and later to the office of the city attorney of San Francisco. She was elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2003 and attorney general of California in 2010, and reelected as attorney general in 2014. As the San Francisco district attorney and the attorney general of California, Harris was the first woman, the first African American, and the first Asian American to hold each office.

Harris was the junior U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021. She won the 2016 Senate election, becoming the second Black woman and first South Asian American U.S. senator. As a senator, Harris advocated for stricter gun control laws, the DREAM Act, federal legalization of cannabis, and reforms to healthcare and taxation. She gained a national profile for her pointed questioning of Trump administration officials during Senate hearings, including Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.

Harris sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, but withdrew from the race before the primaries. Biden selected her as his running mate, and their ticket defeated the incumbent president and vice president, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, in the 2020 election. Presiding over an evenly split Senate upon entering office, Harris played a crucial role as president of the Senate. She cast more tie-breaking votes than any other vice president, which helped pass bills such as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 stimulus package and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. After Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election, Harris launched her campaign with Biden's endorsement and soon became the presumptive nominee. On August 6, 2024, she chose Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, as her running mate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (abbreviated as UC Law SF or UC Law) is a public law school in San Francisco, California, United States. It was known as the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (abbreviated as UC Hastings) from 1878 to 2023.

Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Law SF was the first law school of the University of California as well as one of the first law schools established in California. Although part of the University of California, UC Law SF is not directly governed by the Regents of the University of California. UC Law SF is also one of the few prominent university-affiliated law schools in the United States that does not share a campus with the university's undergraduates or other postgraduate programs.

The Battle of Hastings (1066) as depicted on a stained glass window over the main entrance of 100 McAllister Street.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California_College_of_the_Law,_San_Francisco

The Battle of Hastings[a] was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 mi (11 km) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

The background to the battle was the death of the childless King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, which set up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne. Harold was crowned king shortly after Edward's death but faced invasions by William, his own brother Tostig, and the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada (Harold III of Norway). Hardrada and Tostig defeated a hastily gathered army of Englishmen at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066. They were in turn defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. The deaths of Tostig and Hardrada at Stamford Bridge left William as Harold's only serious opponent. While Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England at Pevensey on 28 September and established a beachhead for his conquest of the kingdom. Harold was forced to march south swiftly, gathering forces as he went.

The numbers present at the battle are unknown as even modern estimates vary considerably. The composition of the forces is clearer: the English army was composed almost entirely of infantry and had few archers, whereas only about half of the invading force was infantry, the rest split equally between cavalry and archers. Harold appears to have tried to surprise William, but scouts found his army and reported its arrival to William, who marched from Hastings to the battlefield to confront Harold. The battle lasted from about 9 am to dusk. Early efforts of the invaders to break the English battle lines had little effect. Therefore, the Normans adopted the tactic of pretending to flee in panic and then turning on their pursuers. Harold's death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army. After further marching and some skirmishes, William was crowned as king on Christmas Day 1066.

There continued to be rebellions and resistance to William's rule, but Hastings effectively marked the culmination of William's conquest of England. Casualty figures are difficult to assess, but some historians estimate that 2,000 invaders died along with about twice that number of Englishmen. William founded a monastery at the site of the battle, the high altar of the abbey church supposedly placed at the spot where Harold died.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings

Spitfire is the third album by American rock band Jefferson Starship. Released in 1976, a year after the chart-topping Red Octopus, it quickly scaled the charts, peaking for six consecutive weeks at No. 3 in Billboard and attaining an RIAA platinum certification. Stereo and quadraphonic mixes of the album were released.

Background

By early 1976, Jefferson Starship had become one of America's biggest rock bands thanks to the multiplatinum success of 1975's Red Octopus and its smash hit "Miracles". They were playing arenas and stadiums as well as headlining big festivals, and money was pouring in.[1] All seemed well within the group, although the beginnings of dissent began to appear when singer Grace Slick broke up her seven-year relationship with guitarist Paul Kantner, choosing to hook up instead with the group's lighting director Skip Johnson (Johnson was quickly fired from that position, although he would be re-hired in 1978).[1] There were also lingering problems with Marty Balin, who had refused to sign a long-term contract with RCA/Grunt and was working on an album-by-album basis, which gave him much leverage now that he was writing the hit singles.[2] Although he was enjoying his return to prominence within the group, the pressure was now on Balin to come up with another hit that would equal or surpass "Miracles".

In the meantime, there were also increasing charges that the group had betrayed their earlier underground credentials as Jefferson Airplane and "sold out" to corporate rock interests. Slick complained that Grunt kept sending her out to silly publicity stunts like cake-judging contests, later reasoning "I was smiling and going along with it because we had to keep the publicity machine oiled while we were waiting for Marty to decide whether or not he was going to go on the road".[2]

Songs and recording

Before going into the studio, the band assembled at their rehearsal space to exchange ideas. As guitarist Craig Chaquico noted, "We would sort of go through all our own song ideas at rehearsals until we found just what we wanted to hear and play together...often Grace would be jotting down new spontaneous incoming lyric inspirations in a yellow legal notebook. We all played what we wanted while riffing off each other live without a real arrangement in mind to follow or anything like a master conductor at first."[3]

Sessions for Spitfire took place from March 4–17, 1976 at Wally Heider Studios with Larry Cox producing, as had been the case for the prior two Jefferson Starship albums.[1] The band's lineup was the same, save for the absence of Papa John Creach who had recently quit the band to concentrate on his solo career. The pressure to produce another blockbuster release led to the group essentially repeating much the same formula as Red Octopus, starting with another "Miracles"-style soft rock ballad from Balin titled "With Your Love" which was co-written with former Airplane drummer Joey Covington and guitarist Vic Smith, who had worked with Marty in Bodacious DF.[1] Balin also sang lead on the opening track "Cruisin'", a funk-rock number by Charles Hickox (another Marty bandmate from Bodacious DF) about cruising down the road which fades out to a Chaquico guitar solo. The album closed with Marty also taking lead vocals on a number by his new writing partner Jesse Barish, the early rock-disco hybrid "Love Lovely Love".

The hard rocker "Dance With The Dragon" originated with a Chaquico guitar riff and initial set of lyrics by him that was later fleshed out by the other band members, in teamwork fashion.[3] Paul Kantner's psych-prog opus "Song For The Sun" was divided into two sections: the opening ambient instrumental "Ozymandias" (credited to all band members except Balin) and the longer "Don't Let It Rain", with lyrics co-credited to Paul and his daughter China. This would be one of the last numbers by the band, both musically and lyrically, to reference '60s countercultural themes. Another centerpiece of the album, "St. Charles", began as the first line of a poem by Thunderhawk, an acquaintance of Balin, with the rest of the lyric completed by Barish, Balin, and Kantner. A power ballad that moves into psychedelic and hard rock territory, it closes on another lengthy Chaquico solo meant to impersonate the heavy storm referenced in the lyrics; it purportedly took six weeks to perfect the vocals on this track. Slick contributed the funky "Hot Water" (co-written with Pete Sears) and soaring, Moog-layered piano ballad "Switchblade", while drummer John Barbata offered the retro-50s rocker "Big City", co-written with ex-Flying Burrito Brother Chris Ethridge. One outtake from the sessions, Freiberg's "Nighthawks" (with lyrics by Robert Hunter), was performed at least once on the supporting tour.

Overall, the album continued the vein of eclectic stylistic variety, with contributions from all band members, that had characterized Red Octopus, along with a polished, highly commercial sound. Chaquico remembers the album's recording as a period when group unity was at an all-time high,[3] although Slick later recalled that Sears wasn't allowed to contribute his longer, more progressive songs to the album.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitfire_(Jefferson_Starship_album)

Templar Military Lodges

European Templars Settle America

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

It was while investigating the Little Rock integration incident in 1957 that I first learned of Pike’s rapid advance in Freemasonry, and knowing that Weishaupt, using Thomas Jefferson and Moses Holbrook, had infiltrated Illuminists into the Masonic Lodges of America, I decided I would find out if the fact that Pike’s mansion in Little Rock had thirteen rooms had any significance. “Thirteen’ figures prominently in Satanic, Luciferian and Cabalistic rituals, codes, and writings, etc. My investigations produced documentary evidence to show that, because of Pike’s exceptional mental ability, he came under the notice of professors in Harvard who were members of the Illuminati, who developed in his mind the ‘idea that a One World Government, a One World Religion and a One World financial and economic system was the ONLY solution to the world’s many and varied problems. I next discovered that his departure from Harvard was not due to lack of finances, or because of a misunderstanding with the faculty over tuition fees, but because of his ‘radical’ ideas and teachings. When he returned home determined that he would ‘fight’ his way to the top despite all opposition, he was in a suitable frame of mind to be recruited as a ‘Minerval’ or ‘apprentice’ into the lower degrees of the Illuminati."

Satan Prince of This World

by William Guy Carr

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hw94yTrcRzvZjNQOo8T5_w-jqL8v5IMu/view

Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, also known as Adams Field, is a joint civil-military airport on the east side of Little Rock, Arkansas. It is operated by the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission.

The largest commercial airport in Arkansas, it served more than 2.1 million passengers in the year spanning from March 2009 through to February 2010.[6] While Clinton National Airport does not have direct international passenger flights, more than 50 flights arrive or depart at Little Rock each day, with nonstop service to 14 cities.[7] The airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_National_Airport

The President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site is located in HOPE, Arkansas.[2] Built in 1917 by Dr. H. S. Garrett, in this house the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton, spent the first four years of his life, having been born on August 19, 1946, at Julia Chester Hospital in HOPE, Arkansas.[3][4] The house was owned by Clinton's maternal grandparents, Edith Grisham and James Eldridge Cassidy, and they cared for him when his mother, Virginia, was away working as an anesthetist in New Orleans.[5]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_William_Jefferson_Clinton_Birthplace_Home_National_Historic_Site

Tragedy and HOPE: A History of the World in Our Time is a work of history written by former Georgetown University professor and historian Carroll Quigley. The book covers the period of roughly 1880 to 1963 and is multidisciplinary in nature though perhaps focusing on the economic problems brought about by the First World War and the impact these had on subsequent events. While global in scope, the book focuses on Western civilization."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_and_Hope

In his first year (1965) in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, Bill Clinton took Quigley's course, receiving a 'B' as his final grade in both semesters (an excellent grade in a course where nearly half the students received D or lower).[1]: 94, 96 In 1991, Clinton named Quigley as an important influence on his aspirations and political philosophy, when Clinton launched his presidential campaign in a speech at Georgetown.[1]: 96 He said he learned from Quigley that “The future can be better than the past, and that each of us has a personal, moral responsibility to make it so.” Bill Clinton told his audiences, “that is what the new choice is all about....We are not here to save the Democratic party. We are here to save the United States of America.” It was Clinton's most effective speech, and he repeated variations time and time again as the blueprint for his campaign message in winning the Democratic nomination and the general election for President of the United States in 1992.[21][22]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Quigley

Theorists also cite the inclusion of Bill Clinton at the meetings in 1991 before he was president and Tony Blair’s presence in 1993 before he became the British prime minister as examples of the group’s power. Past attendees have included former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (who will also be attending this year), former Chase Manhattan chief executive David Rockefeller, and British Prime Minister David Cameron."

Bilderberg Group: What To Know About the Secretive Meetings

https://time.com/4362872/bilderberg-group-meetings-2016-conspiracy-theories/

Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner October 20, 2016 Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Henry Kissinger Gayle King Cardinal Dolan Katie Couric Chuck Schumer Mayor Bill de Blasio"

https://www.facebook.com/MariaBartiromo/posts/alfred-e-smith-memorial-foundation-dinner-october-20-2016-donald-trump-hillary-c/1353937201283479/

HOPE: all hope is to be placed in God, and with what degree of perfection [67]; eternal life alone is to be hoped for as a reward [82]; the extent to which this hope should be of assistance [288]; how hope should be shown by the dying | 595]; hope in the preservation and growth of the Society [812]. See also Faithfulness

The Constitutions of The Society of Jesus and Their Complimentary Norms

A Complete English Translation of the Official Latin Texts

THE INSTITUTE OF JESUIT SOURCES

SAINT LOUIS, 1996

https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182223/https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

Bill Clinton ‘Encouraged’ Trump to Run

SLICK WILLY

Updated Apr. 14, 2017 10:12AM EDT /

Published Aug. 05, 2015 3:33PM EDT

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/08/05/bill-clinton-encouraged-trump

I began by attending Fordham University in the Bronx, mostly because I wanted to be close to home. I got along very well with the Jesuits who ran the school, but after two years, I decided that as long as I had to be in college, I might as well test myself against the best. I applied to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and I got in. At the time, if you were going to make a career in business, Wharton was the place to go. Harvard Business School may produce a lot of CEOs—guys who manage public companies— but the real entrepreneurs all seemed to go to Wharton: Saul Steinberg, Leonard Lauder, Ron Perelman—the list goes on and on."

Donald Trump The Art of the Deal

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DLcbnLrl6moQT7nGj1JitG6AiQ6qgK0y/view?usp=sharing

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden

The university has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in red and blue lights.

Author: WNEP Web Staff

Published: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

Updated: 10:52 PM EDT October 19, 2021

SCRANTON, Pa. — In preparation for President Joe Biden's visit, a university lit up their lights in his honor.

The University of Scranton has illuminated its Class of 2020 Gateway in blue and red with the number 46 prominently displayed to welcome the 46th president."

University of Scranton welcomes President Biden | wnep.com

https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/university-of-scranton-welcomes-president-biden-gateway-lights/523-cdba68b1-822b-4747-94be-4cd7e4de9d67

"His son, Hunter Biden, 38, is a longtime federal lobbyist for the Jesuit university located in his father's hometown, Scranton PA. According to federal disclosures, Hunter Biden has been earning about $80,000 a year since 2006 to lobby for this university. Senator Biden himself has lectured at the Jesuit University of Scranton, and received an honorary degree from the same university, in 1976."

Codeword Barbelon

by P.D. Stuart

Trump and Harris neck-and-neck as she prepares to announce VP pick after meeting candidates Sunday: Live

Harris met with top running mate contenders Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at her Washington DC residence

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kamala-harris-vp-pick-trump-polls-news-b2591106.html

San Francisco's 555 California St., co-owned by Trump, on lender watchlist

The beautiful, very great, big league skyscraper, still allegedly 30% owned by Donald Trump, is on a lender watchlist, according to Bloomberg

By Alex Shultz,

Politics editor, SFGATE

Updated Feb 23, 2023 3:40 p.m.

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-building-trump-stake-on-watchlist-17801816.php

Early life and education

Harris's childhood home at 1227 Bancroft Way in Berkeley, August 2020

Kamala Devi Harris[a] was born in Oakland, California,[3] on October 20, 1964.[4] Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan (1938–2009), was a biologist who arrived in the United States from India in 1958 to enroll in graduate school in endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley. A research career of over 40 years followed, during which her work on the progesterone receptor gene led to advances in breast cancer research.[5] Kamala's father, Donald J. Harris (1938–),[6] is an Afro-Jamaican who immigrated to the United States in 1961 and also enrolled in UC Berkeley, specializing in development economics. The first Black scholar to be granted tenure at Stanford University's economics department, he has emeritus status there.[7] Kamala's parents met in 1962 and married in 1963.[8]

The Harris family lived in Berkeley until they moved in 1966, around Kamala's second birthday. The Harrises lived for a few years in college towns in the MIDWEST where her parents held teaching or research positions:[9] Urbana, Illinois (where her sister Maya was born in 1966); Evanston, Illinois; and Madison, Wisconsin.[b][10][9][11] By 1970, the marriage had faltered, and Shyamala moved back to Berkeley with her two daughters;[12][13][9] the couple divorced when Kamala was seven.[8] In 1972, Donald Harris accepted a position at Stanford University; Kamala and Maya spent weekends at their father's house in Palo Alto and lived at their mother's house in Berkeley during the week.[14] Shyamala was friends with African-American intellectuals and activists in Oakland and Berkeley.[11] In 1976, she accepted a research position at the McGill University School of Medicine, and moved with her daughters to Montreal, Quebec.[15][16] Kamala graduated from Westmount High School on Montreal Island in 1981.[17]

Early career

In 1990, Harris was hired as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, where she was described as "an able prosecutor on the way up".[27] In 1994, Speaker of the California Assembly Willie BROWN, who was then dating Harris, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission.[27] In February 1998, San Francisco district attorney Terence Hallinan recruited Harris as an assistant district attorney.[28] There, she became the chief of the Career Criminal Division, supervising five other attorneys, where she prosecuted homicide, burglary, robbery, and sexual assault cases—particularly three-strikes cases. In August 2000, Harris took a job at San Francisco City Hall, working for city attorney Louise Renne.[29] Harris ran the Family and Children's Services Division, representing child abuse and neglect cases. Renne endorsed Harris during her D.A. campaign.[30]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

Kamala returned to the WWF on May 9, 1992, with Lombardi reprising the Kim Chee character and Harvey Wippleman acting as his managers. In June 1992, he unsuccessfully challenged Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Throughout mid-1992, he wrestled primarily in house shows, with his regular opponents including The Undertaker, Bret Hart, The Texas Tornado, and The Ultimate Warrior.[9][19] Kamala lost to The Undertaker by disqualification at SummerSlam in August 1992. Kamala later claimed that he was paid $13,000 for the bout while The Undertaker was paid $500,000. Professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer questioned this claim, saying: "I'm not saying he's lying, but that's hard to believe [...] for there to be that big of a disparity wouldn't make any sense."[8][16] In November 1992, Kamala lost to The Undertaker at Survivor Series in the first ever televised casket match.[33][34][35] In January 1993, Kim Chee and Wippleman began mistreating Kamala, leading him to break away from them and align himself with Reverend Slick, turning face for the first time in his WWF career.

Slick set out to humanize Kamala, leading to a series of skits in which he introduced him to activities such as ten-pin bowling.[8][33][36][37] Kamala feuded with Kim Chee throughout early 1993. In March 1993, he began a series of matches with Bam Bam Bigelow. The two were scheduled to face one another at WrestleMania IX, but the match was canceled.[8] In May 1993, Kamala lost a King of the Ring tournament qualifying match via countout to Mr. Hughes on an episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge. He went on to compete primarily at house shows until being released by the WWF that July.[19][16] In December 1993, Kamala was announced as a participant in the 1994 Royal Rumble Match. During the bout the announcers noted that Virgil, as an alternate participant, had replaced him.[38]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_(wrestler)

Donald Jasper Harris, OM (born August 23, 1938) is a Jamaican-American economist and professor emeritus at Stanford University, known for applying post-Keynesian ideas to development economics.[1]

He is the father of US Vice President and current Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris and lawyer Maya Harris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_J._Harris

Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump

Danney Lee Williams Jr. (born December 7, 1985) is a man from Little Rock, Arkansas who claims to be the biological son of Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States.[1] Blood tests ruled out Clinton as the father.[1][2]

Background

Williams was born in 1985 to Danney Williams Sr. and Bobbie Ann Williams.

The story came to notice in the late 1990s when reporting by Newsmax led by celebrity tabloid magazine Star to commission a paternity test prove whether Williams is actually Clinton's biological son.[3] Time magazine cited Star on July 18, 1999 to say that there was no match.[4]

The story was revived in 2016 before the 2016 presidential election and pushed by a number of media outlets including Newsmax, the Drudge Report,[3] as well as WorldNetDaily,[1] and the New York Daily News.[1]

Due to some uncertainties with the original test by Star, Snopes concluded that the claim was unproven.[3] The Washington Post stated that, while the test could not prove Clinton was the father, it did conclusively rule him out as the father.[1]

On October 19, 2016, Williams' lawyers announced their intentions to file a paternity suit to prove that Clinton's DNA matched Williams'.[5] Williams wrote to Monica Lewinsky asking for her dress in order to obtain a sample of Clinton's DNA. However, Lewinsky never replied to Williams.[6] A partial analysis of Clinton's blood, and thus his DNA, was already part of the public record because of the Lewinsky affair investigation.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danney_Williams

Early Female Transgender Identity after Prenatal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol: Report from a French National Diethylstilbestrol (DES) Cohort

by Laura Gaspari 1,2,3,†,Marie-Odile Soyer-Gobillard 4,5,†ORCID,Scott Kerlin 6,Françoise Paris 1,2,3 andCharles Sultan 1,*

All DES sons who identified as transgender women underwent karyotyping at their local hospital at the moment of transition.

https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4713/14/1/10

Thomas Trace Beatie (born 1974[1]) is an American public speaker, author, and advocate of transgender rights and sexuality issues, with a focus on transgender fertility and reproductive rights.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Beatie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracing_board

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM

by MAX HEINDEL

https://dn720206.ca.archive.org/0/items/freemasonryandca017137mbp/freemasonryandca017137mbp.pdf

“Rosa Jesuitica, oder Jesuitische Rottgesellen, das ist, Eine Frag ob die Zween Orden, der ganandten Ritter von der Neerscharen Jesu, und der Rosen-Creuzer ein einiger Ordensen: per J. P. D. a S. Jesuitarum Protectorum. Prague, 1620.” (4to). This is a truly curious tract upon the “relations of the Jesuits and the Rosicrucians."

Rosa jesuitica, oder, Jesuitische Rottgesellen (1620) - Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT28PyPUPfqDfC0iVg7nGFsle8vYBXLf/view

There have only been 36 general congregations in history, the most recent ending in November 2016. Below are some details of each general congregation. Some facts about the 36 general congregations: — The congregations occurring before the papal suppression of the Society of Jesus lasted an average of 78.6 days.

https://jesuitportal.bc.edu/research/general-congregations/

The second edition of the Slammy Awards (falsely referred to in commercials and on the air as the 37th annual Slammy Awards) took place on December 17 from Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

This ceremony is perhaps best remembered for a musical number performed by WWF owner Vince McMahon, singing the song "Stand Back". The video of McMahon (whose on-air role at the time was strictly as an announcer) singing "Stand Back" would resurface on the May 28, 2001 episode of WWF Raw is War when Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit played the video to humiliate McMahon, who by then had long moved out of his announcing role and into his Mr. McMahon persona on TV; "Stand Back" has since resurfaced several times over the years as a running gag between McMahon and any face wrestler he is feuding with at that particular time, and was included on the 2006 McMahon DVD.

https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/1987_Slammy_Awards

Fr. Jeffrey S. Burwell, SJ, is the Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada.

Fr. Jeffrey Burwell, SJ

Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) supports the Jesuits of Canada in their mission to serve those on the margins of society. Through its work, CJI stands in solidarity with communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, responding to urgent needs and empowering people to reclaim their dignity. This goes beyond addressing immediate challenges; it reflects a profound commitment to justice and reconciliation inspired by the call of Christ to care for the most vulnerable.

Rooted in the global mission of the Society of Jesus and its apostolic vision, CJI offers a tangible way to live out the Gospel. Working in partnership with communities affected by poverty and displacement, CJI creates pathways for lasting change. This work is about more than providing aid; it is about walking alongside those in need as they rebuild their lives and rediscover hope. By empowering individuals often overlooked by society, CJI enables people to claim their rights and shape their future.

CJI’s efforts align with the current apostolic priorities of the Jesuits, such as walking with the excluded and caring for our common home. By standing with marginalized communities, CJI addresses systemic injustice. Its commitment to ecological justice reflects the Jesuit concern for protecting the environment and supporting vulnerable communities affected by climate change.

What inspires me most about CJI is its commitment to amplifying marginalized voices. Rather than simply meeting needs, CJI creates spaces where those most affected by systemic injustice can share their stories and lead the way toward real change. This is not merely charity but a transformative commitment to justice. I have witnessed how this mission restores dignity to those stripped of it; CJI helps individuals overcome extraordinary challenges and reclaim their humanity. At its core, CJI is relational in its mission; it is grounded in the belief that communion with others is essential.

CJI’s work transcends borders, and it reminds us that we are part of one human family. Its work builds bridges across divides and calls us to unite in the pursuit of authentic justice. By fostering solidarity, CJI creates opportunities for healing in a broken world; it offers a place where reconciliation in Christ can take root. This initiative is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when we embrace our shared responsibility to build a more compassionate world.

I express my deepest gratitude to everyone who supports this vital mission. Your generosity is not only appreciated, but also essential to make this endeavour possible. As Saint Ignatius of Loyola reminds us, true philanthropy asks us to give freely and labour for others without counting the cost. CJI embodies this spirit every day, bringing hope and dignity to those most in need. With your continued support, CJI will continue to transform lives and build a just and hopeful world.

https://www.canadianjesuitsinternational.ca/a-message-from-the-provincial-of-the-jesuits-of-canada/

Biography

Early life

Sako speaks Neo-Aramaic, German, French, English, Italian, Kurdish and Arabic.[2]

Archeparch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Rapha%C3%ABl_I_Sako

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film[7] produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. It is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers. The film presents the descent into insanity of a recovering alcoholic and aspiring novelist (Nicholson) who takes a job as winter caretaker for a mountain resort hotel with his wife (Duvall) and clairvoyant son (Lloyd). Production took place almost exclusively in England at EMI Elstree Studios, with sets based on real locations. Kubrick often worked with a small crew, which allowed him to do many takes, sometimes to the exhaustion of the actors and staff. The then-new Steadicam mount was used to shoot several scenes, giving the film an innovative and immersive look and feel.

The film was released in the United States on May 23, 1980, by Warner Bros., and in the United Kingdom on October 2 by Columbia Pictures through Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors. There were several versions for theatrical releases, each of which was cut shorter than the preceding cut; about 27 minutes was cut in total. Reactions to the film at the time of its release were mixed; King criticized the film due to its deviations from the novel. The film received two controversial nominations at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards in 1981—Worst Director and Worst Actress—the latter of which was later rescinded in 2022 due to Kubrick's alleged[8] treatment of Duvall on set.

However, the film has since been critically reappraised and is now often cited as one of the best horror films and one of the greatest films of all time. The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2018.[9] A sequel titled Doctor Sleep, based on King's 2013 novel of the same name, was adapted to film and released in 2019.

Plot

Jack Torrance takes a caretaker position to look after the remote Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, while it is closed for the winter. After his arrival, hotel manager Stuart Ullman informs Jack that a previous caretaker, Charles Grady, killed his wife, two young daughters, and himself in the hotel a decade prior.

In Boulder, Jack's son, Danny, has a premonition and seizure. Jack's wife, Wendy, tells the doctor about a past incident when Jack accidentally dislocated Danny's shoulder during a drunken rage. Jack has been sober ever since. Before leaving for the seasonal break, the Overlook's head chef, Dick Hallorann, informs Danny of a telepathic ability the two share, which his grandmother called "shining". Hallorann tells Danny that the hotel also "shines" due to residue from unpleasant past events and warns him to avoid Room 237.

A month passes, and Danny starts having frightening visions, including of the murdered Grady sisters. Meanwhile, Jack's mental health deteriorates; he suffers from writer's block, is prone to violent outbursts, and has dreams of killing his family. Danny gets lured to room 237 by unseen forces, and Wendy later finds him with signs of physical trauma, for which she blames Jack. Jack sulks in the ballroom, where ghostly bartender Lloyd entices him back to drinking. Wendy tells him that Danny was attacked by a "crazy woman" in room 237. Jack investigates and encounters a hideous female ghost in the bathroom, but tells Wendy he saw nothing. He blames Danny for inflicting the bruises on himself and reacts angrily when Wendy suggests leaving the hotel. Danny enters a trance and telepathically contacts Hallorann. Returning to the ballroom, Jack finds it filled with ghostly figures, including waiter Delbert Grady, who urges Jack to "correct" his wife and child.

Wendy finds Jack's manuscript written with nothing but countless repetitions of the proverb "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". When Jack threatens her life, Wendy knocks him unconscious with a baseball bat and locks him in the kitchen pantry, but she and Danny cannot leave because Jack previously sabotaged the hotel's two-way radio and snowcat. Back in their hotel room, Danny says "redrum" repeatedly and writes the word in lipstick on the bathroom door. Wendy sees the word in the mirror and realizes that it is actually "murder" spelled backward.

Jack is freed by Grady and goes after Wendy and Danny with an axe. Danny escapes outside through the bathroom window, and Wendy fights Jack off with a knife when he tries to break through the door. Hallorann, having flown back to Colorado from his Florida winter home, reaches the hotel in another snowcat. Jack ambushes and murders him with the axe, then pursues Danny into an expansive hedge maze on the hotel grounds. Wendy runs through the hotel looking for Danny, encountering the hotel's ghosts, Hallorann's bloody corpse, and a vision of cascading blood from an elevator similar to Danny's premonition.

Danny carefully backtracks to mislead Jack and hides behind a snowdrift. While Jack rushes ahead without a trail to follow and becomes lost, Danny exits the maze and is found by Wendy. The two depart the Overlook in Hallorann's snowcat, leaving Jack to freeze to death in the maze.

In the film's last shot, a photograph in the hotel hallway pictures Jack standing amidst a crowd of party revelers from July 4, 1921.

Cast

Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance

Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance, Jack's wife

Danny Lloyd as Danny "Doc" Torrance, Jack and Wendy's son

Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann

Barry Nelson as Stuart Ullman

Philip Stone as Delbert Grady

Joe Turkel as Lloyd

Anne Jackson as Doctor

Tony Burton as Larry Durkin

Lia Beldam as young woman in bath

Billie Gibson as old woman in bath

Barry Dennen as Bill Watson

Lisa and Louise Burns as the Grady "twins"

In the European cut, all of the scenes involving Jackson and Burton were removed but the credits remained unchanged. Dennen is on-screen in all versions of the film, albeit to a limited degree (and with no dialogue) in the European cut.

