Roman Catholicism

Middle East Monitor | – – Both Erdogan and Pope Francis are opposed to US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which many US allies say could doom Middle East peace efforts. Tayyip Erdogan made the first visit by a Turkish president to the Vatican in 59 years on […]

African-Americans

Bannon & Trump lost Long ago: White Christians not a Majority in US

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In 1976,when Jimmy Carter was elected, a big majority (81%) of Americans identified as both white and Christian, with 4 in 10 of those being white Catholics. The country even had a majority (55%) of white Protestants! Carter, an Southern evangelical, benefited from the Christian vote […]

Egypt

Pope Francis, Islam and Peace-Building

contributors

Interview by Jayson Casper | (Informed Comment) | – – Dr. Kamal Boraiqa is a lecturer at al-Azhar University and a member of al-Azhar Center for Dialogue, the al-Azhar Observer for Combating Extremism, and the Egyptian Family House. With a PhD from al-Azhar in Islamic Studies, he has served as an imam at the Santa […]

Donald Trump

Pope Francis Says Building a Wall ‘Not a Christian Gesture’

contributors

TeleSur | – – “A Christian can never say ‘I’ll make you pay for that.’ Never! That is not a Christian gesture,” said Pope Francis. Pope Francis said Wednesday that society should not create “walls but bridges” to encourage good relations among people, adding it was wrong to be spiteful and say “I’ll make you […]

Israel/ Palestine

The Pope Says Yes to Palestine: Embassy Opens in Vatican

contributors

TeleSur | – – On Saturday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Pope Francis to inaugurate Palestine’s first embassy to the Holy See ahead of Paris peace talks. On Saturday Palestine will open its first embassy in the Vatican, a diplomatically significant development in the midst of ongoing threats by President-elect Donald Trump to illegally […]

Climate Change

Pope: Pollution, Carbon Emissions a Sin & Global Warming to harm the Poor

contributors

By Nika Knight, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – – Humans are turning the planet into a ‘polluted wasteland full of debris, desolation, and filth,’ says Pope Francis “The world’s poor, though least responsible for climate change, are most vulnerable and already suffering its impact,” Pope Francis said. Pope Francis on Thursday put forth an […]

Christianity

Top Signs Pope Francis is an Honest Conservative

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The positioning of Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis, as a “liberal” or “progressive” in American politics is incorrect and indeed a little bizarre. The Pope is a conservative. In fact, he has railed against “adolescent progressivism” and against secularism, which he calls “the devil.” Pope Francis opposes […]

Christianity

Pope Francis’ call to host Refugees contrasts w/ anti-Immigrant US “Religious Right”

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Not all American Christian leaders have covered themselves in glory when it comes to the issue of Syrian refugees being accepted by the US ( not many are). Evangelist Franklin Graham sees these refugees as a security threat because many of them are Muslim (though there […]

Christianity

As Glaciers Melt in Ecuador, Pope Francis challenges Technocrats, touts “Keeping” the Environment

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Pope Francis continues to preach environmentalism as he addresses crowds in Latin America, a challenging message in poor countries where over-exploitation of natural resources is a constant temptation. These are also countries and populations, however, most at risk from pollution and the ravages of climate change. […]