JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
KING FELIPE 6TH OF SPAIN NEWS
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FIRST TIME IN HISTORY A DOUBLE SOLAR ECLIPSE ON ROSH HASHANA
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DOUBLE JUDGEMENTS HITS CHILE WITH 7.0 AND 8.3 QUAKES-QUICKLY
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THE POPE CAN SOLVE THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM-GOOD LUCK
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A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
VATICAN RELATED TWITTERS
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica
https://twitter.com/pontifex
https://twitter.com/hashtag/PapaEnCuba?src=hash
https://twitter.com/officialvatican
https://twitter.com/VaticanInsider?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author
Cuban Catholics hope Francis helps overcome international, internal conflicts Joshua J. McElwee | Sep. 19, 2015-national catholic reporter
HAVANA, CUBA-As Pope Francis lands Saturday in this long-isolated world capital for a four-day visit to the island nation, local Catholic leaders hope he will help create a new moment in history pregnant with possibility.But they also say Francis will find himself among a people still experiencing deep suffering from decades of international and internal conflict, and that the pontiff may not be able to live up to expectations placed on him since his role in the thawing of relations of Cuba with the United States."I think the pope is going to disappoint most people, because he's not coming here on a political visit," said Jesuit Fr. Alberto García, a native Cuban and staff member of the Centro de Espiritualidad Pedro Arrupe, a faith formation center in Havana."Some people are expecting the pope to really challenge and confront the government," said the Jesuit. "He's not going to do that. He's coming here ... as a missionary of mercy."At the same time, García and others said they hoped the pope would use his visit to help build new bridges over long-lasting conflicts and also encourage healing for Cuba's people.There's more to NCR than what you read online. Subscribe today! "It's a different moment in history for Cuba," said Jesuit Fr. Juan Miguel Arregui, the provincial of the order's Cuban province and director of the Havana's Loyola Center for Culture and Faith."It's a moment of expectations, of opening, of big hopes for change," said Arregui. "I think the pope is hoping to support that change."Francis, who has been credited by both the U.S. and Cuba for pushing forward talks that led to reestablishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, is landing in Havana Saturday afternoon.The pontiff will be visiting three Cuban cities through Tuesday morning before heading to the United States, where he will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia.In Cuba, the pontiff will celebrate an open-air Mass in Havana's Revolution Square Sunday morning before meeting with President Raul Castro later that day. The pope will then travel some 400 miles east on Monday for visits to the Cuban cities of Holguin and Santiago.Large crowds are expected for each of the pope's events and anticipation in Havana on Friday was high. Granma, the official newspaper of the country's Communist Party, printed a special supplemental section covering different aspects of Francis' life and ministry.Signs welcoming the pontiff were seen throughout the city. One Catholic church, the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Ignatius of Loyola, had placed a person-sized corkboard in its lobby asking people to write down their messages to the pope.Some left incredibly moving testimonies on the sign, with one asking him to pray for jailed Cuban dissidents who "suffer in unhealthy prisons."García, who returned to Cuba in 2001 after spending decades abroad, said that Francis will find himself in a country that "needs an unbelievable amount of healing.""There are many wounds," the Jesuit said. "There are many people who have been hurt because of the separations, families torn because of the political situations."The church in Cuba, he said, has two missions: " One is to heal, and the other one is to restore faith in the possibility of a life here in this country."Many people in Cuba, the priest said, have lost hope."There is an enormous sense of disheartenment," he said. "People have lost faith. They just plod along without a great deal of enthusiasm. That hurts. There are many young people who are here in Cuba, but their minds and their hearts are elsewhere. They are like exiles living here."Arregui, a native Spaniard who took up his role in Cuba in 2008, said he hoped Francis might address the spiritual dimension of peoples' struggles."Problems are not caused by laws alone," said the provincial. "We need spirituality. Before God, we are all brothers. And as brothers we need to treat each other with dignity."Comparing Francis' visit with visits to Cuba by popes John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, Arregui said that the current pontiff is helping to bring alive famous words spoke by John Paul during his visit.In that visit, John Paul called on Cuba to “open itself to the world, and for the world to open itself to Cuba.”"I think that now that is beginning to be more true," said Arregui, saying that Francis' role in the thaw in relations with the U.S. helped "break that blockade of communication" when "Cuba was very enclosed within itself."The Jesuit provincial also said he hoped that the pope could help build better bridges between the church and the government in Cuba."A bridge exists, but we could say that it's still fragile," said Arregui. "It needs to grow in trust, in