MOUNT ATHOS: A trip to the Holy Mountain with 7 friends from Holland - VIDEO

BULGARIA: Rila Monastery (UNESCO) - VIDEO

Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862....

Extra: Life on Mt. Athos - VIDEO

Are monks living at Mt. Athos in northern Greece happier people than people in the outside world? Father Matthew certainly thinks so and explains why.

MOUNT ATHOS: The Thrice Holy Hymn - VIDEO

Chanted by Byzantine Master and Professor of Byzantine Music Mr. George Papanikolaos from Samos, Greece. 

The Thrice Holy Hymn: Plagal of 1st Tone, composed by a monk on Mount Athos, which is chanted in the Divine Liturgy of The Greek Orthodox. 

MOUNT ATHOS VERSION

1st Stasi:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal Have Mercy on Us.

2nd Stasi:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal Have Mercy on Us.

3rd Stasi:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal Have Mercy on Us.

Glory to The Father and To the Son and To the Holy Spirit

Both now and Ever and unto the Ages of Ages 

Amen.

Dinamis....with Terrirem and Ananes

Extended Stasi:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal Have Mercy on Us

Death of a master terrorist: How the ‘Iranian Jackal’ was killed

On the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyah, a.k.a. “The Iranian Jackal,” much new information about the hunt for the terrorist most wanted by Mossad and the FBI has emerged. It’s a story of high-tech surveillance and old-fashioned espionage, and it’s just starting to be truly told now.

Imad Mughniyah was 20 years old when he made his debut on the international terrorist scene in 1983, with a series of spectacular and deadly bombings aimed at Western forces in Lebanon. The 1983 Beirut suicide bombings included those on April 18 at the U.S. Embassy (63 killed); on Oct. 23 at the U.S. Marine barracks (241 killed); and on Oct. 23 at the French paratrooper barracks (58 killed). A litany of bombings, hijackings, kidnappings and assassinations followed, with an ever-increasing body count. 

A list of the attacks he is believed to have been involved in, directly or in a leadership capacity, reads like an index of late-20th-century terrorism: Car bombings of the Israeli embassy and the Jewish cultural center in Argentina (124 killed) in the early 1990s; the World Trade Center bombing of 1993 (6 killed); the Khobar Towers suicide bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996 (19 killed); the U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 (223 killed); the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen (17 killed)....

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NORWAY: Norwegian police arrest man after bomb threat on Parliament

OSLO, NORWAY –  Police in Norway say they have arrested a man after a bomb threat against Parliament put officers on high alert and shut down streets in central Oslo for several hours.

Oslo Deputy Police Chief Roger Andresen on Wednesday declined to name the suspect but said he was a Norwegian in his 20s and had made threats before. The Norwegian daily VG said the suspect had connections to the far-right, anti-Muslim Norwegian Defense League.

Police said the suspect was overheard making "unspecified" threats, including against Parliament, during a cellphone conversation on a bus Tuesday evening.

Andresen said police found a bullet-proof vest and a gas pistol in the apartment where the man was arrested. He gave no further details.

GREECE: Homemade bombs target Golden Dawn

Police on Wednesday were seeking unknown assailants who detonated a homemade bomb device outside the far right Golden Dawn offices in Larissa, central Greece.

No injuries were reported.

VATICAN NEWS: Vatican picks Swiss company for credit card payments

The Vatican said Tuesday it has selected a Swiss company to handle credit card payments that were suspended by the Bank of Italy for breaching European rules against money-laundering.

The ban, which took effect on January 1, included payments for tickets to the famous Vatican Museums, which draw millions of tourists every year.

"Credit card payments in the Vatican city state are possible once again," spokesman Federico Lombardi told a press briefing.

"The service is offered by the Swiss company Aduno SA, which has a lot of experience on the European market," Lombardi said.

The Italian central bank had ordered Deutsche Bank Italia, which previously handled payments and is registered in Italy, to deactivate its terminals.

The Vatican has begun to overhaul its legislation against money-laundering but is still not on an official "White List" of compliant countries.