The actresses who played the ghosts of the murdered Grady daughters, Lisa and Louise Burns, are identical twins.[10] The characters in the book and film script are sisters, but not twins. In the film's dialogue, Ullman says that he thinks that they were "about eight and ten". Nonetheless, they are frequently referred to in discussions about the film as "the Grady twins".

There is a resemblance in the staging of the Grady girls and the Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967 photograph by Diane Arbus according to Arbus' biographer, Patricia Bosworth,[11] the Kubrick assistant who cast and coached them, Leon Vitali,[12] and by numerous Kubrick critics.[13][14] Kubrick both met Arbus personally and studied photography under her during his time as photographer for Look magazine; Kubrick's widow says he did not deliberately model the Grady girls on Arbus' photograph, in spite of widespread attention to the resemblance.[13]

Analysis

Social interpretations

The film's most famous scene, when Jack places his face through the broken door and says, "Here's Johnny!", which echoes scenes in both D. W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919) and the 1921 Swedish horror film The Phantom Carriage.[15][16]

Film critic Jonathan Romney writes that the film has been interpreted in many ways, including addressing the topics of the crisis in masculinity, sexism, corporate America, and racism. "It's tempting to read The Shining as an Oedipal struggle not just between generations but between Jack's culture of the written word and Danny's culture of images", Romney writes, "Jack also uses the written word to more mundane purpose – to sign his 'contract' with the Overlook. 'I gave my word', ... which we take to mean 'gave his soul' in the ... Faustian sense. But maybe he means it more literally – by the end ... he has renounced language entirely, pursuing Danny through the maze with an inarticulate animal roar. What he has entered into is a conventional business deal that places commercial obligation ... over the unspoken contract of compassion and empathy that he seems to have neglected to sign with his family."[17]

Native Americans

Among interpreters who see the film reflecting more subtly the social concerns that animate other Kubrick films, one of the early viewpoints was discussed in an essay by ABC reporter Bill Blakemore titled "Kubrick's 'Shining' Secret: Film's Hidden Horror Is the Murder of the Indian", first published in The Washington Post on July 12, 1987.[18] He believes that indirect references to American killings of Native Americans pervade the film, as exemplified by the Amerindian logos on the baking powder in the kitchen and the Amerindian artwork that appears throughout the hotel, though no Native Americans are seen. Stuart Ullman tells Wendy that when building the hotel, a few Indian attacks had to be fended off since it was constructed on an Indian burial ground.[18]

Blakemore's general argument is that the film is a metaphor for the genocide of Native Americans. He notes that when Jack kills Hallorann, the dead body is seen lying on a rug with an Indian motif. The blood in the elevator shafts is, for Blakemore, the blood of the Indians in the burial ground on which the hotel was built. The date of the final photograph, July 4, is meant to be ironic. Blakemore writes:[18][19]

As with some of his other movies, Kubrick ends The Shining with a powerful visual puzzle that forces the audience to leave the theater asking, "What was that all about?" The Shining ends with an extremely long camera shot moving down a hallway in the Overlook, reaching eventually the central photo among 21 photos on the wall, each capturing previous good times in the hotel. At the head of the party is none other than the Jack we've just seen in 1980. The caption reads: "Overlook Hotel – July 4th Ball – 1921." The answer to this puzzle, which is a master key to unlocking the whole movie, is that most Americans overlook the fact that July Fourth was no ball, nor any kind of Independence day, for native Americans; that the weak American villain of the film is the re-embodiment of the American men who massacred the Indians in earlier years; that Kubrick is examining and reflecting on a problem that cuts through the decades and centuries.

Film writer John Capo sees the film as an allegory of American imperialism. This is exemplified by many clues, such as the closing photo of Jack in the past at a Fourth of July party, or Jack's earlier reference to the Rudyard Kipling poem "The White Man's Burden", which was written to advocate the American colonial seizure of the Philippine islands, justifying imperial conquest as a mission of civilization.[20]

The artwork of Indigenous Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau can be seen throughout the film, including the paintings The Great Earth Mother (1976), and Flock of Loons (1975).[21]

Geoffrey Cocks and Kubrick's concern with the Holocaust

Film historian Geoffrey Cocks has extended Blakemore's idea that the film has a subtext about Native Americans by arguing that the film indirectly reflects Stanley Kubrick's concerns about the Holocaust (both Cocks's book and Michael Herr's memoir of Kubrick discuss how he wanted his entire life to make a film dealing directly with the Holocaust but could never quite make up his mind). Cocks, writing in his book The Wolf at the Door: Stanley Kubrick, History and the Holocaust, proposed a controversial theory that all of Kubrick's work is informed by the Holocaust; there is, he says, a holocaust subtext in The Shining. This, Cocks believes, is why Kubrick's screenplay goes to emotional extremes, omitting much of the novel's supernaturalism and making the character of Wendy much more hysteria-prone.[22] Cocks places Kubrick's vision of a haunted hotel in line with a long literary tradition of hotels in which sinister events occur, from Stephen Crane's short story "The Blue Hotel" (which Kubrick admired) to the Swiss Berghof in Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain, about a snowbound sanatorium high in the Swiss Alps in which the protagonist witnesses a series of events which are a microcosm of the decline of Western culture.[23]

Cocks claims that Kubrick has elaborately coded many of his historical concerns into the film with manipulations of numbers and colors and his choice of musical numbers, many of which are post-war compositions influenced by the horrors of World War II. Of particular note is Kubrick's use of Krzysztof Penderecki's The Awakening of Jacob to accompany Jack Torrance's dream of killing his family and Danny's vision of past carnage in the hotel, a piece of music originally associated with the horrors of the Holocaust.[24]

Cocks's work has been anthologized and discussed in other works on Stanley Kubrick films, though sometimes with skepticism. Julian Rice, writing in the opening chapter of his book Kubrick's Hope, believes Cocks's views are excessively speculative and contain too many strained "critical leaps" of faith. Rice holds that what went on in Kubrick's mind cannot be replicated or corroborated beyond a broad vision of the nature of good and evil (which included concern about the Holocaust) but Kubrick's art is not governed by this one obsession.[25] Diane Johnson, co-screenwriter for The Shining, commented on Cocks's observations, saying that preoccupation with the Holocaust on Kubrick's part could very likely have motivated his decision to place the hotel on a Native American burial ground, although Kubrick never directly mentioned it to her.[26]

Literary allusions

Geoffrey Cocks notes that the film contains many allusions to fairy-tales, both Hansel and Gretel and The Three Little Pigs,[22] with Jack Torrance identified as the Big Bad Wolf, which Bruno Bettelheim interprets as standing for "all the asocial unconscious devouring powers" that must be overcome by a child's ego.

The saying "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" appeared first in James Howell's Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish (1659).[27]

Artworks in the film

Numerous paintings and sculptures appear throughout the film. Several paintings by Group of Seven artists appear including The Solemn Land (1921) by J. E. H. MacDonald, Northern River (1914) by Tom Thomson, Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay (1921) by Frederick Varley, Red Maple (1914) by A. Y. Jackson, Mist Fantasy, Sand River, Algoma (1920) by J.E.H. MacDonald, Maligne Lake, Jasper Park (1924) by Lawren Harris, Beaver Swamp (1920) by Lawren Harris, and Arpeggio (1932) by Frederick Varley.[28] Two paintings by Indigenous Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau can be seen in the film: The Great Earth Mother (1976) and Flock of Loons (1975)––Morriseau was part of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc. (PNIAI) which came to be informally known as the "Indian Group of Seven".[29][21][30]

Many of the paintings that appear include depictions of Canada or are painted by Canadian artists including Le Campement du Trappeur (1931) by Clarence Gagnon, December Afternoon (1969) by Hugh Monahan, Log Hut on the St. Maurice (1862) and Paysage d'hiver, Laval (1849) by Cornelius Krieghoff, After The Bath (1890) by Paul Peel, Site du : "Combat de la Grange" September 25, 1775 (1839) by Louise-Amélie Panet, Starlight: Indian Papoose (n.d.) and Chief Bear Paw (n.d.) by Nicholas Raphael de Grandmaison, Montreal from the Mountain (1838) by William Henry Bartlett, Makah Returning in their War Canoes (1845–1859) by Paul Kane, Mill on the Cliff (n.d.) by Nicholas Hornyansky, The Johnson House, Hanover (1932–42) by Carl Schaefer, and Cooper's Hawk (1974) and Glaucous-Winged Gull (1973) by J. Fenwick Lansdowne.[21][31]

A number of paintings by Alex Colville make appearances including Woman and Terrier (1963), Horse and Train (1954), Hound in Field (1958), Dog, Boy, and St. John River (1958), and Moon and Cow (1963).[21][32][33]

Several portraits by Dorothy Oxborough of children from the Bearspaw band of the Stoney/Nakoda people appear in the film.[21][34] Oxborough's portraits were often reproduced as decorative prints, framed souvenirs, greeting cards, novelties, and calendars.[35] Oxborough, born in Calgary, Alberta, was criticized for infantilizing and culturally insensitive depictions of indigenous people.[35][36][34]

Four etchings by John Webber appear in the film, A Man of Nootka Sound (1778), A Woman of Oonalashka (1784), A Woman of Prince William Sound (1784), and A Man of Van Diemen's Land (1777).[37] Webber accompanied James Cook on his third voyage to Hawaii, New Zealand, and Vancouver Island.[38][39]

Ambiguities in the film

Roger Ebert notes that the film does not really have a "reliable observer", with the possible exception of Dick Hallorann. Ebert believes various events call into question the reliability of Jack, Wendy and Danny.[40] This leads Ebert to conclude that:

Kubrick is telling a story with ghosts (the two girls, the former caretaker and a bartender), but it isn't a "ghost story", because the ghosts may not be present in any sense at all except as visions experienced by Jack or Danny.[40]

Ebert concludes that "The movie is not about ghosts but about madness and the energies it sets loose in an isolated situation primed to magnify them". The film critic James Berardinelli notes that "King would have us believe that the hotel is haunted. Kubrick is less definitive in the interpretations he offers." He dubs the film a failure as a ghost story, but brilliant as a study of "madness and the unreliable narrator".[41]

Ghosts versus cabin fever

In some sequences, there is a question of whether or not there are ghosts present. In the scenes where Jack sees ghosts, he is always facing a mirror or, in the case of his storeroom conversation with Grady, a reflective, highly polished door. Film reviewer James Berardinelli notes "It has been pointed out that there's a mirror in every scene in which Jack sees a ghost, causing us to wonder whether the spirits are reflections of a tortured psyche."[41] In Hollywood's Stephen King, Tony Magistrale wrote,

Kubrick's reliance on mirrors as visual aids for underscoring the thematic meaning of this film portrays visually the internal transformations and oppositions that are occurring to Jack Torrance psychologically. Through ... these devices, Kubrick dramatizes the hotel's methodical assault on Torrance's identity, its ability to stimulate the myriad of self-doubts and anxieties by creating opportunities to warp Torrance's perspective on himself and [his family]. Furthermore, the fact that Jack looks into a mirror whenever he "speaks" to the hotel means, to some extent, that Kubrick implicates him directly into the hotel's "consciousness", because Jack is, in effect, talking to himself.[42]

Ghosts are the implied explanation for Jack's seemingly physically impossible escape from the locked storeroom. In an interview of Kubrick by scholar Michel Ciment, the director made comments about the scene in the book that may imply he similarly thought of the scene in the film as a key reveal in this dichotomy:

It seemed to strike an extraordinary balance between the psychological and the supernatural in such a way as to lead you to think that the supernatural would eventually be explained by the psychological: 'Jack must be imagining these things because he's crazy.' This allowed you to suspend your doubt of the supernatural until you were so thoroughly into the story that you could accept it almost without noticing ... It's not until Grady, the ghost of the former caretaker who axed to death his family, slides open the bolt of the larder door, allowing Jack to escape, that you are left with no other explanation but the supernatural.[43]

Two Gradys and other doubles

Early in the film, Stuart Ullman tells Jack of a previous caretaker, Charles Grady, who, in 1970, succumbed to cabin fever, murdered his family and then killed himself. Later, Jack meets a ghostly butler named Grady. Jack says that he knows about the murders, claiming to recognize Grady from pictures, but the butler introduces himself as Delbert Grady.

Gordon Dahlquist of The Kubrick FAQ argues that the name change "deliberately mirrors Jack Torrance being both the husband of Wendy/father of Danny and the mysterious man in the 1920s July Fourth photo. It is to say he is two people: the man with choice in a perilous situation and the man who has 'always' been at the Overlook. It's a mistake to see the final photo as evidence that the events of the film are predetermined: Jack has any number of moments where he can act other than the way he does and that his (poor) choices are fueled by weakness and fear perhaps merely speaks all the more to the questions about the personal and the political that The Shining brings up. In the same way Charles had a chance – once more, perhaps – to not take on Delbert's legacy, so Jack may have had a chance to escape his role as 'caretaker' to the interests of the powerful. It's the tragic course of this story that he chooses not to."[44]

Dahlquist's argument is that Delbert Grady, the 1920s butler, and Charles Grady, the 1970s caretaker, rather than being either two people or the same are two 'manifestations' of a similar entity; a part permanently at the hotel (Delbert) and the part which is given the choice of whether to join the legacy of the hotel's murderous past (Charles), just as the man in the photo is not exactly Jack Torrance but nor is he someone different. Jack in the photo has 'always' been at the Overlook; Jack the caretaker chooses to become part of the hotel. The film's assistant editor Gordon Stainforth has commented on this issue, attempting to steer a course between the continuity-error explanation on one side and the hidden-meaning explanation on the other; "I don't think we'll ever quite unravel this. Was his full name Charles Delbert Grady? Perhaps Charles was a sort of nickname? Perhaps Ullman got the name wrong? But I also think that Stanley did NOT want the whole story to fit together too neatly, so [it is] absolutely correct, I think, to say that 'the sum of what we learn refuses to add up neatly'."[44]

Among Kubrick's other doubling/mirroring effects in the film:[45]

In the U.S. version, Jack's interview with Ullman, whose confident affability contrasts with Jack's seemingly forced nonchalance, is paired with Wendy's meeting with a female doctor, whose somber and professional manner contrasts with Wendy's nervousness.

During the interview, Jack and Ullman are joined by a hotel employee named Bill Watson, who looks similar to Jack from behind, creating a pseudo–mirror image effect as they sit in chairs to the front-left and front-right of Ullman's desk.

The Grady sisters look so similar that they appear to be twins, though they are different ages (Ullman states that he thinks that they were about eight and ten).

On two occasions, Ullman says goodbye to two young female employees and in the second case, they closely resemble each other.

The film contains two mazes, the hedges outside and, per Wendy's characterization, the Overlook. The hedge maze appears in two forms, the 13-foot-high version outside and the model inside the Overlook. In the overhead shot zooming down on Wendy and Danny in the center of the maze, the maze differs from the map outside and from the model having far more corridors, and the left and right sides are mirror images of each other. The Overlook significantly breaks down into two sections, one old and one remodeled; one past, one present.

Two versions of the bathing woman inhabit Room 237.

In Hallorann's Miami bedroom, two paintings showing similar nude black women are seen on opposite walls just before he experiences a "shining".

There appear to be two Jack Torrances, the one who goes mad and freezes to death in the present and the one who appears in a 1921 photograph that hangs on the gold corridor wall inside the Overlook.

Photograph

For the ending, Nicholson's face was superimposed over this authentic 1921 dance picture.

The ending photograph has been described as "iconic".[46] The provenance of the original photo used in the ending shot was discovered in April 2025. "Conspiracy theories" about its source have been discussed since the release of The Shining. Identified on screen as a July 4 ball at the Overlook Hotel in 1921, the real event depicted was a Valentine's Day dance in 1921 at the Empress Rooms of the Royal Palace Hotel in Kensington, London.[47] Jack Nicholson's face was airbrushed over that of John Golman, who would later be a well-known ballroom dance instructor and author under the stage name Santos Casani.[48][49]

In an interview with Michel Ciment, Kubrick said that the photograph suggests that Jack was a reincarnation of an earlier official at the hotel.[50] This has not stopped alternative readings, such as that Jack has been "absorbed" into the Overlook Hotel. Film critic Jonathan Romney, while acknowledging the absorption theory, wrote:

As the ghostly butler Grady (Philip Stone) tells him during their chilling confrontation in the men's toilet, 'You're the caretaker, sir. You've always been the caretaker.' Perhaps in some earlier incarnation Jack really was around in 1921, and it's his present-day self that is the shadow, the phantom photographic copy. But if his picture has been there all along, why has no one noticed it? After all, it's right at the center of the central picture on the wall, and the Torrances have had a painfully drawn-out winter of mind-numbing leisure in which to inspect every corner of the place. Is it just that, like Poe's purloined letter, the thing in plain sight is the last thing you see? When you do see it, the effect is so unsettling because you realise the unthinkable was there under your nose – overlooked – the whole time.[51]

Spatial layout of the Overlook Hotel

Screenwriter Todd Alcott has noted:

Much has been written, some of it quite intelligent, about the spatial anomalies and inconsistencies in The Shining: there are rooms with windows that should not be there and doors that couldn't possibly lead to anywhere, rooms appear to be in one place in one scene and another place in another, wall fixtures and furniture pieces appear and disappear from scene to scene, props move from one room to another, and the layout of the Overlook makes no physical sense.[52]

Artist Juli Kearns first identified and created maps of spatial discrepancies in the layout of the Overlook Hotel, the interiors of which were constructed in studios in England. These spatial discrepancies included windows appearing in impossible places, such as in Stuart Ullman's office, which is surrounded by interior hallways, and apartment doorways positioned in places where they cannot possibly lead to apartments.[53] Rob Ager is another proponent of this theory.[54][55] Jan Harlan, an Executive Producer on The Shining, was asked about the discontinuity of sets by Xan Brooks of The Guardian and confirmed the discontinuity was intentional, "The set was very deliberately built to be offbeat and off the track, so that the huge ballroom would never actually fit inside. The audience is deliberately made not to know where they're going. People say The Shining doesn't make sense. Well spotted! It's a ghost movie. It's not supposed to make sense."[56] Harlan further elaborated to Kate Abbot, "Stephen King gave him the go-ahead to change his book, so Stanley agreed – and wrote a much more ambiguous script. It's clear instantly there's something foul going on. At the little hotel, everything is like Disney, all kitsch wood on the outside – but the interiors don't make sense. Those huge corridors and ballrooms couldn't fit inside. In fact, nothing makes sense."[57]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shining_(film)

The Jacksons in 1977

In 1969, one year after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there was a time when Black power movement and the civil rights movement were disintegrating. It was during this time that the Jackson 5 would emerge. The Jackson family was important to black culture. After the Lyndon B. Johnson administration declared the black family broken with the Moynihan Report, Motown and the Jackson family gave America and the world renewed faith in the American dream with an idealized image of domestic bliss. Black ascensionism was in the air. The Jackson family presented to America and the world a new positive image of black families. They changed the perception of the African-American male worldwide.[72][73] The brothers became a household name and appealed equally to black and white audiences, breaking racial barriers.[74][75]

In September 1971, Jackson 5ive television series ran as part of ABC's Saturday morning cartoon lineup. Jackson 5ive animation director Bob Balser insisted that the series would not include violence. The series was one of the first cartoon representations of a black family that did not include cheap gags and stereotyping. The Jackson 5 solved their problems with music and intellect as role models for families and their children.[31]

In 1977, the Jackson 5 were among a small group of artists eligible to receive the newly minted Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award for selling over 100,000 tickets to their concerts there.[76] They received the award from Madison Square Garden when they played there as the Jacksons in 1981.[77] On September 3, 1980, the brothers were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as the Jacksons.[78] As the Jackson 5, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.[79][80] Two of the band's recordings ("ABC" and "I Want You Back") are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, while the latter track also included in the Grammy Hall of Fame.[79][81] On September 8, 2008, the Jacksons were honored as BMI Icons at the annual BMI Urban Awards.[82]

In 1992, Suzanne de Passe, Jermaine Jackson, and Stan Margulies worked with Motown to produce The Jacksons: An American Dream, a five-hour television miniseries broadcast based on the history of the Jackson family in a two-part special on ABC. The series tells the story of a hard working black family and their path to success and the American Dream.[83]

The rise of the Jackson 5 in the 1960s and 1970s coincided with the rise of a similar musical family, the Osmonds. The white Mormon brothers from Utah, were thought to be an imitation of the black Jackson 5. Michael and Donny, the lead singers from each group developed a friendship. They both went on to pursue successful solo careers.[84] Influenced by the Temptations, the Supremes, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Sammy Davis Jr., the Teenagers and Sly and the Family Stone, the Jackson 5 eventually served as the inspiration for several generations of boy bands including New Edition, Boyz II Men, Menudo, New Kids on the Block, NSYNC, the Jonas Brothers, Backstreet Boys, One Direction, Silk Sonic, BTS and many more.[85]

In 2012, Motown Records released a "two-disc undiscovered" Jackson 5 collection Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls. The archive contained several well-known covers and previously unreleased material, re-issued.[86]

In 2017, on their 50th anniversary, the Jacksons released The Jacksons: Legacy, their first official behind-the-scenes chronicle book. The book includes new interviews and unseen photographs, and it tells the story of the Jackson family in their own words.[43]

On June 15, 2018, the Jacksons accepted plaques bearing the keys to Detroit city. Detroit police chief James Craig, who presented the honors, declared the Motown group "truly Detroiters". They were also honored with a 90-minute tribute concert featuring Jackson 5, the Jacksons, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Rebbie Jackson hits. The concert finale was Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" with Greg Phillinganes, a Detroit native who worked with the Jacksons as a session player and tour musical director.[69]

On May 13, 2021, the Jackson family got official 2300 Jackson street highway signage. The signs declaring the "Home of the World-Famous Jackson 5" were placed along Interstate 80/94 as well as on local roads to direct motorists to the Jackson family home at 2300 Jackson street in Gary, Indiana. Lieutenant Governor of Indiana Suzanne Crouch and state Sen. Eddie Melton were present.[87]

In August 2025, Marlon and Jackie Jackson returned to Gary for a two-day 2300 Jackson Street Block Party, that the city organized in celebration of the group's legacy. The event began on the 67th anniversary of Michael Jackson's birth and included a moment of silence acknowledging Tito Jackson's death.[88][89] Gary native Deniece Williams performed during the event, which was months after the unveiling of a mural of the Jackson Five mural painted by Felix Maldonado.[88][90]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jackson_5

Weishaupt desired that the revolution of 1789 produce pure democracy, much as it was in Israel during the time of the Judges when each Israelite did "that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 21:25). The consequence of this kind of rule, however, leads to anarchy. Such was the case after the French Revolution. History records it as the "Reign of Terror" perpetrated by the Jacobin Clubs. As we shall learn, however, the Jacobins were all Templar Masons. The name "Jacobin," as we know, recalls Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, who was avenged by the French Revolution. If the Knights Templar, and not the Priory of Sion, was the Order that perfected the French Revolution, then somehow, sometime between Weishaupt's plan and the commencement of the French Revolution, control of the conspiracy transferred from the Priory of Sion to the Knights Templar. This conclusion was confirmed by Abbe' Augustin Barruel in 1799, one year following the publication of Robison's exposure of the Illuminati. During the 1773 suppression of the Jesuits, Barruel, a French patriot and a Jesuit, had joined Freemasonry, rising to the rank of Master Mason (3rd degree). After seeing the devastation caused by the French Revolution, knowing it to be Masonic, he renounced Freemasonry and wrote his Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism. In them he documented that the Jacobin Clubs were Templar Masonic fronts.98

Abbe' Barruel, a French clergyman, and John Robison, a professor in Scotland, were two men unknown to each other. They were members of opposing Masonic Orders and wrote in different countries and languages. They both covered the same subject matter and came to the same conclusions - that a conspiracy lay behind the French Revolution. Robison claimed that the Illuminati controlled the conspiracy, while Barruel maintained the Templars were in command.

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

In some Jewish folklore, such as the Alphabet of Sirach (c. 700–1000 AD), Lilith appears as Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same clay as Adam.[a] The legend of Lilith developed extensively during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadah, the Zohar, and Jewish mysticism.[15] For example, in the 13th-century writings of Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she had coupled with the archangel Samael.[16]

Interpretations of Lilith found in later Jewish materials are plentiful, but little information has survived relating to the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian views of this class of demons. Recent scholarship has disputed the relevance of two sources previously used to connect the Jewish lilith to an Akkadian lilītu – the Gilgamesh appendix and the Arslan Tash amulets[17] (see below for discussion of these two problematic sources).

In contrast, some scholars, such as Lowell K. Handy, hold the view that though Lilith derives from Mesopotamian demonology, evidence of the Hebrew Lilith being present in the sources frequently cited – the Sumerian Gilgamesh fragment and the Sumerian incantation from Arshlan-Tash being two – is scant, if present at all.[16]: 174 In the Sumerian King List, the name first occurs in a description of a king's lineage, and was identified by scholars as a class of demons.[18]

In Hebrew-language texts, the term lilith or lilit (translated as "night creatures", "night monster", "night hag", or "screech owl") first occurs in a list of animals in Isaiah 34.[19] The Isaiah 34:14 Lilith reference does not appear in most common Bible translations such as KJV and NIV. Commentators and interpreters often envision the figure of Lilith as a dangerous demon of the night, who is sexually wanton, and who steals babies in the darkness.[20] Jewish incantation bowls and amulets from Mesopotamia from the first to the eighth centuries identify Lilith as a female demon and provide the first visual depictions of her.[20]

Etymology

In the Akkadian language of Assyria and Babylonia, the terms lili and līlītu mean spirits. Some uses of līlītu are listed in the Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD, 1956, L.190), in Wolfram von Soden's Akkadisches Handwörterbuch (AHw, p. 553), and Reallexikon der Assyriologie (RLA, p. 47).[21]

The Sumerian female demons lili have no etymological relation to Akkadian lilu, "evening".[22]

Archibald Sayce (1882)[23][page needed] considered that the Hebrew and the earlier Akkadian names are derived from Proto-Semitic. Charles Fossey (1902) has this literally translating to "female night being/demon", although cuneiform inscriptions from Mesopotamia exist where Līlīt and Līlītu refers to disease-bearing wind spirits.[24][25]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

See ‘Friends’ stars promote Windows 95 in 1995

Aug. 25, 2015

Happy 20th anniversary, Windows 95! To mark the birthday of the operating system, watch then-“Friends” stars Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston get a lesson on Bill Gates’ own computer in a vintage promotional video.

https://www.today.com/video/see-friends-stars-promote-windows-95-in-1995-512593987841

Friends: of the Society are to be sought and cultivated [426, 823, 824] on behalf of them, whether living or dead, prayers are to be offered and other signs of gratitude are to be shown [638], 413; the extent to which communication with friends in the world is to be had [60, 246], 53, 111; the extent to which an examiner can examine candidates who are his friends [143]

The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms

https://jesuitas.lat/uploads/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-and-their-complementary-norms/Constitutions%20and%20Norms%20SJ%20ingls.pdf

The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (French: Société des amis de la Constitution), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality (Société des Jacobins, amis de la liberté et de l'égalité) after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club (Club des Jacobins) or simply the Jacobins (/ˈdʒækəbɪn/; French: [ʒakɔbɛ̃]), was the most influential political club during the French Revolution of 1789. The period of its political ascendancy includes the Reign of Terror, during which well over 10,000 people were put on trial and executed in France, many for political crimes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobins

Windows on the World was destroyed when the North Tower collapsed during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. While the restaurant was hosting regular breakfast patrons and the Risk Waters Financial Technology Congress, Egyptian terrorist Mohamed Atta and four other Al-Qaeda hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower between floors 93 and 99 at 8:46 a.m.[19] Everyone present in the restaurant died that day, as all means of escape (including the stairwells and elevators leading down from the impact zones) were instantly severed by the impact. Victims trapped in Windows on the World either died from smoke inhalation from the ensuing fire, jumping or falling to their deaths from the restaurant, or being killed in the eventual collapse of the North Tower 102 minutes later at 10:28 A.M. At least five Windows occupants were witnessed jumping or falling to their deaths from the restaurant.[20]

There were 72 restaurant staff present in the restaurant, including assistant general manager Christine Olender, whose desperate calls to Port Authority police represented the restaurant's final communications.[21] Sixteen Incisive Media-Risk Waters Group employees, as well as 76 other guests/contractors, were also present.[22] Among those also present was the executive director of the Port Authority, Neil Levin, who was having breakfast. After about 9:40 a.m., no further distress calls from the restaurant were made. The last people to leave the restaurant before Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. were Michael Nestor, Liz Thompson, Geoffrey Wharton, and Richard Tierney, who all shared an elevator together. They departed at 8:44 a.m. and survived the attack.[23]

World Trade Center lessor, Larry Silverstein, was regularly holding breakfast meetings in Windows on the World with tenants as part of his recent acquisition of the Twin Towers from the Port Authority, and was scheduled to be in the restaurant on the morning of the attacks. However, his wife insisted that he had to go to a dermatologist's appointment that morning,[24] whereby he avoided death."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_on_the_World

Breakfast in America is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Supertramp, released on 16 March 1979, by A&M Records.[5] It was recorded in 1978 at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles. It spawned three US Billboard hit singles: "The Logical Song" (No. 6), "Goodbye Stranger" (No. 15), and "Take the Long Way Home" (No. 10). In the UK, "The Logical Song" and the title track were both top 10 hits, the only two the group had in their native country.[6]

At the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1980, Breakfast in America won two awards for Best Album Package and Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording, as well as nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[7] It holds an Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certification of quadruple platinum and became Supertramp's biggest-selling album, with more than 4 million copies sold in the US and more than 3 million in France (the fourth ever best-selling album). It was No. 1 on Billboard Pop Albums Chart for six weeks, until 30 June 1979.[8] The album also hit No. 1 in Norway, Austria, West Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Australia and France.

