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These 9-month-old Twins Don’t Need an Adult to Play the Best Game of Peek-a-boo Ever

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When the boy in this pair of 9-month-old twins discovered that the window curtain was within reach, he couldn’t resist grabbing it. And then he discovered that if he pulled it in front of his face he could make his sister disappear! With his new skill, he began to put on a show. To say […]

What Feeds My Soul

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What feeds my soul? That is the question posed by Bonnie Gray of Faith Barista as she begins her Spiritual Whitespace book club. I've read her book Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest. It's the kind of book I will read and reread.

All week I pondered this question in anticipation of this post. What feeds my soul?

1. My morning quiet time feeds my soul.


Over the years I've learned that the best use of my time in the early morning is to spend it reading my Bible and praying. It has become a priority for me.  It's like water in the desert. His Word has sustained me through the hard times as well as the good times. Even though I must get up very early to have time before work, it's so worth it to me. I love it when I'm reading a Scripture I've read many times before but the Holy Spirit opens up my eyes to understanding in a new way.

2. Music feeds my soul.

I'm amazed at how busy I can get and somehow forget to turn on music. When I stop and do this, it makes such a difference. Yes there are times when I need the quiet and still. But there's nothing like listening to soft piano music to quiet my soul. The sounds of David Nevue often fill my home. The sounds of classic hymns fill my soul with worship. Many of the newer Christian music often energizes me. I often exercise on my treadmill to the sounds of Mandisa and Toby Mac singing their Good Morning song. But I also love my 60's music. Sounds of Motown, Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, and many others remind me of my high school years. I had to laugh as only yesterday my husband turned on the DirectTV channel to 60's revolution. As I was getting ready, their sounds filled the air as I rocked out.

3. The sound of the ocean surf feeds my soul.


I grew up on the water. My house was located across the street from the canal. Boat yards lined my street. Clam boats were tied up within my line of sight from my bedroom. The smell of salt air is very familiar to me. Now I live in the desert of Phoenix and I miss the ocean. But how thankful I am when I get to travel to California or back east to Florida or New York. In the meantime, I listen to the sound of the surf on my computer. It's not quite as good but still feeds my soul.

4. The smiles and laughter of children feed my soul. 

I think I'm still a child inside. I love the sound of laughter and I get plenty of that each day at work. When I step on to the grounds of our school, I can't tell you how many times I'm greeted by a child sticking their head out of their mommy's car window shouting, "Hi Miss Debbie". This totally feeds my soul. Children express their emotions so easily. Over the years, I learned to hold my emotions in but I'm learning through the eyes of children. I laugh more when I'm with them. Recently I had the opportunity to see a student who now goes to a different school.  She lives in the same general area of town as I do so she asked her mom when she could see Miss Debbie. Her mom reached out to me and we made a date to meet on a Saturday. As I waited for her at a local restaurant, she spotted me and ...came running. Her hugs lasted so long as she told me how much she missed me. How can this not feed my soul?

5. Feeling loved feeds my soul.


I've been through lots of ups and downs in my life. My mom used to tell me as a teenager that I was in love with love. I think she was right. I had to learn the hard way as most do. My husband and I have been married for 30 years. I'm so thankful that we're in a place in our marriage where we appreciate and love one another. It hasn't been easy at times but we stuck together through the hard times. I know I am loved by God. That changes everything for me. Earthly people may let you down but He never does. Knowing Him through Jesus feeds my soul like nothing else can. My perspective on life and people changes as I view them through His eyes.



I'm linking up with Bonnie of Faith Barista for Beloved Brews Thursdays. I am a day late but decided to go ahead and post.

So now I ask you. What feeds your soul?

Blessings and love,

Space-making

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Amidst the poorly-veiled disgruntled mumblings and vigorously squirming behinds, the evening’s speaker announced the lecture was now concluded and it was time for questions: “This is a Q and R, not a Q and A. I will do my best to respond to all questions directed at me, but answers I will not promise,” she […]

The post Space-making appeared first on Relief: A Christian Literary Expression.

