The “War on Christmas” continues! A reportedly mentally unstable woman tackled Pope Benedict XVI at yesterday’s Christmas mass. What was to be a presumably peaceful and holy event in Vatican City turned into a scene out of Wrestlemania.

According to video obtained by the Huffington Post, the woman seemed to be in the Christmas spirit dressed in Christmas red when, without warning, she suddenly jumps over the barrier and lunges at the Pope like Tiger Woods after loose women. Security guards react and soon the woman is brought onto the ground. A spokesman for the Vatican made the following statement to the Associated Press, “During the procession an unstable person jumped a barrier and knocked down the Holy Father.”

Although the good Lord was with the Pope as he was able to emerge unscathed from the incident, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray was not as lucky. The Cardinal was also knocked down by the woman and was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation.

Pope Benedict did not allow the woman to ruin Christmas Mass and after quickly rising from the ground, he walked to the basilica altar where he continued the service. The woman was later arrested by Vatican police and an investigation into the incident is currently underway.

     LIVE FOOTAGE

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A woman jumped the barriers in St.

Peter’s Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday.

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091224/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_christmas

A woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter’s Basilica and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI today as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass.

MSNBC.com has some video of the take down from an attendee on a cell phone.

From the New York Times:

Television images showed a woman in red leap toward Benedict, 82, as he began to walk up the central aisle, as the police and bodyguards scrambled to his aid.

The woman also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, said the spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi.

The Vatican police took the woman in for questioning, and Cardinal Etchegaray was taken to an emergency room for a checkup, the news agency ANSA reported. The woman did not appear to have “malicious intentions,” ANSA said.

It was not immediately clear whether she was the same woman stopped by the police last year after trying to lunge at the pope as he left the Basilica.

Basilica San Marco, Ceiling…

Visitors to Cebu City typically go to Fort San Pedro and the Cebu Cathedral. We started off at the Fort, a lovely little respite from the heat built in the time of the conquistadors.

The gardens and old guns were rather nice to look at, though I wasn’t very good at appreciating the history involved.

It was a very handsome fort nonetheless. I wish I could have done it slightly more justice than a place to poke around in and sit with a cold drink for a while.

We headed on to the Cebu Cathedral. I loved the baroque architecture and how it seemed so sturdy and somehow unfussy compared to famous European cathedrals. We went to the neighbouring Basilica of Santo Niño to see the Santo Niño statue and ended up queuing for 15 minutes with the locals to go in. They brought their pleas to the statue, wiping the glass casing and then their faces with a handkerchief, then kissing a special glass window, and finally crossing themselves. Most of  them wiped away tears as they prayed. It was hard not to be moved by the scene. I walked out of there feeling the spiritual and emotional power of the place. As we left the area, we realised that tourists could view the statue from the main sanctuary instead of queuing to go inside. No regrets though, as being a part of the ritual made it a far more meaningful experience.

Last stop was at Magellan’s Cross, which didn’t seem to actually be planted by Magellan. Seems like it was planted by order of Magellan. The big deal was more that it was a symbol of Cebu. I think I liked the paintings on the ceiling of the chapel more!

The Jubilee 2000 begins on Christmas Eve of December 25, 1999, with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and ends with its closing on Epiphany, January 6, 2001.

NEIL ARIOLA & MAY PANGANIBAN
Location :: St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Milaor & Salingogon, Minalabac
Make-up :: Daxon Bitancur

Proposta dalla Comunità Missionarie Laiche a Vizzolo Predabissi (MI), presso l’Oasi della Basilica di Santa Maria in Calvenzano.
Una giornata dedicata all’ascolto della Parola, al silenzio e al confronto tra noi.
Una giornata da custodire per ricordarci che abbiamo bisogno di quella Parola, unico e prezioso nutrimento della nostra vita
Una Parola che si lascia ascoltare, ma anche provocare dal nostro dubbio e dai paradossi della nostra esistenza.
5 DICEMBRE 2009

Tema della giornata
PROTESTE A DIO, IN NOME DI DIO: GIONA
Relatore: Luca Moscatelli, Biblista

Programma
ore 9: ritrovo (ampia disponibilità di parcheggio in Piazza Puccini. L’Oasi è dietro al Municipio che si trova in Piazza)
ore 9,15 : Visita guidata alla Basilica
ore 10-11 : prima meditazione
ore 11-12 : tempo personale
ore 12-13 : seconda meditazione
ore 13 : Pranzo “al sacco” offerto dalla CML
ore 15-15.45 : terza meditazione
ore 15.45- 16.30: tempo personale
ore 16.30-17.30 circa: tempo del confronto e della semplice condivisione

