Pope Francis Easter Address: Called For End to War, Condemned Waste Exacerbating Hunger

Pope Francis’ Easter Address in front of 150,000 people in St. Peter’s Square called for and end to conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Africa and an end to violence in Iraq, Venezuela, South Sudan and the Central Africa Republic. The Pontiff also denounced the “immense wastefulness” in the world while many go hungry.

Pope Francis, in his Easter address before a huge crowd, on Sunday denounced the “immense wastefulness” in the world while many go hungry and called for an end to conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Africa.

“We ask you, Lord Jesus, to put an end to all war and every conflict, whether great or small, ancient or recent,” he said in his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message.

Francis, marking the second Easter season of his pontificate, celebrated a Mass to an overflowing crowd of at least 150,000 in St. Peter’s Square and beyond.

He prayed to God to “help us to overcome the scourge of hunger, aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible”.

Celebrating Easter Sunday, Christianity’s most joyous and hopeful day, Pope Francis prayed for peace in Ukraine and Syria and for an end to the terrorist attacks in Nigeria that have targeted so many Christians.

He also recalled those suffering in Africa from an epidemic of deadly Ebola and urged a halt to “brutal terrorist attacks” in parts of Nigeria.

But Francis’ Easter message also stressed that people pay attention to the needy close to home. Reflecting the priorities of his papacy, he said the “good news” of Easter’s joy and hope means “leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life’s troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast.”

SNL’s Mocks Obama’s Shilling of Obamacare … Obama Takes Selfies with the Pope and Kisses Justin Bieber on the Lips to Push Healthcare.gov

SNL mocks Barack Obama for his over the top, excessive selling of Obamacare. But then again, hasn’t Obama made a complete mockery of the presidency?

In the final 48 hours before the deadline to sign up for healthcare, Obama’s aides forced him to be photographed in Pharrell’s hat and alongside Kim Kardashian and Harry Styles. And “a cat dressed as Elsa from Frozen.” And BatKid. And the Pope.

click on pic to watch SNL video

Pope Francis Christmas Address Calls for Peace in Syria and Middle East & Urges the Faithful to Have an Open Heart, to Avoid ‘Pride, Deceit & Self-Seeking’

During his first Christmas address to the throngs of faithful outside of St. Peter’s Basilica and across the world , Pope Francis called for Peace in the Middle East and for all to have an open heart, to avoid pride, deceit and self-seeking. The Pope hoped for a better world, including successful Middle East negotiations in the land of Jesus’ birth, peace for Syria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Iraq, and dignity for refugees fleeing misery and conflict.

Pope Francis on Christmas Day is wishing for a better world, with peace for the land of Jesus’ birth, for Syria and Africa, as well as for the dignity of migrants and refugees fleeing misery and conflict.

Francis spoke from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica Wednesday to tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans in the square below. He said he was joining in the song of Christmas angels with all those hoping “for a better world,” and with those who “care for others, humbly.”

Among places ravaged by conflict, Francis singled out Syria, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Iraq. He also prayed for fruitful peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians

Pope Francis - VIDEO UK Telegraph (click on pic to watch VIDEO)

The Pope calls for Lord of Life to protect all that are persecuted in your name. Pope Francis went on to say, “Child of Bethlehem, touch the hearts of all those engaged in human trafficking that they realize the gravity of this crime against humanity. Look upon the many children who are kidnapped, wounded and killed in armed conflicts and all those who are robbed of their childhood and forced to become soldiers.”

“Dear brothers and sisters today in this World in this humanity is born this Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Let us pause before the child of Bethlehem.”

During his first Christmas Eve Mass as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to emulate Jesus to avoid the darkness of the world.

Poll Says Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is 3rd “Most Influential” World Leader, Behind Pope Francis, Barack Obama

Well looky here,  Ted Cruz is listed at #3 “most influential” world leaders …

As reported at the Washington Examiner, it would appear that Conservative Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been chosen the third most influential world leader behind only Pope Francis and President Barack Obama. Imagine that Dems.  According to a Rasmussen poll, the Tea Party Conservative ranked far above GOP establishment leaders like Speaker John Boehner, the lefts favorite Republican and Obama pal NJ Gov. Chris Christie and even Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Senator Ted Cruz, Part 1 – The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Ted Cruz truth to power in discussing current day Tea Party politics and Ronald Reagan … must watch VIDEO

“The trouble in Washington is a bipartisan problem
The biggest problem we have is not between Republicans and Democrats
it is between entrenched establishment] politicians in both parties in Washington and the American people.”

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has had the best year of any Republican and virtually anyone in the world, ranking third in Rasmussen Report’s new poll of the of the “most influential” people in the world, behind Pope Francis and President Obama.

In the new poll, Cruz, who made headlines for trying to dismantle Obamacare, was the pick for the most influential of 11 percent. The pope was tops at 23 percent, Obama second at 21 percent.

Rasmussen poll: 1* Whom do you consider the most influential person in 2013?

23% Pope Francis
21% Barack Obama
11% Ted Cruz
8% Edward Snowden
4% Vladimir Putin
3% John Boehner
3% Chris Christie

more …

How fitting that Barack Obama is #2.

TIME Magazine Selects Pope Francis as TIME’s Choice for Person of the Year 2013

TIME Magazine’s pick as the 2013 Person of the Year is  … Miley Cyrus Pope Francis.

Forgive me if I am a bit skeptical of Time’s choice for Pope Francis as being their ‘Person of the Year” for 2013, but I am. Not that Pope Francis is not a good man or deserving of this award, but TIME made the choice not because of his religious virtue and certainly not because they believe in Catholicism or the message it spreads. Doesn’t it feel like it was yesterday they were doing stories on the coverups of sexual predator Catholic priests? Let’s face it, the reason why they chose him is because Pope Francis criticized  “modern capitalism” ,in an attack on “the idolatry of money.”

Like I said, Pope Francis is an easy and justifiable choice, it is the reasons why he was picked that are suspect. In any other year Edward Snowden, the NSA whistle-blower would have won this hands down. He exposed the spying ways of the NSA and will continue to do so for months and years to come. Snowden’s exposing of the NSA has even made US lawmakers and foreign leaders question what this spy organization is doing.

However, Snowden finished second to Pope Francis for pretty much one reason and that is Time’s media bias to push Obama’s agenda of “income equity” otherwise known as socialism.

TIME Magazine:

Once there was a boy so meek and modest, he was awarded a Most Humble badge. The next day, It was taken away because he wore it. Here endeth the lesson.

How do you practice humility from the most exalted throne on earth? Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly—young and old, faithful and cynical—as has Pope Francis. In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very center of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalization, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power.

And yet in less than a year, he has done something remarkable: he has not changed the words, but he’s changed the music. Tone and temperament matter in a church built on the substance of symbols—bread and wine, body and blood—so it is a mistake to dismiss any Pope’s symbolic choices­ as gestures empty of the force of law. He released his first exhortation, an attack on “the idolatry of money,” just as Americans were contemplating the day set aside for gratitude and whether to spend it at the mall.