Iran's foreign minister condemns Holocaust

Iran's President Hassan Rowhani (L) with Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran on August 5, 2013. Iran's foreign minister Zarif said on Facebook that Tehran condemns the World War II Nazi massacre of the Jews, in stark contract to Holocaust denials by former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)

3 hours ago

"We condemn the massacre of Jews by the Nazis, and we condemn the massacre of Palestinians by the Zionists," Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook page, where he published the text of an interview he gave to the Tasnim news agency.

Zarif was also asked whether he wished Jews "Happy Rosh Hashanah" (new year), and had had an exchange about the Holocaust on Twitter.

"I replied to a question from a person who appeared to be the daughter of the ex-speaker of the US House of Representatives," Nancy Pelosi, he wrote.

On his recently activated Twitter account, Zarif wrote in English "Happy Rosh Hashanah," and Christine Pelosi replied, thanking him.

"Thanks. The new year would be even sweeter if you would end Iran's Holocaust denial, sir," she wrote.

Zarif replied: "Iran never denied it (the Holocaust). The man who was perceived to be denying it is now gone. Happy New Year."

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Participants of the annual "March of the Living" walk through the gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau co …

Tehran does not recognise Israel and Ahmadinejad's eight years in office were filled with anti-Israeli diatribes and denial of the Holocaust.

The controversial Ahmadinejad was succeeded as president by Hassan Rowhani, who won a surprise election victory over five conservatives on June 14.

The former president's anti-Israel diatribes and Iran's controversial nuclear programme both contributed to its increased international isolation.

Rowhani's website on Thursday said he has tasked the foreign ministry with handling sensitive nuclear talks, in a possible signal of a less confrontational approach with world powers.

It was not immediately clear, but his announcement would seem to indicate that Zarif, a moderate who has lived in the West and negotiated with it, would take on the role personally.

"Every year we wish happy new year to our Christian compatriots," Zarif told Tasnim.

"We also have a Jewish minority that is represented in parliament by one deputy," he said.

"We have nothing against Jews and Judaism, but we do not allow Zionists to present Iran as being anti-Semitic and bellicose in their propaganda so they can continue to repress the Palestinian people... and have their crimes forgotten," he added.

Stephen: As The Huffington Post reports that the current ‘known’ positions of members of the US Congress regarding any strike on Syria by the US is 212 No, 44 Yes but 177 still undecided (it needs at least 217 to vote Yes or No to pass or defeat the motion, respectively) –http://data.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/congress-syria-positions – Pope Francis has urged the G-20 members, currently meeting in Russia, to stay out of Syria, saying it is “a futile pursuit”. (BTW – is it just me, or does that G-20 logo look like a military tank or is it more ‘the foundations of society, as we know it, falling down’? Hmmm…)

The Associated Press – September 5, 2013

http://tinyurl.com/l3yh2eu

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged the Group of 20 leaders on Thursday to abandon the “futile pursuit” of a military solution in Syria as the Vatican laid out its case for a negotiated settlement that guarantees rights for all minorities, including Christians.

In a letter Thursday to the G20 host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Francis lamented that “one-sided interests” had prevailed in Syria, preventing a diplomatic end to the conflict and allowing the continued “senseless massacre” of innocents.

“To the leaders present, to each and every one, I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution,” Francis wrote as the G20 meeting got under way in St. Petersburg.

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Archibishop Dominique Mamberti, center, the Vatican’s foreign minister, addresses to ambassadors gathered at the Vatican Thursday Sept. 5, 2013. The Vatican summoned ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to outline its position on Syria, referencing the laments made by emeritus Pope Benedict XVI and Francis himself in recent weeks that too many innocents had already died in the conflict. (AP / L’Osservatore Romano, ho)

Francis has ratcheted up his call for peace in Syria amid threatened U.S.-led military strikes following an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus.

He will host a peace vigil in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, a test of whether his immense popular appeal will translate into popular support for his peace message.

On Thursday, the Vatican summoned ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to outline its position on Syria, with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s foreign minister, noting that the Aug. 21 attack had generated “horror and concern” from around the world.

“Confronted with similar acts one cannot remain silent, and the Holy See hopes that the competent institutions make clear what happened and that those responsible face justice,” Mamberti told the 71 ambassadors gathered.

He didn’t refer explicitly to the threat of military strikes to punish the Syrian regime for the attack. But he said the main priority was to stop the violence which he said risked involving other countries and creating “unforeseeable consequences in various parts of the world.”

The Vatican, he said, called for a return to dialogue and for the country to not be split up along ethnic or religious lines.