articulation of common activities, and liberty of action of the church in society."For others, Francis' decision to combine his trip to Cuba with an immediate trip to the U.S. raises hopes that the pope might use the occasion to continue to build closer ties between the countries.And those hopes are enmeshed with some deep emotions. Many Cubans have family members living in the States. Because of continuing restrictions on travel, they may not have seen each other in years. Asked if Francis might use his combined tour to Cuba and the United States to give some sort of message about the island nation, one Cuban woman immediately broke down in tears.Explaining haltingly that her son lives in the States, Magda Valdés said she hopes the pope will "bring a message of peace and love, of tolerance, of reconciliation" from Cuba to the U.S."The Cuban family is divided, and a large part of it is over there," said Valdés, the executive secretary for the Jesuits' Cuban province."Countries need to learn how to live while recognizing each other's differences, and to respect their decisions," she said. "There has to be a transparent and respectful dialogue at all times, independently of whether or not we agree. I think that's the way forward of respect, love, peace."Another Cuban woman said she hopes Francis is able to use his joint Cuba-U.S. trip to relay a message to the Cubans' northern neighbor that they "very much want a relationship between the two peoples."The pontiff, said Iraida Rodriguez, is already building a bridge for that relationship between the countries."He has the foundations of that bridge already built," said Rodriguez, the receptionist at Havana's Loyola Center for Culture and Faith."The Cuban people have good intentions to be united," she said. "Because we're all Americans."[Joshua J. McElwee is an NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]
World | Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:17am EDT-Pope to witness impact of U.S.-Cuba detente he helped spur
HAVANA | By Andrew Cawthorne-Pope Francis begins a nine-day tour of Cuba and the United States on Saturday where he will see both the benefits and complexities of a fast-evolving detente between the old Cold War foes that he helped broker.Better sensitized to the issue than predecessors because of his Latin American roots, the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff facilitated a back channel for talks and sent missives to Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama in 2014.That bore fruit with this year's re-establishment of diplomatic ties and the easing of some travel and trade restrictions though a half-century-old economic embargo is still in place, only removable by the U.S. Congress."We all want to say thank you so much Francis for helping us end this absurd situation we have endured for so long," said plumber Osmany Lopez, 63, who planned to be on the streets of Havana to see Francis' motorcade from the airport on Saturday. Many of those preparing to greet Francis carried banners with the slogan: "Missionary of mercy, welcome to Cuba!"Raul Castro - who like his brother and former revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was baptized as a Catholic and educated by Jesuits - was expected at the airport to meet the pope who left Rome in the morning on a nearly 12-hour flight to Cuba.It will be the third papal visit to the Caribbean island in less than two decades.Despite making Cuba constitutionally atheist and repressing Catholics in the early years after their 1959 revolution, the Castro brothers have relaxed that stance since the 1990s.Raul Castro even told the Jesuit Francis earlier this year he may start praying again and return to the Church.-MOMEN TUM FOR CHANGE-The pope is to celebrate Mass in Havana, Holguin and Santiago before flying on Tuesday to the United States, where he will meet Obama and address both the U.S. Congress and United Nations.Having helped bring the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement, he is unlikely to wade much further into the future of relations where a web of legislation, vested interests, and decades-old resentments are braking the pace of change.But Francis may well use the Cuba leg to touch on the Vatican's well-known opposition to the U.S. embargo. He might also call for greater political tolerance from the ruling Communist Party, which still treats dissidents as pariahs.In a video chat with Cuban students, shown by broadcaster CNN on Friday, the pope referred to a potentially touchy subject for his Cuban hosts, saying leaders who did not promote other leaders "are no good, they are dictators."But in a formal message to Cubans prior to his arrival, the pope stuck to a strictly non-political script: "My message is very simple: Jesus loves you very much," he said.An estimated 60 percent of Cuba's 11 million people are baptized Catholic, the Church says, but fewer than 5 percent regularly attend church, and at least an equal number are believed to follow Afro-Cuban religions.Nevertheless, excitement over the pope's visit was palpable across Cuba. One group of Catholics held a late-night vigil outside Havana Cathedral, while posters of Francis vied with traditional revolutionary images on walls and doors.Workers spruced streets with a fresh lick of paint, and pinned the Vatican flag's colors on lamp posts."I'm a devout 'Santero' - the Church is for old people!" laughed Eduardo Gutierrez, 19, sitting with his girlfriend on Havana's languid seafront. "But after what Francis has done for us, I am going to Revolution Square to show him my respect."(Additional reporting by Philip Pullella in Rome, Noe Torres in Mexico City; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Kieran Murray)
