AhbarjietMalta

Pope condemns attacks on civilians in Gaza: ‘It is war; it is terrorism’

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-holy-family-parish-gaza-appeal-civilians.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterVN-EN

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Pope Francis launches a heartfelt appeal for an end to the “terrorism” of war, and condemns an Israeli military attack on Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Parish, which killed two Christian women and destroyed a convent of the Missionaries of Charity.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for an end to the war ravaging the Holy Land, praying especially for Christians holed up in the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza.

At the Angelus prayer, the Pope said he continues to receive troubling news from Gaza, where “unarmed civilians are the targets of bombings and gunfire.”

Pope Francis condemned an attack on the compound of the Catholic parish, “where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.”

“A mother, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton, and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and others were wounded by the shooters while they were going to the bathroom,” said the Pope.

“Some say, ‘This is terrorism. This is war.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,” he said. “That is why the Scripture affirms that ‘God stops wars… breaks the bow, splinters the spear’ (Psalm 46:10). Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”

Pope Francis also recalled people in various parts of the world who are suffering due to war.

“Let us not forget our brothers and sisters suffering from war, in Ukraine, in Palestine and Israel, and in other conflict zones,” he said. “May the approach of Christmas strengthen the commitment to open paths of peace.”

The late Samar Kamal Anton

The late Samar Kamal Anton

IDF attack on Catholic parish

On Saturday, Israeli forces carried out heavy bombardment in the area surrounding Gaza’s only Catholic parish.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem released a statement alleging that an IDF tank fired a rocket which struck the Convent of the Missionaries of Charity, destroying the building’s generator and setting off a massive blaze that damaged the house.

Two more rockets reportedly rendered the convent uninhabitable for the 54 people with disabilities for whom the Sisters of Mother Theresa were caring.

“"The Convent is home to over 54 disabled persons and is part of the church compound, which was signalled as a place of worship since the beginning of the war," said the Patriarchate.

The late Nahida Khalil Anton

The late Nahida Khalil Anton

Two Christian women killed

Later in the day, an Israeli sniper killed two Christian women who had taken refuge in the Holy Family church compound.

Nahida Khalil Anton, an elderly woman, and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, had reportedly exited the church building and were walking toward the Sisters’ Convent.

“One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety,” the statement said.

The sniper reportedly shot and wounded 7 other people as they tried to protect others inside the church compound.

“No warning was given; no notification was provided,” said the Patriarchate. “They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents.”

Pope praises global commitment in message to Refugee Forum

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-praises-global-commitment-in-message-global-refugee-forum.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterVN-EN

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Pope Francis encourages international leaders present at the Second Global Refugee Forum in Geneva to persevere in their efforts to build a better world marked by fraternity.

By Thaddeus Jones

In his message to the Second Global Refugee Forum that took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13-15 December, Pope Francis said this second meeting "shows our clear commitment to resolving the plight of refugees as a shared responsibility" and marks "a sign of hope." Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, delivered the Pope's message to the meeting participants on 13 December.

The Forum is held every four years and is the world’s largest international gathering on refugees. The Forum aims to support the practical implementation of objectives set out in the Global Compact on Refugees, which include easing pressure on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, increasing access to third-country solutions, and improving living conditions in countries of origin. Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan, and Uganda convened this second meeting co-hosted by the Government of Switzerland and UNHCR.

The Pope said he sees "many positive signs" in our world, with countries and local communities keeping their borders and hearts open to refugees, saving lives at sea, and offering solidarity in reception centers.

He recalled the importance of "cooperation as the key solution to global problems" and the benefits from assisting migrants who "want to change their lives and contribute to the societies to which they move."

Freedom to stay home or migrate

Choosing whether to stay in their home country or migrate to another one should be a recognized freedom, the Pope said, and ideally, "everyone should have the opportunity to live a dignified life in their own country."

Today, almost 114 million people are forcibly displaced often within their own countries due to conflicts, violence, persecution—even religious—and climate change, the Pope lamented, and our responses have yet to adequately address these complex and pressing emergencies. Sadly, he underscored, "we continue to mourn the countless lives lost on land and at sea while seeking protection or fleeing from a hopeless future."

Priority to save lives

The top priority is to protect and save human lives, the Pope writes, and we must look beyond the numbers and statistics and see "that behind these numbers there are human faces, each with their own story and suffering."

He added that in cases of repatriations, that they be safe and voluntary, and not force anyone to return to places where they may face severe human rights violations or even death.

At the same time, places hosting refugees should strive to "welcome, promote, accompany, and integrate those who knock on our doors."