La giornata è aperta a tutti.
Ciascuno può partecipare a tutti i momenti o solo ad alcuni.
Le prossime date sul tema “PROTESTE A DIO, IN NOME DI DIO”:
-27 marzo : GIOBBE -25 aprile: GESU’ E I CAPI RELIGIOSI
Segnalare la partecipazione : comunitamlpime@tin.it

Closed for eight months in 2001 for a $4.7 million restoration, the 100-year-old cathedral, the principal church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and one of only 35 minor basilicas in the United States, attracts 70,000 visitors and worshippers per year. This example of French-Gothic architecture resembles the exterior of Notre Dame, and the interior of the Church Abbey of St. Denis, both in Paris. There are more than 80 stained glass windows, including the second largest stained glass church window in the world. For more information, please visit the Northern Kentucky Destination Guide.

JUST WHEN I WAS THINKING it had been a while since hearing from Marc Stumbo, he sends along this page for your comments. Marc’s notes follow.

“Just another centerfold with a mixture of Catholic News Service and Beacon archived photos. I tried to give it reasonable white space. Popped out the first graph to serve as an additional graphical element. Used my Page Topper style to identify the subject so I didn’t have to use the long name of the basilica in the headline or kicker. Our archived photos give it local flavor as does our tiny sidebar used as an inset box.

Wonder if anyone will pick up on a typography mistake I made: I initially used the OS (Old Style) face in our body font Charter, but didn’t like the old style lower-height numerals, so I changed it back to regular…except on the centered, larger first graph—you can see the number “10” is still in the old style font. I missed that one. It’s all in the details…”

So…what are your thoughts? Too symmetrical? Too much typography? Nicely done? Anything you’d do differently?

The last time Marc submitted his work, there were no comments. Let’s give Marc the benefit of our collective wisdom with some constructive feedback!

RECOMMENDED FOR GUIDED VISIT TO ASSISI

Personal tour of Assisi by Roy Grant, a retired Englishman and Historian.

Roy lives in an apartment in a medieval building which was built onto a Roman ruin and which contains a Roman arch, situated below the Rocca Maggiore.  It is five minutes from the main piazza, and 20 minutes walk from the Basilica of San Francesco.  His interests are in history and art.

Roy enjoys sharing his home with visitors and showing them the beautiful city of Assisi.  The usual pattern for a visit is to begin at my house where I tell them the story of St Francis and after a salad lunch, accompany them through the city to the places connected with the saint.

He can also arrange visits for groups with a buffet lunch or supper at my house, preceded by a guided tour of Assisi.    A lunch or supper party in my home is popular with pilgrim groups.

For prices please contact

Name:      Roy Grant

Email:     roy.grant@yahoo.co.uk

Tel:          (+39) 075 816037

1. W.http://www.geocities.com/roy.grant/
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Nombre: Hotel Palafox 5*- Zaragoza

Web Oficial: http://www.palafoxhoteles.com/hotel.aspx?id=17

Ciudad: Zaragoza

Metro: En proyecto

Comentario: Todo un clásico de la capital aragonesa. El Palafox fue el primer hotel de 5* de la Comunidad Autónoma, situado a unos 700 metros de la Basílica del Pilar y la Catedral de la Seo de San Salvador. Es un hotel con carácter propio, abolengo y señorío.
Antes de entrar, los porteros nos dan la bienvenida y automáticamente nos ayudan con las maletas, tengan el tamaño que tengan. Una vez dentro, tendrás una sensación de calidez y confort. Sus paredes de piedra, sus colores cálidos y su iluminación perfecta se encargan de ello.
Las habitaciones del Palafox son amplias y tienen todo lujo de detalles, tanto en el dormitorio como en el baño. Las zapatillas, el albornoz, los productos de baño y aseo, la mini cadena con CD, etc.… todo es confort en este hotel.
Dispone de 179 habitaciones distribuidas en 7 plantas: 3 plantas de categoría “hotel”, 3 de categoría “club” y una planta “ducal”. Asimismo, cuenta con 5 suites reales, 14 junior suites y una habitación infantil
La decoración de las habitaciones juega con colores vivos rojos y verdes, muy bien combinados con blancos y beiges, que le dan esa majestuosidad y elegancia propias de un establecimiento de esta categoría.
En cuanto a la restauración, tanto para individuales como para eventos, es de lo mejor. Tienen una cocina de lo más innovadora, en la que combinan platos tradicionales con lo más vanguardista y de diseño. Su restaurante principal se llama Aragonia Paradis, nombre que le viene dado porque el Departamento de Alimentación y Bebida lo gestiona el prestigioso Grupo Paradis, especialistas en Catering.
Zaragoza está muy bien conectada, bien en avión y o en AVE, llegarás a las principales ciudades españoles en apenas 1.5/2 horas.
Si sales del hotel podrás disfrutar de un agradable paseo por las principales atracciones turísticas o simplemente dedicarte a echar un vistazo a la cantidad de tiendas de todo tipo ubicadas a escasos 5 minutos a pie del hotel.

