Friday, October 24, 2008
Catholics celebrate first woman saint, Sister Alphonsa
Pope Benedict created India's first woman saint on October 12 and appealed for an end to anti-Christian violence there that has claimed dozens of lives since August.
Church bells rang and firecrackers went off as India's faithful followed the Vatican ceremony on television from Kerala, where Sister Alphonsa had lived as a nun until her death more than six decades ago.
"As the Christian faithful of India give thanks to God for their first native daughter to be presented for public neration, I wish to assure them of my prayers during this difficult time," Pope Benedict said in Rome.
Alphonsa is credited with curing illness and disease after her death in 1946, with the Vatican approving the reported miracle cure of Genil Joseph, a congenitally deformed child, in 1999.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Church bells rang and firecrackers went off as India's faithful followed the Vatican ceremony on television from Kerala, where Sister Alphonsa had lived as a nun until her death more than six decades ago.
"As the Christian faithful of India give thanks to God for their first native daughter to be presented for public neration, I wish to assure them of my prayers during this difficult time," Pope Benedict said in Rome.
Alphonsa is credited with curing illness and disease after her death in 1946, with the Vatican approving the reported miracle cure of Genil Joseph, a congenitally deformed child, in 1999.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: anti-Christian, Church bells, firecrackers, India's first woman saint, Kerala, nun, Pope Benedict, Rome, Sister Alphonsa, Vatican ceremony, violence
Monday, September 29, 2008
1 - 15 centuries before Vasco da Gama, West knew of sea route to India
While most educated people today know about the overland medieval Silk Route linking China with Italy, few are aware of the ancient Incense Route that connected India with Rome.
Shipping along the Incense Route was the most important carrier of world trade in classical times. From the Mediterranean Sea the route extended overland across Palestine, where cities and caravanserai lined it. And then, on reaching the Suez, it embarked on ships that hugged the coast of Arabia to reach India.
This trade was so important and so expensive having to be paid for in gold that Roman elders decried it. The situation was similar to the U.S. today in that imports far exceeded exports. Rome was being bankrupted in the pursuits of trinkets - said the wise heads - to the benefit of the Kushanas, the Cholas, the Pandyans and the Cheras of India.
Many of us must have read - without being able to identify the city of Ophir - the much quoted poem' Cargoes' by a former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, John Masefield.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Shipping along the Incense Route was the most important carrier of world trade in classical times. From the Mediterranean Sea the route extended overland across Palestine, where cities and caravanserai lined it. And then, on reaching the Suez, it embarked on ships that hugged the coast of Arabia to reach India.
This trade was so important and so expensive having to be paid for in gold that Roman elders decried it. The situation was similar to the U.S. today in that imports far exceeded exports. Rome was being bankrupted in the pursuits of trinkets - said the wise heads - to the benefit of the Kushanas, the Cholas, the Pandyans and the Cheras of India.
Many of us must have read - without being able to identify the city of Ophir - the much quoted poem' Cargoes' by a former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, John Masefield.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: ancient, China, Incense Route, india, Italy, Mediterranean Sea, Palestine, Rome, route, Saudi Arabia, Silk Route linking, Vasco da Gama
Friday, September 19, 2008
Madonna dedicates ‘Like a Virgin' to Pope in Rome
Pop star Madonna, once accused by the Vatican of staging one of the most satanic shows in history, surprised fans by dedicating her hit ‘Like a Virgin' to the Pope at a sold-out concert held in Rome."I dedicate this song to the Pope, because I'm a child of God. All of you are also children of God," the 50-year old ‘Queen of Pop' told the 60,000 fans that flocked to the Italian stop of her ‘Sticky & Sweet' world tour on September 6.
Italian newspapers gushed over the singer's electric performance and called the dedication a surprising provocation.
"At the Roman leg of her tour, Madonna didn't miss the opportunity for a provocation that will certainly be discussed," Italy's top newspaper Corriere della Sera said in a front-page report.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: accused, Catholic Church, Corriere della Sera, Italian Catholic family, Italy top newspaper, performance, Pop star Madonna, Pope, Queen of Pop, Roman, Rome, Vatican, world tour
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