KING FELIPE 6TH OF SPAIN NEWS
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FIRST TIME IN HISTORY A DOUBLE SOLAR ECLIPSE ON ROSH HASHANA
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DOUBLE JUDGEMENTS HITS CHILE WITH 7.0 AND 8.3 QUAKES-QUICKLY
http://ift.tt/1PcD34C
http://ift.tt/1gxs35M
http://ift.tt/1NEoiKs
THE POPE CAN SOLVE THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM-GOOD LUCK
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http://ift.tt/1PcD3BG
A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
VATICAN RELATED TWITTERS
https://twitter.com/FatherRosica
https://twitter.com/pontifex
https://twitter.com/hashtag/PapaEnCuba?src=hash
https://twitter.com/officialvatican
https://twitter.com/VaticanInsider?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author
Cuban Catholics hope Francis helps overcome international, internal conflicts Joshua J. McElwee | Sep. 19, 2015-national catholic reporter
HAVANA, CUBA-As Pope Francis lands Saturday in this long-isolated world capital for a four-day visit to the island nation, local Catholic leaders hope he will help create a new moment in history pregnant with possibility.But they also say Francis will find himself among a people still experiencing deep suffering from decades of international and internal conflict, and that the pontiff may not be able to live up to expectations placed on him since his role in the thawing of relations of Cuba with the United States."I think the pope is going to disappoint most people, because he's not coming here on a political visit," said Jesuit Fr. Alberto García, a native Cuban and staff member of the Centro de Espiritualidad Pedro Arrupe, a faith formation center in Havana."Some people are expecting the pope to really challenge and confront the government," said the Jesuit. "He's not going to do that. He's coming here ... as a missionary of mercy."At the same time, García and others said they hoped the pope would use his visit to help build new bridges over long-lasting conflicts and also encourage healing for Cuba's people.There's more to NCR than what you read online. Subscribe today! "It's a different moment in history for Cuba," said Jesuit Fr. Juan Miguel Arregui, the provincial of the order's Cuban province and director of the Havana's Loyola Center for Culture and Faith."It's a moment of expectations, of opening, of big hopes for change," said Arregui. "I think the pope is hoping to support that change."Francis, who has been credited by both the U.S. and Cuba for pushing forward talks that led to reestablishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, is landing in Havana Saturday afternoon.The pontiff will be visiting three Cuban cities through Tuesday morning before heading to the United States, where he will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia.In Cuba, the pontiff will celebrate an open-air Mass in Havana's Revolution Square Sunday morning before meeting with President Raul Castro later that day. The pope will then travel some 400 miles east on Monday for visits to the Cuban cities of Holguin and Santiago.Large crowds are expected for each of the pope's events and anticipation in Havana on Friday was high. Granma, the official newspaper of the country's Communist Party, printed a special supplemental section covering different aspects of Francis' life and ministry.Signs welcoming the pontiff were seen throughout the city. One Catholic church, the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Ignatius of Loyola, had placed a person-sized corkboard in its lobby asking people to write down their messages to the pope.Some left incredibly moving testimonies on the sign, with one asking him to pray for jailed Cuban dissidents who "suffer in unhealthy prisons."García, who returned to Cuba in 2001 after spending decades abroad, said that Francis will find himself in a country that "needs an unbelievable amount of healing.""There are many wounds," the Jesuit said. "There are many people who have been hurt because of the separations, families torn because of the political situations."The church in Cuba, he said, has two missions: " One is to heal, and the other one is to restore faith in the possibility of a life here in this country."Many people in Cuba, the priest said, have lost hope."There is an enormous sense of disheartenment," he said. "People have lost faith. They just plod along without a great deal of enthusiasm. That hurts. There are many young people who are here in Cuba, but their minds and their hearts are elsewhere. They are like exiles living here."Arregui, a native Spaniard who took up his role in Cuba in 2008, said he hoped Francis might address the spiritual dimension of peoples' struggles."Problems are not caused by laws alone," said the provincial. "We need spirituality. Before God, we are all brothers. And as brothers we need to treat each other with dignity."Comparing Francis' visit with visits to Cuba by popes John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, Arregui said that the current pontiff is helping to bring alive famous words spoke by John Paul during his visit.In that visit, John Paul called on Cuba to “open itself to the world, and for the world to open itself to Cuba.”"I think that now that is beginning to be more true," said Arregui, saying that Francis' role in the thaw in relations with the U.S. helped "break that blockade of communication" when "Cuba was very enclosed within itself."The Jesuit provincial also said he hoped that the pope could help build better bridges between the church and the government in Cuba."A bridge exists, but we could say that it's still fragile," said Arregui. "It needs to grow in trust, in articulation of common activities, and