Free Republic

A Syrian refugee has admitted to setting fire to a German shelter where he was staying, spray-painting swastikas on the walls to make it look like a political crime. The asylum seeker said the arson attack was in response to poor conditions at the shelter. "During police questioning, the man admitted that he had set [a] fire in the cellar of the multi-use building," police spokesman Achim Hansen told NBC News, adding that the refugee had also stated that he “had a lack of hope for the future." The 26-year-old refugee sprayed three swastikas on the exterior in the building,...

Six people suffered from smoke inhalation injuries early on Thursday morning after unknown attackers set fire to a hotel in Bingen, Rhineland-Palatinate. The fire broke out in the hotel on the town’s main street at around 3:15am, police reported. 25 people, including 16 refugees, were staying there that night, the hotel’s owner told broadcaster SWR. Four people staying in the hotel and two firefighters were hurt by smoke inhalation. Two of the residents had to be treated in hospital. Police say there may have been a racist motive to the attack on the hotel, which currently houses a number of...

A Continuing Reflection on St. Hildegard "Theology As Well Can Receive a Particular Contribution From Women" VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today at the general audience in Paul VI Hall. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I would like to take up again and continue the reflection on St. Hildegard of Bingen, an important woman of the Middle Ages, who is distinguished for her spiritual wisdom and holiness. Hildegard's mystical visions are like those of the prophets of the Old Testament: Expressing herself with the cultural and...