Refugee rights and duties

Apart from meeting immediate needs for food and shelter, efforts should strive to help refugees and migrants participate in and contribute to the societies receiving them, the Pope added, recalling that "refugees are persons with rights and duties, not just objects of assistance."

Their talents and skills can become a valuable and appreciated resource for host communities, he pointed out, and "only by including refugees as a part of the solution can they flourish as human beings and sow their seeds in the place where they live."

Opting for a culture of fraternity

In conclusion, the Pope said we are at a threshold moment today where we can choose “either the culture of humanity and fraternity or the culture of indifference.” He added that “history is challenging us to make a leap of conscience in order to prevent the shipwreck of civilization.”

He encouraged all the participants at the Global Refugee Forum to seize the opportunity "to reaffirm the principles of fraternity and solidarity" among communities and countries.

19 Dec 2023

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Pope Francis: Healthcare must put human person at the centre

Pope Francis meets with hospital staff from the Italian city of Bari, and praises their efforts to provide healthcare for migrants and training for medical students.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-12/pope-francis-italy-bari-miulli-hospital-audience.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NewsletterVN-EN

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By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis held an audience on Monday with a delegation from the F. Miulli Hospital in the southern Italian city of Bari.

In his address, the Pope highlighted two important aspects of which the healthcare facility should always be aware: “putting the person at the center and promoting scientific research”.

Centrality of human person in healthcare

Speaking about the centrality of the human person, Pope Francis recalled the founding principle of the F. Miulli Hospital—set up over 900 years ago—which is to be a “hospital for the poor who are ill”.

He said hospital staff should help provide people in need with a “place that is welcoming and safe in which they can find refuge.”

“Your mission has made you a dynamic reality which is constantly growing,” he said, “as borne out by the way in which you often renew the care you provide and the hospital facilities, in order to offer a more complete service to patients.”

Pope Francis expressed appreciation for a recently opened clinic for migrants, which was set up together with the Caritas outfit of the Archdiocese of Bari-Bitonto.

Creating virtuous cycles of research and care

The Pope went on to praise the Miulli Hospital’s dedication to scientific research, in collaboration with various Italian universities.

The hospital’s work to train future doctors and nurses, he said, “provides an opportunity for the best local talents not to emigrate,” adding that “emigration is a problem that impoverishes our lands.”

He also praised their efforts to encourage “other high-level professionals to come and work in Italy, fostering an enriching exchange of skills across broader horizons.”

In conclusion, Pope Francis thanked the staff of the F. Miulli Hospital in Bari for the “virtuous cycle” they have created and for seeking to offer the best medical care to the many people who seek out their assistance.

18 Dec 2023

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The crisis no one is talking about.

Watch part 1 here

https://youtu.be/yE6M69Qr5_U

In todays video I interview special guest Nate Hagens PhD about when stuff will run out! Check out his youtube channel with great guests.

https://www.youtube.com/@thegreatsimp...

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Olivia Rodrigo: Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1217040166/olivia-rodrigo-tiny-desk-concert?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20231216&utm_term=9149999&utm_campaign=music&utm_id=62499856&orgid=&utm_att1=

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The last time Olivia Rodrigo performed a Tiny Desk concert, it was two years ago, in a deserted DMV office, back when pandemic precautions meant artists sadly couldn't play the real Desk. But this year, the singer-songwriter returned, bringing a handful of songs from her wildly fun sophomore album to the NPR Music office. "It's much cooler to be here," Rodrigo says. "I was saying earlier, I've never been starstruck by a room before."

Many of the songs on GUTS, which earned a special recommendation on NPR Music's Best Albums of 2023 list, blow out Rodrigo's sound into colorful, grungy pop-rock fit for a stadium, like "love is embarrassing," performed here with Rodrigo on jangly acoustic guitar. But the artist builds her set out with GUTS cuts that fit the intimate setup, like the searing "vampire," her backup vocalists cooing eerily around each of her lines, or the potent ode to female jealousy, "lacy," which Rodrigo explains started out as a poetry exercise in a college class. By the end of her set, she's completely alone at the piano for the sobering "making the bed," and it's not difficult to see why she's one of pop's most promising rising performers.

