Newsweek 10/25/99 "….Forty percent of all Americans and 45 percent of Christians believe that the world will end, as the Bible predicts, in a battle at Armageddon between Jesus and the Antichrist, according to a new Newsweek Poll on prophecy. Fully, 71 percent of Evangelical Protestants, but only 28 percent of non-Evangelical Protestants and 18 percent of Catholics share that view……In the poll, large majorities of believers in the second coming of Christ believe that current events such as natural disasters (83%), epidemics like AIDS and Ebola (66%) and outbreaks of violence like shootings (62%), are a sign that it will happen soon. An overwhelming majority of believers in a second coming (95%) believe that, under such circumstances, it is important to get right with God and a majority (65%) think it is important to convert non- Christians…. (68%) expect that they will be going to heaven…."

Weekly World News 9/28/99 Ed Anger ".... I'm madder than a hungry lion gnawing on a skinny Christian over the way the idiot liberals are bitching and moaning about the latest survey of America's religious beliefs. A recent USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll stunned the nation by showing that an incredible 90 percent of Americans believe in Heaven, 79 percent believe in miracles - and a whopping 72 percent are certain that angels exist, by gum. Not only that, 27 percent believe in reincarnation and 28 percent of all Americans believe you can contact the dead. And guess who's crying bloody murder over these electrifying findings? The stupid bleeding-heart liberals, that's who. "This is just another ploy by Republicans and the dumb Americans who vote for them to force prayer back into our public schools," sniffed a lesbian atheist spokeswoman for the National Organization of Woman. But the real icing on the cake, by jiminy, was a blockbuster U.S. News and World Report survey showing that 61 percent, or 200 million Americans, believe Jesus Christ will return to Earth.. ...."

The Washington Times 7/14/00 Larry Witham "…….A global summit bringing 1,000 religious leaders to the United Nations will disclose some participants next week, good news to U.N. officials eager to plan security and protocol for the unprecedented Aug. 28-29 event. The "working list" to be issued Tuesday will not include personages such as Pope John Paul II and probably not the Dalai Lama, who reports no invitation. But the Vatican's Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian, will make the trek to New York City as will spiritual leaders from countries such as Peru who have never before left their native soils………… The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders is organized by an "independent coalition" of interfaith leaders, and is being held in a year when nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, are seeking use of the General Assembly chamber more than usual…….."We're hoping in the next two weeks that their program will begin to gel," a U.N. official said………One casualty of the inevitable political delicacies may be the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet. China holds one of five permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council and long has opposed his speaking at the United Nations. "His Holiness has not been invited to the summit," an Office of Tibet spokeswoman in New York said Thursday……….The religious leaders are expected to issue a Declaration for World Peace and agree to some form of a permanent International Advisory Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders……..Mr. Turner, the summit's honorary chairman, has promised full live coverage by CNN......."

Sightings 7/19/00 Kathleen Keating "……
To: kathleen@finalwarningthebook.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2000 8:26 AM
Subject: Your July 17 interview with Jeff Rense
Dear Kathleen,
I listened to your interview on Jeff Rense last night (Monday 7-17-00) and something you said bothered me a great deal. ………….It was either the April interview with Art Bell or the May interview with Mike Siegel on Coast to Coast, when the subject of the Antichrist came up. You stated the antichrist was alive now, in the world, and when asked who he was, you refused to name him due to the grave danger it would cause. ……..When asked how you knew, you stated that he appeared in your yard, said "Hi" to you, paced back and forth, and that your dog could not even bark...and that this was unusual. This is archived in the Coast to Coast show files. ……..Now, last night you said the very same thing about Maitreya when talking to Jeff. ………… So, this means that either there no longer is any grave danger and Maitreya is the antichrist, or you are a fraud perpetrating a hoax. Either way, you owe it to both the Jeff Rense Show and Coast to Coast, and to the public who listen, to tell the truth about your feelings on this. I challenge you to do the right thing, publicly, on the air, and on your web site.
Your credibility is on the line.
Rick Visneau

From: Kathleen Keating
To: xxx
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2000 12:47 PM
Subject: Re: Your interview with Jeff Rense July 17, 2000
Dear Rick:
Thanks for writing. I stated on both Coast to Coast shows that it was not time yet and that when the time was right, I would reveal his name. ……….Unfortunately, things are moving much faster now and I feel that it is now time. That's why I said what I did last night (on Jeff's program). ……..It was good to hear from you, thanks for your email.
God bless,
Kathleen

Yahoo 7/26/00 "……/PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in history, religious and spiritual leaders of the world's diverse faith traditions will come together in New York on August 28th to discuss how to forge a partnership of peace with the United Nations. More than 1,000 leaders are expected. …..All regions of the world will be represented, as will the major faith traditions of Bahai, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism. ...... The occasion will assemble leaders rarely seen together at religious gatherings, such as the Jingu Daiguji of the Grand Shrine at Ise, the Patriarch of Thailand, and Chief Patriarch Ehsin Watanabe of Mount Hiei from the Tendai School of Buddhism in Japan. Numerous spiritual leaders from the indigenous traditions around the world-such as Andean leaders from the line of the Incas-are also planning to participate. ….. Anticipated outcomes of the Summit are a Declaration for World Peace and plans for the establishment of an ongoing International Advisory Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders that can serve as a resource for the U.N. Secretary-General and the U.N. system in its conflict prevention and resolution efforts………``There has been a phenomenal response from religious leaders around the world. They see this as a unique opportunity to join efforts with the United Nations in a worldwide interfaith initiative. Our goal is that religious leaders from different traditions will work together to help resolve global problems,'' said Summit's Secretary-General Bawa Jain, who has been traveling to many regions speaking with religious leaders about the goals of the Summit……."

EWTN 7/28/00 "…… Organizers of the Millennium World Peace Summit hope to make history during four days of meetings at UN headquarters starting August 28. Dozens of leaders from religions large and small will convene in order to draft a statement of peace and to establish an International Advisory Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. …….. * Bawa Jain, Secretary General of the World Peace Summit, invited religious leaders in early June. ……* The long-term plan for the International Advisory Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders is that it will be a permanent advisory group for the UN Secretary General and the General Assembly. Advisory Council members would also be available to help in crisis situations around the world. ………..* The idea for the World Peace Summit has its roots in the World Parliament of Religions, but got its final push from US media billionaire Ted Turner who met last fall with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Ted Turner is known for having frequently insulted Christians and has made jokes about John Paul II. …….* Leaders have been invited from Hinduism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Judaism, Taoism, Chritianity, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, and indigenous religions. The logo for the World Peace Summit is the symbol of each of these religions forming a circle around the symbol for the UN. It is almost identical to the symbol for the "New Age" United Religions Initiative [reported in last week's Friday Fax]. * Controversy already surrounds this first meeting. The Dalai Lama has not been invited to participate. Some believe this is in deference to the Chinese government. ……."

National Catholic Reporter 8/11/00 "…….Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a progressive frequently mentioned as a candidate to be the next pope, has advocated the creation of a "democratic and planetary" system of government that would transcend the powers of presently existing nation-states. …… Martini's proposal came in a July issue of the Roman daily newspaper La Repubblica. In an essay on human rights, Martini wrote that nations have the right to manage their own affairs, but in view of the universal nature of human rights, an absolute notion of sovereignty that prevents the international community from policing abuses is "anachronistic and unhistorical." Martini, 73, is the archbishop of Milan. ……. The cardinal supported "humanitarian intervention" in defense of suffering populations such as refugees, including the use of troops when other means have failed. Though "humanitarian intervention" was most recently invoked by NATO in defense of its bombing campaign against Serbia, Martini did not expressly approve or condemn that action. …….."

Stratfor 8/13/00 "…….On Tuesday Aug. 8 a gigantic swarm of locusts eerily eclipsed the sun near Volgograd. Along with frost, drought and inefficient farming, the locusts will leave Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States 25 million metric tons short of grain. Since most of these countries cannot pay market prices to import grain, Europe and the United States will likely soon dump their own surpluses on these markets. European and American agribusiness is in for a windfall, while the CIS will become steadily more hungry and dependent upon Western farmers. ……"

WorldNetDaily 8/13/00 JoAnn Kohlbrand Julie Foster "…..A working prototype of an implant designed to monitor the physiology and whereabouts of human wearers, known as Digital Angel[dot accent], is scheduled to be unveiled in October at an invitation-only event in New York City -- two months ahead of schedule. ……. Developed by Applied Digital Solutions, the device is said to be the first-ever operational combination of bio-sensor technology and Web-enabled wireless telecommunications linked to global positioning satellite location-tracking systems. ……. Applied Digital Solutions Chairman Richard Sullivan said the development of the technology has progressed well ahead of schedule. …… "We're extremely heartened by the remarkable progress made by Dr. Peter Zhou and his entire research team, including professors and their associates at Princeton University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology," said Sullivan. "This technology relates directly to the exploding wireless marketplace. We'll be demonstrating for the first time ever that wireless telecommunications systems and bio-sensor devices -- capable of measuring and transmitting critical body function data -- can be successfully linked together with GPS (global positioning satellite) technology and integrated with the Internet." ……… As previously reported in WorldNetDaily, Digital Angel[dot accent] is intended to serve a number of functions. In addition to locating missing persons and monitoring physiological data, the device will be marketed to the world of e-commerce as a means of verifying online consumer identity. ......,Similar to microchip technologies currently used as electronic ID tags for pets, Digital Angel[dot accent] is a dime-sized implant, inserted just under the skin. When implanted within a human body, the device is powered electromechanically through the movement of muscles and can be activated either by the "wearer" or by a monitoring facility. ….."

News View Today 8/15/00 Douglas James Bender "……In these times, like others before, many are claiming that they have identified the Antichrist. Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, Gorbachev, and even Reagan are some who have been "identified" as the Antichrist. Now, however, with the apparent decrease of U.S. influence in the Middle East peace process, due to the negative relations currently between President Clinton and Yasser Arafat, a leader of the "Revived Roman Empire" (the European Union, it would seem) appears ready to fulfill the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 regarding the "'prince who is to come'" who shall "'confirm a treaty with many for one week'" (where "one week" means "7 years")………. The Bible indicates, in Daniel 7:23-25, that this "'prince who is to come'" will be the leader of, apparently, the 11th nation to join what is referred to as the "Revived Roman Empire". The European Union, given its form as a "union" of nations from the Old Roman Empire, and given its "arising" during the same generation that witnessed both Israel becoming a nation in 1948 A.D. and Israel regaining control of the holiest sites of Jerusalem in 1967 A.D., is quite likely the fulfillment of the prophecy of the "beast with 10 horns" described in Daniel 7. The "'prince who is to come'", the Antichrist, will apparently be the ruler of the 11th nation to join this "Beast"……If the European Union is the fulfillment of the "beast with 10 horns" of Daniel 7:7, then the Antichrist will be the ruler of the 11th nation to have joined that Union. Spain was the 11th nation to join the European Union, and the current ruler of Spain is King Juan Carlos. ………"

News View Today 8/15/00 Douglas James Bender "……King Juan Carlos was born in Rome, Italy on January 5, 1938 A.D.. His full name is, "Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor Maria de Borbon y Borbon". ….Juan Carlos (the son), from the age of 10, was personally trained under Franco's direction, and graduated from all three of Spain's military academies………According to Daniel 9:27, the "'prince who is to come'" (the Antichrist) shall "'confirm a treaty with many for one week'". A recent news report (Reuters - August 12, 2000 A.D.) stated that Israel is requesting that King Juan Carlos help "mediate" the current Middle East peace process between Israel and several of Israel's Arab enemies, primarily the PLO. The news report stated that those involved were hoping the planned meeting in Spain in early 2001 A.D. (or perhaps before) would "consolidate" the peace process. …….. "

EWTN 8/16/00 ".....The "UN News" informed in its latest edition that a "World Summit of Spiritual Leaders and Religious for Peace" will start on August 28 in New York, convened by the United Nations (UN). The "United Initiative of Religions", a group which "condemns the traditional notion of Christian evangelization" is in charge of organizing the summit. The UIR, meant to be the spiritual arm of the UN, "declares itself to be against the 'dogmatic' religions, as promoters of 'fundamentalism', as well as in favor of abortion, sexual freedom for adolescents, legalization of homosexual unions and against the 'unsustainable' population growth". The agency also indicates the search for a "new ethical code" that, based on the New Age syncretism, can serve as the "spiritual foundation of the new world order". ......"