Background

As with Even in the Quietest Moments..., Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson wrote most of their songs separately but conceived the theme for the album jointly. Their original concept was for an album of songs about the relationship and conflicting ideals between Davies and Hodgson themselves, to be titled Hello Stranger. Hodgson explained: "We realized that a few of the songs really lent themselves to two people talking to each other and at each other. I could be putting down his way of thinking and he could be challenging my way of seeing life [...] Our ways of life are so different, but I love him. That contrast is what makes the world go 'round and what makes Supertramp go 'round. His beliefs are a challenge to mine and my beliefs are a challenge to his."[9]

This idea was eventually scrapped in favour of an album of "fun" songs, and though Davies initially wanted to keep the title Hello Stranger, he was convinced by Hodgson to change it to Breakfast in America. Hodgson commented later: "We chose the title because it was a fun title. It suited the fun feeling of the album."[9] Due to the title and the explicit satirising of American culture in the cover and three of the songs ("Gone Hollywood", "Breakfast in America" and "Child of Vision"), many listeners interpreted the album as a whole as being a satire of the United States. Supertramp's members have all insisted that the repeated references to US culture are purely coincidental and that no such thematic satire was intended.[9] Hodgson has described the misconception as a parallel to how Crime of the Century (1974) is often misinterpreted as being a concept album.[9]

"Gone Hollywood" is the opening track of Breakfast in America. Written by Rick Davies, the song tells about a person who moves to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a movie star, but finds it far more difficult than he imagined. He struggles and becomes frustrated, until he ultimately gets his break and becomes "the talk of the Boulevard". The lyrics were originally more bleak, but under pressure from the other band members, Davies rewrote them to be more optimistic and commercially appealing.[10] Billboard writer David Farrell felt that, other than Davies' lead vocal, the song sounds like a Queen song.[11]

"Child of Vision" is the closing track. Much like "The Logical Song", it uses a Wurlitzer electric piano as the main instrument. After the lyrical part, the song goes into a long solo played on the grand piano alongside the original melody on the Wurlitzer. The track fades out with a short saxophone solo by John Helliwell. Roger Hodgson has said that the song was written to be an equivalent to "Gone Hollywood", looking at how Americans live, though he confessed that he had only a limited familiarity with US culture at the time of writing.[12] He also said there is a slight possibility that he subconsciously had Rick Davies in mind while writing the lyrics.[12]

Each song was credited to a single musician on the inner sleeve, but on the central vinyl label was printed "Words and Music by Roger Hodgson & Rick Davies", combining the two and confusing the issue of composition credit. Roger Hodgson's management has described "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in America", "Take the Long Way Home", "Lord Is It Mine" and "Child of Vision" as 'Roger's songs';[13] however, this apparently does not mean he necessarily wrote them by himself, for Hodgson has credited Davies with writing the vocal harmony on "The Logical Song".[10] Davies has referred to "The five songs that I did on Breakfast",[9] but has not specified which ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakfast_in_America

Windows Vista is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on November 8, 2006, and became generally available on January 30, 2007, on the Windows Marketplace, the first release of Windows to be made available through a digital distribution platform.[7] Vista succeeded Windows XP (2001); at the time, the five-year gap between the two was the longest time span between successive Windows releases.

Microsoft began developing Vista under the codename "Longhorn" in 2001, shortly before the release of XP. It was intended as a small upgrade to bridge the gap between XP and the next major Windows version, codenamed Blackcomb. As development progressed, it assimilated many of Blackcomb's features and was repositioned as a major Windows release. Vista introduced the updated graphical user interface and visual style Aero, Windows Search, redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems, and new multimedia tools such as Windows DVD Maker among other changes. Vista aimed to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network, using peer-to-peer technology to simplify sharing files and media between computers and devices. Vista included version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, allowing software developers to write applications without traditional Windows APIs. It removed support for Itanium and devices without ACPI.

While its new features and security improvements garnered praise, Vista was the target of significant criticism, such as its high system requirements, more restrictive licensing terms, lack of compatibility, longer boot time, and excessive authorization prompts from User Account Control. It saw lower adoption and satisfaction rates than XP, and it is generally considered a market failure.[8][9] However, Vista usage did exceed Microsoft's pre-launch two-year-out expectations of achieving 200 million users, with an estimated 330 million internet users in January 2009. On October 22, 2010, Microsoft ceased sales of retail copies of Windows Vista, and the original equipment manufacturer's sales for Windows Vista ceased the following year.[10]

Vista was succeeded by Windows 7 (2009), which retained and refined many of the features that Vista introduced. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Vista on April 10, 2012, and extended support on April 11, 2017.[11] In retrospect, Vista is often described as one of the worst versions of Windows,[12] but also an important one that laid the foundation for future releases.[13][14]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista

The Marriott World Trade Center was a 22-story, 825-room hotel at 3 World Trade Center within the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan, New York City. It opened in April 1981 as the Vista International Hotel and was the first major hotel to open in Lower Manhattan south of Canal Street since 1836. It was also unofficially known as World Trade Center 3 (WTC 3 or 3 WTC), and the World Trade Center Hotel, officially the Vista Hotel, and the Marriott Hotel throughout its history.

The hotel was damaged in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It was destroyed by structural damage caused by the collapse of the World Trade Center as a result of the September 11 attacks. The hotel was not replaced as part of the new World Trade Center complex, although its address was reused for a tower at 175 Greenwich Street.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriott_World_Trade_Center

An anonymous Internet commentator reflects:A friend of mine got hold of the beta test CD of Win95, and set up a packet sniffer between his serial port and the modem. When you try out the free demo time on The Microsoft Network, it transmits your entire directory structure in background.This means that they have a list of every directory (and, potentially every file) on your machine. It would not be difficult to have something like a File Request from your system to theirs, without you knowing about it. This way they could get a hold of any juicy routines you've written yourself and claim them as their own if you don't have them copyrighted." Liability For Distributed Artificial Intelligences"

Berkeley Technology Law Journal (btlj.org)

https://www.btlj.org/data/articles2015/vol11/Searchable/11-1/03%20Karnow.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3N1_M0djLd_bQgTM_xQto8kfgVZRyQkphkkmMOmvXec71yVJuGf9UvVnU

The Vatican has founded the Pope John Paul II Center for Prayer and Study for Peace at 1711 Ocean Avenue, Springlake, New Jersey, in a mansion overlooking the ocean. The mansion was given to the New York Archdiocese by the estate of Elmer Bobst, who died in 1978. He was a multimillionaire and chairman of Warner Lambert Company. Richard Nixon was a frequent visitor. Directors of the Center were Kurt Waldheim, former Secretary General of the United Nations and ex-nazi war criminal; Cyrus Vance, former Secretary of State under Carter and member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission; Clare Booth Luce, a dame of the Knights of Malta; and J. Peter Grace of W.R. Grace Company, who is head of the Knights of Malta in the United States. The Center was set up by the Vatican as a part of the Pope's new peace plan, which will bring the world together (see my paper "The Secret Government"). The Center has two roles:

(1) Educate Catholics and their children to accept the New World Order.

(2) Provide residence for the world-peace-solution computer and an ongoing study for peaceful solutions to any future problems which may endanger world peace. The computer is hooked to the world capitals via satellite. All nations have agreed to relinquish sovereignty to the Pope and submit future problems to the computer for solution. Of course, this will not go into effect until the New World Order is publicly announced. I believe that the New World Order was born in secrecy on January 19,1989. Now you know.

Acquaint yourself anew with the teachings of Jesus. Compare his teachings with the tenets of the Illuminati and then compare it with the following. The Vatican has stated at various times that "the Pope is for total disarmament; the Pope is for elimination of the sovereignty of the nation states; the Pope is also stating that property rights are not to be considered true property rights. The Pope believes that only the Vatican knows what is right for man." In the early 1940s, the I.G. Farben Chemical Company employed a Polish salesman who sold cyanide to the Nazis for use in Auschwitz. The same salesman also worked as a chemist in the manufacture of the poison gas. This same cyanide gas along with Zyklon B and malathion was used to exterminate millions of Jews and other groups. Their bodies were then burned to ashes in the ovens. After the war the salesman, fearing for his life, joined the Catholic Church and was ordained a priest in 1946. One of his closest friends was Dr. Wolf Szmuness, the mastermind behind the November/78 to October/79 and March/80 to October/81 experimental hepatitis B vaccine trials conducted by the Center for Disease Control in New York, San Francisco and four other American cities that loosed the plague of AIDS upon the American people. The salesman was ordained Poland's youngest bishop in 1958. After a 30-day reign his predecessor was assassinated and our ex-cyanide gas salesman assumed the papacy as Pope John Paul II. 1990 is the right time with the right leaders: ex-chief of the Soviet secret police Mikhail Gorbachev, ex-chief of the CIA George Bush, ex-Nazi cyanide gas salesman Pope John Paul II, all bound by an unholy alliance to ring in the New World Order."

Behold A Pale Horse

by William Cooper

hourofthetime .com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/William_Cooper-Behold_a_Pale_Horse1991A.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/4williamdunn/posts/pfbid0GmY2mTPFru8vm1L1f3w1phRZ8z2FNTdqvNfoD1wRf8vAw8xWzqdDNx4JkZKRnp6Xl

The western provinces of the Persian Empire had been home to Christian communities, headed by metropolitans, and later patriarchs of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. The Christian minority in Persia was frequently persecuted by the Zoroastrian majority, which accused local Christians of political leanings towards the Roman Empire. In 424, the Church in Persia declared itself independent, in order to ward off allegations of any foreign allegiance. By the end of the 5th century, the Persian Church increasingly aligned itself with the teachings of Theodore of Mopsuestia and his followers, many of whom became dissidents after the Councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451). The Persian Church became increasingly opposed to doctrines promoted by those councils, thus furthering the divide between Chalcedonian and Persian currents.[8]

In 486, the Metropolitan Barsauma of Nisibis publicly accepted Nestorius' mentor Theodore of Mopsuestia as a spiritual authority. In 489, when the School of Edessa in Mesopotamia was closed by Byzantine Emperor Zeno for its pro-Nestorian teachings, the school relocated to its original home of Nisibis, becoming again the School of Nisibis, leading to the migration of a wave of Christian dissidents into Persia. The Persian patriarch Babai (497–502) reiterated and expanded upon the church's esteem for Theodore of Mopsuestia.

Now firmly established in Persia, with centers in Nisibis, Ctesiphon, and Gundeshapur, and several metropoleis, the Persian Church began to branch out beyond the Sasanian Empire. However, through the sixth century, the church was frequently beset with internal strife and persecution by Zoroastrians. The infighting led to a schism, which lasted from 521 until around 539 when the issues were resolved. However, immediately afterward Roman-Persian conflict led to the persecution of the church by the Sassanid emperor Khosrow I; this ended in 545. The church survived these trials under the guidance of Patriarch Aba I, who had converted to Christianity from Zoroastrianism.[28]

The church emerged stronger after this period of ordeal, and increased missionary efforts farther afield. Missionaries established dioceses in the Arabian Peninsula and India (the Saint Thomas Christians). They made some advances in Egypt, despite the strong Miaphysite presence there.[29] Missionaries entered Central Asia and had significant success converting local Turkic tribes.

The Anuradhapura Cross discovered in Sri Lanka strongly suggests a strong presence of Nestorian Christianity in Sri Lanka during the 6th century AD according to Humphrey Codrington, who based his claim on a 6th-century manuscript, Christian Topography, that mentions of a community of Persian Christians who were known to reside in Taprobanê (the Ancient Greek name for Sri Lanka).[30][31][32]

Nestorian missionaries were firmly established in China during the early part of the Tang dynasty (618–907); the Chinese source known as the Nestorian Stele records a mission under a Persian proselyte named Alopen as introducing Nestorian Christianity to China in 635. The Jingjiao Documents (also described by the Japanese scholar P. Y. Saeki as "Nestorian Documents") or Jesus Sutras are said to be connected with Alopen.[33]

Following the Arab conquest of Persia, completed in 644, the Persian Church became a dhimmi community under the Rashidun Caliphate. The church and its communities abroad grew larger under the caliphate. By the 10th century it had 15 metropolitan sees within the caliphate's territories, and another five elsewhere, including in China and India.[28] After that time, however, Nestorianism went into decline.[disputed – discuss]

Assyrian Church of the East

Saint Mary Church: an ancient Assyrian church located in the city of Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran

In a 1996 article published in the Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, Fellow of the British Academy Sebastian Brock wrote: "the term 'Nestorian Church' has become the standard designation for the ancient oriental church which in the past called itself 'The Church of the East', but which today prefers the fuller title 'The Assyrian Church of the East'. The Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East signed by Pope John Paul II and Mar Dinkha IV underlines the Chalcedonian Christological formulation as the expression of the common faith of these Churches and recognizes the legitimacy of the title Theotokos."[34]

In a 2017 paper, Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of the Assyrian Church, stated the position of that church: "After the Council of Ephesus (431), when Nestorius the patriarch of Constantinople was condemned for his views on the unity of the Godhead and the humanity in Christ, the Church of the East was branded as 'Nestorian' on account of its refusal to anathematize the patriarch."[35]

Several historical records suggest that the Assyrian Church of the East may have been in Sri Lanka between the mid-5th and 6th centuries.[30][31][32]

Modern discourse

The accusations of Nestorianism have been used in contemporary theological discourse. One notable example is the case of John MacArthur, as he has asserted that when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she did not give birth to God, but rather gave birth to Jesus in his humanity and that "it’s heretical to call the blood of Jesus Christ the blood of God."[36][37] These statements have been critiqued as resembling Nestorianism by other Christians.[38][39]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestorianism

The General Register of Sasines, established by statute in 1617, allowed baronies to be legally registered, granting prescriptive rights to the caput over time. Possession of the land containing the caput conferred the title of baron or baroness. In 1672, the Lyon Register was created to regulate armorial bearings; no arms could be legally used in Scotland unless recorded therein, resolving disputes over heraldic rights.

Until 1874, new barons were confirmed by the Crown through charters of confirmation. By law, a Scottish barony required a Crown charter erecting the land into a barony, recorded in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. Even if the original charter was lost, an official extract carried the same legal weight. Barons held their estates directly of the Crown or the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, and the barony's legal status depended on this superior feudal relationship.

Scottish barons were part of the political structure of pre-Union Scotland. They sat in the Parliament of Scotland as members of the Second Estate. In 1428, lesser barons were permitted to elect commissioners to represent them, due to the burdens of travel. These representatives joined the Third Estate alongside burgh and shire commissioners, though the barons retained their personal right to attend until the Union of 1707. Greater barons often gained peerages over time, becoming lords of parliament, earls, or dukes, while lesser barons retained local influence, particularly through baron's courts and administrative roles.

Following the 1707 Acts of Union, legislative power affecting Scottish private law transferred to the unified British Parliament at Westminster. This arrangement remained in place until the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999. During this period, landowners often used "prescriptive feudal grants" to impose perpetual obligations - called real burdens - on land, which were recognised by courts and functioned similarly to English leaseholds.

The first Scottish Government (or Executive) was committed to abolishing the feudal system. This culminated in the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, which came fully into effect on 28 November 2004. With the Act, the feudal system was abolished, and baronies became incorporeal hereditaments[18][19] - intangible in status, similar to hereditary peerages, baronetcies, and coats of arms. Although baronies no longer conferred any legal right to land, the Act explicitly preserved their status as a dignity.[20][21] This marked the end of the ability to acquire a barony by purchasing land containing the caput.

Baronies are now fully "floating" meaning that they are detached from land and can be freely assigned or bequeathed[22]. If a baron dies intestate, the dignity is inherited according to the pre-1964 rules of succession, preserved for titles and dignities by the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964.[23] The Court of the Lord Lyon, as the heraldic authority of Scotland, continues to regulate the heraldic aspects of baronies. The holder of a barony may petition the Lyon Court for a grant of arms and is entitled to bear the appropriate helm and additaments befitting the dignity.[24] However, the Lyon Court has no jurisdiction over the legal assignation of baronies, which is a matter of civil law.[citation needed]

Most Scottish baronies were created prior to 1745, though some were erected as late as 1824. One of the oldest surviving baronies, the Baron of the Bachuil, is exceptional in that it does not depend on land ownership. Instead, the title passes with possession of an ancient staff known as the Bachuil Mór, once belonging to Saint Moluag. The lawful possessor of the staff is recognised as the Baron of the Bachuil, irrespective of any landholding - a tradition predating the feudal system itself.[25]

Although Scottish baronies are now entirely incorporeal in law, in some common law jurisdictions outside Scotland, particularly the United States, a barony may still be treated as a landholding entity. In these cases, land titled to "the Baron of X" is considered held in a fee simple attached to the barony.[26] This concept has not yet been tested in the Scottish courts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baronage_of_Scotland

Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart[1] (31 December 1720[b] – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1766 as Charles III.[c] He is also known as the Young Pretender, the Young Chevalier and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Born in Rome to the exiled Stuart court, he spent much of his early and later life in Italy. In 1744, he travelled to France to take part in a planned invasion of England to restore the Stuart monarchy under his father. When storms partly wrecked the French fleet, Charles resolved to proceed to Scotland following discussion with leading Jacobites. This resulted in Charles landing by ship on the west coast of Scotland, leading to the Jacobite rising of 1745. The Jacobite forces under Charles initially achieved several victories in the field, including the Battle of Prestonpans in September 1745 and the Battle of Falkirk Muir in January 1746. However, by April 1746, Charles was defeated at Culloden, effectively ending the Stuart cause. Although there were subsequent attempts such as a planned French invasion in 1759, Charles was unable to restore the Stuart monarchy.[4]

With the Jacobite cause lost, Charles spent the remainder of his life on the continent, except for one secret visit to London.[5] On his return, Charles lived briefly in France before he was exiled in 1748 under the terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Charles eventually returned to Italy, where he spent much of his later life living in Florence and Rome. He had a number of mistresses before marrying Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern in 1772. In his later life, Charles's health declined greatly, and he was said to be an alcoholic. However, his escapades during the 1745 and 1746 uprisings and his escape from Scotland led to his portrayal as a romantic figure of heroic failure.[6][7] His life and the once possible prospects of a restored Stuart monarchy have left an enduring historical legend that continues to have a legacy today.[8][7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Edward_Stuart

Baron Rothschild, of Tring in the County of Hertfordshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.[1] It was created in 1885 for Sir Nathan Rothschild, 2nd Baronet, a member of the Rothschild banking family.[2] He was the first Jewish member of the House of Lords not to have previously converted to Christianity. The current holder of the title is Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, who inherited the barony in 1990."

In 1822, the hereditary title of Freiherr (baron) of the Austrian Empire was granted in the Austrian nobility by Emperor Francis I of Austria to the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild.[5] In 1838, Queen Victoria authorized the use of this Austrian baronial title in the United Kingdom by Lionel de Rothschild and certain other members of the Rothschild family.[6][7] However, the use of such foreign titles in the United Kingdom was subsequently limited by a warrant of 27 April 1932.[8]"

Baron Rothschild - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Rothschild

The family of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and owner of The Trump Organization, is a prominent American family active in real estate, entertainment, business, and politics. Trump, his wife Melania, and son BARRON were the first family of the United States for the duration of his presidency. Trump's paternal grandparents, Frederick Trump and Elizabeth Christ Trump, had immigrated to the United States from Germany. Donald Trump's mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, came from the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland.[1] Trump has five children from three wives, and 10 grandchildren.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_of_Donald_Trump#Barron_Trump

Trump International, Scotland

@TrumpScotland

Donald J Trump, 45th President of the United States, announced today the start of a new golf venture in Scotland: the MacLeod course, to be built at Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire in honor of his late mother Mary Anne MacLeod.

10:47 AM · May 1, 2023

https://x.com/TrumpScotland/status/1653093764271857666

James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 1688 – 1 January 1766) [a] was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1701 until his death in 1766. The only son of James II of England and his second wife, Mary of Modena, he was Prince of Wales and heir until his Catholic father was deposed and exiled in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His Protestant half-sister Mary II and her husband William III became co-monarchs. As a Catholic, he was subsequently excluded from the succession by the Act of Settlement 1701.

Raised primarily in France and Italy, when his father died in September 1701 James claimed the thrones. As part of the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1708 Louis XIV of France backed a landing in Scotland on his behalf. This failed, as did further attempts in 1715 and 1719. Led by his elder son Charles Edward Stuart, the 1745 Rising was the last serious effort to restore the House of Stuart.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Francis_Edward_Stuart

The Crowns of America

So often one hears politicians quoting the British Constitution as if it actually exists by way of adocumentary privilege — but it does not. It is simply an accumulation of old customs and precedents concerning parliamentary sanctions, together with a number of specific laws defining certain aspects. Since Scotland's 1320 Declaration of Arbroath was nullified by England's Treaty of Union in 1707, the oldest Written Constitution now in force is that of the United States of America. It was adopted in 1787, ratified in 1788, and effected in 1789. In that same year began the French Revolution, which abolished feudalism and ‘absolute’ monarchy in France, thereby influencing politics in much of Europe. In close to 200 years since the Revolution, France and other European States (with Britain as a noticeable exception) have adopted Written Constitutions to protect the rights and liberties of individuals — but who champions these Constitutions on behalf of the people? A popular alternative to absolute monarchy or dictatorship has been found in Republicanism. The Republic of the United States was created primarily to free the emergent nation from the despotism of Britain’s House of Hanover. Yet its citizens tend still to be fascinated by the concept of monarchy. No matter how Republican the spirit, the need for a central symbol remains. Neither a flag nor a president can fulfil this unifying role, for by virtue of the ‘party system’ presidents are always politically motivated. Republicanism was devised on the principle of fraternal status, yet an ideally classless society can never exist in an environment that promotes displays of eminence and superiority by degrees of wealth and possession. For the most part, those responsible for the United States’ morally inspired Constitution were Rosicrucians and Freemasons, notable characters such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Charles Thompson. The last, who designed the Great Seal of the United States of America, was a member of Franklin’s American Philosophical Society — a counterpart of Britain’s Invisible College. The imagery of the Seal is directly related to alchemical tradition, inherited from the allegory of the ancient Egyptian Therapeutate. The eagle, the olive branch, the arrows, and the pentagrams are all occult symbols of opposites: good and evil, male and female, war and peace, darkness and light. On the reverse (as repeated on the dollar bill) is the truncated pyramid, indicating the loss of the Old Wisdom, severed and forced underground by the Church establishment. But above this are the rays of ever-hopeful light, incorporating the ‘all-seeing eye’, used as a symbol during the French Revolution.

In establishing their Republic, the Americans could still not escape the ideal of a parallel monarchy — a central focus of non-political, patriotic attachment. George Washington was actually offered kingship, but declined because he had no immediately qualifying heritage. Instead he turned to the Royal House of Stuart. In November 1782 four Americans arrived at the San Clemente Palazzo in Florence, the residence of Charles III Stuart in exile. They were Mr Galloway of Maryland, two brothers named Sylvester from Pennsylvania, and Mr Fish, a lawyer from New York. They were taken to Charles Edward by his secretary, John Stewart. Also present was the Hon Charles Hervey-Townshend (later Britain’s ambassador to The Hague) and the Prince's future wife, Marguerite, Comtesse de Massillan. The interview — which revolved around the contemporary transatlantic dilemma — is doctimented in the US Senate archives and in the Manorwater Papers. Writers such as Sir Compton Mackenzie and Sir Charles Petrie have also described the occasion when Charles Edward Stuart was invited to become ‘King of the Americans’. Some years earlier, Charles had been similarly approached by the men of Boston, but once the War of Independence was over George Washington sent his own envoys. It would have been a great irony for the House of Hanover to lose the North American colonies to the Stuarts. But Charles declined the offer for a number of reasons, not the least of which was his lack of a legitimate male heir at the time. He knew that without a due successor the United States could easily fall to Hanover again at his death, thereby defeating the whole Independence effort. Since those days, many other radical events have taken place: the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, two major World Wars, and a host of changes as countries have swapped one style of government for another. Meanwhile, civil and international disputes continue just as they did in the Middle Ages. They are motivated by trade, politics, religion, and whatever other banners are flown to justify the constant struggle for territorial and economic control. The Holy Roman Empire has disappeared, the German Reichs have failed, and the British Empire has collapsed. The Russian Empire fell to Communism, which has itself been disgraced and crumbled to ruin, while Capitalism teeters on the very brink of acceptability. With the Cold War now ended, America faces a new threat to her superpower status from the Pacific countries. In the meantime, the nations of Europe band together in what was once a seemingly well conceived economic community, but which is already suffering from the same pressures of individual custom and national sovereignty that beset the Holy Roman Empire. Whether nations are governed by military-style regimes or elected parliaments, by autocrats or democrats, and whether formally described as monarchist, socialist or republican, the net product is always the same: the few control the fate of the many. In situations of dictatorship this is a natural experience — but it should not be the case in a democratic institution based on the principle of majority vote. True democracy is government by the people for the people, in either direct or representative form, ignoring class distinctions and tolerating minority views. The American Constitution sets out an ideal for this form of democracy ... but, in line with other nations, there is always a large sector of the community that is not represented by the party in power. Because presidents and prime ministers are politically tied, and because political parties take their respective turns at individual helms, the inevitable result is a lack of continuity for the nations concerned. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there is no reliable ongoing institution to champion the civil rights and liberties of people in such conditions of ever-changing leadership. Britain does, at least, retain a monarchy, but it is a politically constrained monarchy, and as such is ineffectual in performing its role as guardian of the nation. The United States, unlike Britain, has a Written Constitution — but has no one with the power to uphold its principles against successive governments who determinedly pursue their own politically vested interests. Is there an answer to the anomaly — an answer that could bring not just a ray of hope but a shining light for the future? There certainly is, but its energy relies on those in governmental service appreciating their roles as ‘representatives’ of society rather than presuming to stand at the head of society. Alongside the political administration, an appointed Constitutional champion would be empowered to keep check on any potential disparities and infringements of the Constitution that might occur. This can be achieved in the manner first envisaged by George Washington and the American Fathers. Their original plan was for a democratic Parliament combined with a working Constitutional Monarchy bound not to Parliament or the Church but to the people and their Written Constitution. In such an environment, sovereignty would ultimately rest with the people, while the monarch (as an operative Guardian of the Realm) would pledge an ‘Oath of Fealty to the Nation’ — not the reverse, as in Britain’s case, whereby the nation pays homage to the sovereignty of Parliament and the monarchy. The unfulfilled ambition of the American Fathers was that government ministers should be elected by the majority vote of the people, but that their actions be directed within the boundaries of the Constitution. Because that Constitution belongs to the people, its champion — as George Washington perceived — should be a monarch whose obligation is not to politics or religion but to the sovereign nation. Through the natural system of heredity (being born and bred to the task), such a Constitutional guardian would provide an ‘ongoing continuity’ of public representation through successive governments. In this regard both monarchs and ministers would be servants of the Constitution on behalf of the Community of the Realm. Such a concept of moral government lies at the very heart of the Grail Code, and it remains within the bounds of possibility for every civilized Nation State. A leading British politician recently claimed that it was not his job to be popular! Not so—a popular minister is a trusted minister, and holding a deserved electoral trust facilitates the democratic process. No minister can honestly expound an ideal of equality in society when that minister is deemed to possess some form of prior lordship over society. Class structure is always decided from above, never from below. It is therefore for those on self-made pedestals to be seen to kick them aside in the interests of harmony and unity. Jesus was not in the least humbled when he washed his Apostles’ feet; he was raised to the realm of a true Grail King — the realm of equality and princely service. This is the eternal ‘Precept of the Sangréal’, and it is expressed in Grail lore with the utmost clarity: only by asking ‘Whom does the Grail serve?’ will the wound of the Fisher King be healed, and the Wasteland returned to fertility.

pages 438-443 "The Sangreal Today"

Bloodline of the Holy Grail

by Laurence Gardner

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsH4O_ls0IgWEYXLXWCo7I3IUi32FJhq/view?usp=sharing

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was created in 1098, when the members of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem and elected Godfrey of Boulogne, or Godefroi de Bouillon, duke of Lower-Lorraine, as king of Jerusalem. The city was itself finally taken back by the Muslims in 1291, although the title continued to be claimed for centuries.

The Corpus Inscriptionum Crucesignatorum is online, listing inscriptions from the Crusader times that have been found in the Middle East.

The Arms

The Arms of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem are well-known: Argent a cross potent between four crosses or. It is the most well-known violation of the rule of tinctures.

Insignia or the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Insignia of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (from Diderot's Encyclopédie. They are A cross potent between four crosslets gules.

Whether these arms were ever used by the kings of Jerusalem is another matter. According to an article by Hervé Pinoteau in the Cahiers d'Héraldique, vol. 4, the earliest representation of the cross potents between crosslets is on the seal of a nephew and ward of John of Brienne, king from 1210 (the seal is from 1227). The arms of Jerusalem also appear on a reliquary called "la cassette de Saint-Louis" which he dates to 1236. (See also an article by Elliot Nesterman on early evidence of the Cross of Jerusalem).