Minorities, including Christians, must have their basic rights guaranteed, including their right to profess their religion, he said. And he called for the opposition to distance itself from extremists, isolate them “and openly and clearly oppose terrorism” — a reference to the al Qaeda-affiliated rebels fighting against the government.

The Assad family’s four-decade iron rule over Syria long has rested on support from the country’s ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians, Shiite Muslims and Kurds. The Assad family and key regime figures are Alawites, followers of an offshoot of Shiite Islam, while most rebels and their supporters are Sunni Muslims.

As a result, the Catholic Church has toed a careful line on Syria, staying largely silent at the start of the civil war even after the regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent. As the violence raged, the Vatican stepped up its call for dialogue. And amid the U.S. threat of military intervention, Vatican and church officials have warned that a world war could erupt, with Christians in the region bearing the brunt of the fallout.

On Wednesday, the head of Francis’ Jesuit order, the Rev. Adolfo Nicolas, told a Catholic news agency that military action by the U.S. and France would be an “abuse of power.”

“I cannot understand who gave the United States or France the right to act against a country in a way that will certainly increase the suffering of the citizens of that country, who, by the way, have already suffered beyond measure,” he was quoted as saying in the interview, the text of which was released by a Vatican-affiliated spokesman.

This week, Syrian government troops have been battling al Qaeda-linked rebels over Maaloula, a regime-held Christian village in western Syria. Some of its 2,000 residents still speak a version of Aramaic, the ancient language of biblical times believed to have been spoken by Jesus.

Vatican: 100,000 attend Syria peace vigil

People hold Syrian flags and signs against a possible attack to Syria, prior to the start of a vigil for peace attended by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. Tens of thousands of people have answered Pope Francis' call and massed in St. Peter's Square for a 4-hour-long prayer vigil for peace in Syria. It was believed to be one of the first, and certainly the largest popular rally in the West against U.S.-led plans to strike Syria following the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

NICOLE WINFIELD 15 minutes ago

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Tens of thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square for a four-hour Syria peace vigil late Saturday, answering Pope Francis' call for a grassroots cry for peace that was echoed by Christians and non-Christians alike in Syria and in vigils around the world.

The Vatican estimated about 100,000 took part in the Rome event, making it one of the largest rallies in the West against proposed U.S.-led military action against the Syrian regime following the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus.

Francis spent most of the vigil in silent prayer, but during his speech he issued a heartfelt plea for peace, denouncing those who are "captivated by the idols of dominion and power" and destroy God's creation through war.

"This evening, I ask the Lord that we Christians, and our brothers and sisters of other religions and every man and woman of good will, cry out forcefully: Violence and war are never the way to peace!" he said.

"May the noise of weapons cease!" he said. "War always marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for humanity."

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Pope Francis attends a vigil for peace in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 …

In Damascus, a few dozen Syrian Christians attended a service in the al-Zaytoun Church, joining Francis' invitation for a global participation in the day of fasting and prayer and to oppose outside military intervention in the conflict.

Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Laham of Antioch and All East presided, saying most countries supported a political solution to the crisis in Syria and few wanted military action. "This is the start of the victory," he told the Damascus faithful. "No to war. Yes for peace."

In Washington, at least 150 protesters picketed in front of the White House and marched to Capitol Hill to voice their opposition to a U.S. military strike in Syria. Anti-war protests were also held in other U.S. cities, including one in New York City's Times Squares and a prayer vigil in Boston that echoed Saturday's massive gathering at the Vatican.

Medea Benjamin, a founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, said a cross-section of Americans, many of whom disagree on a variety of issues, are united against military intervention.

"We have suddenly found ourselves united as Americans, overwhelmingly saying we will not let you drag us into another war," Benjamin shouted into a megaphone in front of the White House.

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People hold Syrian flags and signs against a possible attack to Syria, prior to the start of a vigil …

Francis announced the day of fasting and prayer Sept. 1, alarmed at the acceleration of U.S. threats to strike Syria after the chemical weapons attack.

Since then, the Vatican has ramped up its peace message, summoning ambassadors for a briefing by the Holy See foreign minister this week. Francis appealed directly to world powers at the Group of 20 meeting in Russia, urging them to abandon the "futile pursuit" of a military solution in Syria and work instead for a negotiated settlement.

Bishops around the world joined Francis in the daylong fast and organized similar vigils in their home dioceses. In Francis' native Argentina, human rights and religious groups held a vigil in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo and in cities across the country. Vatican Radio reported similar initiatives were taking place throughout Italy, in Cuba and elsewhere. Even the grand mufti of Damascus, who thanked the pope for his initiative in a letter earlier this week, invited Muslims to join the fast in solidarity.