A video game that asks theological questions

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Dragon Age: Inquisition puts players in control of the Herald of Andraste, a messianic figure that many claim was sent by “the Maker” to save the world from the demonic forces threatening to undo it. That question, whether the Herald is actually the world’s savior, representing God’s plan of salvation for the world, takes center stage in the game’s narrative. Unfortunately, whatever interesting things Inquisition’s narrative has to say about God, religion, and redemption

3 Helps: For When You Wish You Could Tame Your Tongue

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“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

An amazing resource - free

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Imagine having a one-on-one conversation about humanity’s biggest challenges with some of the world’s most inspiring and knowledgable thinkers and activists. Well, that’s precisely what Michael Dowd had the privilege of doing over the past year. You can freely watch or listen to these 55 amazing conversations:

The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness — 55 pre-recorded podcast interviews:
https://www.entheos.com/The-Future-is-Calling-Us-to-Greatness/Michael-Dowd

At the link above, you can access all 55 audios, videos, and transcripts. This is an amazing resource. I had the privilege of being one of Michael's conversation partners.

Winter Morning at the Shore

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Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8 Mornings like this one may be fleeting, but when they shape up and you’re ready and waiting with the camera, it [...]

Prepare for the Super Bowl with this Incredible Bad Lip Reading NFL Video

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The team behind YouTube’s incredible bad lip reading series has released their latest video looking back on the 2015 NFL season, and it is hilarious. If you need to clear you football pallet of cheating scandals before the Super Bowl next week, this clip may do the trick ...


The New ‘Star Trek’ Is Being Co-Written By Simon Pegg

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The tone of the upcoming Star Trek 3 may be a bit lighter than J.J. Abrams’ other recent contributions to the franchise. Deadline is reporting that Simon Pegg—one of the masterminds behind send-ups like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz—has signed on to co-write the new film. As Vulture notes, Pegg isn’t the only reason to believe that the upcoming Star Trek film might actually be kind of funny: In addition to the Fast and Furious movies, the Star Trek director, Justin Lin, was behind the lens on several episodes of Community, including the now-legendary paintball episode ...

Culture war of cakes: Associated Press story on gay rights, religious freedom less than perfect

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There's a new twist on the ongoing story of Colorado bakers caught in the middle of the culture war. The Associated Press boils down the latest development this way: DENVER (AP) — A dispute over a cake in Colorado raises a new question about gay rights and religious freedom: If bakers can be fined for refusing to serve married gay couples, can they also be punished for declining to make a cake with anti-gay statements? A baker in suburban Denver who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding is fighting a legal order requiring him to serve gay couples even though he argued that would violate his religious beliefs. But now a separate case puts a twist in the debate over discrimination in public businesses, and it underscores the tensions that can arise when religious freedom intersects with a growing acceptance of gay couples. Marjorie Silva, owner of Denver's Azucar Bakery, is facing a complaint from a customer alleging she discriminated against his religious beliefs. According to Silva, the man who visited last year wanted a Bible-shaped cake, which she agreed to make. Just as they were getting ready to complete the order, Silva said the man showed her a piece of paper with hateful words about gays that he wanted written on the cake. He also wanted the cake to have two men holding hands and an X on top of them, Silva said. She said she would make the cake, but declined to write his suggested messages on the cake, telling him she would give him icing and a pastry bag so he could write the words himself. Silva said the customer didn't want that. Overall, the AP story is pretty straightforward and makes an effort to present a range of viewpoints on the cake — er, culture — war. But the opening sentence bothers me. 

The Demands of Love in Harry Potter

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In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Fleur Delacouer, a student from a French school of magic visiting Hogwarts, says that her school would never tolerate the silliness that is commonplace at Hogwarts: “eef a poltergeist ever entaired into Beauxbatons, ‘e would be expelled like that!” JK Rowling’s series is filled with characters unusual not only... Continue reading

Seeing a Counselor No Longer Considered a Sign of Weakness

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I never quote here from the NIrV, the simplified (children’s) version of the NIV, but somehow it seemed appropriate: Matthew 9:12 Jesus heard that. So he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a doctor. Sick people do. Mark 2:17 Jesus heard that. So he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a […]

Pastor Punches Kid, but It’s Cool… “There’s Times That Might Be Needed”: A Little Friday Funny

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First, let me say that I don’t believe for one minute that this actually happened, at least not in the way that it is described. If it did go down the way he describes it, then it is what you call assault and battery. I watched the clip with a friend who works in youth [Read More...]