The ban also affected the Vatican pharmacy, its post office and some shops located in the area comprising the world's smallest sovereign state.

Road to Emmaus - Watch FREE FULL Movie (great movie)

A movie conveying the event in which Jesus appeared to 2 of his disciples, on the day he resurrected.

BBC: Jesus: The Lost 40 Days (Christ's 40 days of post-resurrection visits with His apostles) - VIDEO

This excellent documentary on Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, His 40-day post-resurrection visits with His apostles and His ascension into Heaven, explains details about the life of Christ that many modern-day Christians may not be aware of and gives actual proof for the resurrection itself. 

N. Korea conducts 3rd nuclear test, warns more ‘measures’ may come

This GeoEye Satellite Image captured January 23, 2013 shows the Punggye-ri nuclear test facility in North Korea. South Korea has detected an "artificial earthquake" in North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported on February 12, 2013, suggesting Pyongyang may have gone ahead with an expected nuclear test. (AFP Photo)

Pyongyang said the Tuesday morning explosion was part of an effort to protect its national security and sovereignty, citing US opposition to the recent North Korean space launch.

"It was confirmed that the nuclear test – that was carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously – did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment," North Korea's KCNA state news agency said.

The UNSC has condemned the test by North Korea, calling it a “great violation of Security Council resolutions,” which poses “continuously a clear threat to international peace and security.”

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the non-binding statement. The 15-member council "will begin work immediately on appropriate measures".

An hour after the test, Japan said that it is considering leveling further sanctions against North Korea.

"I have ordered that we consider every possible way to address this issue, including our own sanctions, while cooperating with other countries," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters after a meeting of Japan's security council.

VATICAN - Pope's brother: Pontiff was troubled by butler's revelations

Pope Benedict XVI was troubled by "some great challenges" during his time in office -- including allegations of corruption within the church that were illegally exposed by his former butler and his relationship with a controversial Catholic brotherhood -- the pontiff’s brother said Tuesday.

Ratzinger said the pope’s time in office had “created great challenges for him,” highlighting two particular issues that concerned his brother.

 "Within the church a lot of things happened, which brought up troubles, for example the relationship to the Pius Brotherhood or the irregularities within the Vatican, where the butler had let known indiscretions,” he said.

“These were emotional years, but with God's help and his own commitment, I think he mastered it rather well,” he added.

Ratzinger did not specify the pope’s issues with the Pius Brotherhood, or Society of St. Pius X as the group is formally known.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi

But in late December, Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the group, described Jews as “the enemies of the church” to widespread condemnation from within and outside the Catholic Church. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, reportedly said it was “absolutely unacceptable, impossible to define Jews as enemies of the church.”

In October, the pope’s former butler Paolo Gabriele was given an 18-month prison sentence in the so-called “Vatileaks” case, after he was found guilty of stealing thousands of Vatican documents -- including some of Benedict’s private papers and letters alleging corruption within the church -- while working for the pontiff.

Some of papers were leaked to the media and, in court, Gabriele said he acted out of concern for the church and the pope. The pope pardoned Gabriele just before Christmas.

SEPTEMBER ELEVEN 1683 (2012) - Watch FREE FULL Movie (great movie - conflicts between European Christianity and Turkish Islam)

Genres : Adventure, Drama, History

Director : Renzo Martinelli

Cast : F. Murray Abraham, Enrico Lo Verso, Alicja Bachleda, Jerzy Skolimowski, Piotr Adamczyk,
                                                                                             
FULL MOVIE 

LINKS (English):
SEPTEMBER ELEVEN 1683 (2012) - Watch Online - 1 YouTube Link

SEPTEMBER ELEVEN 1683 (2012) - Watch Online - 2 YouTube Link

SEPTEMBER ELEVEN 1683 (2012) - Watch Online - 3 YouTube Link

SEPTEMBER ELEVEN 1683 (2012) - Watch Online - 4 YouTube Link

SEPTEMBER ELEVEN 1683 (2012) - Watch Online - 5 YouTube Link