Former Pope Benedict XVI seriously ill, says German media

Vatican City: Former Pope Benedict XVI, the first pontiff in 600 years to resign instead of ruling for life, is seriously ill, a German newspaper reported on Monday, August 3.

The newspaper, Passauer Neue Presse, cited Benedict's biographer, German author Peter Seewald, who met the 93-year-old emeritus pope at the Vatican on Saturday. A Vatican spokesperson had no comment on the report and the former pope's personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, did not immediately return a call asking for comment. Seewald said Benedict, who has been in frail health for some time, was now suffering from shingles, a viral infection that causes painful rashes and is common among older people.

Seewald said Benedict's voice is barely audible - echoing something other visitors have said for months - and that the former pope told him he might pick up writing again if he regains his strength. In June, Benedict, who lives in a former convent in the Vatican gardens, left Italy for the first time since his resignation in 2013 for an emotional farewell visit to his older brother Georg in their native Bavaria.

Georg Ratzinger died on July 1 aged 96. The two brothers were ordained priests on the same day in 1951. Benedict, who was elected in 2005 to succeed the widely popular Pope John Paul II after a reign of nearly 27 years, shocked the world and even his closest aides on Feb. 11, 2013, when he announced he was stepping down.

He told a gathering of cardinals that he was too old and frail to lead an institution with more than 1.3 billion members. At the time of Benedict's resignation the Vatican was mired in a raft of financial woes, sexual abuse scandals, and infighting among bureaucrats that led to leaks of important documents. Benedict said his resignation was due exclusively to health reasons.

Hardline conservatives in the Church who have been alarmed by Pope Francis' progressive moves have looked to Benedict as their standard bearer. This forced the former pope on several occasions to remind them that there is only one pope - Francis.

Pope 'very pained' by decision to turn Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum into mosque

Vatican City: Pope Francis said on Sunday, July 12 he was hurt by Turkey's decision to make Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum a mosque, the latest religious leader to condemn the move. "My thoughts go to Istanbul. I think of Santa Sophia and I am very pained," he said during his weekly blessing in St. Peter's Square.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said the first prayers would be held in Hagia Sophia on July 24, after declaring the ancient monument was once again a mosque following a court ruling revoking its status as a museum. The World Council of Churches has called on Erdogan to reverse his decision and Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, called it disappointing.

Erdogan said the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, which was once a Christian cathedral, would remain open to Muslims, Christians and foreigners. He added that Turkey had exercised its sovereign right in converting it to a mosque and would interpret criticism of the move as an attack on its independence.

Greece has condemned the move and UNESCO said its World Heritage Committee would review Hagia Sophia's status and that Turkey's decision raised questions about the impact on its universal value as a site of importance transcending borders and generations.

Why untouchability is still a tradition?

New Delhi: Once again the team of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ was on target. It might be a hard fact to digest for urban Indians that the practice of untouchability is still prevalent in a nation that eyes to become one of the super-powers by the end of current decade, but shows like ‘Satyamev Jayate’ is a reality check for them.The debate regarding the caste system is not a new thing; it’s been happening for years, and different pressure groups have come up with some solutions too, but these answers couldn’t curb the demon.

However, one thing has been done; people who were very open about their apparent superiority are not so extrovert now, especially in unfavourable conditions. But this has led to a silent discrimination which is much more effective than open boycott. At least, you know your opposition in the previous case.

Things have become nasty in the past due to the violent clashes between different mindsets towards the caste system. Those who have seen Stalin K’s documentary ‘India Untouched’ would understand that the film hints towards the origin of the issue, which as per the film is the control of resources. He says on the show that inter-caste marriages can be an answer to untouchability, but this seems to be a very simplified answer, because why would a resourceful person marry his or her daughter or son to someone who is not so resourceful, if there is no mutual love involved. So, doesn’t the society and the government need to work on providing financial security to one and all in order to bring everyone on the same platform. This needs to happen before the marriage. 

Justice Dharmadhikari might not be wrong in his stance about not revealing his ancestral identity, but this also fetches attention towards the so called superiority of certain sections of the society. Why can’t we simply stop taking the names (and surnames) seriously? The more Aamir mentions ‘Manvendra Singh Chauhan’ of the ‘same’ community, the more established will be the importance of being from a privileged class.

Bezwada Wilson’s anxiety needs to be addressed. Why do we consider living a life of dignity as something brave? Talk about it, discuss about it but don’t shed tears. Believe it or not, but gone are the days when Sanskrit was associated with Brahmins only. The language is losing battle against commercial courses, so it would be better for existing patrons to accept teachers such as Dr Kaushal Panwar, if they want to preserve the inheritance. ‘Satyamev Jayate’ is a good show and there are no doubts about the makers’ intentions unless something drastically gets revealed but ‘tch tch’ and ‘OMG’ are not going to help in the longer run.

Balwant Singh was an IAS, after clearing an examination and training aimed at testing the candidate’s patience and depth of social understanding. Why did he separate himself from the system? Probably because he never wished for sympathy.
The tenth episode of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ tried to put emphasis on a topic which might have appeared like a done to death discussion for many, but fortunately that doesn’t make discussing ‘untouchability’ a crime.