Printable Bible Verse Valentine Cards

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I wanted to be able to give my students a valentine that would be meaningful. I also try to take every opportunity to have them read the Bible. So I created these printable Bible Verse Valentine cards as an answer to my problem. I thought some of you might be able to use them as […]

In Twitter We Trust

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This is a guest post by JR Vassar, lead pastor at Church at the Cross in Grapevine, Texas. He is the author of Glory Hunger: God, the Gospel, and Our Quest for Something More.​


Visible and Valuable

Daniel Gulati recently posted an article at the Harvard Business Review’s Blog, entitled, “Our Dangerous Obsession with External Recognition”. In it he identifies in the professional world a growing obsession with visibility. Gulati cites as an example, “John,” a middle manager at a Fortune 500 Company who admittedly attended an inordinate amount of industry conferences in an attempt to “increase his overall visibility.” According to John, “It’s all about optics...and you need to be everywhere.” Gulati offers a second example, “Steven,” a consulting partner who has his own Facebook page with over 50 fans. Steven tweets over 40 times a day primarily because in his own words, “it makes me feel good.”

This is not just a “professional world” problem; that is a human problem. We have a deep desire to be visible and valuable. We crave attention and want the approval of others. We have a gnawing ache to be known and admired, to have our name in lights. And, we generally fear being unseen or unnoticed, passed up or passed over.

That is why social media is so intoxicating. It creates a platform whereby we can broadcast ourselves to the world and overcome our invisibility. As a society infected with a low grade narcissism, we give undue attention to our digital images and obsess over amassing followers and fans—all in pursuit of the exhilaration of being known. The state of invisibility is a frightening prospect. For many, social media has become a savior to rescue us from this dreaded hell of obscurity.

No Salvation

But what we quickly discover is that being saved from social obscurity is no salvation at all. This universal ache to be visible and valuable, to be known and loved, reveals something to us about the reason for our existence. The deep need we have to be known and loved by people reveals a deeper need we have to be known and loved by the Ultimate Person. God has made us for himself and until we are content being known and accepted by Him through Christ, we will spend our lives in the bondage of being known and accepted by everyone else. The Apostle Paul addressed this idea of bondage with the Church in Galatians 4:8-9:

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

To be known, loved, and befriended by God! To be visible and valuable to Him! That is the key to breaking free from the bondage of “optics.” This is why Jesus came.

In Christ, we can live under the smiling gaze of God. By his cross he has secured for us the unending acceptance and approval of the Ultimate Person. And, we need not have our name in lights when it is graven on his hands.


JR Vassar (ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) serves as lead pastor at Church at the Cross in Grapevine, Texas. From 2005 to 2013, he served as the founding and lead pastor of Apostles Church in New York City. JR and his wife, Ginger, have three children. He is the author of Glory Hunger: God, the Gospel, and Our Quest for Something More.​


Hundreds of thousands join pro-life rally in Washington

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"Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded," a top US cardinal said ahead of a national pro-life rally held yesterday.

Fulfill Your Ministry

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Fulfill Your Ministry:

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Full Text Communications Day Message of #PopeFrancis Family Theme - "...we are working to build a better future for the world in which we live."