The California Mission 12/99 Father Gerard Beigel, STD "……In his apostolic letter, "The Coming of the Third Millennium," Pope John Paul II asserts that we live in a time of a "crisis of civilization," brought on in particular by "the challenge of secularism." …….." "Secularism" refers to a system of thought and belief which explicitly or implicitly excludes God from human affairs. In short, secularism proclaims that the world we live in is all there is -- there is no God, or if there is, He is too far beyond our understanding to be of any relevance to human life today. The truth is that we are all too familiar with secularism -- it is like the air we breathe in our modern culture. ………Modern secularism is a profound challenge to Christian faith. Over the past two centuries secularism has not only undermined people's belief in God and in Jesus Christ, it has also undermined morality and with it the stability of family life. If there is no God, we must "create our own values." And since everyone's values will be different, there is no such thing as objectively right and wrong human actions. The secularist understanding of human values has become entrenched in our public school systems. As a consequence, there is little support today for parents who are attempting to teach their children respect for God and His commandments. There seems to be no limit to the capacity of secularism to erode all moral foundations of society. Almost thirty years ago abortion was legalized. Euthanasia is now legal in some states and countries, and there have been several ballot measures in different states to establish homosexual "marriage." It will not be long before infanticide of unwanted or medically handicapped children becomes accepted practice. As we consider all these varied manifestations of secularism, it is obvious that this social movement is as profound a threat to Christianity as any of the ancient heresies were.

Worldnetdaily 7/8/00 Andrew Sandlin "….. Every Nazi-occupied country of World War II had a resistance -- courageous patriots doing all they could to vex, subvert, cripple, and eventually destroy the monstrous Nazi regime oppressing their homeland. The Allied forces working to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation gained valuable assistance from each nation's resistance. ……. The Western world today is, by and large, occupied by hostile forces in many ways more monstrous than the Nazis. These forces, like communism and National Socialism itself, are committed to a rapacious secular humanism. They are incensed by any public expression of Christianity, and they violently oppose it. The prime objective of their elites is worldwide domination for the forces of anti-Christianity. ........."

Worldnetdaily 7/8/00 Andrew Sandlin "….. Early this June, for example, students at a public high school in Mississippi held a fully legal and constitutional out-of-class meeting in which they apparently experienced genuine, Christian revival. The principal, a professed Christian, did not step in when the five-hour revival spilled into class time. She was criticized and even vilified by the secular liberal elite. ...... The secular elite are not neutral when it comes to Christianity. It is not neutrality they want in the public arena, but dominance for their religion -- secular humanism. ……..This secular humanism is the dominant religion of our culture, not merely the schools. It pervades the arts, media, and technology, business -- and even many churches. Its goal is a radical transformation of the inherited Christian civilization of the Middle Ages and the Reformation to which colonial America and the early United States were committed. It is nothing less than a full-scale revolution designed to remake Western society in the image of secular, humanist man. Sadly, the revolution to this point has dramatically succeeded. …….We live in an almost thoroughly secular culture, devoid of almost all Christian civilization. ……"

Worldnetdaily 7/8/00 Andrew Sandlin "….. The new Christian resistance must change this. We must not sit passively by while unborn children are butchered, older children are indoctrinated in anti-Christian propaganda funded by our tax dollars, "churches" deny the core doctrines of the Bible, and country-club politicians surrender our liberties. We must write, pray, preach, teach, work, vote, telephone, and e-mail -- we must employ every legitimate peaceful measure to turn the tide of evil. A status quo Christianity that lopes along hoping all will be well simply will not suffice. It is high time that Christians say, "Enough! We will no longer tolerate abortion, euthanasia, pornography, feminism, socialism, gun control, tax-financed secular education, Hollywood sewage, immorality, and so on." ….."

Worldnetdaily 7/8/00 Andrew Sandlin "….. Second, we must return to the whole Word of God, the Bible. We must not think that the Bible's message can be reduced to the gospel. The gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is a central theme of the Bible; but it is not the only theme. The same Bible that says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31), also says, "Thou shalt not kill," and "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:13 and 15). ….."

Worldnetdaily 7/8/00 Andrew Sandlin "….. Third, we must recognize that Christianity is not a Sunday-go-to-meetin' religion, but an entire "life system," or worldview. The popular view which holds that all of our duties are discharged to God when we have attended church on Sunday and experienced a five-minute daily "quiet time" enjoys no approval from the Bible. The Scriptures tell us, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). ….."

Worldnetdaily 7/8/00 Andrew Sandlin "….. Finally, and no less importantly, we must rekindle our love for and devotion to the Triune God. This is the first and great commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). Ours is not fundamentally a political, or even a cultural, agenda but a religious agenda with profoundly cultural and political implications. …….Christians must return to their knees and cry out to God for revival and reformation, beginning in their own lives, families, and churches. There must be a restoration of fervent, biblical, Spirit-anointed preaching in our pulpits. There must be a revival of husbands' and fathers' decisive, manly leadership in the family and in the church. There must be a heightened dedication to training our children in the Faith -- and training them to assume positions of leadership in tomorrow's culture. When our territory is occupied by secular humanists, halfway measures will not suffice. ……"

World Net Daily 4/1/00 P Andrew Sandlin "….. (T)he process of secularization arises not from the loss of faith but from the loss of social interest in the world of faith. It begins the moment men feel that religion is irrelevant to the common way of life and that society as such has nothing to do with the truths of faith. -- Christopher Dawson …………. Now here is a perplexing fact: there are arguably more professing Christians per capita in the world today than ever before in history, yet the world is more secular than at any time in history. Rampant secularization is obviously not incompatible with an increasing number of Christians. How can this be? The mere hint that Christianity or the Bible may in some tangential way influence Congress, the courts, the government schools, major forms of art and media, and so on, is met with such vehement protest that the reports in the Christian media of extensive individual conversions and impressive revivals seem curiously irrelevant. ......"

Christian Science Monitor 7/12/00 Kim Campbell "….But the British Methodist Church is taking the discussion to a different level. It's welcoming convicted sex offenders into its 6,500 congregations, and it's established guidelines for how to help them rebuild their lives - while protecting the children in their communities. ……. Along with the Methodists, the Anglicans, and to some extent the Roman Catholics here have also addressed how to deal with the presence of sex offenders. ………."

Episcopal News Service 7/16/00 Joe Thoma "…… Bishops concurred with the House of Deputies on the morning of July 14, their last legislative day, in a resolution (C031) that encourages the Boy Scouts of America to allow adult leaders to serve regardless of their sexual orientation...."

London Times 3/5/00 Richard Owen "….. THE leading conservative contender to succeed the Pope yesterday said that the "Antichrist" was already on Earth in the guise of a prominent philanthropist whose concern for human rights and the environment and advocacy of ecumenicism masks his real aim: the destruction of Christianity and "the death of God". Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, 71, the Archbishop of Bologna, said the Antichrist was not the beast with seven heads described in the Book of Revelation but a "fascinating personality" whose outward charm and plausibility had deceived his enemies. Cardinal Biffi said the Antichrist espoused vegetarianism, pacifism, environmentalism and animal rights. He also identified the Antichrist as an expert on the Bible who nonetheless promotes "vague and fashionable spiritual values" rather than the Scriptures. He advocates ecumenical dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, including Anglicanism and the Orthodox Church. This appeared to be a worthy aim, but was in fact being used by the Antichrist in an attempt to water down and undermine Catholicism to the point where it collapsed. The cardinal did not say whether he had any particular world figure in mind, and his real target seemed to be the substitution of "feel-good" causes, such as ecology and humanitarian aid, for "true religion". …."

Catholic World News Service (Vatican Update) 6/19/00"…… The formal publication of the "third secret" of Fatima, together with a commentary prepared by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will take place on June 26. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will present the new document to the media, along with the secretary of the Congregation, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone. The text will be published simultaneously in several different languages. The 40-page document contains a reproduction of the manuscript written by Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children to whom the Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima in 1917. Lucia-- the sole survivor among the Fatima seers, who is now a Carmelite nun living in Coimbra, Portugal-- wrote down the message in 1944. …… Until this year, only the first two parts of the message conveyed to the children by the Virgin had been made public. Those first two parts included a vision of Hell, a prediction of World War II, a call to prayer and repentance, and a warning that the Church would face persecutions which could only be overcome by the consecration of the world to Mary. The "third secret" had been very closely guarded, until on May 13 of this year Cardinal Angelo Sodano announced-- at the explicit request of Pope John Paul II-- that the message would soon be made public in its entirety. Cardinal Sodano made that announcement at Fatima, were he accompanied the Pope to celebrate the canonization of the two deceased Fatima seers. ......Cardinal Sodano said that the "third secret" concerned the "battle of the atheistic systems against the Church and against Christians. Of the 28 lines of the message, 2 lines refer to a bishop "dressed in white" who is shot down while marching toward the Cross. That vision apparently refers to the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981, on May 13-- the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. ..."

From the Vatican web site 6/26/00

WorldNetDaily.com 7/2/00 Jon Dougherty "…..A Catholic priest who says he has seen the original text of the "third secret" of Fatima disputes the official interpretation of the secret released by the Vatican…….. Now that it has finally been published, Catholics in the traditionalist faction say the version published differs from the original. Critics include a priest who says he has seen the original third secret text. …… Rev. Dr. Gommar A. De Pauw, founder of the Catholic Traditionalist Movement, told WorldNetDaily earlier this week that while attending the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council -- held between 1962 and 1965 -- he was shown a copy of the third secret. …….. Fr. De Pauw, a Belgian-born priest who attended the Council as an adviser, said that although he had to "let the Vatican's interpretation sink in," his first impression of the 27-page document explaining the third secret and placing it in context of the other two was, "Thanks, but no thanks." ……. Missing from the Vatican's explanation, he said, was a portion of the secret that predicted the fall of the modern Catholic Church. ……"While at the (Second Vatican) Council, I was given the text -- the supposed text -- of the third secret of Fatima," Fr. De Pauw said. "Journal reporters -- journalists -- gave it to me" and a few others in attendance. …."They left it for me in a strange way, really," he said. "At my desk, in front of me, in the press room." Besides serving the Vatican in various functions and manners over the years, Fr. De Pauw said he was also an "accredited journalist," which, he said, explained his presence in the press area. Fr. De Pauw, who couldn't remember the reporter's name, said, "word got out among the journalists" that a copy of the text was "floating around." "Reporters would increasingly ask me, 'Is this real? Is it genuine?'" he said. ……."