Vatican officials have stressed that Saturday's event was religious, not political. But the gathering nevertheless took on the air of an anti-war rally, with protesters holding up Syrian flags and banners in the square reading "Don't attack Syria" and "Obama you don't have a dream, you have a nightmare." A few rainbow "Peace" flags fluttered in the breeze.

But by the time the vigil got underway, the posters and flags had mainly disappeared as a more religious tone took over, with leaders from a variety of Christian and non-Christian denominations joining cardinals, politicians and ordinary folk for the evening of prayer, hymns and meditation.

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Pope Francis attends a vigil for peace in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 …

"This is already a success, the fact that all of us are here, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, atheists," a Hindu believer named Anata said. Pilgrims "made an effort to fast, not to do many things, and come here from all over Italy and Europe. This is already a success."

The pope entered the square from the basilica steps, foregoing his usual high-spirited drive through in his open car — an indication of the sobriety of the evening, which capped a day of fasting for the pontiff.

The 76-year-old pope held up well throughout the four hours — lasting longer than many who by the vigil's 11 p.m. conclusion had already gone home. He thanked those who had stayed to the end for their company, and wished them a good night's sleep.

The peace vigil marked something of a novelty for the Vatican: Nothing of its kind has ever taken place in St. Peter's Square, though popes past have participated in daylong peace prayers in places like Assisi, known for its peace-loving native son and the pope's namesake, St. Francis.

That's not to say popes haven't taken vigorous anti-war positions in the past: Pope Paul VI famously uttered the words "War never again, never again war" at the United Nations in 1965 as the Vietnam War raged, a refrain that has been repeated by every pope since. Pope John Paul II sent an envoy to President George W. Bush on the eve of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq urging him to stand down — to no avail.

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Pope Francis attends a vigil for peace in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 …

Francis has condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but has been careful not to lay blame on any one side, exhorting world leaders instead to focus on the plight of Syrian civilians and the need in general to end the violence.

Other church officials, both at the Vatican and in dioceses, have been more pointed in their criticism of any internationalization of the conflict, saying U.S.-French military strikes will only exacerbate the situation for civilians, particularly Christian minorities.

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Albert Aji contributed from Damascus, Syria.

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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Pope Francis spends most of the four-hour event, one of the largest in the West, in silent prayer. 'Always a defeat for humanity'

Rendering of “tree incarnation”

Steve: Welcome, Sage. I’m so glad you’ve dipped your pen in the inkwell and are commenting.

Please allow me to introduce myself as a new (ish) contributing writer for the Golden Age of Gaia. I’ve covered some news stories in the past and now would like to expand with some editorials, “boots on the ground” intel if you’ll allow me, to convey my feelings and personal standpoint about Ascension in general and its many manifestations.

This is a preamble of sorts to a sharing of my new life in much the same transparent manner as Steve describes his emergence.

I don’t have the same intuitive feelings and visions that others seem to have. I may not be nearly as articulate as some. All I can do is express what’s happening for me and have you interpret it as you will. Maybe something will strike a chord and we won’t feel so alone in the process. I’m hoping that’s so.

Warning: I write as I talk so please bear with my unusual output. My train of thought is derailed quite regularly; in fact, one of my favourite games to play is to notice the thought I have now and try to trace it back to its origin. It can be quite a trip sometimes with many shunt lines going around the yard. I will strive greatly for clarity here.

On a road trip a little while back I had long hours of opportunity as passenger to daydream and came upon an “aha” moment, a realization so powerful it kept me occupied for hours. Let me explain.

There may be untold numbers of Galactic and Celestial beings present on and around Earth, as told to us by AAM and others and what totally floored me was that idea of just how many other ‘souls’ there really could be among us. SaLuSa said:

“Life exists everywhere and there will never be a time when you will be able to claim to have seen it all, because the Creator is thinking new creations into being all of the time.” (1)

As I thought about it: we, as in incarnate souls – I am using the word incarnate here very liberally, meaning only to take form – can incarnate on Gaia, not only as a human but also as an animal, plant, rock, drop of water, mountain, snowflake, fish …. oh, the list is almost endless. Whatever is natural vs man-made, can be a soul incarnate. We can inhabit any living form of first, second, or third dimension at any given time. We do it just for the experience of being it, as Sanat Kumara (Raj) said,

“So let us use this example: you’re about to complete your mission here. And yes, some of you will decide to stay, not only for hundreds but for thousands of years. You want to see the rebirth of Gaia, the cities of light, you want to see the love blooming in every form.

“But say there are some of you who will say ‘No, I’m leaving; I’m going to be that ball of energy and I am going to spiral throughout deep space waving to the Mother, knowing that it’s not quite yet time to go home and I’m going to assume another form. Maybe I’m going to be Andromedan. Maybe I’m going to be a comet. Maybe I’m going to be a planet. Maybe I’m going to be a dolphin on Sirius, or a whale.’