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SET LIST

"love is embarrassing"

"vampire"

"lacy"

"making the bed"

MUSICIANS

Olivia Rodrigo: piano, guitar

Hayley Brownell: drums

Moa Munoz: bass

Daisy Spencer: guitar

Ashley Morgan: vocals

Gaba: vocals

Julia Gartha: vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

Producers: Suraya Mohamed, Bob Boilen

Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant

Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin

Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Elizabeth Gillis, Maia Stern

Audio Assistant: Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez

Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer

Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez

Tiny Desk Team: Hazel Cills

VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Correction

Dec. 14, 2023

An original version of this Tiny Desk credited Elizabeth Gaba as a performer. Their name is Gaba.

BRANDY CLARK

Buried

WMOT 89.5 - Nashville

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Brandy Clark performs "Buried" for AmericanaFest 2023 in Nashville, TN.

https://livesessions.npr.org/videos/brandy-clark-buried?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20231216&utm_term=9149999&utm_campaign=music&utm_id=62499856&orgid=&utm_att1=

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Pianist Christian Sands shares his 'Christmas Stories' for the holidays

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1218931182/pianist-christian-sands-shares-his-christmas-stories-for-the-holidays?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20231216&utm_term=9149999&utm_campaign=music&utm_id=62499856&orgid=&utm_att1=

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One of the finest traditions of the holiday season is the sharing of stories. The elders telling tales of yesteryear, family catching up on the year and children reading fables of flying reindeer and talking snowmen.

Pianist and composer Christian Sands regales us with holiday wonders old and new from his latest album, Christmas Stories. Christian adds new color to the traditional with joyous arrangements ("Jingle Bells," "Silent Night," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") and celebrates the Christmastime he remembers from his childhood as a '90s kid in Connecticut ("Snow Dayz" and the other side of the experience, "Shoveling").

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More than anything, this project is about taking stock of life and the world around you during the season. "Christmas is one of those times where everyone is together. And it's also a reflection of who's not here ... whether it's a loved one that's passed away, or someone has moved away," Sands says. "But it's also a reflection of newness, too ... baby's first Christmas; you might have a new relationship .... Christmas is about the reflection of the old, but it's also the excitement of what's to come."

A holly jolly Jazz Night: Our favorite holiday tunes

JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA

A holly jolly Jazz Night: Our favorite holiday tunes

Musicians:

Christian Sands, piano, keyboards; Yasushi Nakamura, bass; Ryan Sands, drums; Marvin Sewell, guitar; Max Light, guitar; Jimmy Green, tenor saxophone; Keita Ogawa, percussion; Andrew Joslyn, violin, viola; Eli Weinberger, cello

Set List:

"Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont)

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane)

"Sleigh Ride" (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish)

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn)

"Snow Dayz" (Christian Sands)

"Shoveling" (Sands)

"Silent Night" (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr)

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional)

"Last Christmas" (Sands)

Credits:

Trevor Smith, writer and producer; Ron Scalzo, episode mix; Keith Jenkins, vice president of visuals and strategy at NPR Music; Christian McBride, host.

Special thanks to Matthew Jurasek, Jan Mullen and Mark Rini.

Rick Rubin on taking communion with Johnny Cash and not rushing creativity

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/10/1217613273/rick-rubin-book-johnny-cash-religion-creativity-spirituality?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20231216&utm_term=9149999&utm_campaign=music&utm_id=62499856&orgid=&utm_att1=

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y mom was an artist. She welded big structures together and found beauty in barbed wire. She worked in clay. She even carved the female form out of giant pieces of styrofoam. She wasn't a big name or anything and probably only sold a couple pieces ever but that wasn't the point. For her, making art was like breathing. She had to do it. It wasn't for anyone else. It was for her.

I did not inherit any of her artistic talent but she modeled for me what a creative life looked like — the kind of joy and solace it could bring a person. I'd go even further to say it was an integral part of her spiritual life.

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So when I read Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, I saw her in those pages. And it made me think in a new way about the role creativity plays in my own life.

I go through phases where I need to make stuff. Sometimes I need to sing. Sometimes I need to take a ceramics class or learn a song on the guitar or the piano. But after a while, the urgency fades and the art-making takes a back seat to the responsibilities and rhythms of my regular life.

But as I think about the next chapter of my life, I want to figure out a way to be more intentional about how I harness those creative bursts so they become less like flashes of inspiration and more like a steady light that may intensify or dim but never goes out.

How do you make peace with your shortcomings? This man has an answer

ENLIGHTEN ME WITH RACHEL MARTIN

How do you make peace with your shortcomings? This man has an answer

Who better to have a conversation about this than Rubin? He helped make hip hop what it is today by launching the careers of greats like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Public Enemy and The Beastie Boys. His talent as someone who could hear things in music others couldn't eventually spread way beyond hip hop. Now musicians from all genres show up at his studios in California hoping for a dose of the Rubin magic to take their art to the next level.