EWTN News 2/7/00 "…. For the first time since 1978, the number of priests in the world rose last year. That was one of the key findings in a compilation of statistics about the Catholic Church, issued by the Vatican on February 5…… Europe now accounts for only 27.8 percent of the world's Catholics; Africa for 11.4 percent, Asia 10.5 percent, and Oceania only 0.8 percent……"

NY POST 2/15/00 Fredrick Dicker "….. WHEN Father Dennis Brennan, the longtime pastor of St. Margaret of Cortona Roman Catholic Church, goes on his weekly trip to the grocery store, he looks, well, unusual. The 5-foot 8-inch, balding, Irish-born priest wears a dark, full-length dress, an ill-fitting ladies' white wig, and a silver necklace. He also sports a lady's shoulder bag. ……"

AP 6/10/99 "...Pope John Paul II stressed loyalty to the church today and cautioned young people against falling victim to "travesties of religion, or to manipulations of the truth.'' ....[ re: Russian martyrs] John Paul said. "'How sweet it is to die for the faith.' These were their last words.'' Such devotion was needed today, he said, citing "problems and violent changes'' facing humanity. "In such a world, many people, especially the young, feel lost and wounded,'' the pontiff said. "Some fall victim to sects and travesties of religion, or to manipulations of the truth. Others succumb to different forms of slavery. Attitudes of selfishness, injustice and insensitivity to the needs of others become more widespread.''..."

EWTN 1/20/2000 "….Almost one year ago, a group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) announced that they intend to get the Vatican kicked out of the United Nations. …. * The leader of the campaign is Frances Kissling, President of Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), an NGO dedicated to overturning official Catholic teaching on contraception and abortion….* Called "See Change", the campaign began with 70 organizations, including one of the most powerful UN NGOs, International Planned Parenthood Federation, the largest abortion provider in the world. …..* Participants include the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, Equality Now, Marie Stopes International, the National Abortion Federation, the Feminist Majority, the Sierra Club, Population Concern, Center for Research on Population and Security, the American Humanist Association, and Atheists United. The list includes groups from more than a dozen countries…"

EWTN 7/16/99 NEW YORK (CWNews.com) 7/19/99 "... A UN committee focusing on women's rights has pressured governments to stop promoting motherhood and called on religions to change the interpretation of their sacred texts as part of a campaign to promote radical feminism, according to a Catholic pro-family group on Friday. The Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute said the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women has used the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to put pressure on the 163 countries that have ratified it to implement their vision of feminism. The committee recently directed the government of Libya to reinterpret the Koran, the sacred text of Islam, "in light of the provisions of the Convention." ....The Committee criticized Croatia for allowing "church-related organizations to adversely influence" women's rights. It told the Dominican Republic that an "intermingling of the secular and religious spheres" is a "serious impediment to implementing the Convention." .....The group also admonished Armenia to "use the educational system and electronic media to combat the traditional stereotype of women 'in the noble role of mother,'" and the Czech Republic was criticized for "over-protective measures for pregnancy and motherhood." ..."

Agence France-Press 4/3/00 "…….. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev on Monday characterized Pope John Paul II as "the most important socialist in the world," lauding him for making the plight of the poor and solidarity key themes of his papacy. "Globalization can also have destructive effects but we must pursue, as the pope says, its positive aspects," the former Soviet leader said in a speech to students of Rome's Sapienza University. "Wherever John Paul II goes on his trips, he will always speak of the poor and of solidarity. He is the most important socialist in the world." If globalization is to be fair, the gap between North and South must not be deepened, and political and economic freedom and social justice must be granted, he added. Gorbachev said he was convinced that the outcome of Russia's presidential elections would allow President-elect Vladimir Putin to break with the past. "I have told him this personally," he said. "Now it is up to him to radically change things without losing time." ......"

Catholic Telecommunications 5/30/00 "……British government plans to lift the ban on men kissing in public have been opposed by a Catholic women's group. The proposal is part of the package of sex law reforms which was announced earlier this week. While the National Board of Catholic Women (NBCW) welcomed the "long overdue" changes which would protect men from rape, it remains opposed to proposals which would allow men to kiss in public -- currently considered an act of indecency. NBCW President, Freda Lambert, told The Universe newspaper: "We do not oppose homosexuality, but men kissing in public is a homosexual practice and we do oppose it. It would make us feel uncomfortable." ….."

Chicago Sun-Times 5/27/00 Thomas Roeser "…..A new book could well be a prelude to a new campaign by abortion proponents that ties false reasoning and misapplications of early church fathers Augustine and Aquinas to a rationale for abortion a full seven months after conception. The book by Daniel A. Dombrowski and Robert Deltete is published by University of Illinois Press and entitled A Brief, Liberal Catholic Defense of Abortion. Brief it is (158 pages), liberal it undeniably is, but Catholic it certainly is not. Its argument utilizes quaint, medieval philosophy of nature, the only knowledge known to Augustine and Aquinas at the time, to attempt to justify what certainly the two saints would not--abortion at seven months following conception. It argues that up to that point the unborn child is not a human, but just as "a pile of wires and switches is not an electrical circuit," a "collection of nerve cells is not a functioning brain." …..

telegraph /UK 7/2/00 Bruce Johnston "…… A BISHOP blamed Italy's permissive society yesterday for the actions of three middle-class teenage girls whose brutal murder of a mother superior "for a lark" has shocked the country. The girls confessed to killing Mother Maria Laura Mainetti, 61, two days after they were arrested on Wednesday. Police said they told officers, "with an incredibly cynical and determined manner, like mafiosi", that she died as part of a joke. The trio - one aged 16 and the others 17 - were tracked down after a witness reported seeing them with the victim, who was discovered stabbed and bludgeoned in a park in Chiavenna, northern Italy, in early June. ……. Residents of Chiavenna, a prosperous town of 7,000 inhabitants near Lake Como, were stunned by the news. Mother Maria Laura's convent specialises in working with drug addicts and prostitutes, and it was thought at first that she had been attacked by one of those being helped. ….."

Spirit daily 7/4/00 "……The chief exorcist in Rome states in a new book that infestations of evil are on the rise and in some instances skyrocketing, especially in the form of seances, witchcraft, and satanic cults. "Unfortunately, in the past fifteen years, we have witnessed an increase, almost an explosion, of these types of associations," says the exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth. …….The priest also points out that any form of magic, the occult, or psychic phenomena is dangerous. "There are no such things as `white' and `black' magic," writes Amorth. "There is only black magic. Every form of magic is practiced with recourse to satan." ……Amorth is also concerned with false visionaries who "simply by sitting in front of a blank piece of paper with a pen in their hands are able to write page after page of spontaneous messages." The most frequent signs of evil influence, he says, are "visions, locutions, false mysticism, or the claim to be a visionary. In these circumstances, when we are not in the presence of psychological illnesses, we are often confronted with the deception of demons." ……..Amorth says the presence of evil is often manifested by insomnia, headaches, or stomachaches; or general malaise that happens in particular settings. Often, he says, diabolical possession is mistakenly considered a mental illness. "I must point out that too many churchmen are totally disinterested in these problems, and so they leave the faithful defenseless," he warned. …."

WorldNetDaily.com 7/6/00 Jon Dougherty "….Detractors of the Vatican's official version of the third secret of Fatima point to reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary that occurred in the early 1970s as evidence that the newly released secret could be false, or, at a minimum, incomplete. ….Critics of the version of the third secret released by Rome last month say that it is not the "real secret," and that key portions contained in another version believed to be authentic by some Catholic traditionalists have also been "foretold" by the Holy Mother to a nun in Japan in 1973. Those apparitions, known collectively as the "Message of Akita," were revealed to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa, beginning June 12, 1973, and lasting nine years, according to various sources. …..Included in those apparitions were these messages:

* July 6, 1973: "Is the infirmity of your ears painful? Your deafness will be healed. Does the wound of your hand cause you to suffer? Pray in reparation for the sins of men. [The apparition gave the text of a prayer.] Pray very much for the pope, bishop and priests. Tell your superior all that passed today. ..."

* Aug. 3, 1973: "If you love the Lord, listen to what I have to say to you. It is very important; you will convey it to your superior. Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console him to soften the anger of the heavenly father. I wish, with my son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates.

"In order that the world might know his anger, the heavenly father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the father. I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering him the sufferings of the son on the cross, his precious blood, and beloved souls who console him forming a cohort of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the father's anger. ... Even in a secular institute, prayer is necessary. Already souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered together. Without attaching too much attention to the form, be faithful and fervent in prayer to console the master."

* Oct. 13, 1973: "My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to you. You will inform your superior. As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. ... The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres ... churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them. Today is the last time that I will speak to you in living voice. From now on you will obey the one sent to you and your superior."

The final date of the prophecy given to Agnes by the Holy Mother, researchers point out, was 56 years to the day after the Virgin Mary stopped appearing to the three Portuguese visionaries. ……."

* St. Malachy O'Morgair (1095?-1148)
While on his way to the Vatican to assume the post of papal legate for Ireland, he fell into trance and saw a line of papal reigns stretching from the successor to Innocent II and extending through centuries to the last of the line, identified as Peter of Rome. Malachy assigned short descriptions in Latin to each pope when he committed his vision to paper. These mottoes usually refer to a family name, birthplace, coat-of-arms, or office held before election to the papacy. Some of the phrases are multiple prophecies, written with ingenious word play. For example, Pius II, who reigned for only 26 days in 1503, was aptly described as "De Parvo Homine" (from a little man). His family name was Piccolomini, Italian for "little man."

Here are descriptions of the final popes according to Malachy:
* Pastor et Nauta/Shepherd and Navigator: John XXIII (1958 -1963), patriarch of Venice (a city full of sailors) led his flock to a modernization of the Church through the Ecumenical Council. John chose two symbols for this Council -- a cross and a ship.

* Flors Florum/Flower of Flowers: Paul VI (1963-1978) had a coat-of-arms depicting three fleurs-de-lis.

* De Medietate Lunae/From the Half Moon: John Paul I (1978-1978) had the given name of Albino Luciani or "white light." Half-way into his short reign, a lunar eclipse occurred. (my Note: John Paul I reigned for exactly 1 lunar cycle...)

* De Labore Solis/From the Toil of the Sun [Labore could also be Effort, Distress, Suffering, Trouble, leading to quite a few variations. The preceding is the usual translation.]: John Paul II was born during the solar eclipse of May 18, 1920.

* De Gloria Olivae/From the Glory of the Olives: The Order of Saint Benedict has claimed that this pope will come from their ranks. Saint Benedict himself prophesied that before the end of the world his Order, known also as the Olivetans, will triumphantly lead the Catholic Church in its fight against evil. (My Note: Is this the Pope in the third secret that is killed?)

