The Gospel Trail

Still more on the trail, this time, a video by Custodia Terrae Sanctae:

In the footsteps of Jesus, retracing the steps of his journey from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee: this is the Gospel Trail, which pilgrims and tourists can choose to travel by walking, biking or even horseback riding.

 

Archbishop John Hepworth to Resign as TAC Primate at Pentecost

Details are in his letter to the College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion here.

UPDATE:   TAC House of Bishops Calls for Archbishop John Hepworth’s Immediate Removal here.

 

Archbishop Hepworth’s Letter to the Traditional Anglican Communion College of Bishops

UPDATE:   TAC House of Bishops Calls for Archbishop John Hepworth’s Immediate Removal here.

Has just been released:

* * *

5th December 2011

To the Archbishops and Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion

My Dear Brothers,

There has been considerable dissension in our midst in the past year. This has been partly caused by very different reactions to Anglicanorum Coetibus. Also, it has been driven by a serious conflict (that has included many beyond our own ranks) about the proper interpretation of the terms for unity offered by that Apostolic Constitution.  Likewise,  it has been propelled by very different expectations of the purposes for which our Communion exists, our relationship to other Anglicans, and the faith we profess.

Profound doctrinal and moral differences have grown between us. Matters that were not thought of sufficient significance to disclose in the documentation prepared for consecrations to the episcopate have suddenly taken on new and public significance.

I would have thought that we would follow the constant example of Christians of all ages, and seek to settle these doctrinal divisions before hastening to change our policy, for it in the way we behave as a church and in our relationships to other Christian communities that we proclaim our faith.

In the meantime, some of our number have begun the first steps towards serving as clergy in the Ordinariates that are now being established. I expect to shortly begin to receive resignations from members of our College as they advance towards this goal.  It will be some months before the membership of the College, and the presiding bishops of the member provinces, will be clear.

In the meantime, I remind you that those who hold the Catholic Faith as set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church hold the faith of this Communion, and those clergy and laity who are making their way into the fullness of Catholic Communion, are observing the policies of this Communion, and proceed with our joyful best wishes. These thoughts are much in our minds this week, as we celebrate the Prayer Book feast of the Conception of the Virgin, a feast Cranmer insisted remain in the Calendar for profound reasons of Christology. I will be observing the Feast with Bishop Mercer and the clergy and people of Saint Agatha’s in Portsmouth before having several weeks of quietness before Christmas.

It is my intention, provided the membership of our College is substantially clarified in the next few months, to tender my resignation as Primate at Pentecost. I have achieved what I was requested to do by those who elected me, and the proclamation of Anglicanorum Coetibus remains for me a cherished moment. Its significance is as yet almost entirely in the future. That future is for others to create. I remain the Bishop Ordinary in Australia and Japan, and under legislation of the Canadian General Synod, Primate of the ACCC. Those positions will be unchanged by the forthcoming resignation.

An election will then be conducted strictly according to the Concordat, and it will be for the newly elected Primate to arrange for a Plenary Meeting of our College and the Primatial Installation.

In the meantime, I remain a little whimsical at the fury with which some in our ranks seek to distance themselves from their signatures on the Portsmouth Petition. Instead, I wish each of you, and your families, the richest blessings of Christmas.

Forbidden Fruit? Forget Apple iPad – the Pope Prefers the Sony Tablet

The Daily Mail:

Most world leaders opt for iPads – British Prime Minister David Cameron is a particular fan.

But it seems Pope Benedict XVI prefers Google’s Android System instead.

According to a Vatican news release, when the Pontiff switches on the Christmas lights in the Italian town of Gubbio, he will use a Sony Tablet S to transmit the command wirelessly – from his apartment in the Vatican.

The Christmas tree in Gubbio – actually a display of lights 450 metres wide and 750 metres tall – is the largest in the world, and has been on display since 1981.

This year Pope Benedict X will be pressing the button as a sign of ‘universal peace and brotherhood’.

‘Benedict XVI will activate the illumination from his apartments in the Vatican Apostolic Palace,’ said Vatican News.

‘He will touch the screen of a Sony Tablet with the Android operating system which, via the Internet, will transmit the command to switch on the electric current to the tree.’

The release neglects to explain the Pontiff’s choice of hardware – perhaps it’s the customisable nature of the Android operating system that attracted the Vatican’s developers – after all, the Pope could hardly wait while Apple approved his custom app, as would have to happen on iPad.