Claimants to the Throne

The arms of Jerusalem pop up in a number of places. The reason for this is the rather tortuous history of the throne and title. The short version is this: three lines stemmed from Queen Isabeau (d. 1206), the eldest of which ruled in absentia until 1268, at which time the two other lines entered in dispute over the succession. From this dispute stems the claims of (1) the kings of Cyprus and (2) the kings of Sicily. The claim to Cyprus (1) became object of dispute in 1474 as the result of an usurpation: the claims of the usurper (1a) passed to Venice, while those of the displaced ruler (1b) passed to Savoy. As for the claims of the kings of Sicily (2), it became part of the dispute in 1434 between the duke of Anjou and the king of Aragon. The claims of the former (2a) passed briefly to the kings of France (1494-1515) and were later resurrected by the dukes of Lorraine in 1700 (whose descendants became emperors of Austria), while the the claims of the latter (2b) passed along with Sicily itself to the kings of Spain (1506-1700), then becoming the object of yet another dispute until returning to a younger son of the king of Spain in 1738; henceforth the title was used both by the kings of Spain and those of the Two Sicilies.

The kingdom of Jerusalem was founded as a consequence of the 1st crusade of 1099. Godefroi de Bouillon died in 1100 and was succeeded by his brother Baudoin I (+ 1118) and a great-nephew Baudoin II (+ 1131), who left an eldest daughter Mélissende. She passed the throne to her husband Foulques d'Anjou (+ 1147), and to her sons Baudoin III (+ 1163) and Amaury or Amalric (+ 1173). Amaury had a son and successor Baudoin IV (d. 1185), and two daughters, Sybille and Isabeau (1169-1206).

Sybille married in 1176 William of Montferrat (+ 1177), by whom she had a posthumous son Baudoin. She was then married in 1180 to Guy de Lusignan (d. 1194), count of Jaffa and Ascalon who was also appointed regent of the kingdom by the invalid Baudoin IV. But Baudoin IV then changed his mind, took away the regency, and abdicated in 1182 in favor of Sybille's son Baudoin V. This child died in 1186, soon after his uncle, and Sybille became queen of Jerusalem, and was crowned with her husband Guy de Lusignan. However, a rival in the person of Conrad of Montferrat, brother of Sybille's first husband, rose up. In the end an agreement was reached: Guy would retain the title for his life, Conrad would marry Sybille's sister Isabeau and succeed as well as his posterity. By that time, the city itself had actually been lost. Sybille had died in 1190, Conrad was murdered in 1192, leaving only a daughter Marie (1191-1212), and Guy renounced his claim in 1192 and bought the island of Cyprus from Richard Lionheart who had just conquered it from the Byzantine empire.

This left only Isabeau as the heir, and she became queen in 1192. All subsequent claims to the throne of Jerusalem stem from her. She married the same year Henri de Champagne (1166-97), who became king with her and died in 1197, leaving two daughters Alix and Philippa. Queen Isabeau next married Amaury de Lusignan (1145-1205), elder brother of Guy and his successor as king of Cyprus, by whom she had Sybille (married to Leo II of Armenia) and Mélissande. Isabeau died in 1205 and was succeeded by her eldest daughter Marie (1191-1212), married to Jean de Brienne (d. 1237) in 1209. Their only daughter Isabeau (1211-28) was married to the Emperor Frederic II who forced his parents-in-law to turn over the throne to him in 1225. Frederic was succeeded as Emperor and king of Jerusalem by his only child of that marriage, Conrad (1228-54), himself succeeded by his only child Conradin of Hohenstaufen 1252-68), who lost his throne of Naples and his life to Charles of Anjou. With him the issue of queen Isabeau's first daughter died out.

Jacques II died in 1473, leaving a widow Caterina Cornero (1454-1510), from the Venitian aristocracy. His posthumous son Jacques III soon died. The city of Venice turned Cyprus into a protectorate, and, in 1489, forced Caterina Cornero to return to Venice and cede her rights to the Republic. From then on, the Republic of Venice also added the title and arms of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia to its own, until 1797 when the Republic was abolished and its territories handed over to Austria by the Treaty of Campo-Formio. Cyprus was under Venetian control until 1571 when it was conquered by the Turks. Venice became part of the kingdom of Italy in 1866.

Meanwhile, the kings of Sicily also claimed the title of king of Jerusalem. In 1282, Charles d'Anjou lost Sicily and his descendants reigned in Naples only (albeit under the title of kings of Sicily) while Sicily itself was ruled by branches of the house of Aragon. When the descendants of Charles d'Anjou became extinct in 1434, the two claimants were René d'Anjou and Alfonso, king of Aragon and Sicily, and the latter won, at which point his successors the kings of both Sicilies added the claim of Jerusalem to their own. René's claim was resurrected by his grand-nephew king Charles VIII of France in 1494, who managed to conquer and briefly hold Naples, and who used the title of Jerusalem, as did his successor Louis XII (but no other French king did so). In 1506 the Two Sicilies was finally regained by king Ferdinand of Aragon, and henceforth possessed, along with the claim to Jerusalem, by the kings of Spain, descendants of Fernando's daughter Juana and her husband Philip of Habsburg, until their extinction in male line in 1700.

As a result of the war of Spanish Succession (1701-13), Naples and Sicily were ceded by Spain to the Habsburg emperor Charles VI in 1720, and the pope duly invested the emperor with the titles of king of Sicily and Jerusalem on June 5, 1722 (the kingdom being a papal fief). In the course of the war of Polish Succession (1733-38), the younger son of the king of Spain, Don Carlos, managed to conquer the Two Sicilies, a conquest recognized by the peace of Vienna of 1738, and by the pope in the same year. Carlos became king of Spain in 1759 and left Naples and Sicily to his younger son Ferdinand, whose descendants reigned until 1860. The kings of Spain continued to use the title of Jerusalem until 1931, as did the kings of Two-Sicilies.

On the other hand, René's daughter Yolande married Ferry de Vaudémont, one of whose sons became duke of Lorraine. The modern house of Lorraine took up the claim to Jerusalem in 1700 (although it wasn't the best claimant from a genealogical point of view, as pointed out by W. A. Reitwiesner) when duke Leopold returned to his duchy after 28 years of French occupation, and adopted a closed royal crown and the style of king of Jerusalem. His son François, duke of Lorraine, married the Empress Maria-Theresa, and their descendants as rulers of Austria inherited the claim. The arms of Jerusalem could be seen in the grand arms of State of the Austrian Empire in the 19th century and the title was used until 1918.

Other Crusader States

There is very little evidence on the arms of the Crusader states. The traditional arms of the kingdom of Jerusalem are not known before the 1230s, when the city had already been lost. Numismatic evidence is scant, epigraphic evidence even more so (there are very little heraldic traces of the Crusaders in the Middle East, outside Cyprus; see an interesting exception).

Numismatic evidence

The best work is Gustave Schlumberger's Numismatique de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1878; reprint Graz 1954). In a coin auction catalogue I recently received, coins from Tripoli feature:

Obverse: horse with cross above, Reverse: a cross between four roundels (bronze, Raymond II 1137-52)

Obv: cross patty, Rev: eight-point star (Bohemond VI, 1251-75, silver gros)

Obv: cross slightly patty, Rev: three-towered castle (Bohemond VII, 1275-87, silver gros)

I believe the 8-pt star was a recurrent motif on Tripoli coins.

Coins of Antioch feature:

Raymond Roupen (1216-19): helmeted head between crescent and 5-pt star, Rev: cross patty with crescent in one quarter. (coins from early 12th c. have a bust of St Peter and inscriptions, or the Mother of God facing nimbate).

Interestingly, coins from Cyprus (1306-1473) constantly feature on the reverse a cross potent between four crosses, never crosslets but sometimes patty or formy. But what is peculiar is that the main cross is "quadrat in the centre", that is, its center is thickened by a square. This is, according to Parker's Glossary, called a cross of S. Chad, because it features in the arms of the see of Lichfield and Coventry, of which S. Chad was the first bishop. The quadrating on the Cyprus coins is much less pronounced than in the drawing in Parker, but this is nevertheless quite intriguing.

Other evidence

monuments (carved arms, epitaphs, etc): two or three epitaphs with arms are known; some graffiti carved on marble columns of the church of the Nativity in Bethleem were made by 14th-15th c. pilgrims. That's all that survived. One notable exception: the tomb of Philippe d'Aubigni in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

Monuments in the West: Marguerite, daughter of Louis d'Acre, vicomte de Beaumont, himself son of Jean de Brienne, king of Jerusalem, was married to Bohemond VII, count of Tripoli (d. 1287) and eldest son of Bohemond VI, last prince of Antioch. She died in France in 1328, and her tomb in the abbey of Maubuisson was described as "parsemée de croix de Jérusalem dans des losanges de gueules, et de lions rampants dans des losanges de sable fleurdelisés" in Du Cange's Familles d'Outremer (Paris, 1869, p. 486). The tomb was destroyed in 1793 (reference to Dulaure, Environs de Paris, vol. 2, p. 331, n. 2, which I have not checked).

objects: a handful survive, mainly from Cyprus.

seals: Gustave Schlumberger's Sigillographie de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1943) is probably quite comprehensive, and there is little heraldry to glean from it. Lots of seals of the kings of Jerusalem, princes of Antioch, counts of Tripoli are known, but they bear no arms. See for example the seals of Baudoin II (1118-31), Amalric (1162-75), Jean de Brienne (1212-37). In Antioch, Raymond of Poitiers (1136-49) is shown riding a horse and bearing a cross on his shield and banner, but that's it. Among lesser barons, the Ibelin family, lords of Arsur and Beyrut apparently had "Or a cross patty gules". The device certainly appears on their shields and banners as shown on their seals. Aside from that, there are arms here and there: Hugues de Giblet (Biblos) has a 8-pointed star, the Porcellet family has a boar passant, the lordship of Loron or Thoron was a lion rampant.

There is more armory from Cyprus and Constantinople; but then, those arms are well known. The Courtenay arms appear on Philippe de Courtenay's seal (d. 1283). Interestingly, the earlier emperors of Constantinople, Baudoin of Flanders (d. 1205), Henri I (d. 1216), Baudoin II (d. 1261) all use the lion of Flanders, although one contemporary cronicler describes Henri riding in battle with a coat-armour gules semy of crosses or. Villehardouin, princes of Achaia, use the family arms of a cross recercelee; later, Louis a cadet of Burgundy who claimed Achaia added a quarter of Villehardouin to his arms of Burgundy ancient (14th c.). Achaia was also claimed by a junior branch of Savoy, who differenced with a bend.

https://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/jerusale.htm

Baldwin of Jerusalem, who had been a prisoner in the hands of the Saracens and knew of their disunity, realized at about this time that Islam must eventually unite against the Christian invasion, and the decided that the Templars who prove ideal allies in the battles which were to come. In 1127, therefore, he sent two Templars with his strong recommendation to the Pope, applying for official recognition of the Order by the Holy See. [And this is the first time that the Templars even were considered to be close to the center of religion, the Christian religion in that day, the Catholic church, the Pope. For they were not commissioned as a Christian order; they were not commissioned by the Pope or by the church, and this is a big myth that the Knights Templar started out to protect the church and to protect the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. They were established first, primarily, and foremost as a branch of the ancient order of the Religion of Mystery Babylon. And it's indicative of the strategies that they've used since to endear themselves to whatever the established power, or the beliefs of the majority of the people might be.]

[When they went to see the Pope,] they had an introduction to St. Bernard himself, the Abbot of Clairvaux, who was known to be admirer of theirs, and who was a nephew of one of their envoys. Then the Grand Master himself arrived in Europe, and received the eulogistic opinion of the Abbot: “They go not headlong into battle, but with care and foresight, peacefully, as true children of Israel. But as soon as the fight had begun, they rush without delay upon the foe . . . and know no fear . . . one has often put to flight a thousand; two, ten thousand . . . gentler than lambs and grimmer than lions; theirs is the mildness of monks and the valor of the knight.” [Now folks, this was a strong recommendation, and this testimonial was part of the campaign of the Templars in their efforts at recognition of the Pope. All of you who have thought that they began as a religious order in the first place are so way off base that it's pathetic. And neither were the Jesuits a religious order in the first place, but we'll get that together in another broadcast.] [But] on the 31st [of] January [in the year] 1128, the Master appeared before the Council of Troyes. This formidable body consisted of the Archbishops of Rheims and Sens, ten bishops and a number of abbots—including St. Bernard himself - presided over by the Cardinal of Albano, the Papal legate. They were approved; and Pope Honorius chose for them a white mantle, completely plain. The red cross was added by order of Pope Eugenius III in 1146. [And see, you thought the Templars thought of this. Nope not at all. This was mandated by two Popes: first, the white mantle, completely plain; and then later the red cross was added by Pope Eugenius III in 1146.]

Hugh de Payens now took his delegation through France and England, and collected a number of recruits. Gifts and grants were showered upon the Order; lands, rents and arms were forthcoming from all quarters. Richard I of England was enthusiastic about them. By 1133, King Alfonso of Aragon and Naverre, who had fought the Spanish Moors in twenty-nine 113 battles, had willed his country to them; although when the Moors finally laid him low his nobles prevented the Templars from claiming their rights. [Nevertheless, this was of great honor. In fact, to my knowledge and to our research into history, it never had before been done.]

In 1129 the Master, accompanied by three hundred knights, recruited from the noblest houses of Europe, led a huge train of pilgrims to the Holy Land. It was at this time that the Templars formed part of the Christian contingent which, allied with the Assassins, tried to take Damascus. [And it wasn't the first time nor the last that the Christian Knights Templar, or supposedly Christian Knights Templar (they really weren't Christian at all) were allied with the Assassins.] Were they (as the Orientalist von Hammer alleges)109 connected in some secret way with the Assassins? [Yes, our research shows that it is a historical fact. And it is also a historical fact that the Assassins were prepared to adopt Christianity if they could gain greater power thereby (Christianity, that is, on the surface, just as the Knights Templar had done)]. Hammer points to the similarities of the two organizations. The followers of Hasan Ibn Sabah were in contact with the Templars, and had a similar method of organization. They were in existence before the Templars were formed: “The Ismailians ([or] Assassins) was the original, and [folks] the Order of the Templars, [was] the copy.”

The balance of Western opinion is against this contention; more particularly because, one feels from wide reading of historians, great sympathy is felt for the cruelly treated and a arbitrarily dispossessed Templars. Thus Keightley, who made a close study of the Order those who would claim that the Templars were an Assassin branch [but, when you do research into the (laughs) associations and memberships of Keightley, you'll find that Keightley was himself a Knight Templar. And he said:]

“When, nearly thirty years after their institution, the Pope gave them permission to wear a cross on their mantle, like the rival Hospitaller Order, no color could present itself to well suited to those who daily and hourly exposed themselves to martyrdom as that of blood, in which there was so much of what was symbolical. With respect to internal organization it will, we apprehend, be always found that this is for the most part of the growth of time and the product of circumstances; and it always nearly the same where these last are similar.”110

[And you find this kind of rhetoric, semantics, all throughout the writings of those who wish to cover the true origin and the true meaning of Mystery Babylon.]

The famous question of the three thousand gold pieces paid by the Syrian branch of the Assassins to the Templars is another matter which has [of course] never been settled. One opinion holds that this money was given as a tribute to the Christians; the other, that it was a secret allowance from the larger to the small organization. [Which it really was as the Assassins wished to expand their control and remember their original goal was to take over the entire world by the systematic infiltration and control of each individual country.] Those who think that the Assassins were fanatical Moslems, and therefore would not form any alliance with those who to them were infidels, should be reminded that to the followers of the Old Man of the Mountains only he was right, and the Saracens who were fighting the Holy War for Allah against the Crusaders were as bad as anyone else who did not accept the Assassin doctrine.

[And it is true today: “If you are not one of us, you are nothing.” “The ends justify the means.” “The strength of our Order exists in the fact that we manifest ourselves under many different names and many different occupations, and sometimes even seem to oppose ourselves. But at the highest level, we are of one mind."

And I could go on, and on (laughs), and on, and you all know that I could go on and on and on. For I have studied this for so many years that I eat, drink and sleep it. Oh yes.]

[Well, eventually] grave charges against the Templars during the Crusades included the allegation that they were fighting for themselves alone. More than one historical incident bears this out. The Christians had besieged the town of Ascalon in 1153, and were engaged upon burning down the walls with large piles of inflammable materials. Part of the wall fell after a whole night of this burning. The Christian army was about to enter, when the Master of the Temple (Bernard de Tremelai)

109 Chevalier Joseph von Hammer, The History of the Assassins: Derived from Oriental sources, 1835

110 Thomas Keightley, Secret Societies of the Middle Ages, 1837

claimed the right to take the town himself. This was because the first contingent into a conquered town had the whole spoils. As it happened, the garrison rallied and killed the Templars, closing the breach. There seem good grounds for believing that the power which they had gained caused the Templars to devote their efforts as much to their own Order's welfare as to the cause of the Cross, in spite of their tremendous sacrifices for that cause. Having no loyalty to any territorial chief, they obeyed their Master alone, and hence no softening political pressure could be put upon them. [Well,] this might well have led to an idea that they were an invisible super-state [and that is exactly the fact]; and this does show some similarity with the invisible empire of the Assassins. If none can deny their bravery, their high-handedness and exclusivity, in less than a hundred and fifty years after their founding gave them the reputation of considering themselves almost a law unto themselves.

[No longer reading] And now, dear listeners, we get into the meat, the direct connection between the historical events and the events that are happening today. Don't miss even one episode of this series. Good night, and may God bless each and every one of you.

(Outro music: Stardust)111

The Templars and the Assassins (aired March 2nd, 1993)

https://viefag.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/transcripts-of-william-cooper-s-mystery-babylon-series.pdf

Lorraine

By the Treaty of Verdun in 843, the empire of Charlemagne was divided in three parts: Ludwig the German received Eastern Franconia; Charles the Bald, Western Franconia; and Lothair I, the strip of land lying between the two and reaching from the North Sea to the Rhone, with Italy in addition. After the death of Lothair I, in 855, Italy passed to his son Lothair II, who gave his name to the district henceforth known as Lotharii Regnum — Lotharingen, Lothringen, or Lorraine. Lorraine did not form a geographical unit, like two great neighbouring kingdoms, complete in themselves and by their natural formation. Its boundaries were uncertain for though the Meuse was on the west, the Rhine on the east, and the sea on the north, yet to the south it was completely exposed. The population, which in the eastern kingdom was Germanic, and in the western Roman, here combined both elements. Lorraine, moreover, included within its boundaries the original home of the Austrasian dynasty, with Aachen, Charlemagne's capital, and the most important centres of ancient culture: two archbishoprics (Cologne and Trier), many bishoprics (Metz, Toul, Verdun, etc.), abbeys and royal castles. From the beginning it was coveted by the neighbouring princes, who succeeded, one after another, in seizing parts or the whole of its territory. The composite character of its origin also led to endless internal wars.

The territory afterwards known as Lorraine was converted to Christianity while still under Roman domination. Missionaries came thither from Trier whose first bishop was St. Eucharius (about 250). One of his successors, Maternus (313-14), founded the See of Cologne. About 811 Trier became an archbishopric, the episcopal Sees of Metz, Toul, and Verdun being suffragan to it. From 511 Metz was capital of Austrasia, and became a bishopric in the sixth century, one of its first bishops being St. Chrodegang(742-66). Toul and Verdun have been bishoprics since the fourth century. Under Bishop Hildebold, in 799, Cologne received from St. Boniface metropolitan jurisdiction over Liège and Utrecht. The two great archbishoprics early became temporal lordships. Trier obtained its temporal power in 898, under Radbod, through Duke Zuentebulch of Lorraine; Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne (953-65), himself obtained the dignity of Duke of Lorraine. Both archbishoprics became imperial principalities. Metz and Verdun were later raised to the same dignity. With the close of the sixth century began the foundation of the numerous monasteries which spread from the Vosges, and to which Lorraine owed its advanced culture. Its people were remarkable through the Middle Ages for their religious zeal. The most ancient of these monasteries is Luxeuil founded by St. Columba, whose example was followed by Amatus, Romarich, Deodatus, Godelbert, Hidulf, and Chrodegang, who founded the abbeys of Remiremont, St. Die, Senones, Moyen-Moutier, St. Michiel, and Gooze. There were other famous monasteries in the different bishoprics, such as those of St. Maximinus at Trier, St. Epure of Toul, Symphorian, Glossinda, and St. Peters at Metz. Under the Carlovingians the number increased. Richilde, wife of Charles the Bald, founded Juvigny near Stenay about 874; Bishop Adventius of Metz, Neumünster; while St. Germain, St. Martin on the Meuse, and Gellamont near Dieulouard also date back to this period. In these ecclesiastical abodes and in the bishops' residences celebrated schools flourished, among which St. Mathias near Trier, the Abbey of Prüm, famous for the historian Regino, and Verdun with its Bertarius attained great prominence. The councils of Meaux, in 845, of Valence, in 855, and of Savonnières, near Toul, in 859 improved these schools and founded new ones.

For political reasons, Lothair II ceded small portions of his domains to his neighbours: to his brother Charles, the Diocese of Belley and Moutiers; to Louis of Italy, provinces in the Upper Jura and the Vaud; to Louis the German, Alsace. After his death, in 869, war immediately broke out, as almost always occurred upon the death of a ruler of Lorraine. The Kings of France and Germany, as well as Louis of Italy, wished to seize the country; Louis the German was victorious, and, by the Treaty of Meersen, in 870, far the greater part was awarded to him--all the territory east and north of the Meuse and the territory and cities on the Moselle, on both sides of the Rhine, and in Jura, that is to say Friesland, the country of the Ripuarian Franks the original lands of the House of Lorraine, Alsace, and a part of Burgundy. Charles the Bald received the countries on the left bank of the Meuse and the Moselle. After the death of Louis the German (876) Charles tried, but failed, to reconquer Lorraine. Louis the Younger, in 879, after the death of Louis the Stammerer, repossessed himself of the French, western, half of Lorraine, and thus once more united the entire Regnum Lotharii under German rule. Under Charles the Fat, a natural son of Lothair II named Hugo disturbed the peace by calling in to his aid the Norman Godfrey, who acquired Friesland as a fief. Both, however, were severely defeated in 888. King Arnulf (887-99) expelled the Normans, gaining a victory at Louvain (891), and improved the religious situation by summoning the great Council of Tibour (895). At the same time, in order to secure Lorraine as a part of Westmark, he gave it to his natural son, Zuentebulch, who surrendered the management of state affairs to Archbishop Radbod of Trier, as his chancellor. Zuentebulch was overthrown in an insurrection raised by the mightiest nobles of the country, Gerard, Matfried, and Reginar, on 13 August, 900. Gradually the supremacy passed over to Reginar of Hainault and Haspengau, who, after the death of Louis the Child (912), brought Lorraine under the allegiance of Charles the Simple of France and in return received from him the dignity of margrave (Lord of the Marches) and duke. To these titles his son Giselbert succeeded in 913. Under Giselbert, the disputes about the succession to the throne of France gave rise to internal divisions among the people of Lorraine. Henry I (919-36) was called by one party to its assistance and, after repeated invasions, recovered all of Lorraine for Germany (925). He confirmed Giselbert in the Duchy, and, in 928, gave him his own daughter Gerberga in marriage. In spite of this, Giselbert once more allied himself with the King of France, Louis IV, against the German Emperor Otto I (936-73). But when Giselbert was drowned near Andernach in 933, during his flight from the loyal Counts Udo and Conrad, Otto once more obtained the upper hand and gave Lorraine to his brother Henry. The latter was driven out by the people of Lorraine, and Otto made Count Otto of Verdun, son of Richwin, duke. In 943 he constrained Louis IV of France to make a final renunciation of the rights of the Carlovingians over Lorraine. After Count Otto's death (944), the lordship passed to Count Conrad the Red of Franconia, who had married the emperor's daughter Liutgarde. But Conrad, too, was faithless, and, while Otto I was absent on an expedition to Italy (953), he called in the Hungarians. He was deposed, however, and replaced by St. Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne (953-65).

Bruno was the first to succeed in placing German supremacy on the firm basis which lasted until the twelfth century. This he accomplished by training an austere and learned clergy, whom he deeply imbued with the national sentiment to such an extent that the bishops whom he appointed (such as Heino of Verdun, Adalbero of Metz, Hegelo and Bruno of Toul, Wazo of Liège) became the principal supports of the imperial power. In order to control its continual unrest, he divided the country. The northern part (Lower Lorraine), from the Ardennes to the sea, comprised the Archbishopric of Cologne with the Bishoprics of Utrecht and Liège. The southern part, Upper Lorraine, or the Land of the Moselle, extended to the south-east of the Vosges and to the Sichelberg, with the Archbishopric of Trier and the Bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and Verdun. Subject to the supreme direction of Bruno, Lower Lorraine was assigned to Count Gottfried, Upper Lorraine to Count Friedrich, brother of Bishop Adalbero of Metz. The German Emperor exercised suzerainty over both. Aachen became the capital in 965.

Lower Lorraine

The history of Lower Lorraine is connected with that of Upper Lorraine for only a few more centuries. In 977 Emperor Otto II granted it to Charles, brother of Lothair of France, as a German fief. Lothair's subsequent invasion was repelled by Otto's famous march to Paris (978). After Charles's son Otto had died childless, the dukedom passed to Godfrey of Verdun, whose son Gozelo I reunited the upper and lower duchies under his rule in 1033. Of his sons, the elder, Godfrey the Bearded, succeeded him in Upper Lorraine and Gozelo II (d. 1046) in Lower Lorraine. After the latter's death, Lower Lorraine was conferred upon Count Frederick of Luxemburg and, immediately after, upon Godfrey the Bearded (1065-69). His son Godfrey the Hunchback was the last ruler of this district who was loyal to the empire. As the bishops, after the triumph of the Cluniac Reform and the struggle over investitures, ceased to support the German emperors, the province soon resolved itself into small feudal estates. These gradually withdrew from the German allegiance. Part of the country became known as the Netherlands, or Low Countries, and in 1214 reverted finally to France, whilst the remainder took the name of Brabant. Godfrey adopted his nephew Godfrey de Bouillon, who was enfeoffed in 1088 by Henry IV. Upon his death at Jerusalem Henry V gave the duchy to Godfrey the Bearded, Count of Brabant. In 1155 the Lords of Limburg severed themselves from Lower Lorraine and became independent dukes. After Henry V (1186-1235) the dukes of Lower Lorraine were known as dukes of Brabant. In 1404 the duchy was united to Burgundy.

Upper Lorraine

After Lower Lorraine received the name of Brabant, Upper Lorraine became known simply as Lorraine. The latter was split up among numerous small countships and the dioceses of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, which from early times had been immediate fiefs of the empire. The history of these bishoprics is the history of the Church in Lorraine, Metz being the centre and head of the whole ecclesiastical organization. The larger, southern, half was under the jurisdiction of the See of Toul. The secular power was conferred by Emperor Henry III, in 1048, upon the wealthy Count Gerhard of Alsace, whose descendants reigned there for seven hundred years. Under Emperor Otto I the monasteries were reformed by Bishop Albero I (928-63). Stephen, of the powerful house of Bar, Bishop and Cardinal of Metz 1120-63, brought the newly-founded Premonstratensian and Cistercian Orders into the country. Complete political rest never really existed. When not repelling the attacks of France, Lorraine was occupied with intestine wars, either among the spiritual principalities mentioned above or among the Counts of Bar, Bitsch, Vaudemont, and other temporal lords. Besides, the dukes were, as a rule, involved in the quarrels of the German suzerain and also took part in the Crusades; for piety and devotion to the Church distinguished most of them, in spite of their warlike character.

Duke Theobald II (1304-12) at a meeting of the Diet settled the rights of inheritance upon his female as well as male descendants. Isabella, daughter of Charles I, accordingly mounted the throne in 1431, and, with her, her consort René of Anjou and Bar, who brought the last-named duchy to Lorraine. When this female line became extinct in 1473 the male line of Vaudemont succeeded under René II (1473-1508). He successfully defended his country against Charles the Bold of Burgundy (1477), and to his maternal inheritance of Lorraine, Bar, Pont-à-Mousson, and Guise he united the dignities received from his father--Vaudemont, Joinville, Aumale, Mayenne, and Elbæuf--and kept up Anjou's pretensions to Naples and Sicily. René II, by forcing the election of his uncle Henry II as bishop in 1484, brought the administration of the See of Metz to the House of Lorraine, and Bishop John IV of Vaudemont (1518-43 and 1548-50), as Cardinal of Lorraine and papal legate for that country, united in his own hands Bar and the principalities of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, the episcopal power over Toul, Terouanne, Narbonne, Die-Valence, Verdun, Luçon, Reims, Alby, Lyons, Agen, and Nantes; and was Abbot of Goze, Fécamp, Cluny, Marmoutier, Saint-Ouen, and Saint-Mansuy.