* Petrus Romanus/Peter of Rome: The Final Pope? "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock among many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people." According to him Peter of Rome is the last Pope before Christ returns...

* John of the Cleft Rock (14th Century) Towards the end of the world, tyrants and hostile mobs will rob the Church and the clergy of all their possessions and will afflict and martyr them. Those who heap the most abuse upon them will be held in high esteem. At that time, the Pope with his cardinals will have to flee Rome in tragic circumstances to a place where they will be unknown. The Pope will die a cruel death in his exile. The sufferings of the Church will be much greater than at any previous time in her history. But God will raise a holy Pope, and the Angels will rejoice. Enlightened by God, this man will rebuild almost the whole world through his holiness. He will lead everyone to the true Faith. (Yves Dupont, Catholic Prophecy, Tan Books and Publishers, 1973)

* Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (17th Century) The fifth period of the Church, which began circa 1520, will end with the arrival of the holy Pope and of the powerful Monarch who is called "Help From God" because he will restore everything. The fifth period is one of affliction, desolation, humiliation, and poverty for the Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people through cruel wars, famines, plagues, epidemics, and other horrible calamities. He will also afflict and weaken the Latin Church with many heresies. It is a period of defections, calamities and exterminations. Those Christians who survive the sword, plague and famines, will be few on earth. During this period, many men will abuse of the freedom of conscience conceded to them. It is of such men that Jude the Apostle spoke when he said, "These men blaspheme whatever they do not understand; and they corrupt whatever they know naturally as irrational animals do." They will ridicule Christian simplicity; they will call it folly and nonsense, but they will have the highest regard for advanced knowledge, and for the skill by which the axioms of law, the precepts of morality, the Holy Canons and religious dogmas are clouded by senseless questions and elaborate arguments. These are the evil times, a century full of dangers and calamities. Heresy is everywhere, and the followers of heresy are in power almost everywhere. but God will permit a great evil against His Church: Heretics and tyrants will come suddenly and unexpectedly; they will break into the Church. They will enter Italy and lay Rome waste; they will burn down churches and destroy everything.

* Sister Elena Aiello (20th Century, Italy) Oh, what a horrible vision I see! A great revolution is going on in Rome! They are entering the Vatican. The Pope is all alone; he is praying. They are holding the Pope. They take him by force. They knock him down to the floor. They are tying him. Oh. God! Oh, God! They are kicking him. What a horrible scene! How dreadful! . . . The flock is about to be dispersed and the Pope will suffer greatly."

(Albert J. Hebert, Prophecies! the Chastisement and Purification!, P.O. Box 309, Paulina, LA 70763)

* Leo XIII On October 13, 1884, Leo had just completed a celebration of Mass in one of the Vatican's private chapels. Standing at the foot of the altar, he suddenly turned ashen and collapsed to the floor. After a few minutes spent in what seemed like a coma, he revived and remarked to those around him, "Oh, what a horrible picture I was permitted to see!" What Leo had apparently seen, as described later by those who talked to him at the time of his vision, was a period of about one hundred years when the power of Satan would reach its zenith. That period was to be the twentieth century. Leo was so shaken by the specter of the destruction of moral and spiritual values, both inside and outside the Church, that he composed a prayer which was to be said at the end of each Mass celebrated anywhere in the Catholic Church. This prayer to Michael the Archangel was said continuously until the Mass was restructured in the Second Vatican council.

* Pius X

During an audience for the general chapter of the Franciscan order in 1909, the pontiff appeared to enter a trance. Those present remained motionless and silent. After a few moments, Pius opened his eyes, rose from his seat, and cried, "What I have seen is terrifying! Will I be the one, or will it be a successor? What is certain is that the Pope will leave Rome and, in leaving the Vatican, he will have to pass over the dead bodies of his priests!" He then cautioned the witnesses, "Do not tell anyone this while I am alive." Just before his death, Pius had another vision. "I have seen one of my successors, of the same name, who was fleeing over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in some hiding place; but after a brief respite, he will die a cruel death. Respect for God has disappeared from human hearts. They wish to efface even God's memory. This perversity is nothing less than the beginning of the last days of the world."

AP 7/10/00 Selcan Hacaoglu "…….In his last hours in Italy, Agca offered profuse thanks to the pope, who had personally forgiven and comforted his would-be killer during a 1983 visit to Agca's prison cell. But as he was moved out of the Istanbul courtroom Monday, Agca, white-haired after nearly two decades in jail, shouted: "The Vatican is the enemy of God, it is the enemy of humanity!" "I will make the Vatican empire - the enemy of humanity - feel remorse," he said. "I have launched a cultural war against the Vatican." Agca also issued a handwritten statement through his lawyer accusing the Vatican of "changing" the secrets of Fatima and of orchestrating the 1981 assassination attempt against the pope. ……."Oh My Dear Brother Pope: RESIGN!, resign right away and return to Poland," Agca wrote. "You are a good man. You cannot sit at the top of the devil's center, the Vatican and at the top of history's dump. "My Catholic brothers, I love you, why do you not abandon a Vatican which arranges the assassination of its own pope?" ......"

WorldNetDaily 7/5/00 Jon Dougherty "….. The Vatican's release of the 'third secret of Fatima has sparked controversy in a number of Catholic quarters with experts, researchers, religious figures and authors debating whether or not the released secret is authentic, and if not, what the real secret actually says and means…… Michael Brown, a noted Catholic author and researcher, said he is aware that some traditionalists routinely disparage Vatican announcements and policies, but noted that not all traditionalists fall under a category one might describe as "extreme." Regarding the Fatima prophesies, Brown told WorldNetDaily that, while not an official "expert," he has spent a great deal of time and energy researching the phenomenon, as well as its lone surviving visionary, the 93-year-old Sr. Lucia de Santos……. "I would be intensely skeptical of anyone who saw that secret except for those who were privy to the Holy Office," where the secret has been kept since 1957, Brown said. "Cardinal Ratzinger [the Vatican official who wrote the interpretation] and Pope John Paul II certainly had read the secret before it was revealed, but I don't believe [others] saw it first." ……… Brown noted that there have been "false versions" of the third secret circulated prior to its official release this month. ……One notable release of an alleged false secret, Brown said, occurred in a German publication in 1963, a year after the Second Vatican Council was underway. That version contained elements asserted by De Pauw, including the penetration of the Church by Satan, along with its resultant fall in modern times, and a description of global destruction, resulting in "the time of times and the end of all ends." "Sr. Lucy herself said that version was bogus," Brown said. ……"

WorldNetDaily 7/5/00 Jon Dougherty "….. Brown disputed that, adding that Lucia -- if the Vatican approves -- is even set to publish a new book entitled, "Os apelos da Mensagem de Fatima," that answers many questions she has received over the years from pilgrims. Other "hidden" insights that Brown did find, however, include revelations:
* ... that the pope did indeed believe that the intervention of Mary deflected the bullet that struck him May 13, 1981, causing it to take a path away from vital organs. According to John Paul II himself, "it was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path and in his throes the pope halted at the threshold of death."
* ... that there is an intense spiritual struggle in the present age. "The Evil One has power in this world," is the way the Vatican phrased it, and evil attempts to "steer our freedom" away from God.
* ... that Fatima is "the most prophetic of modern apparitions" and has "drawn back on a series of events which make history and interpret it in depth, in a spiritual perspective alien to present-day attitudes, often tainted with rationalism." This statement was a clear rebuke of overly intellectual and scientific approaches to the ultimate truths in today's society.
* ... that John Paul II first read the secret not in 1979, as widely thought, but only after his shooting. It was received by Cardinal Franjo Seper of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 18, 1981, in two envelopes: one white, containing Lucia's original text, and the other orange with an Italian translation. John Paul then read it and it was returned to the Archives of the Holy Office, where it had been so confidentially kept since 1957.
* ... that John Paul specifically asked for deliverance of the world and all the nations from nuclear war during the special Consecration of the world to Mary in 1984, which Lucia says prevented a war that would otherwise have occurred in 1985. Had the Consecration not occurred -- had John Paul not invoked "Our Blessed Mother's light of Hope" -- the angel with the flaming sword would not have been drowned out by Mary's light. The sword itself sounded like [multiple warheads] tipped with multiple nuclear bombs……..
"That the media did not pick up at all that [in the third secret] you had an angel poised with a sword was incredible," Brown added. "That had not been revealed on May 13," when the pope authorized a Vatican spokesman to release a short summary of the secret. ……"

WorldNetDaily 7/5/00 Jon Dougherty "…..Kathleen Keating,, who has just finished publishing, "Final Warning: The Book," an apocalyptic nonfiction prose about -- among other things -- subjects discussed in the version of the third secret held by De Pauw -- told WorldNetDaily her sources inside the Vatican confirmed long ago the version which predicts the fall of the modern Catholic Church. "When he was in Fatima May 13, the pope said we are in the midst, basically, of chapter 12, Verse 3 of the Book of Revelation," Keating said. According to The Living Bible, Revelation 12:3 reads, "Suddenly a red Dragon appeared, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his head." The "red Dragon" is then described in Revelation 12:9 as Satan. ……. Yet, she pointed out, in Ratzinger's interpretation of the third secret, he wrote, "The future is not, in fact, unchangeably set, and the image which the [three Portuguese] children saw is in no way a film preview of a future in which nothing can be changed." ……"How can the Vatican support the Word of God, as stated in the Bible, which prepares us for the tribulations in Revelation, then suggest that the future can be changed? That's hypocritical. The future can be mitigated, but not changed," Keating said. ……"

WorldNetDaily 7/5/00 Jon Dougherty "…..In the first secret, for example, the Vatican accepts Lucia's description of Hell shown her by Mary. Yet, in Ratzinger's interpretation of the third secret, he wrote that at its conclusion it "uses images which Lucia may have seen in devotional books and which draw their inspiration from long-standing intuitions of faith." ………."On the one hand, the Vatican accepts her vision of Hell at face value, but on the other hand, Rome now seems to be saying the visions in her third secret -- which, again, were also shown to her at nearly the same time by the Virgin Mary -- are part of her imagination," said Keating. "Which is it? Is Sr. Lucia right all of the time in what she and the other children saw, only part of the time, or none of the time? She has not changed her story since 1917." ……"

CNS News 7/5/00 Bob Melvin "……. With "World Pride 2000," an international gathering of homosexuals in Rome, underway this week, Vice President and presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Al Gore, a supporter of the celebration in Italy, has told the Catholic League that he urges 'tolerance' of homosexuals. On June 1, Catholic League president William Donohue, in a letter to Gore, asked him to support the Vatican's request that the World Pride 2000 march in Rome, scheduled for this Saturday, either be postponed or moved to another location so as not to interfere with the Roman Catholic Church's "Jubilee 2000" celebration. ………Donohue told Gore in the letter that leaders of the World Pride 2000 event said they chose Rome as the venue for their homosexual celebration so they could offend the Vatican. Gore responded to Donohue's letter on July 3 by saying that he respected the Catholic League for its work against intolerance and "all organizations that are committed to ridding our society of bias and prejudice. "This is one issue where I will be unable to help," Gore stated. He went on to say, "I believe that the larger issue is one of tolerance. Just as I will stand by you whenever you are working to fight intolerance on religious grounds, I also believe we need to be tolerant when it comes to sexual orientation as well." ……In response to Gore's fax received on Monday, Donohue said, "My letter to the vice president was occasioned by the expressed intolerance of Roman Catholicism by the leaders of the World Gay Pride march, and he writes back saying 'the larger issue here is one of tolerance' for sexual orientation! ……."

