Francis told officials and personnel of the Vatican Secret Archives that documents would be open to researchers starting on March 2 next year.
Pius was elected pontiff on March 2 1939, six months before the war erupted in Europe. He died on October 9 1958 at the Vatican summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.
The Vatican usually waits 70 years after the end of a pontificate to open up the relevant archives, but the Holy See has been under pressure to make the Pius XII documentation available sooner, while Holocaust survivors are still alive.
Vatican archivists had already started preparing the documentation for consultation in 2006, at the behest of Francis’s German-born predecessor Benedict XVI.
The Vatican has defended Pius, saying he used behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try to save lives. Francis indicated he embraced that interpretation.
Pius’s actions will be scrutinised as part of efforts to decide if he should be declared a saint.
Francis indicated that the church was confident the papacy would withstand the findings by historians studying the archives, saying Pius was “criticised, one can say, with some prejudice and exaggeration”.
“The church isn’t afraid of history – on the contrary, it loves it, and would like to love it even more, like it loves God,” Francis told staff at the archive.
“Thus, with the same trust of my predecessors, I open, and…
‘Is it OK to Still Have Children?’: Representative Ocasio-Cortez Weighs Cost of Having Kids on Environment
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) asked on her Instagram page this weekend if it’s OK for people to have children in light of climate change around the world.
“There’s a scientific consensus that the lives of children are going to be very difficult,” Ocasio-Cortez told her Instagram followers. “And it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: is it OK to still have children?”
She said it’s a “basic moral question.”
Ocasio-Cortez has been pushing for a Green New Deal, a wish list program that asks the country to upgrade or replace U.S. buildings with state-of-the-art energy efficient features.” The deal would supposedly eliminate the nation’s carbon footprint in 10 years.
Ocasio-Cortez said in her Instagram live stream that it may not also financially be the best decision for people to have children because many end up with thousands of dollars in student loans.
“There’s also just this basic moral question, like, what do we do?
“And even if you don’t have kids, there are still children here in the world and we have a moral obligation to them to leave a better world to them.”
In response to her Instagram post, the CEO of the group Concerned Women for America, called Ocasio-Cortez’ comments “anti-children.”
“What’s is old is new again. AOC questioning if it is…
Open Heaven 5 March 2019 Tuesday Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – A Friend Indeed?
Topic: A Friend Indeed? (Open Heaven 5 March 2019)
Memorise: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”- Proverbs 18:24
Read: Luke 11:5-8 (KJV)
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Bible in One Year: Acts 25-26, Isaiah 54
Open Heaven 5 March 2019 Tuesday MESSAGE:
Friendship is so important, powerful and beneficial to human life. Unfortunately, it is commonly said that true friends are very scarce. The reality of this statement is a fact we live with everyday. However, my question today is, what can we do to change this situation? It is not enough for you to add your voice to those lamenting that there are no true friends; you should do something about it. The answer is not far-fetched: it lies in each of us deciding to be a true friend to those we choose as our friends! Ask yourself, how true and genuine are you to those who consider you their friend?
It’s amazing when we consider that Jesus Christ describes us as His friends. He said to us in John 15:13-14:
“13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”
In today’s Bible reading, he also reveals to us the cost of being a true friend. A friend goes the extra mile to make his friends happy because he shares in their happiness. As followers of Jesus Christ, though the world may practice a supernatural form of friendship characterized by denial, betrayal and backstabbing, we must be different. As the light of the world, we must teach the world what true friendship means.
It is true that friendship attracts a high premium and can be demanding. This is why you must choose the number of friends you can effectively and faithfully manage. Many people mistake mere acquaintance for friendship; this is wrong. An acquaintance cannot pay the price that friendship demands. This is why many people feel disappointed when their expectation from a casual associate at work or brother in church is not met. When the Bible says there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), it reveals another misconception that must be corrected in the Body of Christ. The fact that someone is a Christian brother does not mean he is a friend! Although a brother or sister in Christ should not be taken as an enemy, nevertheless, do not expect much from such a fellow. Beloved, the good news for you today is that Jesus can be that perfect friend you desire. How true are the words of this hymn written by Joseph Scriven: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grieve to bear; what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Make Him your friend today, and He will never disappoint you.
Open Heaven 5 March 2019 Tuesday Action Point:
Reach out to Jesus and make Him your friend by doing His will always.
Open Heaven 5 March 2019 Tuesday Hymn 9: In Christ Alone
1.In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
2.In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.
3.There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
4.No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Open Heaven 5 March 2019 Tuesday Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC. Open Heaven 5 March 2019 Tuesday Daily Devotional
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Members of the group Christian Climate Action have blocked roads, glued themselves to the fences outside Downing Street and lay in the roads around Parliament to raise awareness of the dangers of climate change.
Eight members of the group have been arrested, with some members being arrested up to five times over the initial two weeks of the Extinction Rebellion in November last year, a continuous protest involving many environmental groups.
Three members of the group, who had been summoned to stand trial for their charges, had been issued with March court dates.
They were planning to attending court and plead not guilty – claiming that their actions were necessary as part of a desperate attempt to urge those in power to take action on climate change.
However, over the last week, each of these individuals have had their court cases dropped, reasoning being cited as that “a prosecution is not needed in the public interest”.
Ruth Jarman, 55, a trustee of a charity and member of and Anglical church, had her court case discontinued.
Jarman said: “Part of me is relieved that the court case has been dropped. Standing court is an anxiety provoking experience for anyone and I can’t help feeling relieved that I can have a bit more time, energy and head space.