The Reformation, after being forcibly averted by Duke Anton (1508-44), obtained a transitory foothold only in a few of the eastern districts, and in the seventeenth century it was constrained to give way entirely to Catholicism. In 1552 the great French encroachments recommenced, when Henry II, as the ally of the German Protestant princes, annexed Metz, Toul, and Verdun, and Lorraine itself was occupied until 1559. At that time the spiritual life received a new stimulus under Bishop Henry III of Metz (1612- 52) through the erection of monasteries of Benedictines at Saint-Barbe; Carmelites at Metz; Minims at Dieuze, Nomeny, and Bassing; Capuchins at Vic, Diedenhofen, Saarburg, and Bitsch; and Jesuit houses at Metz and Buckenheim. St. Vincent de Paul interested himself in the districts which suffered so severely in the Thirty Years' War. By the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648, Metz, Toul, and Verdun were formally ceded to France, which had re-occupied the Duchy of Lorraine in 1632, and by the Treaty of 1661 territory was ceded to Louis XIV, which thus secured to him a passage across Lorraine to Alsace. In 1697, by the Peace of Ryswick, he gave the duchy to Duke Leopold Joseph (1697-1729). In 1738, by the Peace of Vienna, it was granted to the former King of Poland, Stanislaus Leczinski, after whose death in 1766 it reverted to France. In the ecclesiastical jurisdiction a series of changes took place. In 1598 Duke Charles had tried to erect a bishopric at Nancy for his duchy; but in 1602 only a collegiate chapter was established there. In 1778 the episcopal See of Nancy was really founded, and the bishop received the title of Primate of Lorraine. At the same period the See of Saint-Die was founded, while that of Toul was abolished in 1790. By the division of France into departments, in 1790, the "Province of the Three Bishoprics", as it had been known since 1552, with the Provinces of Lorraine and Bar, were divided into the departments of Moselle, Meurthe, Vosges, and Meuse. The jurisdictions of Saarwerden, Herbitzheim, and Diemeringen, for the most part Protestant, became incorporated with the departments of the Lower Rhine in 1793.

After 1871

By the Peace of Frankfort, 10 May, 1871, France was obliged to cede to Germany from this Province the Department of Meurthe and the arrondissements of Saarburg and Chateau Salins. The German Lorraine of today comprises, of the old province of that name: Metz, with the Pays Messin, the temporal possessions of the old Bishopric of Metz; parts of the Duchy of Luxemburg; parts of the upper Rhine district; the former imperial Margravates of Pont-à-Mousson and Nomency; the imperial Principalities of Pfalzburg and Lixheim; half of the Countship of Salm; the jurisdiction of the Abbey of Gorze; the Lordship of Bitsch; further, the royal fiefs acquired from the See of Metz; Blamont, Saarburg, Saareck, Saaralben, Homburg, etc. In order to bring the ecclesiastical into harmony with the political boundaries, Nancy, in 1874, surrendered eighty-three parishes of the district of Château-Salins and one hundred and four of the Saarburg district (aggregating 106,027 souls) to the Diocese of Metz. In 1871 the new limits of Lorraine included 451,633 Catholics, 13,407 Protestants, 176 other Christians, and 529 who profess other religions.

Sources

CHEVRIER, Histoire de Lorraine (Brussels, s. d.); CALMET,Histoire ecclésiastique de Lorraine (4 vols., Cowes, 1728, 7 vols., Ryde, 1745-47); DURIVAL. Description de la Lorraine et du Barrois (4 vols., Nancy, 1779-83); WILLICH, Die Entstehung des Herzogtums Lothringen (Göttingen, 1862); BENOÎT, Let Protestants du duché de Lorraine in Rev. d'Alsace (1885), 35-59, 186-209,400-24, 513-39; (1886), 56-80; BEGIN, Histoire de Lorraine et des trois évêchés (Nancy, 1883); HAUSSONVILLE, Histoine de la réunion de la Lorraine à la France (6 vols., Paris, 1854);, FITTE, Das staatsrechtliche Verhältnis des Herzogtums Lothringen zum deutschen Reiche seit 1542 (Strasburg, 1891); SAUERLAND, Vatikanische Regesten zur Geschichte Deutsch-Lothringens in Jahrbuch d. Gesellschaft f. lothring. Geschichte, X (1898), 195-235; IDEM, Vatikanische Urkunden u. Regestesn Quellen zur lothring. Gesch., I (Metz, 1900-); DERICHSWEILER, Geschichte Lothringens (2 vols., Wiesbaden, 1901).--Periodicals: Annales de l'Est (Nancy and Paris, 1887-); L'Austrasie (Metz, 1837-); J'ahrbuch der Ges. f. lothr. Geschichte (Metz, 1888-);.Journal de la Société d'Anchéol. Lorraine (Nancy, 1853-); Mémoires et Documents de la Soc. d'Arch. Lorr. (Nancy, 1849-73);Revue ecclésiastique de Metz (Metz, 1890-).

See also bibliographies under ALSACE - LORRAINE; METZ; TOUL, etc.

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09362a.htm

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence[1] (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in The Improv. After his first acting role in the sitcom What's Happening Now!! (1987–1988), Lawrence co-created and played the titular character of the Fox television sitcom Martin (1992-1997), which helped catapult him into larger film roles. His first major lead role on the big screen was playing Detective Sergeant Marcus Burnett in the buddy cop action comedy Bad Boys (1995), a role he reprised in three sequels.[2]

Lawrence went on to star in the commercially successful films A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), which marked his directorial debut, Nothing to Lose (1997), Blue Streak (1999), Big Momma's House (2000), Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Wild Hogs (2007), College Road Trip (2008), Death at a Funeral (2010), and Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2013), among others. His voice acting work includes the animated films Open Season (2006) and Sneaks (2025), and the animated television series Kid 'n Play (1990).

Early life

The fourth of six children, Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence was born on April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt, West Germany. His father, John Lawrence, was serving in the U.S. military at the time of his birth.[1] Lawrence's first and middle names were after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. President John F. Kennedy, respectively.[1] When Lawrence was seven, his father left the military, and the family moved from West Germany back to the United States, settling in the Washington D.C. area in the town of Landover, Maryland. Lawrence's mother had moved herself and her six children into the troubled King Square housing projects where he would attend Dodge Park Elementary.[1] Following his parents' divorce when he was eight years old, Lawrence rarely saw his father, who was a police officer, serving as the Police Chief for the Franklin D. Roosevelt VA Medical Center in Montrose, New York.[3] His mother, Chlora (née Bailey), worked several jobs, including as a sales representative and cashier at various department stores, to support her family.[4][5] Small for his size growing up in the projects, Lawrence often engaged in street fights with other kids. He stated that it was his mother and older brothers who kept him out of jail where most of his childhood friends ended up. During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing.[1] While living in Fort Washington, Maryland, Lawrence attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School[1] and Friendly High School, and became a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Lawrence

The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated, is now the site of the National Civil Rights Museum.

I've Been to the Mountaintop

Duration: 30 seconds.0:30

Final 30 seconds of "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

Problems playing this file? See media help.

On March 29, 1968, King went to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of the black sanitation workers, who were represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1733. The workers had been on strike since March 12 for higher wages and better treatment. In one incident, black street repairmen received pay for two hours when they were sent home because of bad weather, but white employees were paid for the full day.[251][252][253]

On April 3, King addressed a rally and delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address at Mason Temple. King's flight to Memphis had been delayed by a bomb threat against his plane.[254] In reference to the bomb threat, King said:

And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.[255]

King was booked in Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Ralph Abernathy, who was present at the assassination, testified to the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations that King and his entourage stayed at Room 306 so often that it was known as the "King-Abernathy suite".[256] According to Jesse Jackson, who was present, King's last words were spoken to musician Ben Branch, who was scheduled to perform that night at an event King was attending: "Ben, make sure you play 'Take My Hand, Precious Lord' in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty."[257]

King was fatally shot by James Earl Ray at 6:01 p.m., Thursday, April 4, 1968, as he stood on the motel's second-floor balcony. The bullet entered through his right cheek, smashing his jaw, then traveled down his spinal cord before lodging in his shoulder.[258][259] Abernathy heard the shot from inside the motel room and ran to the balcony to find King on the floor.[260]

After emergency surgery, King died at St. Joseph's Hospital at 7:05 p.m.[261] According to biographer Taylor Branch, King's autopsy revealed that though only 39 years old, he "had the heart of a 60 year old", which Branch attributed to stress.[262] King was initially interred in South View Cemetery in South Atlanta, but in 1977, his remains were transferred to a tomb on the site of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.[263]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.

AI Overview

The names Lawrence and Lori both derive from the Latin word laurus, meaning "laurel" or "sweet bay tree". The laurel wreath was a symbol of victory, honor, and achievement in ancient Greece and Rome.

Lawrence Name Meaning

Origin: Lawrence is a masculine name with Latin origins, derived from the Roman name Laurentius, which meant "man from Laurentum," an ancient Italian city.

Meaning: It is primarily understood to mean "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel".

Connotations: The name carries historical associations with triumph, accomplishment, and distinction, largely due to the ancient practice of bestowing laurel wreaths upon victors, poets, and military heroes.

Lori Name Meaning

Origin: Lori is predominantly a feminine name in the United States and the United Kingdom. It originated as a diminutive (short form) of names like Laura, Lorraine, or Laurel.

Meaning: Its meaning is directly tied to its root, laurus, signifying "laurel".

Connotations: Similar to Lawrence, Lori embodies qualities associated with the laurel, such as honor, victory, and a connection to nature.

In essence, both names share a common, historically rich root symbolizing success and distinction.

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The Corpus Inscriptionum Crucesignatorum is online, listing inscriptions from the Crusader times that have been found in the Middle East.

The Arms

The Arms of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem are well-known: Argent a cross potent between four crosses or. It is the most well-known violation of the rule of tinctures.

Insignia or the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Insignia of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (from Diderot's Encyclopédie. They are A cross potent between four crosslets gules.

Claimants to the Throne

Other Crusader States

Numismatic evidence

The best work is Gustave Schlumberger's Numismatique de l'Orient Latin (Paris, 1878; reprint Graz 1954). In a coin auction catalogue I recently received, coins from Tripoli feature:

Obverse: horse with cross above, Reverse: a cross between four roundels (bronze, Raymond II 1137-52)

Obv: cross patty, Rev: eight-point star (Bohemond VI, 1251-75, silver gros)

Obv: cross slightly patty, Rev: three-towered castle (Bohemond VII, 1275-87, silver gros)

I believe the 8-pt star was a recurrent motif on Tripoli coins.

Coins of Antioch feature:

Other evidence

objects: a handful survive, mainly from Cyprus.

https://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/jerusale.htm

Marduk (/ˈmɑːrdʊk/;[2] cuneiform: 𒀭𒀫𒌓 dAMAR.UTU; Sumerian: amar utu.k "calf of the sun; solar calf"; Hebrew: מְרֹדַךְ, Modern: Merōdaḵ, Tiberian: Mərōḏaḵ) is a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of Babylon who eventually rose to prominence in the 1st millennium BC. In Babylon, Marduk was worshipped in the temple Esagila. His symbol is the spade and he is associated with the Mušḫuššu.[3]

By the 1st millennium BC, Marduk had become astrologically associated with the planet Jupiter. He was a prominent figure in Babylonian cosmology, especially in the Enūma Eliš creation myth.

Name

The name of Marduk was solely spelled as dAMAR.UTU in the Old Babylonian Period, although other spellings such as MES and dŠA.ZU were also in use since the Kassite Period. In the 1st millennium BC, the ideograms dŠU and KU were regularly used.[4] The logogram for Adad is also occasionally used to spell Marduk.[5]

Texts from the Old Babylonian period support the pronunciation Marutu or Marutuk, with the shortened spelling Martuk or Marduk attested starting from the Kassite period. His name in Hebrew, Merodak, supports the longer version,[6] and First Millennium Assyrian and Babylonian texts employ the long spelling when the circumstances call for the precise form of the name.[7] The personal name Martuku is not to be confused with the god Marduk.[8] Marduk was commonly called Bēl (lord) in the First Millennium BC.[9]

The etymology for the name Marduk is generally understood to be derived from damar-utu-(a)k, meaning "bull-calf of Utu".[7] Sommerfield suggests this is used to explain the name Marduk in the Enuma Elish as "He is the 'son of the sun[a]' of the gods, radiant is he."[11] While the name may suggest a relationship with Shamash, Marduk has no genealogy with the sun god.[12] However, Babylon was closely associated with the city of Sippar in this period, which may have been the reason for the name.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marduk

Gautama

surname of the Buddha, from Sanskrit Gotamah, properly a patronymic, literally "descendant of the greatest ox," from superlative of gauh "ox, bull, cow."

https://www.etymonline.com/word/buddha

Unam Sanctam

One God, One Faith, One Spiritual Authority

Pope Boniface VIII - 1302

Bull of Pope Boniface VIII promulgated November 18, 1302

https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm

Before the discoveries of the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Dagobert's assassination was

regarded as the end of the Merovingian dynasty. At least this is what the Catholic Church wanted

the world to believe. In its place in 754 A.D. Rome established the Carolingian dynasty with

Pepin II. The name "Carolingian" derives from Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne, the

first designated "Holy Roman Emperor." This title, by virtue of the pact with Clovis three

centuries before, should have been reserved exclusively for the Merovingians.

The authors of Holy Blood discovered, however, that Dagobert's son (Sigisbert IV) by his second

wife had survived. His sister had rescued him and smuggled him southward to the domain of his

mother, the Visigoth princess Giselle de Razes. Arriving in the Lanquedoc (southern France) in

681 A.D., he shortly thereafter inherited his uncle's titles - Duke of Razes and Count of Rhedae.

Sigisbert also adopted the surname "Plant-Ard" (subsequently Plantard), which means "ardently

flowering shoot" of the Merovingian vine. Under this name, and under the titles acquired from

his uncle, he perpetuated his lineage. By 886 A.D. one branch of that lineage culminated in a

certain Bernard Plantavelu (which name is a derivative of Plant-Ard or Plantard), whose son

became the first Duke of Aquitaine.18

Scarlet and the Beast

by John Daniel

https://ia803001.us.archive.org/28/items/ScarletAndTheBeastJohnDaniel1995/Scarlet%20and%20the%20Beast,%20John%20Daniel%20(1995).pdf

The House of Tudor (/ˈtjuː.dər/, TEW-dər)[1] was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of England from 1485 to 1603.[2] They descended ultimately from Ednyfed Fychan and the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs were also descended from the House of Lancaster. They ruled the Kingdom of England and the Lordship of Ireland (later the Kingdom of Ireland) for 118 years with five monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII,[3] Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Tudors succeeded the House of Plantagenet as rulers of the Kingdom of England, and were succeeded by the Scottish House of Stuart. The first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, descended through his mother from the House of Beaufort, a legitimised branch of the English royal House of Lancaster, a cadet house of the Plantagenets. The Tudor family rose to power and started the Tudor period in the wake of the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), which left the main House of Lancaster (with which the Tudors were aligned) extinct in the male line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Tudor

Margaret Tudor (29 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to extend her regency. Margaret was the eldest daughter and second child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. By her line, the House of Stuart eventually acceded to the throne of England and Ireland, in addition to Scotland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Tudor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Francis_Edward_Stuart

Trump International, Scotland

@TrumpScotland

10:47 AM · May 1, 2023

https://x.com/TrumpScotland/status/1653093764271857666

According to doctrinal English opinion, the present heir to the Royal House of Stuart is Prince Franz of Bavaria who is said to inherit the Scottish honours by virtue of the Last Will and Testament of Charles Edward’syounger brother, Cardinal Henry, de jure Duke of York. This Will supposedly nominated Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia as the Stuart successor. By wayof marriages in the female line of descent from Charles Emmanuel’s brother, Victor Emmanuel I, the present Franz of Bavaria succeeds his father, the late Prince Albrecht, relying in this on a somewhat tenuous ancestry back to Henrietta, a daughter of Charles I. The fact is, however, that Cardinal Henry Stuart’s Will did not name Charles Emmanuel as his successor. This is acomplete fantasy that has made its way into the historybooks, but was originally a purposely-contrived deceptionon the part of Georgian politicians — a deception perpetuated by the later Victorian ministers.From the time that the Elector of Hanover began his reign as King George I of Britain in 1714, it became politically expedient to suppress or veil a good deal of information about certain families while enhancing the lineage of others. The House of Stuart came underparticular attack in order to justify the incoming German succession. Even today, history books repeat the nonsense contrived contemporarily and afterwards to discredit the Scots dynasty and its associated families.

The fabrications are so well ingrained that they are destined to prevail for as long as historical authors continue to copy from one another.Charles Edward Stuart was married in 1772 to Princess Louise Maximilienne, the daughter of Gustavus, Prince de Stolberg-Guedern. In 1784, however, papal dispensation for divorce was obtained following Louise’s affair with the Italian poet Vittorio, Count Alfieri. Louise had been declared barren by the doctors,and after a few years of marriage she left Charles in 1780 to take up residence with her lover. The divorce is frequently described as the end of married life for Charles Edward — but it was not. The Stuart archives in Rome and Brussels reveal thatin November 1785 Charles was married again, to the Comtesse de Massillan at the Santi Apostoli in Rome. She was Marguerite Marie Thérése O’Dea d’Audibert de Lussan — a cousin by descent from Charles's grand uncle, King Charles II. Until 1769 she had been a ward of her own grand uncle, Louis Jacques d’Audibert, Archbishop of Bordeaux. Marguerite’s paternal grandmother Theresa, Marchesa d’Aubignie, was the daughter of James de Rohano Stuardo, Prince of Boveria, Marquis d’Aubignie. He was the natural son (legitimated 1667) of King Charles Il and Marguerite, Duchesse de Rohan. On her mother’s side, Margueritede Massillan was descended through the Comtes de Lussan. In November 1786 the 37-year-old Countess gavebirth to a son, Edouard Jacques Stuardo (Edward James Stuart), who became known as ‘Count Stuarton’. Although no secret in Europe, news of Charles Edward's legitimate son and heir was immediately suppressed by the Hanoverian government at Westminster. He has consequently since been totally neglected by academic historians in Britain. In that same month, Charles Edward's daughter Charlotte of Albany (born 1753 by Clementina Walkinshaw of Borrowfield) met King George III's brother William, Duke of Gloucester, at thehouse of Prince Santa Croce in Rome. Concerned about the strength of her own position as Charles Edward's ‘legitimated’ offspring, she informed Gloucester of the royal birth and sought his advice. The Duke confided that Charlotte’s status was probably safe enough, but his main concern was a letter that had been sent to her father by King George III in 1784. It suggested that Charles Edward could return to Britain from exile as the Count of Albany (Scotland). Charles had declined the invitation, but the matter was now complicated bythe new-born son who might well choose otherwise on becoming the Second Count in due course. When Charles Edward died, a contrived substitution of Wills enabled knowledge of both the marriage and the birth to be concealed from the British public, a concealment that was perpetuated through the Hanover—Saxe-Coburg era until the truth finally emerged inthe 1970s. In 1784 Charles had made a Will nominating his brother Cardinal Henry, de jure Duke of York, as hisroyal heir. Charlotte of Albany was to be the sole estate beneficiary. This is well enough documented in the historical biographies — but what those accounts fail tomention is that this was not Charles's final Testament. It was superseded by another before his death. Not only was the fact of this later Will concealed by the Georgian Parliament, but so too was the reason for its existence. In order to stabilize King George III's position, his politicians thought it expedient to end the problem of Stuart popularity in Britain by having the Scottish linedeclared extinct — particularly since the Jacobites had been so instrumental in the American War of Independence (1775-1783). An enormous number of deprived Scots had emigrated to America following the subjugation of the Highlands after Culloden. They had not managed to regain their independence at home, but continued their Cause from across the Atlantic, thereby aiding their fellow Americans to secure their own freedom from Hanoverian constraint. On 30 January 1788 the de jure King Charles II (fondly remembered as Bonnie Prince Charlie) died, aged 67, at the Mutti Palazzo in Rome. Shortly before his death he wrote his Last Will and Testament. This was witnessed on 13 January 1788 by the Dominican Father O'Kelly and the Abbé Consalvi, both of whom were executors. The Will stated that Charles's offspring, Edward James and Charlotte, were to be co-heirs of the estate; his son Edward was to succeed to the Royal Honours on his 16th birthday, and Cardinal Henry was to be temporary Regent in the meantime. Following Charles Edward's demise, his ambitious brother Henry wasted no time in proclaiming himself King Henry I de jure of Scots (IX of England). To support this claim he produced not Charles’s Will of 1788 but his earlier Will of 1784 — which suited Britain’s Government since the Cardinal was not likely to have any children. Both O’Kelly and Consalvi were party to the intrigue in return for rapid promotion within the Church. Soon afterwards, the former became Dominican Procurator, while the Abbé was raised to the Cardinalate. Charlotte of Albany was provided with a home in Frascati, and the Mutti Palazzo was retained for Marguerite de Massillan and Prince Edward. Also involved in the scheme was the Abbé James Placid Waters, Procurator of the Benedictines in Rome. By declaring himself King de jure, Henry sought to nullify the immediate Regency clause in his brother’s Will. But in January 1789 Henry made his own Will in which he redressed his selfish strategy for the future: all his possessions and heritable status were bequeathed to Prince Edward James — that is, ‘to my nephew, Count Stuarton’. Both Cardinal Ercole Consalvi and Cardinal Angelo Cesarini were privy to the Will and were executors, as attested in their memoirs. As it happened, Henry subsequently lost a great deal of his wealth in the French Revolution and during the Napoleonic advance into the Papal States. In 1799 he became a pensioner of the British Crown at the rate of £5,000 per annum (about £250,000 in today’s terms) - but in return he was required to rewrite his Will. At a joint meeting between Prince Edward, Comtesse Marguerite, and the Pope, a suitable rewording was agreed. The new Will was made in 1802, but the inheritance still rested with Prince Edward. The revised document simply substituted the words ‘to my nephew, Count Stuarton’ with ‘in favour of that Prince to whom it descends by virtue of de jure blood relationship’. When Henry Stuart died in July 1807, King George and the British Parliament decided that the second Will was actually less appropriate than the former. They therefore ignored the 1802 document and reverted to Henry’s original Will of 1789 — and the press reported that Henry had made his bequest to his ‘relation Count Stuarton’ (meaning, of course, Edward James). However, no one in England thought to enquire who this relation, Count Stuarton, might be. Having dealt with the first hurdle, the Hanoverian ministers then produced Henry’s amended 1802 Will. By virtue of its malleable nature, the wording (‘in favour of that Prince to whom it descends by virtue of de jure blood relationship’) was strategically implemented in favour of Charles Emmanuel IV, ex-King of Sardinia. He had recently abdicated to join the Jesuit Order, and so the Stuart legacy passed to a potentially childless monk. Charles Emmanuel duly wrote to King George's Parliament denouncing the nomination because heknew the Stuarts to be alive and well. Indeed, having lived with him in Sardinia from 1797, Marguerite andher son Edward were then resident at his house by the Corso in Rome. The correspondence was ignored at Westminster, and the whole issue was put under wraps in Britain. History now records the ‘diverted succession’ as having progressed from Sardinia, through Modena, into Bavaria. The reality is that the legitimate Royal House of Stuart (Stewart) exists today, and haslong been actively interested in European constitutional management. In 1809 a dispute over sovereign loyalties arose between two sons of George III. It became known as the ‘War of the Brothers’. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (the father of Queen Victoria), was a Freemason, while his brother Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex,was a Knight Templar. Edward's problem was that his brother’s Templar colleagues were Stuart supporters. He therefore endeavoured to sway their allegiance tothe reigning House of Hanover. In the event he failed, but compromised by creating a Templar-styled branch within the existing Masonic structure. This fell under the protectorate of Kent, and followed the English York Rite of Freemasonry. The chivalric Templars pursued the Scottish Rite under the protectorate of Prince Edward James Stuart, Second Count of Albany. While the exiled Stuarts were in France and Italy, they were deeply involved with the general growth and dissemination of Freemasonry, and they were the instigators of the exported Scottish Rite, which had higher degrees and held more profound mysteries than other Masonic systems. Prominent in this movement was Charles Edward's cousin and mentor, the Comte de St Germain. The Stuarts’ involvement was firmly based on established rights and privileges, with a desire to initiate brethren into the true antiquity and pedigree ofthe Craft. In England, the inherent secrecy of the club like lodges provided the perfect facility for undercover intrigue against the Whigs and the German succession. Throughout the land, the Jacobite societies and Tory lodges became closely entwined — as a result of which they became prime targets for Whig Intelligence, whose high-ranking Secret Service operatives duly infiltrated the fraternities. In later years English Freemasonry dispensed with political intrigue to become more concerned with allegorical representation and the codes of brotherly love, faith and charity. In Europe, however, many scientifically-based intellectual lodges of the traditional style are still extant. In 1817 a Dr Robert Watson purchased in Rome some of Cardinal Henry’s documents concerning the Stuart dynasty. He paid £23 sterling (equivalent to about £610 today), and prepared to publish the contents. But, beforehe had a chance to do this, the files were seized by the papal police and passed to London so that their contents would not become known. Some time later, the doctor received a payment from Westminster for having been deprived of his property. Not content with this, Watson pursued his right to the papers — only to be found dead, supposedly having committed suicide, in 1838. The papers have never since appeared in the public domain. Along with Cardinal Henry, the Abbé Waters also lost his possessions and became a pensioner of King George. Waters, an executor for Charlotte of Albany, was the custodian of various other Stuart papers — his guardianship of which constituted the route to his future Hanoverian income. In 1805 the Abbé was obliged to pass them over to the British Government. At length, some were deposited at Windsor Castle, where they remain today. As for the rest, their whereabouts are conveniently unknown.

By virtue of these documentary acquisitions, the way was deemed clear for Prince Edward James to be totally excluded from historical records in Britain. But this was not the case in continental Europe, where he is well documented in papers held by the Stuart Trustees, and features in the writings of René, Vicomte Chateaubriand, Abbé James Waters, Princess Caroline Murat, and others. Although the Stuarts have been ignored by the British authorities since the death of Cardinal Henry, the descendants of Prince Edward James, Count Stuarton, Second Count of Albany, have been actively engaged in social, political, military and sovereign affairs for the past two centuries. They have often advised governments on constitutional and diplomatic matters in an effort to promote the ideals of public service and religious toleration, as upheld by their own reigning house, and they have been particularly concerned with matters of trade, welfare and education. In 1888 Prince Edward's grandson, Charles Benedict James Stuart, Fourth Count of Albany, was scheduled to visit Britain. He was due to attend a grand Stuart Exhibition at the New Gallery, London. It was sponsored by the Order of the White Rose, and the main organizers were Bertram, Earl of Ashburnham, and Melville Massue, Marquis de Ruvigny. But the Exhibition was wholly undermined by Hanoverian agents, and Prince Charles Benedict was found dead (presumed murdered) in Italy. There was no display in 1888 after all. A rather different Exhibition was held the following year. Instead of being in honour of the Stuarts, as was planned, it was promoted to celebrate the bicentenary of the Whig Revolution which had deposed James VII (Il) and the Stuarts in 1688! The Exhibition’s new patron was Queen Victoria herself, and the event was used as a cover to obtain even more valuable documents of Stuart heritage. Having been ousted from their patronage, Lord Ashburnham and the Marquis de Ruvigny directed their future interests towards the chivalric societies of Europe — the Order of the Realm of Sion, the Knights Protectors of the Sacred Sepulchre, and the Order of the Sangréal. In spite of Queen Victoria’s efforts to suppress Stuart popularity, there was a significant Jacobite revival in the late 1800s. The Queen’s advisers therefore sought to emphasize her tenuous claim to Stuart descent to the exclusion of the Stuarts’ own Scottish heritage. As a result, Thane Banquo and the Scots line from King Alpin disappeared from the Hanoverians’ readjusted Stuart registers. The Lord Lyon, King of Arms, subsequently wrote, ‘The traditional account of the descent of the family from Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, and through him from the ancient Kings of Scotland, is now generally discredited.’ From that time, the Stuarts’ Breton line was brought wholly to the fore —- but why anyone should have to discredit one line of a descent in order to promote another is beyond ordinary understanding. Everyone has at least two lines of immediate descent, and the Stuarts were no exception. Subsequent members of the Scots Royal Family were prominent in the Belgian Resistance during World War Il. Hubert Pierlot, Prime Minister of Belgium, was a close friend of the Stewarts, who had reverted to the original spelling of their name in 1892. In that year they had moved to the Chateau du Moulin in the Belgian Ardennes, where they lived until 1968. This castle had originally been given to the family in 1692 by King Louis XIV. As recently as 1982, the City of Brussels honoured the Stewarts with a grand reception. Then, on 14 December 1990, the Brussels Registrars signed, sealed and authenticated an updated Charter of the Royal House of Stewart, detailing the complete family descent from the time of Robert the Bruce down to date.

Today, there are several lines descended from Prince Edward James, Second Count of Albany. They include the Counts of Derneley and the Dukes of Coldingham. Foremost, however, in the main line of legitimate descent from Charles Edward Stewart and his son Edward James is the present Seventh Count of Albany: Prince Michael James Alexander Stewart, Duc d’Aquitaine, Comte de Blois, Head of the Sacred Kindred of St Columba, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, Patron Grand Officer of the International Society of Commission Officers for the Commonwealth, and President of the European Council of Princes. Prince Michael’s own compelling book Scotland — The Forgotten Kingdom? (a thoroughly detailed and politically corrected history of the Scots royal descent) is now in the course of preparation. This senior Stewart descent goes all the way back to King Arthur's father, King Aedan of Scots, on the one hand and to Prince Nascien of the Septimanian Midi on the other. The Scots descent traces further back through King Lucius of Siluria to Bran the Blessed and Joseph of Arimathea (St James the Just), while the Midi succession stems from the Merovingians’ male ancestral line through the Fisher Kings to Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Conjoining the lines from their 1st-century points of departure, the descent is in the succession of the Royal House of Judah. This is a truly unique line of sovereign lineage from King David in one of the key descents which comprise the Bloodline of the Holy Grail.

pages 427-436

Chapter 20 "The Sangreal Today"

Bloodline of the Holy Grail

by Laurence Gardner

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsH4O_ls0IgWEYXLXWCo7I3IUi32FJhq/view?usp=sharing

House of Lorraine

Dukes of Lorraine

Dukes of (Upper) Lorraine

House of Ardennes-Bar 959–1033

House of Ardennes-Verdun 1033-1046

House of Metz (Ardennes-Metz) 1046-1453

Duke of Lorraine

1st House of Vaudémont

Seigneur of Joinville

House of Valois-Anjou

1435–1442

René of Anjou (1409–1480) 1.jpgRené of Anjou (1409–1480) 2.jpg

René of Anjou (1409–1480) King of Naples (1435–1442; titular 1442–80)

René of Anjou (1409–1480) Count of Piedmont, Duke of Bar (1430–80), Duke of Lorraine (1431–53), Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence (1434–80), King of Naples (1435–1442; titular 1442–80), titular King of Jerusalem (1438–80) and Aragon including Sicily, Majorca and Corsica (1466–70). Married firstly Isabella (1400 – 28 February 1453) was suo jure Duchess of Lorraine (1431-1453) daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine and secondly Jeanne de Laval (1433 – 1498) daughter of Guy XIV de Laval, Count of Laval

John II of Anjou (1424–1470).jpg

Jean II of Anjou (1424–1470) Duke of Lorraine

John II of Anjou (1424–1470), Duke of Lorraine from 1453-1470, Duke of Calabria. Married Marie de Bourbon (1428–1448) daughter of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon.