The London Telegraph 2/20/99 Bruce Johnston "……. TO the amusement of the Italian public but the consternation of the Vatican, nuns and priests in Rome have become catwalk models and crooned on a karaoke show for a television audience of millions. The two events were widely seen as further evidence of the clergy's bid for a more modern profile ahead of the Millennium celebrations. "Being beautiful doesn't have to mean being vulgar," said Sister Danilea, a 25-year-old in cherry-red lipstick, who was speaking backstage after modelling a grey bell-bottomed trouser suit. "Beauty is a gift of God which can be modelled with simplicity. That is my message." …… The fashion show in a Rome pizzeria was organised by a priest, Fr Antonio Mazzi, to help fund the drug rehabilitation clinic he runs. But its real message was aimed at the fashion world. The organisers said it was a way of gently striking back at the growing use by the fashion world of religious symbolism to create a shock effect. ….. But not all the clergy approve. One bishop said the events were "blasphemous" and a "dangerous compromise." But last night many clergy were expected to tune in secretly to Furore, a karaoke games show, where this week's contestants were nuns and priests. ….."

Reuters, via Excite 7/18/00 "…….Dutch authorities will not prosecute Pope John Paul for discrimination after he slammed a gay rights march as an "offence to Christian values," an Amsterdam court said on Tuesday. It said the public prosecutor had decided not to press charges because of the Pope's status as head of the Roman Catholic church, head of the Vatican state and highest representative of the Holy See. This position gave him global immunity from jurisdiction, the court said in a statement. ……"

ExciteNews (AP) 7/23/00 Ellen Knickmeyer "……Pope John Paul II pressed his appeal for a special international status for Jerusalem upon Camp David negotiators Sunday, saying that only international oversight could safeguard all the ancient city's religions. "The Holy See continues to maintain that only a special statute internationally guaranteed can effectively preserve the most sacred areas of the Holy City," John Paul said, speaking in his weekly Sunday address to pilgrims gathered below his window at his summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome. …….Such international safeguards would "assure freedom of religion and of worship for all the faithful who, in the region and the entire world, look to Jerusalem as a crossroads of peace and of coexistence," John Paul said, invoking the city's "holy places and the three monotheistic religions that surround them." ……."

Yahoo (AFP) 7/30/00 "…….US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is to travel to Rome this week to confer with the Vatican on the Middle East peace process, particularly the status of Jerusalem, the State Department said Sunday. Albright, who was originally scheduled to return to the United States on Monday after visits to Thailand and Japan, will instead fly to Rome for talks with Vatican secretary for foreign relations, Monsignor Jean-Louis Tauran…….. "This has been an area of great interest to the Vatican," Boucher said, noting in particular Pope John Paul II's calls for Jerusalem to be granted special status in any peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians……."Their view is quite well known and we do keep in mind the views of others as we proceed in this," he told reporters travelling with Albright……."

Ha'aretz 8/15/00 Amnon Barzilai and Amira Hass "…….The Vatican disagrees with the Palestinians' belief that they are the keepers of Jerusalem's holy sites, Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran yesterday told acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, who was visiting the papal state. Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has meanwhile told Regional Cooperation Minister Shimon Peres that he is prepared to help the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Both Ben-Ami and Peres have been dispatched by Prime Minister Ehud Barak to explain Israel's positions at the recent failed Camp David summit to world leaders. …….. Sources in Jerusalem believe that the objection by European leaders to the Palestinian Authority's unilateral declaration of independence will cause the Palestinians to be more flexible in their positions……."

Fatima Center 8/16/00"…... The four-page document released by the Vatican on June 26, which it claims is the Third Secret, has only renewed the Third Secret controversy. It is not the single sheet of paper containing words of the Virgin Mary which everyone had expected and to which the Vatican itself had referred in 1960. The Vatican "spin" on the text released June 26, is that it refers to the assassination attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and other events entirely in the past. Many have asked why, if this is so, the Vatican continued to suppress the Secret for nearly 20 years after the assassination attempt. The enclosed publication provides a detailed exposé of the machinations behind the recent controversial disclosures, as well as the background leading up to these events. Many Catholic publications and secular journals have already expressed skepticism about the Vatican's claim that this is the authentic text of the long-awaited Third Secret. There has also been much criticism of the Vatican's official interpretation of the document. The Vatican has offered no explanation for its long suppression of this seemingly innocuous document, which contains none of the criticism of Church policies or leadership it was expected to contain. While Vatican officials have attempted to close the door on Fatima with this publication, it seems clear that the real story is still unfolding, and there are more chapters to come……"

The Times UK 6/12/00 Ruth Gledhill "….. ONE of the most influential clergymen in the Church of England has issued an apocalyptic warning that the end of the world is nigh and that time is running out before the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Rev Sandy Millar, 61, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, in Knightsbridge, London, has linked the contemporary worldwide evangelical revival to the imminent return of Jesus and the start of a "New Age". …… Writing in his parish's Pentecost newsletter, Mr Millar - whose pioneering Alpha course has persuaded hundreds of thousands of people to convert, or return, to Christianity - said the warning of an influential 20th-century clergyman, that "the coming of the Lord draws nigh", had even greater urgency today. ……..People must turn to Jesus Christ "while there is still time", he said. "On some day in the future, Jesus will return, the world as we know it will come to an end, and the real New Age will begin." Apocalyptic warnings, while fairly common from charismatic or fringe churches, are rare from a clergyman of the Established Church. ….."

Independent UK via Drudge Report 4/16/00 Hazel Southam "…… With attendances falling faster than ever, a new report sees the future for Christianity in Britain as bleak ……. Holy Week has begun with an expert prediction that the Christian church in this country will be dead and buried within 40 years. It will vanish from the mainstream of British life, with only 0.5 per cent of the population attending the Sunday services of any denomination, according to the country's leading church analyst. ….All claims that Britain is a Christian nation will finally have to be given up, says the church attendance specialist, Peter Brierley. …….."

Oak Lawn (IL) Reporter 4/6/00 Michael Bates "…… What ever happened to Hell? It used to be that a major feature of most religions was warning where our souls would end up if we didn't follow the straight and narrow. Now we're much too sophisticated to spend time worrying about stuff like that. For one thing, we no longer believe people should be judged, even by God. …. According to one national poll, 89 percent of Americans believe in a Heaven. Only 73 percent think there's a Hell. And just two percent of those believing there's an afterlife expect to go to Hell. Not wanting to alienate anyone, many churches modified their doctrine relating to Hell. Four years ago the Church on England officially declared that Hell isn't fire and brimstone. It's not a place of eternal torment. ……."

The Times UK 11/3/99 Ruth Gledhill "….A PRAYER that describes God as "mother" could be introduced to the Church of England's liturgy for the first time if it is accepted by the General Synod this month. ….. The Bishop of Oxford, the Right Rev Richard Harries, wants the prayer to be said at the centre of the Eucharist, the most sacred moment of a church service. A similar prayer was rejected after being debated at the synod three years ago...."

The Times 3/27/00 Ruth Glendhill "…….A LEADING Church of England theologian has called for a revision of the Christian stance against homosexuality, prostitution and drugs. John Elford, Canon Theologian of Liverpool Cathedral, argues that the widespread belief that the Bible prohibits active homosexual relationships is a false combination of prejudice and ignorance. In a book to be published next month, he calls for the decriminalisation of prostitution and drugs, and mounts an attack on the Pope and other conservatives who defend traditional moral certainties.. ……."

The Express 2/10/00 David Taylor "…..Psychotherapist Valerie Sinason, who has been paid by the Department of Health to study adult survivors of alleged organised ritual abuse, said yesterday she was "completely convinced" Satanic abuse does occur. She claimed to have evidence about children whose births were not officially registered being reared for abuse and sacrifice. The scientist, who edited a clinical textbook on Satanist abuse after the controversies in Rochdale, the Orkneys and Nottingham in the early 1990s, has claimed previously to have evidence of at least 100 murders. Her study of cases from nearly 40 psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health experts will claim that she has seen evidence of physical injuries in adult survivors, who tell of seeing people drugged and killed. She said that out of 76 patients she has seen at her London clinic, 46 claimed that they had witnessed the murder of children or adults. The Department of Health yesterday stressed that it stood by the findings of a 1994 report which concluded there was organised abuse but that it was "not helpful or appropriate to call it Satanic." Scotland Yard is carrying out its own research project into ritual abuse…."

EWTN News Brief 1/25/2000 "…. Britain could soon completely sever all links with its Christian heritage if ministers succeed in scrapping the letters AD from the date. Years have been labeled AD (Anno Domini, the Year of Our Lord) or BC (Before Christ) for at least 400 years. But ministers say the labels are inappropriate in a multi-faith country and are launching a consultation with a view to using the more politically correct CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era). Under the new scheme this year would be CE2000 instead of AD2000. The Romans would have invaded Britain in BCE55 and the American War of Independence would have ended in CE1781. But there is already growing pressure from churchmen for the scheme to be abandoned……"

London Daily Telegraph 6/20/00 "……. A GOVERNMENT-BACKED European directive forcing religious organisations to employ non-believers and homosexuals is a step too far in the battle against discrimination. Under the directive's provisions, any employment discrimination on grounds of sexuality or religion would be outlawed. It would be illegal for churches to employ only Christians or for Jewish organisations to hire only Jews. It is of some small consolation that the clergy are exempt from the provisions. If they were not, a man could not be refused a job as a rabbi on the grounds that he was not a Jew……… "

Catholic World News 6/30/00 "……The British Methodist Conference on Wednesday announced plans to welcome pedophiles into their churches without alerting other members of the congregation in order to create a "community of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation" for offenders. The Conference had decided some time ago not to allow sex offenders to hold office in the church and to insist they were chaperoned at all times when they might be near children. And a working party set up in 1999 on Wednesday urged to the Conference's meeting in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, to accept that it was more appropriate to talk of sex offenders as "recovering" rather than "recovered" or "cured." ………However, their report also noted that 25 percent of convicted sex offenders attended prison chapels while serving their sentences and that a large proportion wanted to continue in faith on their release. It would be wrong, the report said, to turn them away. ……"

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 3/27/00 Jeff Robinson "……Christians in America will face great persecution soon and they must be aggressors in the midst of it, Josef Tson said March 2 at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. "This [persecution] is the new phenomenon that has arrived and it is going to increase," said Tson, president of the Romanian Missionary Society. "But we are the aggressors. God faced evil by sending his Son as the answer to it. Jesus came with three things: truth, love and self-sacrifice. When you are slaughtered, you win the battle ... and you win with these things." The persecution actually began in the early 1960s, Tson said, when all vestiges of Christianity were jettisoned from public schools in the United States. At the same time, the media grew hostile to the Christian faith, which spurred the rise of postmodernism in both the country's culture and universities, he said. As a result, America has lost any notion of absolute truth and has substituted sentimentality and political correctness as a yardstick for morality, he said. "The only crime now is the crime of intolerance done by evangelical Christians," Tson said. "The most scary thing [is] the new concept of hate crimes. You have to punish the hate more than the crime. "When Southern Baptists decided to continue to evangelize the Jews and the Hindus, that was called a hate crime. Don't you see you have all the elements of a climate of persecution of the Christians in America? Like every other such event, it has the gift of snowballing." ……"

WorldNetDaily 3/20/00 David Kupelian "……..