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Pope Francis watches as Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications shows him news on a tablet - REUTERS
23/01/2015 12:


(Vatican Radio) The Vatican has issued Pope Francis’ Message for the 49THWorld Day of Social Communications, the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council (Inter mirifica, 1963).  The theme of this year’s message: “Communicating the Family – a Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love.”
The World Day of Social Communications is celebrated in almost all countries on the Sunday before Pentecost. The announcement comes on the eve of 24 January, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, and the day on which the message traditionally is released.
This year’s message calls on the faithful to see families as “a resource rather than as  a problem for society” and invites families to be examples of Christ’s love, kindness and fellowship.
“In a world where people often curse, use foul language, speak badly of others, sow discord and poison our human environment by gossip, the family can teach us to understand communication as a blessing,” the Pope writes.  “In situations apparently dominated by hatred and violence, where families are separated by stone walls or the no less impenetrable walls of prejudice and resentment, where there seem to be good reasons for saying “enough is enough”, it is only by blessing rather than cursing, by visiting rather than repelling, and by accepting rather than fighting, that we can break the spiral of evil, show that goodness is always possible, and educate our children to fellowship.”
Below please find the complete text of Pope Francis’ Message for the 49th World Day of Social Communications:
Communicating the Family:  A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love
The family is a subject of profound reflection by the Church and of a process involving two Synods: the recent extraordinary assembly and the ordinary assembly scheduled for next October.  So I thought it appropriate that the theme for the next World Communications Day should have the family as its point of reference.  After all, it is in the context of the family that we first learn how to communicate.  Focusing on this context can help to make our communication more authentic and humane, while helping us to view the family in a new perspective.
We can draw inspiration from the Gospel passage which relates the visit of Mary to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56).  “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’.” (vv. 41-42)
This episode first shows us how communication is a dialogue intertwined with the language of the body.  The first response to Mary’s greeting is given by the child, who leaps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth.  Joy at meeting others, which is something we learn even before being born, is, in one sense, the archetype and symbol of every other form of communication.  The womb which hosts us is the first “school” of communication, a place of listening and physical contact where we begin to familiarize ourselves with the outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat.  This encounter between two persons, so intimately related while still distinct from each other, an encounter so full of promise, is our first experience of communication.  It is an experience which we all share, since each of us was born of a mother.
Even after we have come into the world, in some sense we are still in a “womb”, which is the family.  A womb made up of various interrelated persons: the family is “where we learn to live with others despite our differences” (Evangelii Gaudium, 66).  Notwithstanding the differences of gender and age between them, family members accept one another because there is a bond between them.  The wider the range of these relationships and the greater the differences of age, the richer will be our living environment.  It is this bond which is at the root of language, which in turn strengthens the bond.  We do not create our language; we can use it because we have received it.  It is in the family that we learn to speak our “mother tongue”, the language of those who have gone before us. (cf. 2 Macc 7:25,27).  In the family we realize that others have preceded us, they made it possible for us to exist and in our turn to generate life and to do something good and beautiful.  We can give because we have received.  This virtuous circle is at the heart of the family’s ability to communicate among its members and with others.  More generally, it is the model for all communication.
The experience of this relationship which “precedes” us enables the family to become the setting in which the most basic form of communication, which isprayer, is handed down.  When parents put their newborn children to sleep, they frequently entrust them to God, asking that he watch over them.  When the children are a little older, parents help them to recite some simple prayers, thinking with affection of other people, such as grandparents, relatives, the sick and suffering, and all those in need of God’s help.  It was in our families that the majority of us learned the religious dimension of communication, which in the case of Christianity is permeated with love, the love that God bestows upon us and which we then offer to others.