Nicholas (1448–1473), Duke of Lorraine from 1470-1473, and assumed the titles of Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson, Duke of Calabria, and Prince of Girona

Lorraine inherited by:

2nd House of Vaudemont 1473-present:

p115_1_07.jpg

2nd House of Vaudémont 1393 to 1473

René II (1451-1508) Duke of Lorraine.jpg

René II (1451-1508) Duke of Lorraine

René II (1451-1508) Count of Vaudémont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria 1480–1493 and as King of Naples and Jerusalem 1493–1508. Ancestor of the houses of Lorraine, Habsburg-Lorraine and Lorraine-Guise. Son of Yolande (1428–1483) Duchess of Lorraine (1473) and Bar (1480), daughter of Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine, and René of Anjou (King of Naples, Duke of Anjou, Bar and Lorraine, Count of Provence)Grand chambellan de France. Married Philippa of Guelders (1467 – 1547) daughter of Adolf, Duke of Guelders.

Antoine “the Good“(1489- 1544) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Antoine “the Good“(1489- 1544) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Antoine “the Good“(1489- 1544) Duke of Lorraine and Bar. 1508–1544. Married Renée of Bourbon (1494 – 1539) daughter of Gilbert de Bourbon, Count of Montpensier.

Francis I (1517–1545) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Francis I (1517–1545) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Francis I (1517–1545) Duke of Lorraine and Bar. 1544–1545. Married Princess Christina of Denmark (1521 – 1590) daughter of Christian II, King of Denmark.

Charles III “the Great” (1543– 1608) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Charles III “the Great” (1543– 1608) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Charles III “the Great” (1543– 1608) Duke of Lorraine and Bar. 1545-1608. Married Princess Claude of Valois (1547 –1575) daughter of Henry II, King of France.

Henry II (1563-1624) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Henry II (1563-1624) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Henry II (1563-1624) Duke of Lorraine and Bar 1608–1624. Married firstly Catherine de Bourbon (1559 – 1604) daughter of Joan III and Anthony, Queen and King of Navarre and secondly Margherita Gonzaga (1591 – 1632) daughter of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua.

Nicole de Lorraine (1608–1657) was briefly Duchess of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Nicole de Lorraine (1608–1657) Duchess of Lorraine and Bar

Nicole de Lorraine (1608–1657) was briefly Duchess of Lorraine and Bar for a few months in 1624 to 1625. Daughter of Henry II. Married her cousin Charles IV (1604 –1675) Duke of Lorraine.

Francis II (1572-1632) Duke of Lorraine and Bar, briefly Duke in 1625, abdicated in favour of his son. Himself youngest son of Charles III. Married Countess Christina of Salm (1575–1627) daughter of Paul, Count zu Salm.

Nicole de Lorraine (1608–1657) was briefly Duchess of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Charles IV (1604–1675) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Charles IV (1604–1675) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Charles IV (1604–1675) Duke of Lorraine and Bar 1625–1634 and 1661–1675. Married firstly his cousin Nicole de Lorraine (1608–1657) was briefly Duchess of Lorraine and Bar, secondly Béatrice de Cusance, Princess de Cantecroix (1614-1663) daughter and heiress of Claude-François de Cusance, Baron de Belvoir. His second marriage was not considered legitimate by the Church. Married thirdly Marie-Louise d'Aspremont (1652-1692) daughter of Charles d'Aspremont-Lynden, Count of Rekem.

Nicholas (II) Francis (1609-1670) briefly Duke of Lorraine .jpg

Nicholas (II) Francis (1609–1670) Duke of Lorraine and Duke of Bar

Nicholas (II) Francis (1609–1670) briefly Duke of Lorraine and Duke of Bar for a few months in 1634. Married firstly his cousin Claude of Lorraine (1612 – 1648) daughter of Henry II, Duke of Lorraine.

Charles V (1643–1690) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Charles V (1643–1690) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Charles V (1643–1690) Duke of Lorraine and Bar 1675–1690. Knight of the Golden Fleece. Married Eleanor of Austria (1653-1697) daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor.

Léopold (1679-1729) Duke of Lorraine and Bar.jpg

Léopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe “the Good” (1679-1729) Duke of Lorraine and Bar

Léopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe “the Good” (1679-1729) Duke of Lorraine and Bar. 1690–1729. Knight of the Golden Fleece. Married Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (1676 – 1744) daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.

Francis I (III) (1708- 1765) Duke of Lorraine.jpg

Francis III (1708- 1765) Duke of Lorraine

Francis I (III) (1708- 1765) Duke of Lorraine 1690–1729, Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany Head and Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Married in 1736 Maria Theresa (1717-1780) Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, daughter of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Ancestors of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.

Sons of René II (1451- 1508):

Antoine (1489- 1544) Duke of Lorraine from 1508. See above

Claude (1496–1550) first Duke of Guise.jpg

Claude (1496–1550) first Duke of Guise

Claude (1496–1550) first Duke of Guise. Married Antoinette de Bourbon (1494 – 1583) daughter of Francis, Count of Vendôme. See House of Lorraine-Guise

John, (1498-1550), Cardinal.jpg

Cardinal John of Lorraine (1498-1550) Archbishop of Reims

Cardinal John of Lorraine (1498-1550) Cardinal and Archbishop of Reims, Narbonne, Lyon and Bishop of Metz, Toul, Valence, Thérouanne, Verdun, Albi, Agen and Nantes.

Sons of Antoine (1489- 1544):

Nicholas (1524–1577) Duke of Mercoeur 1.jpgNicholas (1524–1577) Duke of Mercoeur 2.jpgNicholas (1524–1577) Duke of Mercoeur 3.jpg

Nicholas (1524–1577) Duke of Mercoeur

Nicholas (1524–1577) Duke of Mercoeur, Knight of the Order of Saint Esprit. Ancestor of the Dukes of Mercoeur and Counts of Chaligny. Married firstly Marguerite d'Egmont (1517 – 1554) daughter of Jean IV, Count of Egmont, secondly Joanna of Savoy-Nemours (1532–1568) daughter of Philippe, Duke of Nemours and thirdly Catherine of Lorraine- Aumale (1550–1606) daughter of Claude, Duke of Aumale.

Sons of Nicholas (1524–1577) Duke of Mercoeur:

Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine (1558–1602) 2nd Duke of Mercœur.jpg

Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine (1558–1602) 2nd Duke of Mercœur

Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine (1558–1602) 2nd Duke of Mercœur. Knight of the Order of Saint Esprit. Married Marie de Luxembourg (1562–1623) Duchesse de Penthièvre and daughter of Sébastien, Duke of Penthièvre.

John, (1498-1550), Cardinal.jpg

Cardinal Charles de Lorraine (1561-1587) Cardinal and Bishop of Toulouse

Cardinal Charles de Lorraine (1561-1587) Cardinal and Bishop of Toulouse (1580-1587) and Verdun (1585-1587).

Henri of Lorraine (1570–1600) Marquis of Moÿ and Count of Chaligny..jpg

Henri of Lorraine (1570–1600) Marquis of Moÿ and Count of Chaligny

Henri of Lorraine (1570–1600) Marquis of Moÿ and Count of Chaligny. Ancestor of the Counts of Chaligny. They produced three Bishops of Verdun. Married Claude de Moÿ (1572-1627) daughter of Charles, Marquis de Moÿ. Line extinct 1672.

Bishops of Verdun.jpg

Eric of Lorraine (1576–1623) Bishop of Verdun

Eric of Lorraine (1576–1623) Bishop of Verdun.

Sons of Charles III (1543- 1608):

Henry II (1563-1624) Duke of Lorraine and Bar. See above

Charles of Lorraine (1604–1607).jpg

Charles (1567-1607) Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Strasbourg

Charles (1567-1607) Cardinal of Lorraine and Bishop of Metz (1578-1607), Bishop of Strasbourg (1604-1607)

Francis II (1572-1632) Duke of Lorraine. See above

Illegitimate descendants of Charles IV (1604- 1675):

Princes de Vaudémont

Charles Henri de Lorraine (1642-1723) Prince de Vaudémont.jpg

Charles Henri de Lorraine (1642-1723) Prince de Vaudémont

Charles Henri de Lorraine (1642-1723) Prince de Vaudémont, Knight of the Golden Fleece. Married Anne Elisabeth de Lorraine (1649 –1714) daughter of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Elbeuf

Charles Thomas de Lorraine (1670 – 1704) Prince de Vaudémont, Knight of the Golden Fleece.

Sons of Charles V, (1643–1690):

Léopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe (1679-1729) Duke of Lorraine. Knight of the Golden Fleece. See above

Karl Joseph von Lothringen (1711-1715).jpg

Charles Joseph (1680-1716) Archbishop and Prince-elector of Trier

Charles Joseph (1680-1716) Bishop of Olomouc (1695–1711) and Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück (1698–1715) and Archbishop and Prince-elector of Trier and Prince-Abbot of Prüm (1711–1715)

Sons of Léopold, (1679-1729):

Francis I (III), (1708- 1765) Duke of Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany. Knight of the Golden Fleece. See above

Charles Alexander (1712-1780).jpg

Charles Alexander (1712-1780) Governor of the Austrian Netherlands (1744-1780) and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (1761-1780). Knight of the Golden Fleece. Married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1718 – 1744) daughter of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and sister to the Empress Maria Theresa.

https://europeanheraldry.org/germany/house-lorraine/lorraine/

Infancy

Upbringing

see caption

Charlotte with her parents, siblings and other senior royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, June 2022

Public image

Title and styles

Succession

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Charlotte_of_Wales_(born_2015)

The Priory of Sion is an initiatory Order of chivalry, founded on July 15 1099 in Jerusalem, by Godfrey of Bouillon, at the Abbey "Our Lady of Mount Sion" as "Order of our Lady of Mount Sion."The Order, after being registered for the first time in history, in 1956, and then being dissolved in 1993, was newly registered in 2015, perpetuating the legitimate Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair's lineage, through the actual Grand Master, Marco Rigamonti.The Priory of Sion is characterized by a gnostic and rosicrucian influence, who sets himself the task of supporting and nurturing personal growth, moral and spiritual, with respect and in harmony with the personal objectives that each of us, by nature, has to carry through in life experience.It's also our purpose the esoteric research as the study and experience related to the transcendent and mystical in an environment of communion with our Brothers and Sisters, Members of the Order.The Priory of Sion today inherits a tradition of esoteric, philosophical, spiritual and cultural legacy, which favors the cultivation of values and principles that offers the way to live a more aware and noble personal dimension.We work through symbols, ancient rituals, theurgic practice and traditions, in order to live a personal and collective sprirituality in communion with our Brothers and Sisters.The Order is apolitical and forbids its members to be made a place of political debate, or even worse, to be exploited for such purposes."

http://www.prieure-de-sion.com/

In 603, Pope Gregory I commissioned the Ravennate Abbot Probus, who was previously Gregory's emissary at the Lombard court, to build a hospital in Jerusalem to treat and care for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land.[4] In 800, Emperor Charlemagne enlarged Probus' hospital and added a library to it. About 200 years later, in 1009, the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah destroyed the hospital and three thousand other buildings in Jerusalem.

Merchants from Amalfi in southern Italy were given permission by the Egyptian Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir Billah (r. 1036–1094) to build a monastery in Jerusalem, near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The monastery, known as the abbey of St Mary of the Latins (to distinguish them from local Syriac Orthodox Church hierarchy), was served by the Order of Saint Benedict and took in Christian pilgrims travelling to visit the Christian holy sites. The increase in the number of pilgrims led the Benedictine monks to establish two hospitals in the late 1060s, one for men and one for women, with the former known as the Hospital of St John. They did this with the support of a wealthy Amalfian named Mauro of Pantaleone. In the early 1070s the hospital was visited by Archbishop John of Amalfi during his pilgrimage. In later centuries, to help raise money in Europe, the Order of St John made claims that the hospital had been founded more than a century before Christ by the high priest Menelaus and the Greek King Antiochus of Jerusalem, with financing from Judas Maccabeus, and that it was first headed by Saint Stephen and had been visited by Christ and the Apostles. A historian of the Order in the 13th century wrote that this version was not true.[5][6] In any case, the Hospitallers rose to fame and prestige in a short amount of time.[7]

By the time of the success of the First Crusade in 1099, the Hospital of St John was already well known among pilgrims and was regarded as a separate organization from the monastery of St Mary. The monastic brothers at the hospital saw it as their duty to provide the best possible treatment to the poor. They were given an endowment by Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the First Crusade, before he died in 1100. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Ghibbelin of Arles, formally recognized it as a separate entity from the monastery when he reformed the Catholic hierarchy in Palestine, and a step towards this was taken by Pope Paschal II when he recognized the abbey of St Mary as a church of the Holy See, placing it under his protection and exempting it from paying tithes on its land, on 19 June 1112. The monastic Hospitaller Order was formally created when the Pope issued the papal bull Pie postulatio voluntatis on 15 February 1113 to the head of the Hospital of St John, Blessed Gerard de Martigues. The Pope subordinated the hospital to his own authority and exempted it from paying tithes on the lands it owned, and gave the right to its professed brothers to elect their master. He also placed several other hospitals and hospices in southern Italy under the governance of the Hospital of St John in Jerusalem, as they were located at port cities from which pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land.[7][8][9]

Knights Hospitaller in Jerusalem

Gerard acquired territory and revenues for his order throughout the Kingdom of Jerusalem and beyond. Under his successor, Raymond du Puy, the original hospice was expanded to an infirmary[10] and by then was subordinated to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Around this time the Hospital of St John became connected with that Church, and documents often referred to "the Holy Sepulchre and the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem."[11] Initially, the Hospitallers cared for pilgrims as well as others (including Muslims and Jews) in Jerusalem,[7] but the order soon extended to provide pilgrims with an armed escort before eventually becoming a significant military force. Thus, the Order of St. John imperceptibly became militaristic without losing its charitable character.[10]

It is possible that the Hospital of St John hired knights or foot soldiers after the First Crusade to provide security, before it formally established its own military organization. Knights in western Europe left their horses and weapons to the Hospitallers in their wills in the 1120s, and in the early 1140s Pope Innocent II mentioned that the Hospitallers had "servants" to protect pilgrims. An account from a Hospitaller priest in 16th century stated that as the Order of St John became more wealthy it hired knights to defend its hospitals and pilgrims, and these knights eventually became Hospitallers themselves. It is known that secular knights and soldiers were hired by institutions in Jerusalem to provide protection after 1099, including churches, and some of them later joined military orders. The Order of Knights Templar was founded around 1119-1120 and it is likely that the Hospitallers were inspired by them to have their own knights. A charter made for a gift to the Hospital of St John in a Christian army on 17 January 1126 recorded that a brother from the Order was present as a witness and that he held a military title.[12]

Krak des Chevaliers, a castle acquired by the Hospitallers in Syria

Raymond du Puy, who succeeded Gerard as master of the hospital in 1120,[11] is credited with establishing the military element of the Order.[13] Raymond decided some time before 1136 that Hospitallers could fight to defend the kingdom or to besiege a pagan city.[14] The Knights Hospitaller, like the other military orders, organized its fighting members into the ranks of knight and sergeant.[15] In 1130, Pope Innocent II gave the order its coat of arms, a plain silver cross in a field of red, to differentiate them from the Templars.[16] The other symbol of the Hospitallers, the "eight-pointed cross", is said to have originated in the Byzantine Empire before reaching the Duchy of Amalfi in Italy, and it was later used in Jerusalem by the monks that founded the Hospital of St John. After the Hospitallers moved to Malta, it became known as the Maltese cross.[17]

Maronite archer guiding a Knights Hospitaller and Northern Italian Crusader through Wadi Numeira to the Kerak plateau

King Fulk of Jerusalem constructed several castles to defend the kingdom's southern border from attacks by the Fatimid garrison at Ascalon, and allowed the Hospitallers to manage one of them in 1136, the castle of Bethgibelin.[14] This castle also allowed them to defend the pilgrim route between Jaffa and Jerusalem.[18] Later in the century, the Hospitallers were given control over more castles in Syria than they had in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.[19] In the next several decades after 1136 the Order was granted more castles and towns by nobles that needed assistance in defending them, especially in the County of Tripoli and the Principality of Antioch. Those notably included the Krak des Chevaliers in 1142, which they received from Raymond II, Count of Tripoli.[14][19] According to one estimate the Hospitallers had 25 castles as of 1180.[19] In addition to defending them, the Hospitallers also undertook construction projects to build new castles or repair and expand existing ones, with an example of the latter being Krak des Chevaliers.[20]

One of the first battles that the Knights Hospitaller fought in was the Siege of Ascalon in 1153. After a group of Knights Templar, led by their Grand Master, Bernard de Tremelay, entered the besieged fortress and were all killed, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem wanted to withdraw, but Raymond du Puy convinced him to continue, and the fort surrendered to the Crusaders on 22 August 1153.[21][22] It is not clear if the role of the Hospitallers was only advisory or if they were involved in the fighting at Ascalon.[23]

The Hospitallers and the Knights Templar became the most formidable military orders in the Holy Land. Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, pledged his protection to the Knights of St. John in a charter of privileges granted in 1185.[24][25] In order to protect the road of the Camino de Santiago, the Order of Saint John generously received the hospital, commandery and convent of San Juan de Acre in Navarrete, La Rioja, founded in 1185 by María Ramírez de Medrano, Lady of Fuenmayor, built by her son Martín de Baztán y Medrano, bishop of Osma in Soria.[26] Active in the Kingdom of Toledo (a border area with Islam from the 12th to the 13th centuries) since 1144, the order had their largest holding in the kingdom in the Campo de San Juan.[27]

A Hospitaller depicted in a church painting

The statutes of Roger de Moulins (1187) deal only with the service of the sick; the first mention of military service is in the statutes of the ninth grand master, Fernando Afonso of Portugal (about 1200). In the latter, a marked distinction is made between secular knights, externs to the order, who served only for a time, and the professed knights, attached to the order by a perpetual vow, and who alone enjoyed the same spiritual privileges as the other religious. The order numbered three distinct classes of membership: the military brothers, the brothers infirmarians, and the brothers chaplains, to whom was entrusted the divine service.[10]

In 1248, Pope Innocent IV (1243–1254) approved a standard military dress for the Hospitallers to be worn during battle. Instead of a closed cape over their armour (which restricted their movements), they wore a red surcoat with a white cross emblazoned on it.[28]

Many of the more substantial Christian fortifications in the Holy Land were built by the Templars and the Hospitallers. At the height of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Hospitallers held seven great forts and 140 other estates in the area. The two largest of these, their bases of power in the Kingdom and in the Principality of Antioch, were the Krak des Chevaliers and Margat in Syria.[8] The property of the Order was divided into priories, subdivided into bailiwicks, which in turn were divided into commanderies.

As early as the late 12th century, the order had begun to achieve recognition in the Kingdom of England and Duchy of Normandy. As a result, buildings such as St John's Jerusalem and the Knights Gate, Quenington in England were built on land donated to the order by local nobility.[29] An Irish house was established at Kilmainham, near Dublin, and the Irish Prior was usually a key figure in Irish public life.

The Knights also received the "Land of Severin" (Terra de Zeurino), along with the nearby mountains, from Béla IV of Hungary, as shown by a charter of grant issued on 2 June 1247. The Banate of Severin was a march, or border province, of the Kingdom of Hungary between the Lower Danube and the Olt River, today part of Romania, and back then bordered across the Danube by a powerful Bulgarian Empire. The Hospitaller hold on the Banate was only brief.[30]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller

The Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, officially the Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of Saint John of God (abbreviated as OH), are a Catholic religious order founded in 1572. In Italian they are also known commonly as the Fatebenefratelli, meaning "Do-Good Brothers", and elsewhere as the "Brothers of Mercy", the "Merciful Brothers" and the "John of God Brothers". The order carries out a wide range of health and social service activities in 389 centres and services in 46 countries.

Founder

St. John of God, the founder of the order, was born 8 March 1495 at Montemor-o-Novo in Portugal. Twice he enlisted in the Spanish army against the French and later the Turks.[1] After years of living a highly religious way of life in Spain resulting from a conversion experience, in 1535 he founded his first hospital at Granada, where he served the sick and afflicted. After ten years spent in the exercise of charity, he died 8 March 1550 of pneumonia after he had plunged into a river to save a young man from drowning.[2] He was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII in 1690 and was declared the patron saint of the dying and of all hospitals by Pope Leo XIII in 1898.[3]

History

John of God's first companion, Antón Martín, O.H., was chosen to succeed him as prior general of the order. Thanks to the generosity of King Philip II of Spain, a hospital was founded at Madrid, another at Córdoba and several others in various Spanish towns. Pope Pius V approved the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers in 1572 under the Rule of St. Augustine. The order spread rapidly into the other countries of Europe, and even into the distant colonies. For example, the Order provided staff to the Fortress of Louisbourg in New France (now Canada) during the mid 1700s; one of their roles was the operation of the hospital.[4]

In 1584, Pope Gregory XIII called some of the Brothers to Rome and gave them the Hospital of St. John Calybita, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, located on an island in the Tiber, which then became the motherhouse of the whole order. Brother Sebastiano Arias founded the Hospital of Our Lady at Naples and the famous Hospital of Milan. Another Brother Hospitaller at this time was John Grande, O.H., who was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1852.[3] The first general of Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God was Pedro Soriano.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Hospitallers_of_Saint_John_of_God

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

Electoral system

The president and vice president of the United States are elected through the Electoral College, determined by the number of senators and representatives with an additional three representatives for Washington, D.C. A majority of 270 votes is needed to win the election. Forty-eight states use a winner-take-all system, in which states award all of their electors to the winner of the popular vote. In Maine and Nebraska, two votes are allocated to the winner of the popular vote, while each of the individual congressional districts have one vote. Electoral votes are certified by state electors in December and by Congress on January 6.[11] Presidential candidates are selected in a presidential primary, conducted through primary elections run by state governments or caucuses run by state parties which bind convention delegates to candidates.[12] A brokered convention occurs when a candidate does not receive a majority of votes on the first round of voting,[13] or when a candidate withdraws.[14]

Election Day in the United States is held on the first Tuesday that falls after the first Monday in November.[15] The 2028 presidential election will occur on November 7, 2028.

Eligibility

The United States Constitution limits occupancy of the presidency to individuals who are at least thirty-five, who have been a resident in the United States for at least fourteen years, and who are a natural-born citizen.[16] For instance, Elon Musk, most well known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), is ineligible to serve as president as he is a naturalized citizen who was born in South Africa.[17] Section three of the Fourteenth Amendment prevents current and former federal, state, and military officials from holding office—including the presidency—if they have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the United States;[18] in March 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Trump v. Anderson that former president Donald Trump could seek office after challenges to his ballot eligibility were raised by several state attorneys general.[19] A convicted felon may serve as president.[20]

Incumbent president Trump along with former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama are ineligible to be elected to a third term, as the Twenty-second Amendment forbids any person from being elected president more than twice.[21] Nonetheless, Trump has repeatedly suggested running for a third term, an idea supported by several of his allies, including Steve Bannon.[22] In January 2025, Tennessee representative Andy Ogles proposed a resolution to amend the Twenty-second Amendment, allowing for presidents who have served two non-consecutive terms to seek a third term. The amendment would not permit living presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or Barack Obama to run for a third term, due to the allowed third term being contingent on the first two being served non-consecutively.[23] At CPAC 2025, conservative groups, such as the Third Term Project, supported Ogles' resolution and promoted the idea of Trump running for an as-yet unconstitutional third term.[24][25] In response, New York Democratic representative Dan Goldman planned to introduce a resolution affirming the Twenty-second Amendment.[26]

Trump meeting with Jeffries and Schumer on September 30, 2025, with Trump 2028 hats displayed

In March, Trump floated the possibility of serving a third term in an interview with NBC News, saying "A lot of people want me to do it. But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration. I'm focused on the current." He added that "there are methods" to run for a third term and that he was "not joking".[27] On April 24, 2025, multiple news outlets reported that the Trump store was selling "Trump 2028" hats.[28][29] In a May interview with NBC News, Trump said he would make it his goal to only serve two terms and named JD Vance and Marco Rubio as potential successors.[30] Trump said in an August interview on CNBC's Squawk Box that he would "probably not" run for a third term, though he would like to.[31] Later that month, Trump quipped that he could cancel the 2028 elections if the United States was at war.[32] During a meeting before the 2025 government shutdown with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, Trump had red hats with Trump 2028 emblazoned on the front. Jeffries later spoke after Trump posted a AI generated video to Truth Social of him throwing the hats at Jeffries, indicating the hats had appeared on the desk during the meeting and when he asked JD Vance if Vance had a problem with it, Vance responded "No comment".[33]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

Early life and education

Warnock was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 23, 1969.[14] He grew up in public housing as the eleventh of twelve children born to Verlene and Jonathan Warnock, both Pentecostal pastors.[15][16] His father served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he learned automobile mechanics and welding, and subsequently opened a small car restoration business where he restored junked cars for resale.[17] His mother picked cotton and tobacco in the summers in Waycross, Georgia, as a teenager and became a pastor.[18]

Warnock graduated from Sol C. Johnson High School in 1987,[19] and having wanted to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr., attended Morehouse College, from which he graduated cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.[20][21] He credits his participation in the Upward Bound program for making him college-ready, as he was able to enroll in early college courses through Savannah State University.[19][21] He then earned Master of Divinity, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Union Theological Seminary, a school affiliated with Columbia University.[22][23][17]

Religious work

Warnock with John Lewis at a "Souls to the Polls" event. Warnock later officiated Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church.[24]

Warnock began his ministry as an intern and licentiate at the Sixth Avenue Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama,[25] under the civil rights movement leader John Thomas Porter.[25][26] In the 1990s, he served as youth pastor and then assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York.[27][28] While Warnock was pastor at Abyssinian, the church declined to hire workfare recipients as part of organized opposition to then-mayor Rudy Giuliani's workfare program.[29] The church also hosted Fidel Castro on October 22, 1995, while Warnock was youth pastor. There is no evidence Warnock was involved in that decision. During the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia, his campaign refused to say whether Warnock attended the event.[30]

In January 2001, Warnock was elected senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland.[31][32] He and an assistant minister were arrested and charged with obstructing a 2002 police investigation into suspected child abuse at a summer camp run by the church. The police report called Warnock "extremely uncooperative and disruptive". Warnock had demanded that the counselors have lawyers present when being interviewed by police.[33] The charges were later dropped with the deputy state's attorney's acknowledgment that it had been a "miscommunication", adding that Warnock had aided the investigation and that prosecution would be a waste of resources.[34][35] Warnock said he was merely asserting that lawyers should be present during the interviews[36] and that he had intervened to ensure that an adult was present while a juvenile suspect was being questioned.[37] Warnock stepped down as the church's senior pastor in 2005.[4]

On Father's Day 2005, Warnock was named senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr.'s former congregation;[38] he is the fifth and the youngest person to serve as Ebenezer's senior pastor since its founding.[19][39][40] He has continued in the post while serving in the Senate.[41][42]

As pastor, Warnock advocated for clemency for Troy Davis, who was executed in 2011.[43] In 2013, he delivered the benediction at the public prayer service at the second inauguration of Barack Obama.[44] After Fidel Castro died in 2016, Warnock told his church to pray for the Cuban people, calling Castro's legacy "complex, kind of like America's legacy is complex".[30] In March 2019, Warnock hosted an interfaith meeting on climate change at his church, featuring Al Gore and William Barber II.[45] He presided at Representative John Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Church in July 2020.[46][24]

On Easter Sunday 2021, Warnock's Twitter account tweeted, "The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves." Some conservative Christians and political commentators criticized the tweet, including Benjamin Watson, Allie Beth Stuckey, and Jenna Ellis, who called it "heretical". The tweet was deleted that afternoon, with a spokesperson for Warnock saying, "the tweet was posted by staff and was not approved" but declining to say whether it reflected Warnock's beliefs.[47][48]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

Ecumenism (aired February 21st, 1993)

Good evening, folks, and once again, welcome to the Hour of the Time. I'm William Cooper.

(Intro music: The Great Pretender)73

[William Cooper plugs an appearance and asks for donations to stay on the air]

Now folks, the Dallas Morning News on October 1st, 1989 published this story: "Anglican Leader Calls For Unity Under

Pope." The byline is, "Associated Press - ROME: Anglican leader Archbishop Robert Runcie called Saturday for all Christians

to accept the Roman Catholic Pope as a common leader, presiding in love. 'For the Universal Church, I renew the plea,' he

said. 'Could not all Christians come to reconsider the kind of primacy the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, exercised within the

early church?'" Again, folks, that was the Dallas Morning News, October 1st, 1989.