Algunos de los sitios que no te puedes perder son:

-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar
-Plaza de las Catedrales
-La Seo
-Palacio de la Aljafería
-Todos los monumentos que dejaron las diferentes culturas y estilos como el mudéjar, el románico e incluso islámico.
-Por supuestos tampoco te puedes perder el recinto donde tuvo lugar la Exposición Universal 2008, dedicada al agua y al desarrollo sostenible.

Lo Peor: Creo que no hay nada malo en este hotel. Por deciros algo, quizás el hecho que no tenga Wifi gratuito.

Lo Mejor: el confort y comodidad de sus habitaciones

Valoración Calidad-Precio: 9/10

Volvería a este Hotel: SI

PHOTOS OF UMBRIA

Venice is one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations, so it doesn’t need much selling from this blog. What I would like to say though, is that when you go, slow down. Venice is such an easy place to get caught up in sight seeing. The Basilica di San Marco, The Doge’s Palace, The Accademia, Le Fenice, La Torre dell’Orologio, Rialto bridge, the legendary “Bridge of Sighs,” the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Palazzo Ducale, and of course the endless arrays of the famous Murano glass are all unmissable sights and it takes a lot of focus to make sure you catch them all; as a result, people tend to come for a couple hours, knock the names off a list, and head out. In fact, the first time I went, that’s what I did. Staying there is expensive and the endless mass of tourists in La Piazza di San Marco are strong deterrents for an extended stay, I get it. But, if you make Venice a day trip, you wont love it.

The sights are amazing, but they can’t be done quickly. The Doge’s Palace is huge. Particularly after a comparatively momentary walk around the Basilica di San Marco, it will have felt like days by the time you exit. But, if you are going to get lost in time, the palace is a great place to do so.

The Accademia houses so much fantastic Italian art, even with a strong pace, you can’t get out in more than a couple hours. Somehow your feet get bogged down in Titian’s deep reds; time slows as you ponder da Vinci’s mesmerizing “Vitruvian Man;” you have to shove through Veronese’s crowded works after climbing, inch by inch, out of the depths of Tintoretto’s perspectives; you find yourself frozen in front of Giorgione’s “Tempest,” admiring the incoming storm, only to find yourself finally glancing at a watch while rushing a cursory scan of one a Liss snap shot of life. After doggedly leaving the gallery, a lazy drink during a Venetian dusk is the only thing you’ll want to do- three more stops before grabbing the late train really isn’t realistic. But, if you are on a time crunch and have to do Venice in a weekend, bite your lip, dig down and sight see for a day; because then you can spend a day as a Venetian.

After spending Saturday running around from stop to stop and bottle of water to bottle of water, Sunday should be for hanging. Back track to those labyrinthine streets that you wondered through, lost, from the train station to (what you thought was the unavoidable conclusion to every street) Basilica di San Marco. Find that lazy piazza with the umbrella covered tables, savory aromas leaking through windows, with the kids playing calcio and old men people watching, cane in hand, Compari not far from reach.

Sit down and be lazy and take in the atmosphere and history of Venice. Sitting around with Venetians, your mind will drift back to its days of commercial superstardom, when the streets were full not of tourists, but velvet and silk clad merchants- Dutch, German, Turk. When master mask shops were flanked not by souvenir stands, but brothels and inns. As you day dream, a procession suddenly emerges from one of the alleys- an entire congregation walking, in song, behind some forgotten relic. An off duty gondolier, exhausted and enjoying a cigarette next to his vessel on the canal, begins a beautiful and tragic song. Even the locals stop for a moment, put forks down, pick up the ball, or turn off the hose to hear the lament.

Un-categorical, Venice is the tourism capital off the world, but remains a place where you can experience that true rustic feel of Italy. So, don’t miss the true gem. When you schedule your next trip to Venice, make sure to leave a day of nothingness, so you can have a cappuccino and some sardines and jam on toast and experience the life of a Venetian for a day.