In the family, we learn to embrace and support one another, to discern the meaning of facial expressions and moments of silence, to laugh and cry together with people who did not choose one other yet are so important to each other.  This greatly helps us to understand the meaning of communication as recognizing and creating closeness.  When we lessen distances by growing closer and accepting one another, we experience gratitude and joy.  Mary’s greeting and the stirring of her child are a blessing for Elizabeth; they are followed by the beautiful canticle of the Magnificat, in which Mary praises God’s loving plan for her and for her people.  A “yes” spoken with faith can have effects that go well beyond ourselves and our place in the world.  To “visit” is to open doors, not remaining closed in our little world, but rather going out to others.  So too the family comes alive as it reaches beyond itself; families who do so communicate their message of life and communion, giving comfort and hope to more fragile families, and thus build up the Church herself, which is the family of families.
More than anywhere else, the family is where we daily experience our ownlimits and those of others, the problems great and small entailed in living peacefully with others.  A perfect family does not exist.  We should not be fearful of imperfections, weakness or even conflict, but rather learn how to deal with them constructively.  The family, where we keep loving one another despite our limits and sins, thus becomes a school of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is itself a process of communication.  When contrition is expressed and accepted, it becomes possible to restore and rebuild the communication which broke down.  A child who has learned in the family to listen to others, to speak respectfully and to express his or her view without negating that of others, will be a force for dialogue and reconciliation in society.
When it comes to the challenges of communication, families who have children with one or more disabilities have much to teach us.  A motor, sensory or mental limitation can be a reason for closing in on ourselves, but it can also become, thanks to the love of parents, siblings, and friends, an incentive to openness, sharing and ready communication with all.  It can also help schools, parishes and associations to become more welcoming and inclusive of everyone.
In a world where people often curse, use foul language, speak badly of others, sow discord and poison our human environment by gossip, the family can teach us to understand communication as a blessing.  In situations apparently dominated by hatred and violence, where families are separated by stone walls or the no less impenetrable walls of prejudice and resentment, where there seem to be good reasons for saying “enough is enough”, it is only by blessing rather than cursing, by visiting rather than repelling, and by accepting rather than fighting, that we can break the spiral of evil, show that goodness is always possible, and educate our children to fellowship.
Today the modern media, which are an essential part of life for young people in particular, can be both a help and a hindrance to communication in and between families.  The media can be a hindrance if they become a way to avoid listening to others, to evade physical contact, to fill up every moment of silence and rest, so that we forget that “silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist.” (BENEDICT XVI, Message for the 2012 World Communications Day).  The media can helpcommunication when they enable people to share their stories, to stay in contact with distant friends, to thank others or to seek their forgiveness, and to open the door to new encounters.  By growing daily in our awareness of the vital importance of encountering others, these “new possibilities”, we will employ technology wisely, rather than letting ourselves be dominated by it.  Here too, parents are the primary educators, but they cannot be left to their own devices.  The Christian community is called to help them in teaching children how to live in a media environment in a way consonant with the dignity of the human person and service of the common good.
The great challenge facing us today is to learn once again how to talk to one another, not simply how to generate and consume information.  The latter is a tendency which our important and influential modern communications media can encourage.  Information is important, but it is not enough.  All too often things get simplified, different positions and viewpoints are pitted against one another, and people are invited to take sides, rather than to see things as a whole.
The family, in conclusion, is not a subject of debate or a terrain for ideological skirmishes.  Rather, it is an environment in which we learn to communicate in an experience of closeness, a setting where communication takes place, a“communicating community”.  The family is a community which provides help, which celebrates life and is fruitful.  Once we realize this, we will once more be able to see how the family continues to be a rich human resource, as opposed to a problem or an institution in crisis.  At times the media can tend to present the family as a kind of abstract model which has to be accepted or rejected, defended or attacked, rather than as a living reality.  Or else a grounds for ideological clashes rather than as a setting where we can all learn what it means to communicate in a love received and returned.  Relating our experiences means realizing that our lives are bound together as a single reality, that our voices are many, and that each is unique.
Families should be seen as a resource rather than as a problem for society.  Families at their best actively communicate by their witness the beauty and the richness of the relationship between man and woman, and between parents and children.  We are not fighting to defend the past.  Rather, with patience and trust, we are working to build a better future for the world in which we live.
From the Vatican, 23 January 2015
Vigil of the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales

