Free Republic

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said that Israel should clarify its goals in the war against Hamas, claiming that totally destroying the organization could take 10 years. "We are at a moment when Israeli authorities must more precisely define their objectives and their final goal: the total destruction of Hamas, does anyone think it is possible? If this is the case, the war will last 10 years," Macron told a press conference at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, as quoted by Reuters. "There is no lasting security for Israel in the region if its security is achieved at...

..... Dr. Kissinger made the comments as he spoke to participants in the Herzliya Conference via live feed. Discussing the option of a regional peace agreement, Dr. Kissinger expressed his doubts, saying, "I would welcome a regional peace process, theoretically it is a logical evolution. But I believe a step by step approach is better. We are not in a position to take a regional peace initiative, and it is not obvious what it can achieve. You'd assume a regional peace will include states that are no longer function as states – Syria, Iraq, Libya… If any agreement has to...

Pope Francis marked the second anniversary of his election on Friday with yet another blockbuster media interview, this one with the Mexican network Televisa. One headline from the conversation with veteran Vatican reporter Valentina Alazraki focused on his expectations for a short papacy. As he has on other occasions, Francis hinted that he doesn’t expect to be around very long. “I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief … four or five years. I don’t know, even two or three,” he said. The pontiff called this nothing more than a “vague sensation.” “Maybe it’s like the psychology of...

The Fr Thomas Rosica 'case' now covered by quite a few sites disturbs me greatly. The idea that a Catholic layperson can voice his concerns at what certainly appears to be the public statement of doctrinal positions that deviate from the Magisterium, only to then be issued with a lawsuit from a priest is quite unbelievable. This news ties in with the latest reports of the wrecking ball approach of the Commissioner of the Franciscans of the Immaculate. This is getting really very ugly. A papacy that was meant to embody 'mercy' more and more appears to be used -...

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is "a strong likelihood" that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June, according to the Washington Post's David Ignatius. Israel believes that after this time, Iran will have entered a “zone of immunity” that will enable it to build a nuclear bomb at its leisure, Ignatius wrote. Defense Minister Ehud Barak used the same words Thursday in his speech at the Herzliya Conference. "Very soon,the Israelis fear, the Iranians will have stored enough enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon — and only the United States could then...

p>BRESSANONE, Italy, AUG. 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that the pontificate of Pope John Paul II can be divided into two equally important parts: the years when he took the Gospel to the world and the years of his "passion." The Pope affirmed this Aug. 6 when he met with priests, deacons and seminarians of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone and answered in German six questions they asked him. The Holy Father was on vacation in the Dolomites, where he stayed at the major seminary of Bressanone. A question was offered by a 42-year-old priest who was diagnosed with multiple...

With around 500,000 filling St. Peter’s Square, the 265th Pontiff of the Catholic Church, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, was installed two years ago today. Following tradition, the new Pope was conferred the Fisherman’s Ring and a woolen pallium or shawl, both symbols of papal authority. Wearing golden vestments and clutching his pastoral staff, Pope Benedict XVI began the ceremony by walking into the area under St. Peter’s Basilica where St. Peter is believed to be buried, paying homage to the first pope and blessing the tomb with incense as a choir chanted. Before various dignitaries that included heads of...

Vatican City, Apr. 19, 2006 (CNA) - Gathered with more than 60,000 pilgrims in Saint Peters square today, Pope Benedict celebrated the one year anniversary of being elected successor of Peter, and asked the faithful to “continue to sustain me and to pray to God to allow me to be a meek and steady pastor of his Church.” The pontiff vividly recalled the day, one year ago, in which “the conclave of cardinals decided to choose my poor person to succeed the lamented and loved great pope John Paul II”, something he called “absolutely unexpected and surprising for me.” “I...

ROMA, April 18, 2006 – Among the novelties he has introduced during his first year as pope – which comes to completion this Easter week – there is one that Joseph Ratzinger has a special fondness for. So much so that has repeated it several times. It is the practice of public discussions in question and answer format. Benedict XVI arrives and greets those present, but doesn’t speak from a prepared text. He simply fields questions. And he responds to each of them, spontaneously. He did so with the priests of the little diocese of Aosta where he was vacationing,...

The pontificate of Pope John Paul II: key dates VATICAN CITY, April 8 (AFP) - Following are key dates in the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, who was being buried in a funeral Friday after 26 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. 1978 October 16: Karol Wojtyla, Bishop of Krakow, is elected pope following the death of his predecessor John Paul I after only 33 days in office. 1979 Jan 25: Visits Dominican Republic and Mexico, the first of the many trips which will take him to a 129 countries, a papal record. March 14: First...

The Left is having a field day with revelations that Bill Bennett’s been betting ‘em up, mainly on slot machines and video poker, all the time that he’s counseled Americans on moral issues. Slate’s always-gracious Michael Kinsley is slightly disappointed that William the Virtuous wasn’t nailed for more egregious behavior. Setting aside his regret, Kinsley cheerfully concludes: "It will definitely do. Bill Bennett has been exposed as a humbug artist who ought to be pelted off the public stage if he lacks the decency to slink quietly away, as he is constantly calling on others to do." The usual suspects...