This story appeared in the Bakersfield Californian, August 27th, 1989: "Baptist and Catholic Theologians Find Common

Ground. Associated Press - NEW YORK: Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics, the nation's two largest denominations,

generally have been regarded as doctrinally far apart, but their scholars find they basically agree. The 163-page report is seen

as the most full scale mutual examination of respective positions of the two traditions. Achieving it was an unprecedented

experience for Southern Baptists, commonly averse to accumentical affairs. The talks, sponsored by the Catholic Bishop's

Committee on Accumentical and Inter-religious Affairs and the Southern Baptists Department of Interfaith Witness, involved

eighteen meetings between 1978 and 1988." Again, that appeared in the Bakersfield Californian, August 27th, 1989.

Now, I want you to listen to me very carefully during this broadcast, for the message tonight is extremely important, and

understand that I am not attacking Catholics or anyone else. I am merely giving you the results of our research, and

sometimes the results of this research is disturbing. It shows how we've been misled and deceived over hundreds, and

sometimes thousands, of years. You see, folks, more wars have been fought and more blood has been shed in the name of

religion than any other cause - perhaps all other causes. Countless millions have been slaughtered in the name of God, Allah,

Buddha, Mohamed, Christ, for thousands of years. Christian killing Jew, Jew hating Muslim, the Muslim against the Hindu,

Christian fighting Christian, Shiite versus Suni, Sikh against Hindu. Endless rivers of blood, supposedly shed to rid the world

of evil men and make way for peace. And, of course, it never happens.

And that's what they say about this New World Order, that's it going to rid the world of evil men and make way for a

thousand years of peace. Well, is it possible for people of varied faiths and cultures to live at peace in this world? When one

considers the fragmentation and division, even among Christians, or the neverending conflict between Palestinian and Jew,

prospects for peace seem very, very dim. Some, aware of the dark record of history, would abolish all religion. Some would

combine all religion, as is the intent in the New World Order, and anyone who refused will simply be exterminated.

Today, something unmatched in history is taking place. Leading statesmen and religious leaders are proposing a New

World Order, a plan that many sincerely believe can bring peace on earth. A unity is envisioned that will transcend instinctive

barriers that have long separated cultures and religions.

Significant progress toward a New World Order is seen in the spirit of ecumenism, or togetherness, now being urged by

prominent religious leaders, and being brought to reality, to fruition, by the World Council of Churches [WCC]. In the

ecumenical plan, basic theological or ideological differences are set aside, while emphasis is instead placed upon those

elements common to most religions. And I can tell you that the new world religion will be a religion that serves man, because

man is to become god in the New World Order. And the religion will change with the needs of man. Could the long, desired

universal peace be just around the corner? Could this succeed? Is it actually possible for man to forge a lasting peace on the

anvil of compromise? Or could it be that we are naively forging not a New World Order, but rather the one-world order of

apocalyptic prophecy? Or is it all an invention of the mind of man throughout the ages to manipulate large masses and

73 Performed by The Platters

populations of people?

I make no judgment, and I do not try to answer all of these questions. You must do that in your own mind, but I must ask

those questions, for many of you have never even thought to ask them. While controversial, folks, it is not the purpose of this

program, the Hour of the Time, to disparage or attack the honest convictions of any sincere persons, whatever their politic or

faith, for am I true Constitutionist, and I believe that we each have the right to believe whatever we wish, no matter who likes

it or dislikes it, and worship at the altar of whichever god we choose, no matter who likes it or who dislikes it. It happens to be

one of the precepts of living in freedom. You must understand that. No one's right to believe what they want or practice the

religion that they want can be hindered until the practice of that religion, or the activation of those beliefs, infringe upon the

freedom of someone else. Now, I sincerely, in my heart and in my soul, believe this. Without this belief, man cannot live in

freedom; it must be subjected to slavery, and any intelligent, free-thinking person can quickly make that connection. That is

why, even if you do not like the ravings of the Nazi speaker standing on the street corner, he must be allowed to stand and

rave. And if you wish to listen, that is your business. If you wish to close your ears and walk away, that also is your business.

But when you shut him up, you shut yourself up, no matter who you are or what it is that you say. For what we do to one, we

do to all. Therefore, understand that this is a program bringing you information and, we hope, education. It is not designed to

attack anyone, but merely to shine some light in the dark corners of history, where light has not been found before.

You see, our purpose is bring out facts and principles, which have a bearing upon coming events. For those of you who

may not realize it, this is not a religious show. This is not a religious show. This is a show that is designed to educate.

Illuminate, if you will, and that's very ironic, because we are illuminating those who call themselves, "Illumined," who have

been causing us misery for thousands of years. We're trying to reveal the hidden agenda behind the New World Order, and

along with it the ecumenical movement that almost no one dares to discuss, which is a part of the bringing about of the New

World Order.

But you see, folks, these issues must be freely discussed no matter who you are or what you believe, for those who know

history know that history repeats. And those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat the history. As Winston

Churchill once observed, folks, "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see." And that is really the

secret why my predictions have been so accurate, so accurate that, at this moment, I am the most successful and accurate

prophet on the face of this earth. But I am not really a prophet, I am a messenger. And they're not prophecy that I give you,

they're predictions based upon actual study, research, of history, and of the plan of those who call themselves the "Guardians

of the Secrets of the Ages," the practicers of that religion called Mystery Babylon. And it is real, and it doesn't matter whether

you believe in any of this or not. If the practitioners believe it, it will affect you, especially if they hold powerful positions in

the world, and I can assure you that they do. So, this is not a religious program, folks, it just happens to be true that the New

World Order is founded upon the religious history of the past. And it is all about religion, as you will soon see.

[Reading from The Great Controversy]:74

"When Jesus revealed to His disciples the fate of Jerusalem and the scenes of the second advent, He foretold also the

experience of His people from the time when He should be taken from them, [until] His return in power and glory for their

deliverance."

[William Cooper]: This is what the Bible says.

"In a few brief utterances of awful significance, Jesus foretold the portion which the rulers of this world would mete out to

the church of God in Matthew chapter 24, verse 9, verse 21 and verse 22."

[William Cooper]: Now, the reason I am quoting this is because, if what is happening is being brought about by religious

history, then we must understand the religious history, and the books, and the chapters, and the verses that this religious

74 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 1888

history is based upon. For whatever belief is driving the minds of the men that are bringing about the New World Order, and

the minds of the men who are fighting the New World Order, it must be understood by all the rest of us who don't understand

any of this, or we are surely lost.

"The history of the early church testified to the fulfillment of Jesus' words...[As] the fires of persecution were kindled,

Christians were stripped of their possessions and driven from their homes...Great numbers sealed with their testimony in

blood. Noble and slave, rich or poor, [it didn't matter] learned and ignorant, were alike slain without mercy."

[William Cooper]: And unless what is coming is stopped, this will repeat itself.

"These persecutions, beginning under Nero75 the emperor of Rome, A.D. 55 to 68, about the time of martyrdom of Paul,

continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Christians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes, and declared to

be the cause of all the calamities – famine, pestilence, and earthquake...They were condemned as rebels against the empire as

enemies of religion and pests to society. Great numbers were thrown to wild beasts or burned alive in the amphitheaters.

Some were crucified; others were covered with the skins of wild animals and thrust into the arena to be torn by dogs...Vast

multitudes assembled to enjoy these sights and greeted their dying agonies with laughter and applause."

[William Cooper]: For, in that day, it was known as the great Roman Circus [Maximus] -- the football, the Super Bowl of

that era.

"[Because they] were hunted like beasts of prey, [the early Christians were] forced to seek concealment in desolate and

solitary places...Beneath the hills outside the city of Rome, long galleries were tunneled through earth and rock; the dark and

intricate network of passages extended for miles beyond the city walls. In these underground retreats the followers of Christ

buried their dead...When the Life-giver shall [return to] awaken those who fought the good fight, many a martyr for Christ's

sake will come forth from those gloomy [catacombs].

[William Cooper]: In vain were Satan's, or Lucifer's efforts to destroy the church of Christ by violence. You see, God's

workmen were slain, but his work went steadily forward. Said a Christian, "You may torment, afflict and vex us. The more we

are mowed down, the more we spring up again. The blood of Christians is seed [Tertullian, in his Apology, paragraph 50]."

"Thousands were imprisoned and slained, but others sprang up to fill their place...[Now the] Great Adversary [who

Christians believe is Satan, also known as Lucifer, but whom the Mystery Schools believe is Jehovah or Yahweh, through

adversary] endeavored to gain by artifice what he had failed to secure by force. Persecution ceased, and in its [place] were

substituted the dangerous allurements and temporal prosperity and worldly honor."

[William Cooper]: For if it they could not stamp out the Christians by violence, by killing them, by crucifying them, by

throwing them to the lions and to the dogs and to the gladiators...if they could not get rid of them in that manner, and if the

empire was threatened by them, then there had to be a way to save the Roman Empire, to save the emperor from that

pestilence known as Christianity.

"Idolaters were led to receive a part of the Christian faith, while they rejected other essential truths. They professed to

accept Jesus as the Son of God and to believe in His death and resurrection, but they had no conviction of sin and felt no need

of repentance or of a change of heart. [And] with some concessions on their part, they proposed that Christians should make

concessions, that all might unite on the platform of belief in Christ.

"Now, the church was in fearful peril. Prison, torture, fire and sword were blessings in comparison with this. Some of the

Christians stood firm, declaring that they could make no compromise. Others were in favor of yielding or modifying some

features of their faith and uniting with those who accepted a part of Christianity, urging that this might be the means of their

75 Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

full conversion...[And] that was a time of deep anguish [for] the faithful followers of Christ [William Cooper: according to the

written history of the Christian religion]...

"...This compromise between Paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of 'the man of sin', foretold in

prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God...

"The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the great apostasy which would result in the

establishment of the papal power. He declared that the day of Christ should not come, 'except there come a falling away first,

and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is

worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.'"

[William Cooper]: 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, and that prophecy has come true. As man stands in the

temple of the body today and declares himself to be God. And furthermore, the apostle warned his brethren, that the mystery

of iniquity doth already worked. And what is the mystery of iniquity? It is the Mystery Religion of Babylon, the worship of the

heavens, the Osirian cycle, of which the sun is the symbol of the intellect.

"Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of...[that]

gigantic system of false religion, a masterpiece of Satan's power – a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne

and rule the earth according to his will...

"...The nominal conversion of [the Roman emperor] Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great

rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Paganism, while appearing the be

vanquished, became the conqueror...[Pagan doctrine], ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and

worship of the professed followers of Christ."

[William Cooper]: And the ten commandments were changed to permit idols in the church, and other changes were

made. You see, the day of rest was changed from the seventh day to the first day. Why? Because the first day was the date that

the pagan religion worshiped the Sun: Osiris, the Light, Lucifer, the intellect. And so, the pure and simple teachings of Christ

were corrupted beyond recognition.

[Reading from The Present Truth, written by Bishop Stephen D. Lewis]:76

"[As Christians] consented to lower their standards, a union was formed between Christianity and paganism. Though the

worshipers of idols professed to be converted, [they] united with the church [still clinging] to their idolatry, only changing the

objects of their worship to images of Jesus, and even of Mary and the saints."

[William Cooper]: But they still worshiped the same gods, and they always have. If you look at an aerial view of the

Vatican, you will see that the outer courtyard is a round temple of the sun, exactly as the druids and the Celts built. And that

in the center of this temple to the sun, to Osiris, stands the symbol of the Lost Word of Freemasonry: the phallus, the

generative force, the penis of Osiris, the obelisk. You see, folks, the Roman Empire never fell. It just became the Catholic

church. And the Roman emperor merely changed his name from "emperor" to "pope". Now, for those of you who may think

that I'm crazy and that I have lost my mind, I'm going to read you verbatim from a book, entitled Dungeon, Fire and Sword.77

It is the complete history of the Knights Templar and the Crusades, written by John J. Robinson, author of Born in Blood. And

I'm going to start at the second -- third paragraph on page 414, in the chapter entitled, Jesus Wept (1292-1305). That's a date --

those are dates, folks.

"In London, Edward sent for the master of the Knights Templar in England, Brian De Jaye. He told the master of his plans

76 Check source

77 John J. Robinson, Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades, 1991

to chastise the upstart William Wallace in Scotland and ask that the Templar Knights go with him to fight for England. The

temple master saw no barrier to committing his knights to a totally secular war that had nothing to do with religion or the

true cross. It had been years since the fighting men of the temple had had anyone to fight. The calls for men and money no

longer came from the headquarters in the east. They had no need for them. No monarch they knew in Europe was going to go

on a Crusade, even if the Pope should call it, which he wouldn't, because the Pope had something much more important on

his mind. Boniface VIII had came up with a way to increase the papal treasury, a way that could only come up once in a

hundred years. The following year of 1299 marked the turn of a century, and Boniface would turn the usual secular

celebration into a jubilee of joy for all Christians. Now there would be new pathways to the total remission of sins, much

easier than going off on Crusades. Full absolution was offered to any pilgrim who would come to Rome for fifteen days with

his offering for the church, and thus he could fill his coffers.

"Even at his most optimistic, the Pope had not foreseen the flood of pilgrims that would bring new prosperity to Rome.

The local merchants and innkeepers were delighted with the business generated by almost two million pilgrims. Two priests

stood all day and night behind the altar at the church of St. Paul, using rakes to drag away the steady stream of gold and silver

offerings placed there by pilgrims who pushed their way through the mob to leave their gifts.

"Boniface VIII was ecstatic He remembered the words said to him as the papal crown had been placed on his head: 'Take

the tiara, and know that thou art the father of princes and kings, the ruler of the world, the vicar on earth of our savior, Jesus

Christ.' Now, he indeed felt like the ruler of the world as he staged a regal pageant He put on the dress and the insignia of the

ancient Roman emperors and went out into the streets with two swords, held high in front of him, indicating his supreme

authority over both the secular and the spiritual worlds, with heralds crying out, 'Behold! I am Caesar!'"

[William Cooper]: And this is just one example, because all through history, the Popes have, on occasion, made public

admittance of the fact that Rome just became the church. Displayed on the walls of the Vatican is the double-headed eagle,

the insignia of only one man who has ever lived: the emperor of Rome. Now so I may not be accused of invention, folks,

everything that I am giving you in this broadcast is coming right out of the writings of the historians of the Catholic church,

of the Protestant church, of the Roman Empire, of the Knights Templar, and many others. You see, I'm not inventing any of

this; it happens to be historical fact. And if you have eyes and can see, the emperor, now the Pope, to gain converts from

heathenism, unsounded doctrine, superstitious rites, and the adoration of images and relics, were gradually introduced into

Christendom worship.

[Reading from The Great Controversy]:

"The decree of a general council [the second council of Nice, A.D. 787]78 finally established this system of [Christian]

idolatry. To complete the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to [erase] the second commandment forbidding image worship

[from the law of God], and to divide the tenth commandment...to preserve the number..."

"[According to Christian historians and the Protestant church] Satan...tampered with the fourth commandment also, and

[purposed] to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and sanctified [in Genesis, chapter 2, verse 2 and

3], and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as 'the venerable day of the sun.' This change was not at first

attempted openly. In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of

God, and...they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to

bring about his object."

[William Cooper]: Now don't go away folks, we've got to take a short break. We'll be right back after this short pause.

78 Nicea

(Interlude music: Ain't No Sunshine)79

"[Early in] the fourth century the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the

Roman Empire. The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor's

policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity [to save the Roman Empire]. He was urged to do this

by the bishops of the church, who...perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and [the] heathen, it would

promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus advance the power and glory of the church."

[Reading from Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive]:

"But while [most] Christians were gradually regard Sunday as possessing a degree of sacredness, [some] still held the true

Sabbath...holy [and they continued to observe] it in obedience to the fourth commandment...

"[Now, they believe that] Satan had led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with the most

rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden...[He casts] contempt upon it as a Jewish institution...[until finally the

pagan Sunday came] to be honored as a divine institution...While the Bible [Sabbath] was pronounced as a relic of Judaism,

and its observers were [at last] declared to be accursed."

[William Cooper]: And the outcome of this, is that the Jews had been persecuted throughout history. They had become

the scapegoat that you learned about in an earlier broadcast.

"The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heaven's authority."

[Reading from The Great Controversy]:

"[The visible head of the church, the pope] came to be almost universally acknowledged as the [vicegerent] of God on

earth, [and he was] endowed with authority over church and state...More than this, the pope [appropriated] the very titles of

Deity. [He styled himself] 'Lord God the Pope,' [assumed infallibility, and demanded that all men pay him homage]...

"...Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation [of the Christian church], to the pope of Rome. Instead of

trusting in [Christ] for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates

to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach

God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. A

deviation from his requirements was [sufficient] cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of

the offenders. [Through this error] the people were turned from God to fallible, erring...men."

[William Cooper]: Blasphemous titles claimed for the Pope had embellished and enlarged over the centuries, but a few of

these boastful claims appear in an ecclesiastical Roman Catholic dictionary. I'm taking this right out of a Roman Catholic

dictionary by Lucius Ferraris, entitled Prompta Bibliothecca Canonica,80 volume 6, pages 438 and 442, article, Pope, the

Catholic Encyclopedia, 1813 edition, volume 6, page 48, speaks of this book as "a veritable encyclopedia of religious

knowledge and a precious mine of information." Those are the words of the Vatican. "The Pope is of so great dignity and so

exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were, God and the vicar of God." Remember, the Roman emperors were deified.

"Hence, the pope is crowned with a triple crown as King of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions." That is an exact

word-for-word description of Osiris. "So that if it were possible that the angels might err in the faith or think contrary to the

faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the pope."

79 Ain't No Sunshine, written by Bill Withers

80 Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca canonica, juridica, moralis, theologica, necnon ascetica, polemica, rubricistica,

historica, 1746

[William Cooper]: "The pope is, as it were, God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief King of Kings,

having plenitude of power to whom has been entrusted by the omnipotent God direction, not only of the earthly, but also of

the heavenly kingdom." If that's not blasphemy, according to the definition, then I don't know what is, folks.

[William Cooper]: "The Pope can modify divine law, as since his power is not of man, but of God." The Pope can modify

divine law? Well, you see that he did. He changed the day of rest dictated by God from the seventh day to the first day, and he

changed the ten commandments to allow the worship of idols. But the doctrine of papal supremacy is directly opposed to the

teachings of any scripture that I am able to find. "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve." That's

in Luke, chapter 4, verse 8. God has never given a hint in His word that He appointed any man but Christ to be the head of the

church. The bible exalts God, and places finite man in their true position. The Pope has no power over Christ's church except

by usurpation, and that's true only if you are a Christian. If you are Jew, if you are a Muslim, if you are a Buddhist, none of that

is true, is it?

"[By the] sixth century [folks] the papacy [was] firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the

bishop of Rome was declared to be head over the entire church...[William Cooper: Pagan Rome had given place to the papal

Rome]...The accession of the Roman church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the

darkness of superstition and error deepened...

"Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. Faithful standard-bearers were few...at times it seemed that error and

superstition would wholly prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was lost sight of, but the

forms of religion were multiplied...

"[People] were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to trust to works of their own for sin. Long

pilgrimages, acts of penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines, and altars, the payment of large sums to

the church--these and many similar acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure His favor; as if God were like

men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of penance!"

[William Cooper]: And even then, the church still worshiped the old gods. For in dismantling churches for renovation

throughout Europe, throughout Europe, without exception, and the older the church, the more likely it was to be true.

Enshrined within the altar, out of sight of the priests and the worshipers, were found stone penises, symbols of the Lost Word

of Freemasonry, the phallus of Osiris, the generative force of the pagan religion of the worship of the sun, the light, Lucifer,

the intellect. This is historic fact. This is not invention, but fact.

"About the close of the 8th century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of the church the bishops of Rome had

possessed the same spiritual power which they now assumed. To establish this claim...Ancient writings were forged by monks

[William Cooper: and it has been proven they were forged]. Decrees of councils before unheard of were discovered,

establishing the universal supremacy of the pope from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth greedily

accepted these deceptions...

"...Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII proclaimed the

perfection of the Roman church. Among the propositions which he put forth was one declaring that the church had never

erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scriptures."

[William Cooper]: But I wonder what they told Galileo when they imprisoned him for being right that the Earth revolved

around the sun, and that the Earth was not the center of the universe, and that the universe did not revolve around the Earth.

I wonder what they told Galileo. How did they justify being right, when they were obviously wrong? And not only with

Galileo, but Giordano Bruno and many others. Many, many others as a matter of fact, many of whom were burned at the

stake for daring to disagree with was then considered to be politically correct. For many of them had discovered scientific

truths, and when they espouse these truths, were declared to be heretics, and were burned at the stake because the pope

declared these truths to be falsehoods. And that, folks, was the birth of the doctrine known as "political correctness." And you

see it reappearing now, where truths are again declared to be false, because they are not politically correct. What are you

going to accept in this world?

[William Cooper]: Now, once again, I want to tell you: we're not attacking anyone. I care not what you believe. I care not

what altar you worship at, for I am a true Constitutionist. It makes no difference to any of you what my religion is, although I

will freely tell you that I attempt in my daily life to follow the true words of Christ, not the doctrine or the preachings of any

church or any evangelist or any book, but those words attributed to Christ and only to Christ. And, as the rock upon which

those words stand, the ten commandments as given to Moses by God. That is the sum total of my religion, of my beliefs, of

what I practice in my daily life. I'm not asking you to do that at all, but I am asking everyone to quit accepting what they are

told. To begin an honest, individual, personal search for the truth.

[William Cooper]: For we can no longer live in deception, we can no longer live the lies of the past. Great change lies

ahead of us, folks. Change will come, whether we want it or not, for that is the way of the world and the way of the universe.

And if we are still living in lies and deceptions and manipulations, then that change will be for the bad, just as it has as always

been throughout the history of the world. And blood with flow and people will suffer all in the name, once again, of religion.

And I, for one, am sick of it. Sick of it! We must discover the truth and we must lead our lives by the truth, and we must take

the truth into the future, and we must determine the future from the truth, and nothing else. Nothing else. For if we do not,

those who have decided that they are the only truly mature minds and, thus, the only ones capable of rule because the rest of

us do not use our intelligence and, thus, are beasts of burden and steaks on the table by choice and consent -- no better than

animals who do not have intelligence...they have determined that they are going to shackle us, once again, in slavery because

we cannot control ourselves, or rule ourselves, or live by the truth. This is what they have determined, right or wrong,

whether you believe them or whether you believe that they know what they claim that they know, or not. It is what they have

determined and, I assure you, they are in control right now. Right now, right this moment. And in this country, their

headquarters is in a temple without windows exactly thirteen blocks from the White House: the headquarters of the Scottish

Rite of Freemasonry.

"[Now, when the pope declared] that the church never erred, nor would it ever err according to the scriptures...the

[Scriptural] proofs did not accompany the assertion. [Next, the] proud pontiff also claimed the power to depose emperors,

and declared that no sentence which he pronounced could be reversed by anyone, but that it was his prerogative to reverse

the decisions of all others...

"...The advancing centuries witnessed a constant increase of error in the doctrines put forth from Rome. Even before the

establishment of the papacy the teachings of heathen philosophers had received attention and exerted an influence in the

church...Prominent among these was the belief in man's natural immortality and his consciousness in death. This doctrine

laid the foundation upon which Rome established the invocation of saints and the adoration of the Virgin Mary. From this

sprang also the heresy of eternal torment for the finally impenitent, which was early incorporated into the papal faith."

[William Cooper]: And thus, once again, the worship of Osiris, and Mary, and the child, Horus, disguised under different

names, emerged as a religion from the veil out into the open. The only thing that has changed is the names.

"Then the way was prepared for the introduction of still another invention of paganism, which Rome named purgatory,

and employed to terrify the credulous and superstitious multitudes. By this heresy is affirmed the existence of a place of

torment, in which the souls of such as have not merited eternal damnation are to suffer punishment for their sins, and from

which, when freed from impurity, they are admitted to heaven...

"...The Scriptural ordinance of the Lord's Supper had been supplanted by the idolatrous sacrifice of the mass. Papal priests

pretended, by their senseless mummery, to convert the simple bread and wine into the actual 'body and blood of Christ.'

[William Cooper: And those are the exact words, 'body and blood of Christ,' written by Cardinal Wiseman], The Real

Presence of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist, Proved From Scripture, lecture 8, sec. 3, par.

26."

[William Cooper]: But no scripture is quoted.

"With blasphemous presumption, they openly claimed the power of creating God, the Creator of all things. [All]

Christians were required, on pain of death, to avow their faith in this horrible, Heaven-insulting heresy. Multitudes who

refused were given to the flames [were burned at the stake]..."

[William Cooper]: Is it any wonder that the invisible college, the, worshipers of Mystery Babylon, those who call

themselves the "Guardians of the Secrets of the Ages," hate Christianity?

"...Still another fabrication was needed to enable Rome to profit by the fears and the vices of her adherents. This was

supplied by the doctrine of indulgences. Full remission of sins, past, present, and future, and release from all the pains and

penalties incurred, were promised to all who would enlist in the pontiff's wars to extend his temporal dominion, to punish his

enemies, or to exterminate those who dared deny his spiritual supremacy. The people were also taught that by the payment of

money to the church they might free themselves from sin, and [also] release the souls of their deceased friends who were

confined in the tormenting flames. By such means [did] Rome fill her coffers and sustain the magnificence, luxury, and vice of

the pretended representatives of Him who had not where to lay His head."

[William Cooper]: And the old Roman Empire flourished under the guise of the Vatican, the papacy, the Catholic church.

"...In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the engines of the papacy--the Inquisition. The prince

of darkness wrought with the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils Satan and his angels controlled the minds

of evil men [who invented tortures] too horrible to appear to human eyes. 'Babylon the great' was 'drunken with the blood of

the saints.' The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance upon that apostate power."

[William Cooper]: This is word to word [sic] from history, folks.

"Popery had become the world's despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of

men, both for time and for eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of Rome had been

extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently performed, [and] its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were

honored and liberally sustained...But 'the noon of the papacy was the midnight of the world.' [That was written by] J. A.

Wylie, The History of Protestantism[, b. 1, ch. 4.]"

[William Cooper]: Now, Protestantism is not lily-white, either. I use that term, "lily-white," because throughout history

it's been used to describe good, when in fact, in many instances, there's nothing good about it whatsoever. Protestantism,

folks, began in the Reformation, when Martin Luther81 rebelled against the Pope. But did you know that Martin Luther used,

as his personal seal, the rose and the cross? Revealing that he, himself, he himself was an initiate of the Mystery School, the

ancient religion of Babylon. You see, I'm not attacking anyone, and I'm not putting anyone on a pedestal I'm not tearing down

the Vatican in order to build up the Protestant church, for they are equally guilty. Protestantism has fractured the teachings of

Christ into thousands of sects and cults and little groups, all of them professing to know the truth. None of them really do.

"The Holy Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests...God's law, the standard of

righteousness [in those days], having been removed, [papist leaders] exercised power without limit, and practiced vice

without restraint. Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no crime by which they could gain wealth or

position. The palaces of popes and prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs were guilty of

crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be

tolerated. For centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A moral and intellectual paralysis had

fallen upon [the world]."

[William Cooper]: "The noon of the papacy," according to history, "was the midnight of the world."

81 Martin Luther, (1483–1546) was a German monk, a theologian, and the father of Protestantism.

"...Foremost among those who were called to lead the church from the darkness of popery into the light of a purer faith,

stood Martin Luther."

[No longer reading]

[William Cooper]: And this is what people believe, but Martin Luther himself was an initiate of the Mystery Schools, a

follower of the faith of Mystery Babylon, as was the Pope and the hierarchy of the Catholic church. You see, but they were

vying for the rulership of the world, and up until not too long ago, have always had throughout history. For the Vatican

practices the corrupted worship of Mystery Babylon, the combination of Christianity and the worship of Mystery Babylon,

whereas the Mystery Schools retained the pure form of Mystery Babylon. And this is the only difference between the two,

folks, and they have been vying throughout history for the rulership of the world: Mystery Babylon attempting to destroy the

Pope and Christianity, and the Pope attempting to persecute and burn away the followers, the initiates of Mystery Babylon.

And it has always been the goal of worshipers of Mystery Babylon to seat one of their own upon the throne of the Vatican, and

they have succeeded. They have succeeded, folks, and now you are seeing the beginning of the combination of all religions

into one-world religion. And while the world and the New Age movement may be waiting for the emergence of Maitreya, I

tell you now here -- and remember that I have been the most accurate in making predictions about future world events then

anyone in the history of the world -- based upon study and knowledge, not psychic ability, not any gift from God, although I

am a messenger, I can assure you of that. I tell you that, in the New World Order, the one-world charismatic and religious

leader will be seated upon the throne of Rome. Mark my words. And for those of you who do not understand yet, the

Protestant religion was created by the Mystery Schools to bring down, bring down the authority of the Pope, just as this

nation, the United States of America was created by the Mystery Schools to topple the monarchs, the kings and queens from

their thrones.

[William Cooper]: You see, whatever you want to believe even, folks, is OK with me. Let's just believe from a position of

knowing the truth.

Good night, and God bless each and every one of you.