……..The truth is, Christians have been powerless to stop the spread of evil throughout America, even within their own churches. I always thought good was supposed to be more powerful than evil. Maybe there's not too much good in today's Christians -- not enough, anyway. Yes, the truth is, if and when the terrible time foretold in Revelation comes, most of us probably won't even notice this manifestation of ultimate evil. After all, we've had a lot of practice. …."

ABCNEWS.com 1/9/00 Peggy Wehmeyer "….They chant Jewish blessings and sing to Hebrew melodies, but these people say they are Christians. "I was born a Jew and I will die a Jew and I am also a follower of Jesus," says one Messianic Jew. "That makes me a Christian." But Jewish leaders say you cannot be both. And they are angry that Southern Baptists are challenging that view in their efforts to convert Jews to Christianity. The trouble began when the Baptists published a booklet encouraging Christians to pray for the salvation of Jews who are still waiting for the Messiah……. A coalition of leaders from every branch of Judaism sent a letter to the Baptists saying they were deeply offended that the Baptists embrace efforts to "deceive Jews into believing that one can be both a Jew and a Christian." "I can tell you the Baptists are not deceptive," Patterson says. "They have a right to claim to be Jewish as well as followers of the Messiah." …."It would be nice if instead of only loving us and therefore sharing faith with us," Lamm says, "you also respected us and let us be. Just let us be. That's all we ask." That's unlikely to happen, because not only do Baptists believe Jews can be Christians, but there's a sense of urgency in their evangelistic mission. Baptists believe something dramatic must happen before Jesus will return to set up his kingdom on Earth…."

AP Will Lester "...Accompanying the hum of computers and the roar of the economy at the end of the 20th century is a nagging feeling among many Americans that something has been lost. They describe it in various ways: an absence of morality, a loss of innocence, a lack of trust in others. Almost two-thirds of the people in a new poll say their families' lives have improved since the 1950s. But fewer than half say the country as a whole is better off now and nearly one-third say it is worse. ``There's more money, but less human caring,'' said Wayne Dubrawsky, a government worker from Orchard Park, N.Y...... "

WorldNetDaily 3/20/00 Julie Foster "……New implant technology currently used to locate lost pets has been adapted for use in humans, allowing implant wearers to emit a homing beacon, have vital bodily functions monitored and confirm identity when making e-commerce transactions. Applied Digital Solutions, an e-business to business solutions provider, acquired the patent rights to the miniature digital transceiver it has named "Digital Angel(r)." The company plans to market the device for a number of uses, including as a "tamper-proof means of identification for enhanced e-business security." …..Digital Angel(r) sends and receives data and can be continuously tracked by global positioning satellite technology. When implanted within a body, the device is powered electromechanically through the movement of muscles and can be activated either by the "wearer" or by a monitoring facility. ……"

BBC 10/30/99 Tom Brook

CNSNews.com 1/21/2000 Lawrence Morahan "….A statement by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, or SIECUS, that calls on faith communities to bless same-sex marriage and allow homosexual ministers is not representative of mainstream churches and should be rejected, public policy experts told CNSNews.com. "I find this very disturbing, but I don't find it as much of a surprise, Wanda Boyenga, director of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse, told CNSNews.com. "It's no secret that SIECUS has planned for some time to launch a major campaign to establish itself as a source of information regarding human sexuality for the faith-based communities of America," she said. The SIECUS statement calls for, among other things, "Full inclusion of women and sexual minorities in congregational life, including their ordination and the blessing of same sex unions." SIECUS also calls for "Lifelong, age appropriate sexuality education in schools, seminaries, and community settings." According to SIECUS guidelines, children ages 5 to 8 should be taught about masturbation; children ages 9 to 12 should be taught that there are many ways - including mutual masturbation and oral sex - to give and receive sexual pleasure, Boyenga said. SIECUS guidelines further state that children ages 12 to 15 should be told where they can buy contraceptives; and children 16 to 18 can be instructed to use erotic photographs, movies or literature to enhance their sexual fantasies, Boyenga said……"

CNSNews.com 6/23/00 Edward Blum Marc Levin "......The membership crisis that has plagued mainstream Christian and Jewish denominations for the last 25 years may be spreading to inner city black churches as well. ........ According to Carl Ellis, president of Project Joseph, a Tennessee-based Christian ministry, about two and one-half million American blacks classify themselves as Muslims. He believes that if the conversion rate continues unchanged, Islam could become the dominant religion in black urban areas by the year 2020.................."

New York Times.com 8/18/00 AP "…… In Prime Minister Ehud Barak's clearest statement yet about Palestinian statehood, he offered the Palestinians an independent state if they formally end their conflict with Israel. The remarks Thursday came as U.S. State Department negotiator Dennis Ross began talks to see if the two sides were ready to move toward a peace accord. Ross was set to see Israel's figurehead president Friday. He is also expected to meet with Barak and Palestinian officials, but not Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who is abroad. This is Ross' first trip to the region since a Barak-Arafat summit last month at the Camp David presidential retreat failed to produce an agreement. Most here assume a peace accord would include a Palestinian state, and some of Barak's Cabinet ministers have said so in public. Until now, Barak has preferred ambiguity on the matter. ……"

AP 8/14/00 "……Israeli police allowed the reopening of the al-Aqsa mosque compound to visitors Sunday, four days after closing it to prevent clashes between Jewish radicals and Palestinians. Muslim authorities at the site had closed the area to Jews Thursday to prevent the entrance of Jewish fanatics who support the reconstruction of an ancient Jewish temple in place of the mosques, which comprise the third-holiest site in Islam. ……."

Koenig's International News 8/10/00 Bill Koenig "……This is the time and opportunity for both the Israelis and Palestinians. Their negotiations are coming down to the status of Jerusalem, but they may never agree to a deal. According to Scripture, the Battle of Armageddon is the battle over Jerusalem when half of the city is captured before Jesus Christ intervenes at His Second Coming as He descends upon the Mount of Olives to destroy the armies of the world that have come against Jerusalem. (Please refer to Zechariah 14:1-5.) ......The Palestinians want total control and sovereignty over East Jerusalem. They want it as their capital for their new state, and they plan to declare statehood on September 13 if an agreement has not been signed with Israel. The Israelis say the Palestinians can have authority over East Jerusalem but not sovereignty. ...... The negotiations between Israel and the Syrians have come down to a few meters of land on the eastern (Golan Heights) shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. Many say the main key to Middle East peace is the return of the Golan Heights to the Syrians. Also, some scholars believe the Daniel 9:27 end-time covenant will be between Israel and Syria. ……… If Israel agrees to giving up the land, the covenant details could be worked out within 30 days, according to those close to the talks. Syrian President Bashar el-Assad said this week that he is ready when Israel is ready. So, are we close to a Daniel 9:27 covenant between Israel and Syria? We shall soon see. ......"

Koenig's International News 8/10/00 Bill Koenig "……Now is the time for the Syrians and the Palestinians to cooperate, or they will likely have to deal with the Israeli right wing in the near future. In a recent poll, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beat Barak. ……. Times appear to be rapidly becoming more intense in the Middle East: Saddam Hussein is reported to be very ill with cancer. Bin Laden is close to capture and is on the run. Libya is buying new missiles from China. Iran has successfully tested its new 1300-kilometer (850-mile) range missile. Jane's Defense Weekly thinks Iran now has weapons of mass destruction. Syria has new long-range scud missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel. Iraq has threatened to use biological weapons on Israel. China has met with the top military people in Syria, Iran, Iraq and Libya within the past seven months. Israel has two nuclear subs with cruise missiles, one in the Mediterranean capable of hitting Syria and one near the Persian Gulf capable of hitting Iraq or Iran. ……."

Koenig's International News 8/10/00 Bill Koenig "……Is the Daniel 9:27 Covenant Near? For the "die-hard watchers," if the Daniel 9:27 covenant isn't signed within the next 90 to 120 days, it could likely be a while. But the renewal of meetings between the Syrians and the Israelis could very well produce the Daniel 9:27 covenant. …… There has never been a better time for peace in Israel. However, should the Palestinians and Syrians miss this opportunity, it could be a long time before they have another chance. War is likely if an agreement is not reached. If there is war, it won't last long with Israel's "fire power." ……Key dates to watch in the next two months:

September 13 - The 7-year anniversary of the Oslo Accords. On that day, the Israeli and Palestinian talks are to be completed, and if not completed, Arafat says he will declare Palestinian statehood.
September 29-30 - The two-day Rosh Hashanna celebration (also known as the Feast of Trumpets). Some people believe this Jewish feast could be the first day of the Biblical seventh millennium, with all that implies. Some believe the actual date for this year's Rosh Hashanna is in the latter part of October…."

Time Of India 7/31/00 AP "……Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah said on Sunday that peace in the Middle East would not be possible until Jerusalem was under complete Arab sovereignty, a Palestinian official said. "Jerusalem is the base for any peace settlement in the Middle East and without the return of full Arab control over Jerusalem, there will not be peace in the Middle East," the official quoted Abdullah as saying. Abdullah also said that Jerusalem belongs to all Arabs, not just the Palestinians, and that neither Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat nor any other Arab leader has the right to take a unilateral decision regarding it, the official said on condition of anonymity. ……"

New York Post 7/24/00 Uri Dan Linda Massarella "…… Prime Minister Ehud Barak made a new offer yesterday, saying he would accept complete Palestinian sovereignty over two areas - one of which is right in Jerusalem, The Post has learned. Barak - who had vowed to never give even an inch of Jerusalem away -offered to give Yasser Arafat control of Beit-Hanina, a community in East Jerusalem and Shouafat, a suburb of Jerusalem, a high placed source said. ……. The Israeli leader also offered Palestinians the right to fly their own flag on the Temple Mount, a site holy to both Jews in Muslims in the Old City of Jerusalem. In return, the source said, Barak wants Arafat to officially recognize the annexation by Jerusalem of a block of Jewish settlements near the city. …….The source said Barak made the surprising offer because he's terrified that if a peace agreement isn't signed at this summit, a full-scale war will break out throughout the Middle East. ….."

