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Pope Benedict XVI told Baptist and Catholic representatives he hoped conversations between the two denominations “will bear abundant fruit for the progress of dialogue and the increase of understanding and cooperation.”

The pope met privately at the Vatican Dec. 6 with more than 20 delegates who were in Rome for a meeting of the joint international commission sponsored by the Baptist World Alliance and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Pope Benedict said if reconciliation and greater fellowship between Baptists and Catholics were to be realized certain issues “need to be faced together, in a spirit of openness, mutual respect and fidelity” to the Gospel.

He said some of the “historically controverted issues” that needed further discussion include “the relationship between Scripture and tradition, the understanding of baptism and the sacraments, the place of Mary in the communion of the church, and the nature of oversight and primacy in the church’s ministerial structure.”

He said the commission’s focus on the word of God in the life of the church offered “a promising context” for discussing the differences in Catholic and Baptist approaches to faith.

Catholics place great emphasis on the sacraments, with particular reverence for Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. Baptists recognize baptism and the Lord’s Supper but refer to them as biblical “ordinances,” carried out in obedience to the Lord’s commands in Scripture.

Baptists honor Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ, but they do not address prayer to Mary or the saints because Jesus is the only mediator between human beings and God.

Both Catholics and Baptists agree that the primary source of knowledge of God is Scripture, and they share beliefs in the Trinity, the divinity and humanity of Jesus, and the existence of heaven and hell. They also share the same concerns over many social and moral issues such as abortion, pornography and violence.

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With market research showing that more households have pets than have children, we know that we’re not alone in considering the needs of our dogs when shopping for a car. So we decided to start reviewing dog-friendly vehicles and pet products designed for traveling. Nearly every week we get a wagon, crossover, truck minivan, SUV or other dog-friendly vehicle to drive, poke around in and write about from a dog-lover’s point of view.

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And if you are wondering who’s the recipient of the 2007 DogCar of the Year Award, that would be the Honda Element.  It received 5 out of 5 paws.

But Calcata’s most remarkable attraction — and the subject of a book that Farley is now writing — turned out to be something no longer there: the supposed foreskin of Jesus Christ.

For more than four centuries, the “Holy Prepuce” had been the city’s treasure, kept behind bronze doors over the altar in the Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. It was displayed every year on Jan. 1, the Feast of the Holy Circumcision. At one time, pilgrims who came to venerate it were rewarded with an indulgence that cut 10 years from purgatory.

To believers in Jesus’ Resurrection, Farley notes, the foreskin is “one of the only conceivable parts of his body that he could have left on earth.”

Legend holds that the Emperor Charlemagne received the object from an angel, then gave it to Pope Leo III in the year 800. It supposedly remained in the papal collection until the early 16th century, when a looting German soldier brought it to Calcata.

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Spiritual Water was born as bottled water with spirituality, positive thinking, prayers, God, and beliefs. You choose which bottle fits your needs and your feelings, read the prayer, drink the water, believe in God – and in yourself – and the sky’s the limit.

Spiritual Water features beautifully rendered artistic labels that depictions of full-colored images of holy persons or symbols, with prayers in English and Spanish and/or inspirational words and messages. The Spiritual Water comes in 10 different versions – each with its own uniquely paired message and image. Each time you drink Spiritual Water you benefit from the soothing, appropriate prayers, for added uplifting inspiration.

In every Spiritual Water bottle there are three good causes…
First, those who drink it feel uplifted and think positive, spiritual thoughts, knowing that God is with them. Second, they stay healthy by drinking more water (8 cups a day is recommended), and last put not least, they support children in need through The Spiritual Foundation.

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