Posted on 12/30/2004 8:40:12 AM PST by Piranha
So apparently, people who write for the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano have limited reading comprehension skills. They're claiming Israel refused to help Sri Lanka.
The Vatican newspaper has denounced a decision by the Israeli army to deny emergency help to disaster victims in Sri Lanka.
Calling for "a radical and dramatic change of perspective" among people "too often preoccupied with making war," L'Osservatore Romano singled out Israeli military leaders for declining a request for emergency medical help. The Vatican paper observed that in what "should be a time for unconditional solidarity," some world leaders seem incapable of escaping a "small-minded approach that restricts their horizons."
Here's the problem. That isn't what happened. Sri Lanka refused to allow the Israel delegation in.
Contrary to the Vatican report, an Israeli plane carrying 80 tons of food and medical supplies worth $100,000 was set to depart for Sri Lanka Wednesday morning. At the request of the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, a team of some 150 Israeli medical and security personnel aborted their planned trip to the island nation Tuesday night.
The Vatican paper observed that in what "should be a time for unconditional solidarity," some world leaders seem incapable of escaping a "small-minded approach that restricts their horizons."
The fact that the devastation swept across different societies, cultures, and nations should help to reinforce the universal perspective, the paper suggested.
Ha'aretz has more:
A 150-member Israeli aid delegation canceled its mission to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after the country - one of the hardest hit in the Asian tsunami disaster - apparently refused to accept the Israeli team, Israel Defense Forces officials said.
However, the Sri Lankan president's military secretary sent a notice to the country's foreign and defense ministries Tuesday expressing support for the arrival of a 50-member Israeli delegation.
"We are not opposed to a plane loaded with medical supplies, food and blankets that will be accompanied by a medical team comprised of 50 IDF people, as the Israeli Foreign Ministry requested in a letter," the military secretary said in the notice.
Hell, even the BBC got the story right:
Israel has cancelled plans to send a 150-person rescue mission to Sri Lanka after the devastated island objected to the military composition of the team.
One would have to say, WTF is wrong with the Vatican, using this to beat up on Israel?
Nice to know that the Vatican is interested in keeping those good relations with Israel going. Perhaps the Rabbi spoke too soon, hm, Tom?
Here's more, from Little Green Footballs (which is where I found the reference to Yourish)
Here’s an important story that’s gone almost completely unreported (or worse, misreported): Israeli Tsunami Aid.
When disaster strikes anywhere in the world, Israelis can be counted on to help. So it’s no surprise that within hours of the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the following humanitarian missions all departed from the tiny Jewish state:
* The Israeli organization Latet (’To Give’) filled a jumbo jet with 18 tons of supplies.
* A medical team headed by four doctors from Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday night (Dec. 27), carrying medicine and baby food. The doctors specialize in rescue operations, trauma and pediatrics.
* An IDF rescue team is now on its way to Sri Lanka with 80 tons of aid material, including 10,000 blankets, tents, nylon sheeting and water containers, all contributed by the IDF.
* A ZAKA rescue-and-recovery team arrived in the disaster areas Monday night, armed with its specialized equipment for identifying bodies.
* A Health Ministry contingent left for Thailand on Monday night to aid in rescue efforts. The group includes doctors, nurses and four members of the IDF.
* Israel has also offered its assistance to India — a search-and-rescue team from the Home Front Command, as well as consignments of food and medicine.
Yet, with the exception of UPI (as of this writing - Tues. 4pm EST), none of the major news outlets have dedicated an article to this remarkable Israeli humanitarian effort. This, despite the fact that the IDF sent all Israel-based journalists a press release Monday evening (Dec. 27), inviting them to the airport to cover the departure of one IDF group.
The leftist have been in control of the Vatican for a long time, time for a change.
Interestingly, with literally thousands of Israelis on vacations in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand (per reports from the first day after the disaster), the number of Israeli missing at this time is approximately 10.
If a disaster ever strikes near me, and resourcefulness is required to save my life, I want to be with a group of Israelis.
It's long past time for Karol Wojtyla (the pope) and Joe Paterno to have left the stage. - tom
This disgusting article threatens to undo years of progess between the Vatican and Israel. Rome must make an example of someone at that paper, and soon.