Akhbar.com 7/20/00 "......A marathon Middle East peace summit called to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict came back from the dead on Thursday after the White House announced it had ended in failure. ...... President Bill Clinton said Thursday the Israelis and the Palestinians had decided to pursue the Middle East peace talks at Camp David during his absence in Japan. ......... "

ordan Times 7/19/00 "……Opponents of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat accused him on Tuesday of making unacceptable concessions to Israel and vowed to wreck any deal to emerge from Camp David talks. Leaders of an eight-member radical alliance, which opposes peace with Israel, told a news conference in Damascus that they would continue their military struggle against Israel until the restoration of all Palestinian rights. The alliance includes the Islamic movement Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, both of which claimed suicide attacks that killed scores of Israelis after a 1993 interim peace accord. "We affirm our determination to continue the struggle and jihad (holy war) until we wreck the deals of capitulation and restore the Palestinian rights," said Hamas politburo chief Khaled Misha'al. ……."

Reuters 7/20/00"….. Commentators in Gulf Arab states praised Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Thursday for standing firm on Jerusalem, and lambasted Israel for insisting on keeping the Arab sector of the holy city under its control. Some said it was better for Arafat to come out empty-handed from a marathon U.S.-sponsored Middle East summit than relinquish Arab East Jerusalem. ….. "An agreement which does not include a clear Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem is the worst failure...it is the betrayal itself," the United Arab Emirates' al-Khaleej newspaper said in an editorial. ......"

AP 7/20/00 Dina Kraft "……The very holy sites and symbols that have lent Jerusalem its reputation as a city of peace have made the city the main stumbling block to an agreement that could end 52 years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The status of Jerusalem, sacred to three religions and claimed by both sides as their capital, is the most explosive issue at the Camp David summit. Dispute over the future of the city is believed to be the reason talks came to the brink of a breakdown Thursday. …….. ``It seems the Israelis do not understand how important and sensitive the Jerusalem issue is for the Palestinians, and for Muslims and Christians,'' Ziad Abu Zayyad, Palestinian minister in charge of Jerusalem, told Associated Press Television News. …….``I believe the stubborn Israeli position is a call for another war. It's a tempting invitation to all fanatics and suicide bombers to act in order to save Jerusalem.'' ……......"

New York Times.com 7/23/00 John Kifner "…..When the late afternoon sun turns the crenellated limestone walls of the Old City to warm glowing gold, it is easy to understand the intense emotional hold of this tiny place. Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Sultan, built these walls in 1538 -- rebuilt them, really, from the stones left behind by Romans, Jews, Muslims, Byzantines, Crusaders, the Arab armies of Saladin and the Mamelukes. They are walls that enclose sites holy to the three great monotheistic religions. ……That well-known fact places Jerusalem at the very heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an issue so difficult, so sensitive, that until now peace negotiators simply put it off. ……. The city, and the idea of it as a capital, is a central icon to both sides. Jews, after centuries of dispersion and persecution, still end their Seder each Passover: "Next year in Jerusalem." And in virtually every Muslim home in every Palestinian refugee camp there hangs a picture of the Dome of the Rock. …….."

Israel Wire 3/17/00 "…..Judea and Samaria will be regarded as an independent state, at least according to the computers of the Ministry of the Interior. An official document obtained by the Ma'ariv daily from the Interior Ministry, dealing with the immigrants from different nations that have arrived in Israel over the past years. Next to the nations of Uganda, Belgium, Yugoslavia, are listed the nations of Jude and Samaria. Responding to the report, Yesha Council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef stated, "Ministry of the Interior clerks are operating on their own political judgment which is creating a new policy." A ministry response indicated the listing of Judea and Samaria as separate nations was an error. ……"

Israel Wire 7/25/00 "…..Efforts towards the establishment of the State of Judea, intended to fill the void left by Israel's abandonment of any and all lands of Israel to the PLO Authority, has been announced. …. Those of us who support the ideas presented on this website wish to clarify a few major points:
1. We do not advocate any seditious activity against the current Israeli regime and therefore present no threat to the State of Israel.
2. We intend to act only if abandoned to the enemy State of Palestine and to act only against the forces of the enemy State of Palestine.
3. We believe that the existence of the State of Judea is in the best interests of the State of Israel in that it will provide a safety valve to relieve religious/secular tensions and in the eventuality of the creation of a State of Palestine, the emergence of a State of Judea in that area will make for a better neighbor and peace partner to the State of Israel than the alternative.
4. That part of historical Eretz Israel known as Yesha has never been part of the modern State of Israel, but has remained since 1967 "disputed territory" that was never annexed or placed under Israeli sovereignty. ……"

Jordan Times 7/25/00 AFP "……Jerusalem's Christian patriarchs back Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem, an official said Monday, giving the Palestinians strong support in the Camp David peace summit with Israel. "East Jerusalem is a Palestinian city that should return to Palestinian sovereignty," Hanan Ashrawi, a top Palestinian spokeswoman, told reporters after a meeting between Palestinian officials and the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox patriarchs in Jerusalem. …… Ashrawi said her statements represented the views held by both the Palestinian political leadership and the Christian churches. "The churches and the church leaders reject attempts at dividing or fragmenting of East Jerusalem or dividing it into quarters or sharing sovereignty," Ashrawi said. …….The statement is a sign of support for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's self-rule authority, according to a Greek Orthodox official who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity. ……"

Associated Press 7/25/00 Barry Schweid "……. Palestinian sources said the breaking point came when Israel balked at Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem's walled Old City, offering only access to the Al Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. Arafat was infuriated by this, the sources said. Hassan Abdel Rahman, the PLO's representative in Washington, said Israel's offer of limited sovereignty was unacceptable and a "nonstarter." He said the Palestinians had insisted on sovereignty over all of the Old City. At 3 a.m. Tuesday, Arafat sent a letter to Clinton, saying he saw no point in continuing because the Israeli position on Jerusalem could never lead to an agreement, Palestinian sources said. ……."

BBC 7/28/00 "…… President Clinton said on Friday he is considering moving the United States embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, provoking an angry reaction from Palestinians. In an interview with Israel television that was seen as supporting the position of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Mr Clinton also warned against any side taking unilateral action. The message was believed to be aimed at Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who recently reiterated his intention to declare independence unilaterally in September. …….Mr Clinton said he had always wanted to move the US embassy to West Jerusalem but had feared the consequences of the move. ……. Palestinians were infuriated by the speech, saying it exposed the "underlying American bias". "It sounds like blatant political blackmail, all in the interest of Barak," top Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi told the AFP news agency. ……"

LondonTimes 7/27/00 Ben MacIntyre "…… THE fate of the Middle East peace talks at Camp David swung on one man, Yassir Arafat, and one issue, Jerusalem. Under intense pressure from President Clinton and Ehud Barak, the Israeli Prime Minister, to accept a deal that would have provided free access to holy places but kept the Old City under Israeli rule, the Palestinian leader refused, saying that he would be killed if he agreed. ……. ……"

Gulf News - United Arab Emirates 7/26/00 Hamoud Salhi "…… The Jewish lobby in America is orchestrating a dangerous campaign to undermine the Muslim world's links to Jerusalem. Well known journalists, along with American think specialists with close ties to the Jewish state, are leading a ferocious assault against Islam, its historical roots in Jerusalem, and the rights of Palestinians in the Holy City. …….The attacks are a deliberate attempt to garner public support for Israel's claim to the entirety of Jerusalem. Without a doubt, the stage is set to strip the Holy City of its universality, of its sanctity, to transform it into Tel Aviv's crown jewel. ……."

Jerusalem Post Internet Edition 7/21/00 Lamia Lahoud "……The Palestinians are proposing to share sovereignty over Jerusalem without physically dividing it, Palestinian sources in touch with the Palestinian delegation at Camp David told The Jerusalem Post yesterday. That way, neither Prime Minister Ehud Barak nor Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat will have to return as the only one who yielded on the most sensitive issue at the summit, one of the sources said. ……."

Jerusalem Post Internet Edition 7/21/00 Lamia Lahoud "……"Barak cannot come home without being able to claim that he did not divide the city and did not give up Israeli sovereignty," he added. ……..Jerusalem expert Prof. Moshe Amirav, who is in close contact with the Israeli negotiators and whose proposal serves as one of the ideas discussed at Camp David, said the Americans will try to solve the issue by finding a formula which will give the Palestinians "symbolic sovereignty" in the Old City and maybe east Jerusalem. ……… ….."

Jerusalem Post 7/21/00 "……Christian, Armenian, and Jewish residents of Jerusalem's Old City yesterday expressed strong opposition to Prime Minister Ehud Barak's reported offer to give the Palestinians administrative authority over the Christian and Moslem quarters of Jerusalem's Old City with Israel retaining full control over the Jewish and Armenian quarters. In over a dozen interviews with residents of the Christian, Armenian and Jewish quarters, the responses to this proposal, first disclosed in Ma'ariv on Wednesday, were nearly all negative. …….. "To tell you the truth, I do not want to see the Palestinians ruling the Old City and I say that even though I myself am a Palestinian," said a Christian Quarter resident who would only give his name as Sami. "I think this would create a long-term problem," he said. ……."I would really hate being under Palestinian control. It would be as if I've been sent to the Dark Ages," concurred Steven, interviewed in the Christian Quarter. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not against peace and I certainly do not want to see more violence or killings. But the minute I see a Palestinian policeman walking around here, the time has come for me to immigrate from the country." ……."

BBC 7/21/00"……. As the Middle East peace talks continue outside Washington, the Israelis have given details for the first time of the concessions they are prepared to make to resolve the deadlock over the future status of Jerusalem. Israeli cabinet minister Michael Melchior said Prime Minister Ehud Barak had accepted a US proposal to give the Palestinians administrative control over parts of East Jerusalem with, as he put it, some signs of sovereignty. ……. There has been no official response from the Palestinians to the US proposal, but Yasser Arafat has previously insisted on Palestinian sovereignty over the whole of East Jerusalem……."

Reuters 7/21/00 Howard Goller "…..Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has accepted a U.S. proposal for sharing sovereignty with Palestinians over parts of Arab East Jerusalem, Israeli cabinet minister Michael Melchior said on Friday. …… The proposal would also offer Palestinians some form of safe passage to the Old City's Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, Islam's third-holiest site. Melchior said discussions were under way for a sort of joint religious administration over holy sites. ……"

The New York Times 7/17/00 Reuters "…..The spiritual head of the militant Islamic group Hamas said Monday his Palestinian movement would continue the armed struggle against Israel even if negotiators sealed a peace deal at the Camp David summit. ``Camp David is aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause and generally we will oppose it internally by democratic means. But we will use weapons to convey our opposition to the Zionist enemy,'' Sheikh Ahmed Yassin told a news conference. Yassin urged Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his negotiators to quit the U.S.-sponsored summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and return to the path of ``jihad'' (holy struggle). ……. Hamas, which opposes Arafat's peace moves with Israel, has been behind a series of bomb attacks against Israeli targets that killed scores of people. ……. ``The formula is not whether there is an agreement or not. As long as occupation exists resistance will continue,'' he said. ….. Israeli and Palestinian security forces have been put on high alert for the duration of the summit for fear militants will try to sabotage the negotiations by launching attacks. ……"

Israel Wire 7/19/00 "…….Eldad Yaniv, one of Prime Minister Ehud Barak's spokesmen at Camp David, declined to restate Barak's commitment to an undivided Jerusalem in a live interview with Daliah Yairi on Israel Radio Reshet Bet Wednesday morning. Yaniv introduced a new formula: "Our red line is a large Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty with a Jewish majority". Yairi noted that he was not saying that Jerusalem would not be divided, just that the Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty would be "large". ……."