Outro music: That Old Black Magic82

82 Composed by Harold Allen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, 1942. Cover by unknown artist.

https://viefag.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/transcripts-of-william-cooper-s-mystery-babylon-series.pdf

George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as The Rumble in the Jungle, was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), between undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. The event had an attendance of 60,000 people and was one of the most watched televised events at the time. Ali won by knockout in the eighth round.

It has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century"[2] and was a major upset,[3] with Ali coming in as a 4–1 underdog against the unbeaten, heavy-hitting Foreman.[4] The fight is famous for Ali's introduction of the rope-a-dope tactic.[5]

Some sources estimate that the fight was watched by as many as one billion television viewers around the world,[6][7] becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time.[8] This included a record estimated 50 million viewers watching the fight on pay-per-view or closed-circuit theatre TV.[3] The fight grossed an estimated $100 million (inflation-adjusted $600 million) in worldwide revenue.[9][10] Decades later, the bout would be the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary film When We Were Kings.[11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rumble_in_the_Jungle

[And you find this kind of rhetoric, semantics, all throughout the writings of those who wish to cover the true origin and the true meaning of Mystery Babylon.]

And I could go on, and on (laughs), and on, and you all know that I could go on and on and on. For I have studied this for so many years that I eat, drink and sleep it. Oh yes.]

109 Chevalier Joseph von Hammer, The History of the Assassins: Derived from Oriental sources, 1835

110 Thomas Keightley, Secret Societies of the Middle Ages, 1837

(Outro music: Stardust)111

The Templars and the Assassins (aired March 2nd, 1993)

https://viefag.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/transcripts-of-william-cooper-s-mystery-babylon-series.pdf

Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid of the Chaldean Catholic Church (1989–2003), who accepted the term Assyrian as descriptive of his nationality and ethnicity, commented: "When a portion of the Church of the East became Catholic in the 17th Century, the name given to the church was 'Chaldean' based on the Magi kings who were believed by some to have come from what once had been the land of the Chaldean, to Bethlehem. The name 'Chaldean' does not represent an ethnicity, just a church [...] We have to separate what is ethnicity and what is religion [...] I myself, my sect is Chaldean, but ethnically, I am Assyrian."[33] Earlier, he said: "Before I became a priest I was an Assyrian, before I became a bishop I was an Assyrian, I am an Assyrian today, tomorrow, forever, and I am proud of it."[34]

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Urmia, Mar Toma Audo (1854-1918), considered the most elegant Syriac writer of his time,[35] also stressed the remnants of the ancient Assyrians were the East Syrians (Suryāyē Madənkhāyē). Commenting in his Syriac work The Selected Readings, published in 1906, he wrote: "We too, the East Syrians, descend from the aforementioned Assyrians, we are children of the Assyrians or Ashur son of Shem and on account of this we are also Semites. We have preserved until today the language of our ancestors with of course some changes which have entered it." He then continues and explains how "Syrian" (Surāyā) is simply a shortened abbreviation of "Assyrian," and notes that some scholars contemporary to him believed that the Assyrians adopted the name "Syrian" after converting to Christianity.[36]

History

The Church of the East

Main article: Church of the East

The Chaldean Catholic Church traces its beginnings to the Church of the East, which was founded in the Parthian Empire. The Acts of the Apostles mentions Parthians as among those to whom the apostles preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9). Thomas the Apostle, Thaddeus of Edessa, and Bartholomew the Apostle are reputed to be its founders. One of the modern Churches that boast descent from it says it is "the Church in Babylon" spoken of in 1 Peter 5:13 and that he visited it.[37]

Under the rule of the Sasanian Empire, which overthrew the Parthians in 224, the Church of the East continued to develop its distinctive identity by use of the Syriac language and Syriac script. One "Persian" bishop was at the First Council of Nicaea (325).[38] There is no mention of Persian participation in the First Council of Constantinople (381), in which also the Western part of the Roman Empire was not involved.

The Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon of 410, held in the Sasanian capital, recognized the city's bishop Isaac as Catholicos, with authority throughout the Church of the East. The persistent military conflicts between the Sasanians and the by then Christianized Roman Empire made the Persians suspect the Church of the East of sympathizing with the enemy. This in turn induced the Church of the East to distance itself increasingly from that in the Roman Empire. Although in a time of peace their 420 council explicitly accepted the decrees of some "western" councils, including that of Nicaea, in 424 they determined that thenceforth they would refer disciplinary or theological problems to no external power, especially not to any "western" bishop or council.[39][40]

The theological controversy that followed the Council of Ephesus in 431 was a turning point in the history of the Church of the East. The Council condemned as heretical the Christology of Nestorius, whose reluctance to accord the Virgin Mary the title Theotokos "God-bearer, Mother of God" was taken as evidence that he believed two separate persons (as opposed to two united natures) to be present within Christ. The Sasanian Emperor provided refuge for those who in the Nestorian schism rejected the decrees of the Council of Ephesus enforced in the Byzantine Empire.[41] In 484 he executed the pro-Roman Catholicos Babowai. Under the influence of Barsauma, Bishop of Nisibis, the Church of the East officially accepted as normative the teaching not of Nestorius himself, but of his teacher Theodore of Mopsuestia, whose writings the 553 Second Council of Constantinople condemned as Nestorian but some modern scholars view them as orthodox.[42] The position thus assigned to Theodore in the Church of the East was reinforced in several subsequent synods in spite of the opposing teaching of Henana of Adiabeme.[43]

After its split with the West and its adoption of a theology that some called Nestorianism, the Church of the East expanded rapidly in the medieval period due to missionary work. Between 500 and 1400, its geographical horizon extended well beyond its heartland in present-day northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey, setting up communities throughout Central Asia and as far as China—as witnessed by the Xi'an Stele, a Tang dynasty tablet in Chinese script dating to 781 that documented 150 years of Christian history in China.[44] Their most lasting addition was of the Saint Thomas Christians of the Malabar Coast in India, where they had around 10 million followers.[45]

However, a decline had already set in at the time of Yahballaha III (1281–1317), when the Church of the East reached its greatest geographical extent, it had in south and central Iraq and in south, central and east Persia only four dioceses, where at the end of the ninth century it had at least 54.[46]

Around 1400, the Turco-Mongol nomadic conqueror Timur arose out of the Eurasian Steppe to lead military campaigns all across Western, Southern and Central Asia, ultimately seizing much of the Muslim world after defeating the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire, and the declining Delhi Sultanate. Timur's conquests devastated most Assyrian bishoprics and destroyed the 4000-year-old cultural and religious capital of Assur. After the destruction brought on by Timur, the massive and organized Church of the East structure was largely reduced to its region of origin, with the exception of the Saint Thomas Christians in India.

1552 schism

Main articles: Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa and Schism of 1552

The Church of the East has seen many disputes about the position of Catholicos. A synod in 539 decided that neither of the two claimants, Elisha and Narsai, who had been elected by rival groups of bishops in 524, was legitimate.[47] Similar conflicts occurred between Barsauma and Acacius of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and between Hnanisho I and Yohannan the Leper. The 1552 conflict was not merely between two individuals but extended to two rival lines of patriarchs, like the 1964 schism between what are now called the Assyrian and the Ancient Church of the East.

Credentials of Abdisho IV Maron, Sulaqa's successor, to the Council of Trent in 1562

Dissent over the practice of hereditary succession to the Patriarchate, usually from uncle to nephew, led to the action in 1552 by a group of bishops from the northern regions of Amid and Salmas who elected as a rival Patriarch the abbot of Rabban Hormizd Monastery (the patriarch's residence), Yohannan Sulaqa. To strengthen the position of their candidate, the bishops sent him to Rome to negotiate a new union with the pope.[48] By tradition, a patriarch could be ordained only by someone of archiepiscopal (metropolitan) rank, a rank to which only members of that one family were promoted. Sulaqa thus travelled to Rome, where, presented as the new patriarch-elect, he entered communion with the Catholic Church on 20 February 1553, was ordained by Pope Julius III and was recognized as patriarch on 9 April.[49]

The title or description under which Sulaqa was recognized as patriarch is given variously as "Patriarch of Mosul in Eastern Syria";[50] "Patriarch of the Church of the Chaldeans of Mosul";[51] "Patriarch of the Chaldeans";[48][52][53][54] "Patriarch of Mosul";[49][55][56] or "Patriarch of the Eastern Assyrians", this last being the version given by Pietro Strozzi on the second-last unnumbered page before page 1 of his De Dogmatibus Chaldaeorum,[57] of which an English translation is given in Adrian Fortescue's Lesser Eastern Churches.[58][59] The "Eastern Assyrians", who, if not Catholic, were presumed to be Nestorians, were distinguished from the "Western Assyrians" (those west of the Tigris River), who were looked on as Jacobites.[60][61][62] It was as Patriarch of the "Eastern Assyrians" that Sulaqa's successor, Abdisho IV Maron, was accredited for participation in the Council of Trent.[63]

The names already in use (except that of "Nestorian") were thus applied to the existing church (not a new one) for which the request to consecrate its patriarch was made by emissaries who gave the impression that the patriarchal see was vacant.[55][53][64]

Sulaqa returned home in the same year and, unable to take possession of the traditional patriarchal seat near Alqosh, resided in Amid. Before being put to death at the instigation of partisans supporting the patriarch from whom he had broken away, Shemon VII Ishoyahb, he ordained two metropolitans and three other bishops.[53][55][49] This initiated a new ecclesiastical hierarchy under what is known as the "Shimun line" of patriarchs, who soon moved from Amid eastward, settling, after many intervening places, in the isolated village of Qudshanis under Persian rule. Ishoyahb, meanwhile, was succeeded by his nephew Eliya VI, in what became known as the "Eliya Line".

Successive leaders of those in communion with Rome

Sulaqa's earliest successors entered into communion with the Catholic Church, but in the course of over a century, their link with Rome grew weak. The last to request and obtain formal papal recognition died in 1600. They adopted hereditary succession to the patriarchate, opposition to which had caused the 1552 schism. In 1672, Shimun XIII Dinkha formally broke communion with Rome, adopting a profession of faith that contradicted that of Rome, while he maintained his independence from the Alqosh-based "Eliya line" of patriarchs. The "Shimun line" eventually became the patriarchal line of what since 1976 is officially called the Assyrian Church of the East.[65][66][67][68]

Leadership of those who wished to be in communion with Rome then passed to Archbishop Joseph I of Amid. In 1677 his leadership was recognized first by the Turkish civil authorities, and then in 1681 by Rome. (Until then, the authority of the Alqosh patriarch over Amid, which had been Sulaqa's residence but which his successors abandoned on having to move eastward into Safavid Iran, had been accepted by the Turkish authorities.)

All the (non-hereditary) successors in Amid of Joseph I, who in 1696 resigned for health reasons and lived on in Rome until 1707, took the name Joseph: Joseph II (1696–1713), Joseph III (1713–1757), Joseph IV (1757–1781). For that reason, they are known as the "Josephite line". Joseph IV presented his resignation in 1780 and it was accepted in 1781, after which he handed over the administration of the patriarchate to his nephew, not yet a bishop, and retired to Rome, where he lived until 1791.[69]

Appointment of the nephew as patriarch would look like acceptance of the principle of hereditary succession. In addition, the Alqosh "Eliya line" was drawing closer to Rome, and the pro-Catholic faction within its followers was becoming predominant. For various reasons, including the ecclesiastical as well as political turbulence in Europe after the French Revolution, Rome was long unable to choose between two rival claimants to headship of the Chaldean Catholics.

The 1672 adoption by the "Shimun line" of patriarchs of Nestorian doctrine had been followed in some areas by widespread adoption of the opposing Christology upheld in Rome. This occurred not only in the Amid-Mardin area for which by Turkish decree Joseph I was patriarch, but also in the city of Mosul, where by 1700 nearly all the East Syrians were Catholics.[70] The Rabban Hormizd Monastery, which was the seat of the "Eliya line" of patriarchs is 2 km from the village of Alqosh and about 45 km north of the city of Mosul.

In view of this situation, Patriarch Eliya XI wrote to Pope Clement XII and his successor Benedict XIV in 1735, 1749 and 1756, asking for union. Then, in 1771, both he and his designated successor Ishoyabb made a profession of faith that Pope Clement XIV accepted, thus establishing communion in principle. When Eliya XI died in 1778, the metropolitans recognized as his successor Ishoyabb, who accordingly took the Eliya name (Eliya XII). To win support, Eliya made profession of the Catholic faith, but almost immediately renounced it and declared his support of the traditionalist (Nestorian) view.

Yohannan Hormizd, a member of the "Eliya line" family, opposed Eliya XII (1778–1804), the last of that line to be elected in the normal way as patriarch. In 1780 Yohannan was irregularly elected patriarch, as Sulaqa had been in 1552. He won over to communion with Rome most followers of the "Eliyya line". The Holy See did not recognize him as patriarch, but in 1791 Pope Pius VI appointed him archbishop of Amid and administrator of the Catholic patriarchate. The violent protests of Joseph IV's nephew, who was then in Rome, and suspicions raised by others about the sincerity of Yohannan's conversion prevented this being put into effect.[70]

In 1793 it was agreed that Yohannan should withdraw from Amid to Mosul, the metropolitan see that he already held, but that the post of patriarch would not be conferred on his rival, Joseph IV's nephew. In 1802 the latter was appointed metropolitan of Amid and administrator of the patriarchate, but not patriarch. Nonetheless, he became commonly known as Joseph V. He died in 1828. Yohannan's rival for the Alqosh title of patriarch had died in 1804, with his followers so reduced in number that they did not elect any successor for him, thus bringing the Alqosh or Eliya line to an end.[70]

Finally then, in 1830, a century and a half after the Holy See had conferred headship of the Chaldean Catholics on Joseph I of Amid, Pope Pius VIII granted recognition as Patriarch to Yohannan, whose (non-hereditary) patriarchal succession has since then lasted unbroken in the Chaldean Catholic Church.

Later history of the Chaldean Church

Cathedral of Saint Joseph, Ankawa, Archeparchy of Arbil.

St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church, Tehran

In 1838, the Kurds of Soran attacked the Rabban Hormizd Monastery and Alqosh, apparently thinking the villagers were Yazidis responsible for the murder of a Kurdish chieftain, and killed over 300 Chaldean Catholics, including Gabriel Dambo, the refounder of the monastery, and other monks.[71]

In 1846, the Ottoman Empire, which had previously classified as Nestorians those who called themselves Chaldeans, granted them recognition as a distinct millet.[72][73]

The most famous patriarch of the Chaldean Church in the 19th century was Joseph VI Audo who is remembered also for his clashes with Pope Pius IX mainly about his attempts to extend the Chaldean jurisdiction over the Malabar Catholics. This was a period of expansion for the Chaldean Catholic Church.

The activity of the Turkish army and their Kurdish and Arab allies, partly in response to armed support for Russia in the territory of the Qochanis patriarchate, brought ruin also to the Chaldean dioceses of Amid, Siirt and Gazarta and the metropolitans Addai Scher of Siirt and Philippe-Jacques Abraham of Gazarta were killed in 1915.[74]

Faisal I of Iraq with Mar Yousef VI Emmanuel II Thomas, Patriarch 1900–1947, and the Chaldean bishops

In the 21st century, Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni, the pastor of the Chaldean Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, who graduated from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum in Rome in 2003 with a licentiate in ecumenical theology, was killed on 3 June 2007 in Mosul alongside the subdeacons Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid Hanna Isho, and Gassan Isam Bidawed, after he celebrated mass.[75][76] Ganni has since been declared a Servant of God.[77]

Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho and three companions were abducted on 29 February 2008, in Mosul, and murdered a few days later.[78]

21st century: international diaspora

A historic church and community center built in Chaldean Town, an Assyrian diaspora neighborhood in Detroit

There are many Chaldean Assyrians in diaspora in the Western world, primarily in the American states of Michigan, Illinois and California.[79]

In 2006, the Eparchy of Oceania, with the title of 'St Thomas the Apostle of Sydney of the Chaldeans' was set up with jurisdiction including the Chaldean Catholic communities of Australia and New Zealand.[80] Its first Bishop, named by Pope Benedict XVI on 21 October 2006, was Archbishop Djibrail (Jibrail) Kassab, until this date, Archbishop of Bassorah in Iraq.[81]

There has been a large immigration to the United States particularly to West Bloomfield and Oakland County in Southeast Michigan.[80] Although the largest population resides in Southeast Michigan, there are populations in parts of California and Arizona as well, which all fall under the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit. In addition, Canada in recent years has shown growing communities in provinces such as Ontario.

In 2008, Bawai Soro of the Assyrian Church of the East and 1,000 Assyrian families were received into full communion with the Chaldean Catholic Church.[82]

On Friday, June 10, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI erected a new Chaldean Catholic eparchy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and named Archbishop Yohannan Zora, who has worked alongside four priests with Catholics in Toronto (the largest community of Chaldeans) for nearly 20 years and who was previously an ad hominem Archbishop (he will retain this rank as head of the eparchy) and the Archbishop of the Archdiocese (Archeparchy) of Ahvaz (since 1974). The new eparchy, or diocese, will be known as the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai. There are 38,000 Chaldean Catholics in Canada. Archbishop Zora was born in Batnaya, Iraq, on March 15, 1939. He was ordained in 1962 and worked in Iraqi parishes before being transferred to Iran in 1969.[83]

The 2006 Australian census counted a total of 4,498 Chaldean Catholics in that country.[84]

Historic membership censuses

Despite the internal discords of the reigns of Yohannan Hormizd (1830–1838), Nicholas I Zaya (1839–1847) and Joseph VI Audo (1847–1878), the 19th century was a period of considerable growth for the Chaldean church, in which its territorial jurisdiction was extended, its hierarchy strengthened and its membership nearly doubled. In 1850, the Anglican missionary George Percy Badger recorded the population of the Chaldean Catholic Church as 2,743 Chaldean families, or just under 20,000 persons.[85]

Badger's figures cannot be squared with the figure of just over 4,000 Chaldean families recorded by Fulgence de Sainte Marie in 1796 nor with slightly later figures provided by Paulin Martin in 1867. Badger is known to have classified as Nestorian a considerable number of villages in the Aqra district which were Chaldean at this period, and he also failed to include several important Chaldean villages in other dioceses. His estimate is almost certainly far too low.[85]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldean_Catholic_Church

The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rolls[1] or the Great Rolls of the Pipe, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury, and its successors, as well as the Exchequer of Ireland. The earliest date from the 12th century, and the series extends, mostly complete, from then until 1833.[2] They form the oldest continuous series of records concerning English governance kept by the English, British, Irish, and United Kingdom governments, covering a span of about 700 years. The early medieval ones are especially useful for historical study, as they are some of the earliest financial records available from the Middle Ages. A similar set of records was developed for Normandy, which was ruled by the English kings from 1066 to 1205, but the Norman Pipe rolls have not survived in a continuous series like the English.

They were the records of the yearly audits performed by the Exchequer of the accounts and payments presented to the Treasury by the sheriffs and other royal officials, and owed their name to the shape they took, as the various sheets were affixed to each other and then rolled into a tight roll, resembling a pipe, for storage. They record not only payments made to the government, but debts owed to the crown and disbursements made by royal officials. Although they recorded much of the royal income, they did not record all types of income, nor did they record all expenditures, so they are not strictly speaking a budget. The Pipe Roll Society, formed in 1883, has published the Pipe rolls for the period up to 1224.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_rolls

Last name: Cortez

SDB Popularity Ranking: 6764

This surname is recorded in most European countries in the spellings of Cortes, Courtois, Courtes, Cortez, Curtis, etc. However spelt, and from whatever country, the derivation is from the Old French "Corteis" or "Curteis" meaning "refined" or "accomplished" and was originally given as a nickname to a man of good education. One Curteis de Capella appears in the 1130 Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire, England, whilst Fernando Cortez of Spain, conquered Mexico and much else in 1519 - 1521. The surname is first recorded in England in the 12th Century (see below), and early recordings have included William le Curetis of Devonshire, England, in 1168, whilst in Spain Benito de Cortez was born in Ciudad on May 1st 1515, and Antonia Cortes, at Asuncion, Mexico, on February 6th 1662. An interesting recording is that of Henry Curtis, aged 27 yrs., who on May 15th 1635 embarked from London on the ship "Elizabeth and Ann" bound for New England. He was one of the earliest recorded English namebearers to enter the New World colonies of America. The coat of arms has the blazon of a paly of eight, gold and red, on a blue border, eight silver cross crosslets. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Curteis, which was dated 1166, in the pipe rolls of the county of Bedford, England, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

https://surnamedb.com/Surname/cortez#

Last name: Morales

SDB Popularity Ranking: 428

This unusual and interesting surname is of Spanish origin, and is a topographical name for someone who lived by a blackberry or mulberry bush. The derivation is from the Spanish "mora", mulberry, blackberry, from the Latin "morum". There are several places named with this word, and the surname may also be locational from any of these. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages, and locational surnames were originally given to local landowners, and the lord of the manor. On October 14th 1596, Thomas Gonzales, son of Gasper Morales and Ana Gonzales, was christened in Cadiz, Spain. A Coat of Arms granted to the Morales families of Castille and Catalogne is a shield divided quarterly with a green mulberry tree on a terras of the same colour in the first and fourth gold quarters, and three black horizontal bars in the second and third silver quarters. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Francisco de Morales, which was dated October 29th 1570, witness at a christening at Nuestra Senora La Antigue, Valladolid, Italy, during the reign of King Philip 11 of Spain, 1556 - 1598. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

https://surnamedb.com/surname/MORALES

Pope Adrian IV (Latin: Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear);[1] c. 1100[note 1] – 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV)[3] was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman to have been pope.

Adrian was born in Hertfordshire, England, but little is known of his early life. Although he does not appear to have received a great degree of schooling, while still a youth he travelled to the south of France where he was schooled in Arles, studying law. He then travelled to Avignon, where he joined the Abbey of Saint-Ruf. There he became a canon regular and was eventually appointed abbot. He travelled to Rome several times, where he appears to have caught the attention of Pope Eugene III, and was sent on a mission to Catalonia where the Reconquista was attempting to reclaim land from the Muslim Al-Andalus. Around this time his abbey complained to Eugene that Breakspear was too heavy a disciplinarian, and in order to make use of him as a papal legate as well as to pacify his monks, he was appointed Bishop of Albano some time around 1149.

As bishop, Breakspear was soon sent on another diplomatic mission, this time to Scandinavia. In the middle of a civil war, Breakspear reorganised the Church in Norway and then moved on to Sweden. Here, he was very much acclaimed by the people, and when he left, chroniclers called him a saint. Breakspear returned to Rome in 1154; Eugene's successor Pope Anastasius IV had died only a few weeks previously.

For reasons now unknown, but possibly at his predecessor's request, Breakspear was elected next pope by the cardinals. He was unable to complete his coronation service, however, because of the parlous state of politics in Rome, which at the time was a den of 'heresy' and republicanism. Adrian decisively restored the papal authority there, but his other major policy issue—relations with the newly crowned Holy Roman emperor, Frederick I—started off badly and got progressively worse. Each party, as a result of a particular aggravating incident, found something to condemn the other for. As a result, Adrian entered into an alliance with the Byzantine emperor, Manuel I Komnenos who was keen to re-assert his authority in the south of Italy, but was unable to do so due to the Norman kings' occupation of the region, now under William I of Sicily.

Adrian's alliance with the Byzantine emperor came to nothing, as William decisively defeated Manuel and forced Adrian to come to terms at the Treaty of Benevento. This alienated Emperor Frederick even more, as he saw it as a repudiation of their existing treaty. Relations soured further when Frederick laid claim to a large swathe of territory in northern Italy. Adrian's relations with his country of birth, however, seem to have remained generally good. Certainly, he showered St Albans Abbey with privileges, and he appears to have forwarded King Henry II's policies where he could. Most famously, in 1158 Adrian is supposed to have granted Henry the papal bull Laudabiliter, which is thought to have authorised Henry to invade Ireland. Henry did not do so, however, for another 14 years, and scholars are uncertain whether the bull ever existed.

Following Adrian's death at Anagni, there was uncertainty as to who to succeed him, with both pro- and anti-imperial cardinals voting for different candidates. Although Pope Alexander III officially took over, the subsequent election of an antipope led to a 22-year-long schism. Scholars have debated Adrian's pontificate widely. Much of a positive nature—his building programme and reorganisation of papal finances, for example—has been identified, particularly in the context of such a short reign. He was also up against powerful forces out of his control, which, while he never overcame them, he managed effectively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Adrian_IV

AI Overview

The surname Breakspear comes from the Middle English words breken meaning "to break" and spere meaning "spear". It may have been used to describe someone who was successful in a battle or tournament.

Examples of the name in use:

Stephen Bruselaunce: In 1308 in Ramsey Abbey Court Rolls (Suffolk)

Martin Briselaunce: In 1312 in London Letter Books D

Richard Brekeswerd: In 1195 in Pipe Rolls (Lincs)

Similar surnames:

Creaser, Brashear, Greaser, Treaster, Reasner, Breaker, and Reaser.

Related information:

You can learn more about the Breakspear family history at Ancestry.com.

You can learn more about the Breakspear name meaning and family history at FamilySearch.

You can learn more about the Breakspear surname origin, meaning, and family tree at Findmypast.

Generative AI is experimental.

Domesday Book (/ˈduːmzdeɪ/ DOOMZ-day; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of King William the Conqueror.[1] The manuscript was originally known by the Latin name Liber de Wintonia, meaning "Book of Winchester", where it was originally kept in the royal treasury.[2] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that in 1085 the king sent his agents to survey every shire in England, to list his holdings and dues owed to him.[3]

Written in Medieval Latin, it was highly abbreviated[a] and included some vernacular native terms without Latin equivalents. The survey's main purpose was to record the annual value of every piece of landed property to its lord, and the resources in land, labour force, and livestock from which the value derived.

The name "Domesday Book" came into use in the 12th century.[4] Richard FitzNeal wrote in the Dialogus de Scaccario (c. 1179) that the book was so called because its decisions were unalterable, like those of the Last Judgment, and its sentence could not be quashed.[5]

The manuscript is held at the National Archives at Kew, London. Domesday was first printed in full in 1783, and in 2011 the Open Domesday site made the manuscript available online.[6]

The book is an invaluable primary source for modern historians and historical economists. No survey approaching the scope and extent of Domesday Book was attempted again in Britain until the 1873 Return of Owners of Land (sometimes termed the "Modern Domesday")[7] which presented the first complete, post-Domesday picture of the distribution of landed property in the United Kingdom.[8]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesday_Book

King Charles Honoured With a New Title and Special Chair in Vatican

The Royal Family Channel

Oct 24, 2025 #kingcharles #popeleoxiv #royalfamily

King Charles received a new title on Thursday as his historic visit to the Vatican continued.

Earlier in the day, he joined Pope Leo XIV in prayer before travelling to the Pontifical Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, where he was formally honoured with the title of “Royal Confrater” which symbolises spiritual fellowship In return, the King made Pope Leo the Papal Confrater of St George's Chapel in Windsor.

During the ceremony, Charles sat in a special chair adorned with his coat of arms and the Latin phrase “Ut Unum Sint” (“That they may be one”).

The chair was presented to him and will remain in the basilica for future use by the King and his heirs, officials confirmed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc-tMqLwsyc

Pope Leo XIV[a] (born Robert Francis Prevost,[b][c] September 14, 1955) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States, the first from North America, the first to hold either U.S. or Peruvian citizenships (or both), the first born after World War II, the first from the Order of Saint Augustine, and the second (after his immediate predecessor Pope Francis) from the Americas.

Prevost was born in Chicago and raised in the nearby suburb of Dolton, Illinois. He became a friar in the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in 1982. He earned a Doctor of Canon Law (JCD) degree in 1987 from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome. His service includes extensive missionary work in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s—he worked there as a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher, and administrator. Elected prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine, he was based in Rome from 2001 to 2013, and traveled extensively as part of this work, including to the order's many provinces and missions around the world. He then returned to Peru as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Upon his return to Rome in 2023, Prevost was made a cardinal by Pope Francis. As Cardinal Prevost, he emphasized synodality, missionary dialogue, and engagement with social and technological challenges. He has also addressed issues such as climate change, global migration, church governance, and human rights, and expressed alignment with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and the direction set for the Church by Francis.

Prevost's election in the 2025 conclave was unexpected by observers; he was a dark horse candidate, with Vatican insiders believing the prospect of a pope from the United States to be unrealistic given its status as a superpower.[8][9] In honor of Pope Leo XIII, who developed modern Catholic social teaching amid the tumult of the Second Industrial Revolution, Prevost chose the papal name Leo XIV — both to echo Leo XIII's concern for workers and fairness, and as a response to the challenges of a new industrial revolution and artificial intelligence.[10]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIV

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president of the United States for a term of four years.

Background

See also: 2024 United States elections

Electoral system

Main article: United States Electoral College

See also: United States presidential primary and Primary elections in the United States

Eligibility

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidential_election

Early life and education

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Warnock

Lawes Divine, Morall and Martiall

SUMMARY

Lawes Divine, Morall and Martiall, the rules and regulations issued in Jamestown beginning in 1610 and 1611, are the earliest extant English-language body of laws in the western hemisphere. It was not a legal code in the modern sense. No legislation created it, and no court enforced it. The laws were orders that the governor, appointed by the Virginia Company of London that settled and managed the colony between 1607 and 1624, issued to regulate the conduct of its members, employees, and servants. The laws recognized none of the principles of the English common law and did not provide for jury trials, even though the royal charters of the company specified that residents of the colony were entitled to all the rights of Englishmen.

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Protestant Historical Institute of the Society of Jesus

Walz addresses fraud scandal: Minnesota’s ‘generosity has been taken advantage of’

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