Oh come on!
You know the Israelis are just as 'stingy' as the U.S. when it comes to sending relief help! /sarcasm off
Ah!
That's because the Israeli's were 'warned' prior to the Tsunami, just like on 9/11! /sarcasm off
Vatican poltics are divided just like the US Senate. The MSM take every opportunity to use quotes from any pencil pushing priest or a bishop that "works" at the Vatican to mean that their comments seem to be the very thoughts of the Pope. It is not so. Please research Pope John Paul II himself and see what friendships he's had as a young Pole. Please dig deeper than what the MSM wants you to believe.
Recall that the MSM only seeks liberal bishops and ex-priests to give a "Catholic" perspective of issues. The MSM doesn't care for obedient Catholics' opinions and they have absolutely no interest in what the Pope has to say.
Given the rather consent terror, etc in their own homeland, Israelis, as a group, are generally conditioned to being much more aware of their surroundings, what's going on - escape routes, etc.
Just after 9/11 many Americans were the same way - but that quickly faded.
ping
The Yourish website has lots more on Israeli help for Tsunami victims. It also reports on the Lubovitchers (a religious Jewish organization) Thailand operations converting its three facilities into crisis centers, where anyone can come and seek assistance (excerpt follows):
Dear Friends,
Following the earthquake and tsunami that have destroyed hundreds of seaside towns in Asia leaving thousands dead, relatives of those touring Thailand are eager to hear about their loved ones (Southeast Asia is a key destination for thousands of Israeli backpackers who go there to relax after completing reserve duty in the Israeli Army). Chabad of Thailand headed by Rabbi Yosef C. Kantor, has responded to the crisis by dispatching Rabbi Nehemya Wilhelm to the scene of the tragedy in Phuket and turning the three Chabad Centers in Thailand into crisis centers where survivors can come and place phone calls home, or try to find their friends as of yet unaccounted for.
As Chabad of Thailand is the only Jewish service agency in the country dealing with this catastrophe, Chabad's offices and staff in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Ko Samui have put everything else aside, working 24/7 to assist those in need and comfort.
Chabad volunteers are standing by at the local hospitals to visit the injured and provide them with food and any other help needed. The Chabad Rabbi's and their wives are also counseling the survivors who are in a state of emotional trauma.
With the help of an Israeli telecommunications company there are free international phone calls being offered to those who wish to call home and inform their loved ones of their whereabouts. The free Internet service available at the Chabad centers is functioning as usual.
As the initial efforts of search and rescue wind down the grim work of identifying bodies and counseling bereaved families will keep the Chabad staff fully occupied in the immediate future.
The Vatican should stick with religion and stay out of government affairs. They have enough problems with the Church without looking for problems with nations.
Leftest control seeps into all old, well-established, organizations --- governments, charaties, businesses, churchs, the military (at peace time) and even nations.
Periodic revolutions and disasters are good.
My wife always looks at me funny when I say the Black Plague is why Europeans came to dominate the world --- it destroyed the status quo while leaving the infrastructure relatively intact.
You are right... In 1981 there was a massacre at the university of Montreal. A crazy arab (yes, even then) killed a number of women in the engineering school because according to him women ruined his life... At one point he asked men to leave the amphitheater and they did, without trying anything... My husband, a veteran of the IDF remarked that he couldn't understand this... He would have tried something the moment the guy told to leave... In the army, you learn that in some situations, first you act, then you think!
In a hyper-sensitive world people are offended if you breathe in their direction.
This was posted a couple of times already. Got ugly, too.
Yeah. They said they'd take the money and supplies, but leave your people at home, thank you very much. I wonder, how much is the Vatican giving for the relief, other than useless platitudes about universal love and compassion? Don't they have thousands of people dedicated to charity work? Where are they?
Hats off to the Israelis for demonstating, once again, their compassion and humanity. Of all countries in the world, Israel has every right to say "too bad, we have our own problems. But what do they do? They had money, supplies and expert personnel on the ground within hours. We can't even get it together to send a freakin' Recon team to scope things out before sending aid. It makes me want to scream, how impotant and incompetent our government is.