Now ‘Serial’ Witness Asia McClain Says Prosecutor Is Lying and She Stands by Syed’s Alibi

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Serial season one may be over, but the story of the case against Adnan Syed is still unraveling. In a new development, Asia McClain—a high school classmate of victim Hae Min Lee and the man convicted of her murder, Adnan Syed—has penned a new affidavit this week giving Syed an alibi in the case. McClain is standing behind the original letter mentioned on the series, in which she claimed to be with Syed at the time of the murder. The new affidavit, which was provided to TheBlaze of all places, says that McClain realized that she “needed to step forward and make [her] story known to the court system.” Even though she told investigators the same story in a letter at the time of the trial, prosecutor Kevin Urick testified that letter shouldn’t be heard because, “She told me that she’d only written it because she was getting pressure from the family, and she basically wrote it to please them and get them off her back.”

The problem is, McClain says that never happened in her new affidavit: “I never told Urick that I recanted my story or affidavit about January 13, 1999 … I did not write the March 1999 letters or the affidavit because of pressure from Syed’s family … my only goal has always been to provide the truth about what I remembered.” The new affidavit also says that Urick told her not to be a part of an appeal back in 2010: “Urick convinced me into believing that I should not participate in any ongoing proceedings … Based on my conversation with Kevin Urick, the comments made by him and what he conveyed to me during that conversation, I determined that I wished to have no further involvement with the Syed defense team, at that time.” For his part, Urick told TheBlaze the allegations were “Absolutely false … She definitely told me that she wrote what she wrote, was to appease the family, to get them off her back.” As with a lot of elements of this case, the only thing that is clear is that someone—in this scenario, Asia McClain or the prosecutor—is lying. Syed’s defense team is currently arguing that he receive ineffective counsel, partly because the “Asia letter” was not presented as evidence ...

#BreakingNews King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Dies - RIP

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SAUDI ARABIA
King Abdullah, the timid Saudi reformer, is dead
He is succeeded by his half-brother Salman. The Crown Prince is Moqren. Ambiguous relations with the United States, but also with China. Proponent of a peace plan for Israel and Palestine, but opposed to the Arab spring. His meeting with Benedict XVI. Supporter of the opponents of Bashar Assad and Iran's enemy. The Wahhabi kingdom must defend itself against al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died last night at o'clock (local time), after a few weeks in the hospital with pneumonia. The sovereign was 90 years old (his exact date of birth is unknown). The Royal House announced that his funeral and burial will take place today, after Islamic prayers in the afternoon. It also announced that his successor is his half-brother Abdullah Salman, 79, and that the crown prince is Moqren, 69.
Abdullah ascended to the throne in 2005 upon the death of King Fahd, but in fact reigned since '95, due to his stepbrother's poor health.

Among the first to pay tribute to the memory of the deceased king was US President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande.

The news of the death of Abdullah has caused little  surprise: he was ill for years and often spent periods in hospital. Analysts view him as a cautious reformer of the dynasty and Saudi society. During his reign, in the only country in the world that does not allow women to drive a car, he granted them the opportunity to vote in municipal elections. He also reduced the influence of the religious police (muttawa) in the private lives of the Saudis. He also worked for peace between Israel and Palestine, proposing in 2002 a comprehensive peace plan between the Arab countries and Israel in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. The plan was thwarted by the United States and categorically refused by Israel.
After 9/11, relations with the US faltered, since most of the terrorists involved in the attack on the Twin Towers were Saudis. Abdullah tried to maintain relations with the United States, but in 2003, with the international invasion of Iraq, he would not grant US aircraft permission to have a base in Saudi Arabia. In 2009 he stepped up relations with China, which has become the main customer of the oil rich kingdom. But in 2011 he bought weapons from the US for nearly34 billion US dollars.

In 2007, a year after the Regensburg speech, critical of the violence in Islam, the Saudi King became the first in history to meet with a Pope, Benedict XVI.


With the outbreak of the Arab Spring, for fear of seeing the end of his reign, he used military force against the riots in the country and in neighboring countries (see Bahrain) and poured more than  130 billion US dollars into the domestic economy to appease popular discontent. At the same time he has curbed the press freedom and launched an anti-terrorism law that allows security forces to arrest anyone suspected of criminal actions for at least six months.

Saudi Arabia is home to the two most important holy places of Islam, Mecca and Medina, popular places of pilgrimage. During his reign, Abdullah also had to fight the Iranian influence on the Muslim world. In Syria, the Kingdom also continues to fund the fundamentalist opponents of Bashar Assad, while Iran supports the latter. Shared from AsiaNews IT

Home to Wahhabi Islam, the most fundamentalist and combative form of Islam, Saudi Arabia is facing the threat of al Qaeda in the Islamic peninsula and those of the Islamic State on the border with Iraq. Both radical groups count supporters in the Kingdom.
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