“So yes, the option for renegotiation shall we say – without leaving your form in terms of dying – is right there.

“You know, this was part of the joy that in your original form, angelic or otherwise, that you could pop into Earth and try on a human form – male, female infant, adult, elder. There are some of you that have joyfully become a full mountain range, a drop of water in the ocean, or the entire ocean.

“So you have had those options and the ability to pop in and out, jump in and out, and try on these forms the same way children play dress-up. That was the intent.” (2)

To consider every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every drop of ocean water as an incarnate soul! Well, it flabbergasted me. Looked at from that perspective no, we are definitely not alone.

So this now raised the question of these souls coming into and leaving their plane of existence, not necessarily living and dying as we now know it.

The flora and fauna are pretty simple to understand – they are born, they live, they die (using 3D terms here just for clarification). But what about a tree that is made into a telephone pole? Is it dead and therefore the soul has moved on or can the soul remain so it too can have the experience of being a telephone pole?

Flowers are pretty easy to follow too: they are born and grow from seeds, mature and blossom, reproduce, then die leaving another generation to carry on. All new souls coming in and leaving.

What about rocks? These are inanimate objects to us, hard to imagine as having a soul but I believe they do. A rock in a riverbed or deep inside the Earth never to be uncovered can “live” a long time so does the soul just leave when it’s tired of the experience and a new one enter?

The same thinking goes for a mountain or a drop of water in the ocean or, for that matter, a grain of sand at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Do souls just enter and leave at will dropping by, so to speak, for a visit? And I am keeping in mind that these visits can last millions of years.

Then I thought about a rock that’s dug up in a gravel pit and used as substance for a road. Now that it has a new experience to live through, does the soul stay on? Does it have a choice to leave or does it just leave thinking it had “died” and a new soul arrive?

A drop of water in a stream would, one would think, have a shorter lifespan than one in the ocean. Does its evaporation constitute its cycle of life? Or, once it has evaporated (gone back to Source) can it come back as a raindrop to start all over again just for the experience of rebirth in a new form?

What happens when that drop freezes and becomes part of a glacier? Does the soul stay on for the experience of being a glacier, maybe one day melting and returning to the ocean it had called home many millions of years ago? Or does it have the choice to leave and another soul stop by to have a go?

So many questions with no answers but plenty of musing fodder.

That train of thought naturally (for me) led me toward a new shunt-line: space.

Complementary to the age-old question of “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” is the idea of how many souls that are not incarnate that are hanging around Gaia in the spaces between.

Now I know that question taken from a philosophical standpoint means something quite different, but I’m taking it literally here. Souls are light beings. They have no mass, so just how many would fit into a given space? SaLuSa explains it quite well:

“Believe us Dear Ones, there is life everywhere you look, and not just in the dimensions that are open to your physical eyes. There are dimensions beyond your reckoning, and still life is present in abundance. It would be difficult to explain such vastness as an accidental occurrence, when it is clear that a mighty intelligence must exist that embraces all that exists.” (3)

What about souls inhabiting spaces between blades of grass, leaves on trees? How many fortunate beings are sunbathing in the soft bed of an orchid’s petals? How many weary souls are taking a refuge from the sun under a desert dune’s overhang?

Personifying souls, whether they be incarnate or not, brings a whole new level of understanding to me of what it means to be surrounded by love. It’s also quite fun.

On another road trip where I was the driver, I invited whoever wanted to to come along, as I usually do. Instantly my car was jampacked with light beings ready for an outing, some of the more adventurous were on the roof enjoying the breeze. Then I asked who wanted to ride shotgun and I just had to laugh at all the “faces” pressed up against the windows in the front seat.

I only see these things through my mind’s eye at the moment, hoping one day soon to see them physically. But we’re told that our imagination is actually 5D and higher, that creates and manifests so I let mine run wild in order to bring that day closer. As SaLuSa explains,

“There are intelligent life forms beyond your present imagination, and some are entirely different to what you have been used to so far. Outer appearances will not concern you, as in the future you will recognize all souls through their energy signature which will be similar to your own.” (4)

And it really is by the energy signature that I’m recognizing these souls that accompany me on my outings. I definitely do not “see” them so their outer appearance has no bearing on the fact that they’re there enjoying my adventures.

All of this is probably why I love solitude and never feel lonely when alone. I’m surrounded by loving beings who want to be here just for the experience, as I am.

Footnotes

(1) SaLuSa, May 7, 2012

(2) Sanat Kumara, August 13, 2013, Part 2/2

(3) SaLuSa, Aug. 14, 2009

(4) SaLuSa, March 31, 2010