liberty of action of the church in society."For others, Francis' decision to combine his trip to Cuba with an immediate trip to the U.S. raises hopes that the pope might use the occasion to continue to build closer ties between the countries.And those hopes are enmeshed with some deep emotions. Many Cubans have family members living in the States. Because of continuing restrictions on travel, they may not have seen each other in years. Asked if Francis might use his combined tour to Cuba and the United States to give some sort of message about the island nation, one Cuban woman immediately broke down in tears.Explaining haltingly that her son lives in the States, Magda Valdés said she hopes the pope will "bring a message of peace and love, of tolerance, of reconciliation" from Cuba to the U.S."The Cuban family is divided, and a large part of it is over there," said Valdés, the executive secretary for the Jesuits' Cuban province."Countries need to learn how to live while recognizing each other's differences, and to respect their decisions," she said. "There has to be a transparent and respectful dialogue at all times, independently of whether or not we agree. I think that's the way forward of respect, love, peace."Another Cuban woman said she hopes Francis is able to use his joint Cuba-U.S. trip to relay a message to the Cubans' northern neighbor that they "very much want a relationship between the two peoples."The pontiff, said Iraida Rodriguez, is already building a bridge for that relationship between the countries."He has the foundations of that bridge already built," said Rodriguez, the receptionist at Havana's Loyola Center for Culture and Faith."The Cuban people have good intentions to be united," she said. "Because we're all Americans."[Joshua J. McElwee is an NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]
World | Sat Sep 19, 2015 10:17am EDT-Pope to witness impact of U.S.-Cuba detente he helped spur
HAVANA | By Andrew Cawthorne-Pope Francis begins a nine-day tour of Cuba and the United States on Saturday where he will see both the benefits and complexities of a fast-evolving detente between the old Cold War foes that he helped broker.Better sensitized to the issue than predecessors because of his Latin American roots, the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff facilitated a back channel for talks and sent missives to Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama in 2014.That bore fruit with this year's re-establishment of diplomatic ties and the easing of some travel and trade restrictions though a half-century-old economic embargo is still in place, only removable by the U.S. Congress."We all want to say thank you so much Francis for helping us end this absurd situation we have endured for so long," said plumber Osmany Lopez, 63, who planned to be on the streets of Havana to see Francis' motorcade from the airport on Saturday. Many of those preparing to greet Francis carried banners with the slogan: "Missionary of mercy, welcome to Cuba!"Raul Castro - who like his brother and former revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was baptized as a Catholic and educated by Jesuits - was expected at the airport to meet the pope who left Rome in the morning on a nearly 12-hour flight to Cuba.It will be the third papal visit to the Caribbean island in less than two decades.Despite making Cuba constitutionally atheist and repressing Catholics in the early years after their 1959 revolution, the Castro brothers have relaxed that stance since the 1990s.Raul Castro even told the Jesuit Francis earlier this year he may start praying again and return to the Church.-MOMEN TUM FOR CHANGE-The pope is to celebrate Mass in Havana, Holguin and Santiago before flying on Tuesday to the United States, where he will meet Obama and address both the U.S. Congress and United Nations.Having helped bring the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement, he is unlikely to wade much further into the future of relations where a web of legislation, vested interests, and decades-old resentments are braking the pace of change.But Francis may well use the Cuba leg to touch on the Vatican's well-known opposition to the U.S. embargo. He might also call for greater political tolerance from the ruling Communist Party, which still treats dissidents as pariahs.In a video chat with Cuban students, shown by broadcaster CNN on Friday, the pope referred to a potentially touchy subject for his Cuban hosts, saying leaders who did not promote other leaders "are no good, they are dictators."But in a formal message to Cubans prior to his arrival, the pope stuck to a strictly non-political script: "My message is very simple: Jesus loves you very much," he said.An estimated 60 percent of Cuba's 11 million people are baptized Catholic, the Church says, but fewer than 5 percent regularly attend church, and at least an equal number are believed to follow Afro-Cuban religions.Nevertheless, excitement over the pope's visit was palpable across Cuba. One group of Catholics held a late-night vigil outside Havana Cathedral, while posters of Francis vied with traditional revolutionary images on walls and doors.Workers spruced streets with a fresh lick of paint, and pinned the Vatican flag's colors on lamp posts."I'm a devout 'Santero' - the Church is for old people!" laughed Eduardo Gutierrez, 19, sitting with his girlfriend on Havana's languid seafront. "But after what Francis has done for us, I am going to Revolution Square to show him my respect."(Additional reporting by Philip Pullella in Rome, Noe Torres in Mexico City; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Kieran Murray)
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