IIRC, Israel wanted to help Iran when Bam was destroyed 1 year ago, but were turned down.
Yeah. They're used to dealing with floods. I heard they even have a manual for it. Hee hee.
The best part of it was that the only L'Osservatore Romano article anyone could come up with addressing the topic was castigating the Sri Lankan Government for being paranoid.
But facts are of no importance when that dreadful foreign potentate in a tiara can be bashed ...
I see that it was posted under different headlines yesterday.
Unfortunately, Yourish, as a blogger, uses her own headlines. Still, I should have searched under Vatican. Sorry, all.
Catholic Relief Services is already into the millions of dollars, and boots on the ground ...
Since when is there free speach at the Vatican? And when did it include libel and fabrication? What is this, 60 Minutes? It's the Pope's job to make sure Church officials toe the line. If they're saying stuff like this, the responsibility is his.
Pretty sad since it is well-known that Sri Lanka told Israel they didn't want help.
Talk about beggars being choosers.
Israel could give them a lot of assistance if Sri Lanka would get its head out of its ***.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a disaster. I am suprised they haven't told the U.S. no as well.
AMEN! You said it. We have not abandoned our Catholic faith either. We will be Roman Catholics to our last breath. However we will NOT be what they CALL Roman Catholics today. Not after Vatican II. No way. No how. No matter how man Priests, Bishops, Popes or whatever have to say. Vatican II is NOT the church we grew up with every single day of our lives and we have never fallen prey to what they NOW CLAIM is the right way to say mass, attend mass and behave in church. Nope, we're Roman Catholics all the way and will continue in the true Latin Tradition in celebration of the mass because in our hearts and souls we know it is the right path and always has been.
bump
Actually, it was 1989 and the killer was a Quebecois (French-Canadian) named Marc Lepine. Same thing, if you ask me. Duplicitous, back-sabbing assh*$%les.He's now resing comfortably in one of our luxurious maximum security resorts. But that's a whole other issue.
More: http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/mass/marc_lepine/
Good for them. :-)
You're welcome.
Amen brother. I'm thinking of becoming Orthodox. When I enter a church, I want to know that it's God's house. There is no worship in todays Roman Catholic Church, just folk songs and handshakes of peace. An American flag is no longer allowed on a veterans casket or an Irish song at a funeral but here in Berlin they'll allow two homosexuals to kiss instead a shaking hands for the handshake of peace and they are down in front.
I can't figure out how the Vatican newspaper got it so wrong. Their editor studied at Columbia Univ. and interned at the New York Times.
It sure did get ugly (to say the least) both times it was posted. One of them was over 340 comments - 98% percent of which were flame fests. Get out the asbestos suits and hide in the storm celler.
These attempts all met with utter failure.
The only article anyone ever found appeared (it was written in Italian) to be castigating the Sri Lankan government, not the Israeli government, for paranoia.
But who cares about the facts?
The Vatican Secretariat of State is a bureaucracy much like the State Department. Cardinal Martino is actually a fairly decent guy, but he seems to be extremely naive. He has spent much of his life fighting in the UN against Population Control and abortion, yet he still seems to think that the UN is a Good Thing.
Also, I would say that the Vatican is slanted toward Europe, which is where many of their personnel come from. They are in Europe, although technically independent, and they tend to see the news through a European slant. Again, too bad. They support the development of the EU even though it's clear that the EU bureaucracy is anti-Christian in its orientation. Their recent refusal to accept an Italian Catholic nominee to a high post is symptomatic, and may wake a few Italians up.
And, yes, it's true that the MSM quotes very selectively from Vatican pronouncements, taking the few lines that they like and leaving the rest on the cutting room floor. When Bush visited the Pope they got on extremely well, but you'd never know that from US MSM reports.
The story has been removed by catholic World News. But it was verified and reported in the Jerusalem Post, which has impeccable credentials.
That's a matter of opinion.
I suppose. Although it is pretty much the paper of record for the region; usually very accurate and well-balanced (it's owned by Conrad Black, an ex-Canadian now residing in Britain. And no, he's not Jewish). A link was provided, but it stated the article had been removed. So it was there, CWN has just deleted it. If they have any decency, they'll also run an apology. That's what a REAL newspaper does when it offends its readers with innacurate and inflammatory journalism.