Jerusalem Post 7/10/00 Arieh O’Sullivan "…..Palestinian forces in the Gaza Strip are preparing for large-scale conflict with the IDF should the peace talks flounder. The IDF is also readying its forces to deal with a host of scenarios ranging from unarmed civilian assaults to attempts to conquer outposts and settlements. The Palestinian forces have discreetly held up to half a dozen battalion-level training exercises, including maneuvers and taking up defensive positions in the coastal strip, a senior IDF officer revealed yesterday. The exercises also included offensive maneuvers, the officer claimed. …….… The Palestinian Authority has one division split into three brigades in the Gaza Strip. Its 22,100 policemen are armed with about 7,000 assault rifles, 2,000 pistols, 150 heavy machine guns as well as 44 armored personnel carriers, five helicopters, and 13 naval vessels. They are also believed to have accumulated some 100 anti-armor missiles, mostly of the RPG type. About 50 percent of the weapons are illegal. …….The Palestinians have also adopted some Israeli tactics and have built a number of fortified positions across the strip. ……."

Reuters 7/9/00 "…..Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak may not know it but thousands of Jewish settlers will be praying for them when they talk peace at a U.S.-sponsored summit on Tuesday. ……. Many of the 170,000 settlers living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip will be begging God with all their might to ensure the peace summit fails miserably. …..They are desperately afraid they will be evicted from their homes if Barak and Arafat manage to seal a peace treaty. …… Silberstein and many other Jewish settlers believe they have a God-given right to live in the West Bank and Gaza. They say they even have a deed of ownership, the Bible. ……"

Reuters 7/10/00 "……Israel wants to keep Arab East Jerusalem, occupied in 1967 and swiftly annexed in a move rejected by the international community. Israel proposed giving the Palestinians of East Jerusalem municipal powers only. It also suggested handing over some of the neighbourhoods around Jerusalem to full Palestinian control. ……..Palestinians insist on control over all of East Jerusalem and say they would allow Israelis access to Jewish religious sites. According to senior Palestinian officials, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat told Clinton at a recent meeting in Washington he feared assassination if he compromised on Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem…….."

The Jerusalem Post 7/12/00 Lamia Lahoud "……The Fatah movement has initiated a series of demonstrations urging Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat not to compromise on his red lines, West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouteh said. ………Fatah has met with leaders from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and PLO opposition groups to coordinate these demonstrations, but so far Fatah is the only party leading the rallies, he said. ….."

The Jerusalem Post 7/12/00 Janine Zacharia "…..Prime Minister Ehud Barak has decided to suspend Israel's sale of the Phalcon advanced airborne radar system to China, a well-placed source here said yesterday. The source said Prime Minister Ehud Barak's top diplomatic adviser, Danny Yatom, would consult with congressional leaders about the plan ahead of a House floor vote on foreign appropriations tomorrow. …….An Israeli Embassy spokesman said earlier in the day that the embassy was readying to issue a statement on the Phalcon, but declined comment when asked about the decision. White House Spokesman Joe Lockhart said Israel had not yet informed the US administration of its intentions. ……"

Jordan Times 7/11/00 "……When Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet at a US summit on Tuesday, one thing they seem certain to agree on is that the issue of Jerusalem will not be a simple matter of land for peace. ……… From Palestinian merchants to Israeli officials, all use language implying more than historical justifications for their claim. …… In March, outgoing Israeli President Ezer Weizman and Arafat both welcomed Pope John Paul in separate speeches during his visit to the Holy Land by claiming Jerusalem as their "eternal capital." ……. Emotions over Jerusalem are running so high that Arafat has told US President Bill Clinton he feared assassination if he compromised on Palestinians' rights in east Jerusalem. ......... Whether the fate of Jerusalem moves from the negotiating table to a solution on the ground is another issue. "It is impossible, if you ask me, to bridge our stances on Jerusalem," Israeli cabinet minister, Haim Ramon said last week. ……."

Jordan Times 7/11/00 "……Israeli officials have said one idea was to expand the city's borders to embrace Palestinian villages and Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Palestinians reject the idea of Abu Dis village, near east Jerusalem, being made their capital. ……On the street, the Arab character of the eastern part of the city is hard to miss. Many shop signs in east Jerusalem are in Arabic, the language of the indigenous residents of the city. …….. About 70 per cent of the 670,000 population of Jerusalem are immigrant Jews, according to the figures from Olmert's office. …….. The results of the first Palestinian census in Arab east Jerusalem released last month estimate there were about 331,500 Palestinians in 1998, well above Israel's estimate. …….The PLO keeps an east Jerusalem headquarters called Orient House, long a thorn in Israel's side as a symbol of Palestinian claims to the city. Israeli and Palestinian forces have clashed over who will provide security to officials in east Jerusalem. ……. "

Arutz Sheva 7/8/00 "….. As the Camp David II summit approaches, Ma'ariv reports today that Yasser Arafat demands the evacuation of the 70,000 Jews of N'vei Ya'akov and Pisgat Ze'ev in northern Jerusalem. Arafat is, however, apparently "prepared to permit" certain Yesha settlements along the border to remain in place. His conditions for doing so: Firstly, the communities must be transferred to PA sovereignty, with Israel being permitted to lease them for "a number of decades;" secondly, the Palestinians must receive commensurate territories within "Green Line" Israel. ………. The Americans, for their part, support Palestinian sovereignty over certain sections of eastern Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told Jewish leaders in Washington yesterday, "It is impossible to totally ignore the yearnings of a billion Arabs for Jerusalem." ……."

Arabia.com 7/8/00 "….. AMMAN (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will have talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II before next week's summit with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, his office said Friday. Barak will see King Abdullah in Amman on Saturday evening and Mubarak in Alexandria Monday on his way to the summit. ….."

Jordan Times 7/8/00 "……Palestinian refugees in Lebanon on Thursday slammed plans for a summit with Israel and the United States and warned Palestinian President Yasser Arafat not to give up their rights in Jerusalem. "Arafat would be committing suicide if he agreed to abandon any of our - the refugees of the land - rights in Jerusalem," said Saeed Naser, speaking in this Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut Naser, echoing the views of other refugees here, said Arafat must make no concessions over Jerusalem, the return of refugees and Palestinian land occupied by Israelis. "These are three red areas, three sacred issues that no one should tamper with," said Naser, 51 years old and born in Lebanon to a Palestinian refugee family. …….."

[U.K.] TIMES 7/6/00 Sam Kiley "…… ISRAEL and the Palestinians exchanged threats of military confrontation yesterday after the Palestine Liberation Organisation declared that it would unilaterally set up a Palestinian state in ten weeks. The announcement from the PLO's central council came after two days of secret talks among its 129 members. On notepaper which seemed to indicate that the declaration had come directly from Yassir Arafat's office, the council said that it would act on or before September 13. …… The declaration said that the "Holy City of Jerusalem" would be the capital and the borders would be set according to the June 4, 1967, Green Line. ……"

WSJ 7/6/00 Natan Sharansky "…… By Natan Sharansky, Israel's minister of the interior…….. There were two fundamental ideas that guided my struggle for human rights in the Soviet Union. First was the sanctity of individual autonomy. …... The sovereignty and autonomy of the individual is incompatible with any society that maintains stability by controlling the minds and bodies of its subjects………Second, I believed, along with men like Andrei Sakharov, Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson and President Ronald Reagan, that the most reliable way to gauge a state's intentions towards its neighbors was its treatment of its own citizens. …. This idea was the basis of the dissidents' demand that the West must link international agreements with the Soviet Union to its human rights record……"

WSJ 7/6/00 Natan Sharansky "……After the peace process began, the misunderstanding became even more apparent. Not only was the non-democratic nature of Mr. Arafat's emerging regime hardly ever criticized, it was actually viewed as advancing the cause of peace. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, articulating an attitude that is still pervasive among Western leaders, coined the phrase that chillingly summed up this entire line of thinking. Mr. Arafat would deal with terrorists, he said, "without a Supreme Court, without Betselem [a human rights organization] and without all kinds of bleeding heart liberals." …….In effect, the peace process has betrayed the two core principles for which I have so bitterly fought. Not only has individual autonomy been sacrificed on the alter of political expediency, but the link that Sakharov and others drew between a state's internal policies and its external behavior has been flipped on its head. The undemocratic nature of Mr. Arafat's regime, far from being an obstacle to further peace, is now considered a crucial asset in the fight against terror. In the euphoric march towards peace, we seem to be losing sight of the fact that the Palestinian society that will emerge -- a society with no supreme court, no human rights organizations and no bleeding heart liberals -- will not only undermine the rights of Palestinians but also endanger the security of Israel……."

ABCNEWS.com 2/15/00 "…..The Vatican and the PLO signed a basic agreement today on their relations and in an apparent swipe at Israel said any unilateral decisions affecting Jerusalem were "morally and legally unacceptable." ……. While the agreement's 12 articles dealt with day-to-day affairs in the religious minefield of the Middle East, its preamble packed a potent political punch. Nearly a third of the 37-line preamble was dedicated to Jerusalem. The agreement said "an equitable solution for the issue of Jerusalem, based on international resolutions, is fundamental for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East." More significantly, it added that "unilateral decisions and actions altering the specific character and status of Jerusalem are morally and legally unacceptable." It called for "a special statute for Jerusalem, internationally agreed" to safeguard "the proper identity and sacred character of the city and its universally significant religious and cultural heritage." …… ."

Washington Times 5/17/00 Julia Duin "…..

Washington Times 6/28/00 Dan Ephron "…….Middle East peacemaking suffered a setback yesterday when Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright failed to clinch agreement for a Camp David-style summit in which Israelis and Palestinians would settle the last remaining disputes holding up a permanent peace accord. Palestinian suspicions that such a summit would force them to make unwanted compromises, coupled with deep cracks in Prime Minister Ehud Barak's coalition over the amount of territory Israel should cede to the Palestinians, scuttled efforts to bring leaders of the two sides together next week……… ….. The two sides have until September to strike a deal or run the risk of more violence……… Palestinian officials said negotiators were still far apart on the main issues - the borders of a Palestinian state, the fate of 200,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, and the future of Jerusalem, which each side claims as its capital ……."

Jordan Times 7/11/00 "……Jerusalem's walled Old City embraces some of the holiest shrines to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In 1996, Israel opened a tunnel under the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish site, and Al Aqsa Mosque, the third most sacred Muslim site. More then 60 people were killed in ensuing riots. ……The Western Wall is a faultline of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that may shake the region into violence at any time. ……. Last month, Jerusalem's Muslim cleric Ikrima Sabri lashed out at the semi-official Jewish Agency's screening of Zionist movies projected on Al Aqsa's walls. ……. On his visit to Jerusalem, Pope John Paul himself acknowledged a "sense of transcendence and divine election that we perceive in her stones and monuments..." He said that if religious communities found harmony, "Jerusalem will truly be a City of Peace for all peoples."……"

IsraelWire 7/12/00 "……According to a report in the daily Haaretz on Wednesday, Israel's chief rabbis have ruled the prime minister may turn over control of holy sites to the PLO Authority (PA) u