“However, another part of me is very frustrated. We are living in a…
CIG represent church organisations with combined investment assets of approximately £21 billion including the investments of the Church of England and the Methodist Church.
They invest in various companies and therefore have a say on decisions the companies make.
However, they will now vote against various companies if they do not appear to be progressing on issues like climate change and pay ratios.
They particularly cite issues such as gender diversity on boards and tax transparency.
The ‘tougher stance’ will be evident in their voting patterns, with the group threatening to vote against plans that don’t fall in line with their standards.
For example, CIG members will vote against Chairs of FTSE 350 and Russell 50 companies with a score of zero for tax transparency in the FTSE ESG ratings and against Chairs who have a poor score when it comes to trying to reduce their emissions.
Christian organisations will also vote against Chairs who do not have at least one female director on their board and companies which do not disclose the pay ratio between their CEO and the average employee.
They’ll also require FTSE 100 companies to be a Living Wage acredited employer if they’re going to support their remuneration reports and will not support remuneration reports where the CEO receives a pension payment of more than 30% of salary.
A tornado warning was issued when a “confirmed large and destructive tornado” twisted out of the sky in Birmingham, Alabama around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday the outlet reports.
According to Fox News, all 23 deaths and the more than 50 reported injuries came from the Beauregard community in Lee County, AL. Authorities are anticipating the number of casualties to rise as search and rescue efforts start back up Monday Morning.
Among the reported damage in Lee County are flattened homes, overturned mobile homes, damage to the local elementary school, a toppled phone tower across Interstate U.S. 280, destroyed businesses and a damaged gas station.
CNN reports Alabama’s Governor Kay Ivey extended last month’s state of emergency which was issued because of tornadoes and severe weather.
Ivey released a statement on Twitter saying, “Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today. Praying for their families…
The 32-year-old suspect is to be brought to Northern Ireland for questioning.
Mr Ogle, 45, died after being stabbed 11 times shortly after praying with a pastor near his home on Cluan Place in east Belfast on January 27.
On Sunday evening, PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Peter McKenna said: “Following excellent partnership working with UK and international partners, the man was detained in Manchester Airport this evening.
“He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder and will be conveyed to Northern Ireland to be questioned by Major Investigation Team detectives.
“At this time, I would also reiterate my appeal for witnesses to this horrific murder. Ian Ogle was subjected to a brutal attack.
“His skull was fractured and he was savagely stabbed 11 times in the back before being left to die on the street. His family deserve justice.”
One man has already been charged with Mr Ogle’s murder.
Jonathan Brown, 33, of McArthur Court, Belfast, was remanded in custody last month after appearing before Belfast Magistrates’ Court.
His solicitor said he denied planning, preparing and committing the offence.
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Gospel for Asia Reaches Settlement in Class-Action Lawsuit
Non-Profit missions organization Gospel for Asia announced on Thursday that after three years in court, they will be settling a class-action lawsuit levied against them by paying $37 million and offering up a board seat.
According to a statement released by GFA, the organization was accused of “racketeering, fraud and financial mismanagement.” Christianity Today notes that the organization was facing two lawsuits which claimed that GFA was only sending “13 percent of its donations to the field instead of the oft-promised 100 percent.”
The two suits eventually merged and became a class action suit with more than 200,000 people – those who donated to GFA between January 2009 and September 2018 – looking for reimbursement. Christianity Today reports that the suit originally requested $376 million from GFA. The settlement, however, will require GFA to pay 10 percent of the requested amount – $37 million – to the plaintiffs and surrender a board seat to plaintiff Garland Murphy.
GFA will also be required to remove the founder K.P. Yohannan’s wife Gisela from the board to be replaced by someone approved by both Murphy and Yohannan.
Despite settling in court, GFA is maintaining their innocence. A statement released by the organization reads: “The settlement is not an acknowledgment of guilt by Gospel for Asia and, in fact, the settlement agreement reads in…
These words of John Lennon, published on this day in 1966, have become a famous—or infamous—part of cultural history.
Here’s the larger context: Lennon told an interviewer for the London Evening Standard that “Christianity will go.” He added: “It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”
Lennon later apologized at a press conference in Chicago: “I’m not anti-God, anti-Christ or anti-religion. I was not saying we are greater or better. I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky.”
However, Lennon began his most famous song, “Imagine,” with the lyrics, “Imagine there’s no heaven / It’s easy if you try / No hell below us / Above us only sky.” Later he asked us to imagine that there’s “no religion, too.”
Why parents are selling their children
In a world like ours, it’s easy to wonder if God is real or relevant.
Alex has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic condition that makes his muscles weaker and causes problems with movement.
He is a residential sports student at National Star College for young people with complex disabilities and learning difficulties in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
He wanted to be baptised and immersed in water but the challenge was that he needed support to transfer him from his electric wheelchair.
Due to his disability, Mr Smith, from Plymouth in Devon, needed a hoist and specialist support to access a pool.
“Often if a person who has disabilities wants to be baptised, the only way to do it is by covering the wheelchair with plastic protection and pouring water over his head,” said Polly White, multi-faith support worker and physiotherapist at National Star.
“But wheelchairs are expensive and Alex wanted to be immersed in water.”
Mr Smith worked with the National Star staff and was baptised in the charity’s aqua therapy pool on Sunday, watched by family and friends.
Ollie Bennett, pastor of Kingfisher Church in Gloucester which Mr Smith attends, carried out the baptism and admits it was the first one he had ever done in an aqua therapy pool.
“Alex was determined to be baptised in water and it has been a real privilege to be part of this special service,” he said.
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