Whispers in the Loggia reports on the event:

As has been feverishly anticipated in some parts over recent days — in large part amid fresh questions of which device the Pope would use to do the honors — B16 lit the “World’s Biggest Christmas Tree” earlier tonight, tapping a tablet computer to flick on the 2,500 foot-high display of lights in the shape of a tannenbaum splayed on an Umbrian hillside.
In a brief greeting to the people of Gubbio before hitting the virtual “switch,” the pontiff said that the lights of the tree represent those which “light the path of our life… especially in these days when many of us feel the weight of difficulties, problems, suffering, and a veil of darkness seems to envelop us.
“May each one of us be a light for those around us,” Benedict added, encouraging his audience to “give a little more attention to the other, a little bit of love. Each little act of goodness is like a light on this big tree: together with all the other lights, it’s able to brighten the darkness of the night, even the darkest ones…

Read on here.

10 of the Middle East’s Greatest Ancient Wonders

CNN has the list and slide show here.

One of them is the Old City, Jerusalem:

A holy place for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Old Jerusalem has long held great significance. Reflecting this, the winding streets inside the ancient walled city are divided into the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian quarters. Among Old Jerusalem’s many holy sites, the Dome of the Rock is probably the most recognizable: Dating back to the 7th century, it is recognized by all three religions as the site of Abraham’s sacrifice.

Check the rest out here.

 

Christmas: The Most Shoplifted Items

The most shoplifted items of the season:

While most of us are out buying holiday presents some people are getting their gifts with a five-finger discount. Ad Week is reporting that one in every 11 people walks out the door with at least one item they didn’t pay for. With shoplifting up six percent this year, retailers stand to lose a whopping $119 billion of merchandise to shoplifters in 2011. And it’s not just kids with sticky fingers—75 percent of shoplifters are adults, most of whom have jobs. We know people are hunting for holiday deals, but this amount of theft is both surprising and sad.

Ad Week spoke with loss prevention experts on why shoplifting is the highest it’s been in five years. “Most shoplifters simply succumb to temptation, “Johnny Custer, director of field operations for Merchant Analytic Solutions, told Ad Week. “But add a sense of desperation because of the economy and holiday pressures, and you have the recipe for theft soup.” Barbara Staib, a spokesperson for the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention, told Ad Week, “Seventy percent of shoplifters tell us they didn’t plan to shoplift.”

Exactly what are people stealing? Ad Week has compiled the top 10 most shoplifted items of 2011 and they’re truly bizarre.

1. Filet mignon
So many people are tucking choice cuts of meats under their jackets that supermarkets are now considered the stores with the most theft.

2. Jameson
Those with an unquenchable thirst for booze just help themselves to a free bottle of expensive liquor.

3. Electric tools
Apparently the the most common items men nab are electric toothbrushes and power tools. At least they’re fighting cavities.

4. iPhone 4
Electronics like smartphones and video games are high risk items, and one research group claims 100,000 laptops are stolen annually from big box stores.

5. Gillette Mach 4
Anyone who uses non-disposable razors knows they’re pretty expensive, so in tough financial times people don’t want to pay for them anymore.

6. Axe
The men’s deodorant and body wash we love to hate are often stolen in mass quantities and resold at flea markets and corner stores. Dial is popular amongst thieves too.

7. Polo Ralph Lauren
Clothing theft is up 31 percent since 2009. It’s hard to look good in a bad economy, so some score fresh threads the illegal way.

8. Let’s Rock Elmo
The Sesame Street toy topped the Toys’R’Us “Hot Toys” list this year, so parents are stealing this must-have toy for their kids if they can’t afford it.

9. Chanel No. 5
Who wouldn’t love a bottle of this popular woman’s fragrance? Expensive perfumes make up nearly four percent of loss in stores that carry them.

10. Nikes

As Ad Week points out, some shoppers wear flip-flops into a store, try on a pair of sneakers, and walk out wearing them. Sneaker heads will do whatever it takes to score the kicks on their wish list.

My, what a fallen world we live in. Most of these items one could so easily do without…

HT, where it says:

Nothing celebrates the baby Jesus’ birthday like a little thievery.

 

Inside Amazon.com

What Amazon looks like behind the Internet:

HT:  22 words