Pope Francis has denounced the EU’s attempt to replace the term “Christmas period” with a more-neutral “holiday period,” saying it was a move that some oppressive regime might well have made.
The European Commission last week made a U-turn on its language replacement after a public backlash, including from the Vatican. Pope Francis minced no words as he decried, during a flight home from Cyprus and Greece, what he saw as an ill-advised idea.
“In history many, many dictatorships have tried to do so,” the Pope was cited as telling journalists.
Think of Napoleon: From there … think of the Nazi dictatorship, the communist one… it is the fashion of watered-down secularism… But this is something that, throughout, hasn’t worked.
The EU, the pontiff added, should “be careful not to take the path of ideological colonization,” since otherwise it will only cause division among its members, leading to a fall of the entire bloc.
“The European Union must respect each country as it is structured within, the variety of countries, and not want to make them uniform,” he said, adding that he was according Brussels the benefit of the doubt in this particular case.
The resolution to change existing wording appeared in a guidebook on “inclusive communications” that advised EU bureaucrats on how to make their messaging more accommodating to minority groups. “Christmas” was deemed unsuitable because adherents of religions other than Christianity could dislike it. In another example, the instruction said that “man-made” should be dropped in favor of a gender-neutral “human-induced.”
The suggestions, which were released in late October on the order of European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, were highlighted by the Italian newspaper il Giornale in late November.
The news triggered outrage among more conservative people, including many prominent public figures. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, even called it an attempt at “cancellation of our roots, the Christian dimension of our Europe”.
GENEVA, Dec 07 (IPS) – On 25 November, news emerged from South Africa of a new COVID-19 variant. It has since been identified as Omicron, a Greek alphabet derivation the World Health Organization (WHO) reserves for virus variants “of concern”.
Russia is amassing more than 94,000 troops at the Ukrainian border in what officials in Ukraine call a “large-scale escalation” from Russia that is expected to take place in January.
Beijing has shot back after Washington declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics, saying American leaders weren’t invited to the event to begin with while blasting the move as “political manipulation.”
Asked about the boycott announced by the Joe Biden administration earlier on Monday, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu, told Reuters that the decision contradicts the “spirit” of the Olympics, though added that it would have no negative effect on the games, set for China in February.
“Such a pretentious act is only a political manipulation and a grave distortion of the spirit of the Olympic Charter. In fact, no one would care about whether these people come or not, and it has no impact whatsoever on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics to be successfully held,” he said.
No invitation has been extended to US politicians whatsoever, so this ‘diplomatic boycott’ simply comes out of nowhere.
Politicians calling for boycott #2022BeijingOlympics are doing so for their own political interests and posturing. In fact, no one would care about whether these people come or not, and it has no impact whatsoever on the #Beijing2022 to be successfully held.
Liu went even further in a follow-up post on Twitter, sharing a graphic with text denouncing the “State of Democracy in the United States,” which went on to say the American system is based on “a game of money in politics,” rule from a “minority elite” and a “trust crisis” – all seemingly in reaction to the boycott.
While the Biden administration noted that American athletes would still be permitted to compete in the Olympics, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said US officials would not attend, citing alleged “crimes against humanity” against ethnic and religious minorities in China’s Xinjiang province and “other human rights abuses.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the move soon after it was announced, with spokesman Zhao Lijian blasting it as “grandstanding” and warning of “resolute countermeasures.” Beijing’s embassy in the Czech Republic has also sparred with its American counterpart online, telling Washington to “stop self-flattering” while also suggesting US officials weren’t invited in the first place
Biden officials had discussed a potential boycott publicly for some time, though it was unclear whether the administration would move ahead on the idea after a relatively amicable virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month. Despite calls from Beijing to pursue more “positive” ties as recently as last week, Biden is apparently taking a more confrontational approach, having repeatedly labeled China the US’ top “competitor” and a threat that must be countered in the Indo-Pacific.
SAN LUIS LA HERRADURA, El Salvador, Dec 06 (IPS) – Small farmer Francisco Martínez pushed his son’s wheelchair to another part of the courtyard of their house, located in a small coastal community in El Salvador, before saying sadly: “It would be a great injustice if they kicked us out of here.”