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Rubin could have written a bestselling book about the music industry and insider stories about huge music stars. Instead, he spent eight years writing what is basically a spiritual text for anyone who wants to make something meaningful — not for praise or admiration or money, just because it brings you closer to who you really are.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Rick Rubin: I don't think of myself as a musician. I'm in tune with myself and I'm in tune with my taste and I can express it clearly. And that's pretty much my job.

Rachel Martin: Are you always right?

Rubin: No. I'm right for me. That's all. And that's all I'm trying to do. My job is to be true to myself. When you present a piece of work to me, I can reflect back what's going on in me. With as little noise involved.

Without worrying about, "Oh, but there's a release date. Oh, but how's the radio gonna react?" Forgetting all of the external baggage that weighs down the artistic process. And getting to a pure thing. You could almost think of it as a devotional act.

We're making something with our hearts and souls, and then we're sharing it with the world. And if people like it, it's great, and if they don't, we wouldn't change it, because we've made it with our hearts and souls, and it's true. It's a true thing we're doing.

Martin: In preparation for this conversation, I watched the 60 Minutes interview that you did with Anderson Cooper. Lovely conversation. You know, they give a title to their stories, and yours had the word "guru" in it. He referred to you that way, characterizing you as this kind of person. I mean, that word "guru" carries a certain connotation. And I know it was used, maybe, a little tongue in cheek. I'm not sure, but how does that word sit with you?

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Rubin: I think it has to do with the fact that for some reason, and I don't know why, in college, I decided to stop shaving.

Martin: You think it's because you have a beard? [laughs]

Rubin: I think so. I think if I didn't have a beard, they wouldn't call me guru. [laughs]

He chose to honor his mom's life with a psychedelic cartoon

ENLIGHTEN ME WITH RACHEL MARTIN

He chose to honor his mom's life with a psychedelic cartoon

Martin: Your book, The Creative Act, reads as sort of a spiritual text. Do you have a spiritual architecture to your own life?

Rubin: I will say I'm a seeker. So I read across the board, different practices. I'm looking at a bunch of books in front of me now. If you could see the books, you'd really laugh.

Martin: Tell me what they are!

Rubin: OK, so there's Wherever You Go, There You Are, which is a Jon Kabat-Zinn book on meditation. Below that is I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. Below that is Awakening the Third Eye. There's a book called 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. There's a book called Entering the Tao.

Martin: Alright, you've made your point. [laughs] You're a reader, and a seeker. Those are all of a piece, for sure. I mean, a seeker is a thing that's sort of, not to push back on you, but it's an easy answer. Lots of people are seekers. Do you believe in God?

Rubin: Yes.

Martin: You do?

Rubin: Yes, yes, yes. Yes. I have a knowingness that there is a power greater than us that seems to animate everything. That's how I would describe it. However this system works, this world that we're in, this universe that we're in, however it works, I don't think it's accidental.

I feel like there's some creative energy behind it. We have help. When we're making something beautiful, we have help. We're not working alone.

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Listen to All Things Considered each day here or on your local member station for more interviews like this.

Martin: I read that when you were producing Johnny Cash, near the end of his life, with his last albums, that you took communion with him. That was something that was important to him and you were enthusiastic about it.

Rubin: From the time he got sick, we did it every day. I said, "I've never done communion." And he's like, "Oh, it's a beautiful practice. Let's do it together." And then we did it together in person the first time. And then I said, "Well, while you're sick, should we just continue doing it every day?" And he's like, "Great, let's do it."

So we started doing it every day. And then when we weren't together, I would call him every day and he would say the words, and I would close my eyes. I didn't have the wafer physically with me, but I visualized the whole thing. I listened to the words and I experienced it with him every day. And then, when he passed, I could still hear him doing it. And I continued doing it for another six months.

Martin: Wow. I think that would change a person. To do that. Because it's not like saying a prayer with someone. I mean, it is a highly mystical Christian ritual whereby you imagine the wafer you're eating is actually the body of Jesus Christ and the grape juice or the wine is the blood.

Rubin: Yes.

Martin: You're not a Christian.

Rubin: No.

Matin: What effect did that have on you, sharing that with him?

Rubin: I'm a believer. And I got to share it with him, and he was a believer. And this was his way of believing. So I got to experience his way of believing with him. And it was beautiful and I truly believe it enriched my life. It's not calculable how powerful it felt.

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Martin: Is art unfulfilled still worthwhile? And I'll say more. This is a totally selfish question that I don't know if I'm asking for forgiveness from you in some weird way.