Marc Lepine was an Arab... He took a French-Canadian name from his mother!
From http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/crime/spree-killers/marc-lepine/
"Marc Lepine's father Liess Gharbi was an Algerian immigrant, a Muslim who taught his boy how to hate women. Not that he particularly cared about his son, whom he considered little more than a nuisance. People were generally shocked how Liess behaved towards his wife and children -- not only the wife beatings, but also little things such as locking Marc and his sister in their bedroom (complete with portapotty), in the name of preserving "peace and quiet" of the household. It's those little things that count...."
Thanks. I didn't know that. But I'm not surprised: Muslim, from a former French colony, immigrants to treasonous Quebec. The place is swarming with Muslims from former French colonies, 'cause Quebec runs its own immigration policy (is that NUTS, or what), and all you need to qualify is to have spoken French somewhere, anywhere. Get me outta here!
Sort of like the New York Times and the Washington Post ... or CBS News ... which some people I know still trust implicitly.
I, OTOH, don't trust any news source completely. And when the only evidence actually presented to me contradicts the allegations, I have to assume that something is rotten in Denmark.
Except all of those have shown themselves to be innacurate and blatantly biased, whereas JP has a pretty solid reputation. If people still trust these discredited sources, that's their own problem. As a former journalist myself, I can say objectively that JP is a good source. And I treat everything with scepticism. As far as evidence is concerned, if the source link had been broken, fine, I would be suspicious. But it's clear the article was there, and subsequently removed by CWN.
Someone posted earlier that the church is all leftist and...they are right.
We found a church that does the traditional latin mass.
No one enters inside the altar rail.
Priest puts wafer on tongue...no "do it yourself stuff"
Altar boys wear traditional cassocks. Everything done in unison with eyes lowered and reverence.
Prayers at the steps of the alter after mass.
Bell is rung to signify beginning of mass as Priest and altar boys walk from sacristy to altar.
Priests wears the black hat before and after mass.
Can stay after mass, go to altar rail and receive blessings on items.
Real candles available for intentions
Beautiful statues all over the church
High masses in the tradition of the Catholic church.
Quiet in church before mass is almost deafening. You can actually hear yourself think and pray in absolute solitude.
Those who desire can follow missal.. others can say rosary.
Baptismal font is in back of church with the iron gates like it used to be in all the churches.
Have seen little altar boys in training sit in the front row for 2 hours at a high mass. Patience, discipline is amazing as they follow along with complete reverence. No messing around, talking or playing.
There are a ton of little kids or babies. They go to the altar rail with their parents and receive a blessing as their parents receive communion. Almost brings tears to ones' eyes.
It's peaceful and quiet and when mass is ended...we leave with a feeling of joy and peace inside like we used to.
We love it and feel we have found "home" once again. This is where we belong and this is where we will stay.
I hope you can find something like this close by to where you are. God bless.
BTW, I think you're confusing CWN (Catholic World News), which is a privately run website in the USA, with L'Osservatore Romano, which is the sort-of official newspaper of the Vatican. CWN did indeed have an article on the topic, which did no more than repeat the allegations made by the JP et. al. LOR is the newspaper in which the allegedly offending column was allegedly printed.
Secular media outlets of all sorts are notorious for misquoting and partially quoting LOR and press releases from the Vatican.
Noone has yet shown me any reson why I should give this "story" any more credence I give Dan Rather's "National Guard Memos".
Until someone does, I have nothing further to say on the matter.
All those years and all the suffering they allowed those innocent children to go through is discusting.
Yet, nobody knows nothing about it until confronted with the evidence. And yet they still deny anything happened or try to buy them off.
The same thing that keeps them sitting on the Temple treasures stolen by Titus (mach shemo). They are the new, "spiritual" Israel, and they can't stand the competition from the Real Thing.
The thing is, it isn't just the Leftists. Hatred of Israel is the one issue on which the "Bangladesh granola-heads" and the unreconstructed medievalists are in complete agreement.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.