Rubin: I forgive you.

Martin: Thank you. [laughs] I didn't even have to ask a question.

Rubin: I forgive you anyway. Whatever it is, I forgive you, but do ask the question.

Martin: I took a sabbatical from work because the news was burning a hole into my soul. And I decided that on that sabbatical I needed to learn how to play a particular piece of music. I'm not a piano player. I played, you know, as a child. But I saw the film Nomadland with Frances McDormand and the guy who did the soundtrack, Ludovico Einaudi.

Rubin: Amazing. He's amazing.

Martin: Oh my God. He's so amazing And I could not get that music out of my head, so I was like, I need to try to play this music. And I hired a teacher, and I practiced, and then my sabbatical ended and I had not mastered this piece of music.

And I haven't tried since, because I'm sort of embarrassed that I never did it. And so, I guess my question is, is setting an artistic goal and not meeting it, is there still creative value in it for a moment?

Rubin: Absolutely, and I don't know that setting a goal is the way to do it.

Martin: Hmm, yeah, a lot of our culture is structured around that, huh?

Rubin: Yeah, I tend not to set goals. I feel like a goal could be a limitation. Like, I can remember a big successful artist, a singer in a band saying to me, "I'm excited about our next album. We haven't started writing any songs yet, but we want it to be this kind of sci-fi punk rock thing." And I was like, OK, I'm listening. And then I said, "What happens if the best songs you write turn out to be more like Neil Young's Harvest?" And he's like, "Oh, that'd be great."

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So then it's like, having the goal — that's not going to help you get there. It's more like, start finger painting and see what happens.

Did anything come from your piano experience? Did you feel more connected to the piano? Did you feel like you liked hearing yourself playing the notes? Was it a nice meditation being at the piano?

Martin: Yes.

Rubin: Can you go back to playing the piano for five minutes a day, 10 minutes a day, whatever — you pick the window without having this goal, but just, I'm gonna have fun? That might be a really nice gift to yourself.

Patrick Stewart says his time on 'Star Trek' felt like a ministry

ENLIGHTEN ME WITH RACHEL MARTIN

Patrick Stewart says his time on 'Star Trek' felt like a ministry

Martin: And also, you forgive me?

Rubin: Yes, of course. [laughs] Yes, you are forgiven. It's so funny, I often say things that I have no authority to say. I have no authority in granting permission, but I do it just to break the spell in the artist's head.

An artist was telling me a story about how when they were out with friends having fun, they would have an idea for a song. And they didn't want to step away and write down the idea, because they were kind of embarrassed. And I was like, no, you have to do that!

This wasn't even an artist I'm working with. I said, I give you permission that when a song comes, you're allowed to do that. I'm giving you permission from this day forward, you can do that. Now, it's ridiculous. I have no authority over him. He knows I have no authority over him. But somehow, hearing it, it's like a key to a prison door opening. So I'm very free with sharing the keys to the prison doors.

Martin: It's the beard, man.

Rubin: Told ya. [laughs]

Martin: This book has been a big hit. Have you been overwhelmed by the response, and what have you heard from people?

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Rubin: I'm delighted and surprised. I could never have imagined, because I think it's a strange book. I feel like, based on the questions you're asking, it's a strange book.

Martin: I mean, strange is the best, in my opinion.

Rubin: I didn't know who would like it, but I knew I wanted it to exist. It's the book that I wish I had when I was young. And it would be a good thing, if one person told me they loved the book and it changed their life. I don't know if it would've been worth eight years of my life, but it would've definitely felt good to at least know. It did what it was supposed to do.

Also, I was in a fire maybe six months before the book came out.

Martin: You were in a fire?

Rubin: I was in a fire, and I was sleeping on the second floor of a house. My wife and child got out. My wife said, "Fire! Get out!" I heard this, and thought, OK, it's a fire, she's gonna take care of it, I'm going back to sleep. And I went back to sleep.

And then I heard her screaming from outside, "You have to get out of the house, the house is burning down!" She said jump, and it was high, and it was a hard floor, and I felt like I would have gotten hurt, so I didn't do that. I went back in. I did everything wrong.

And then, I'm going towards the staircase on my hands and knees, because there's black smoke everywhere. And I crash into a wall, and then I'm crashing into another wall, and then I start getting lightheaded. And I realized, this might, this might well be it. And I saw my wife and child outside, and knowing they're safe outside, the only thought I had was, I'm so happy the book's done, because at least whatever I know can go on.

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