With 1.5 million people displaced and 3,000 lives taken, the conflict in Ukraine will enter its fifth year in 2019.
Reported by Al Jazeera 20 minutes ago.
Ukraine: The cold reality of Europe's forgotten conflict
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Minor earthquake hits Sicily following Mt Etna eruption
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area around Europe's most active volcano Mount Etna overnight, injuring four people, damaging old buildings and forcing the closure of part of a highway running along the sea, Italian civil protection authorities have said.
Reported by RTE.ie 19 minutes ago.
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FIFA 19 - Leicester City Career Mode Guide: Three mega buys to take the Foxes into Europe
Football FanCast presents you with a team guide for Leicester City, perfect for the start of your FIFA 19 Career Mode journey.
Reported by Football FanCast 12 minutes ago.
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How much it will cost you to visit countries in Europe after Brexit
Being in the EU it is free – but that is about to change
Reported by Boston Target 2 hours ago.
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Istanbul outskirts covered in snow
Winter storm brings rain and snow to the Bosphorus and beyond as strong winds batter parts of southeast Europe.
Reported by Al Jazeera 1 hour ago.
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Mount Etna: Earthquake hits Sicily after eruption at Europe's most active volcano
The 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck shortly after 3 am.
Reported by euronews 2 hours ago.
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Molinari set to focus on US golf circuit next year
LONDON (AP) — Francesco Molinari says he may not play in Europe until the 19th-ranked Italian defends his British Open title in July.The lure of the US PGA Tour and changes made to the European Tour calendar will combine to leave...
Reported by New Zealand Herald 1 hour ago.
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Tottenham keen on Norwich City youngster Max Aarons
Premier League top-four hopefuls Tottenham are said to be looking at Norwich City hot prospect Max Aarons, the British media suggest. The 18-year-old full-back caught the eye of a host of Europe’s top sides thanks to a string of impressive performances for the Canaries this season. Aarons has emerged as a key figure in Norwich […]
The post Tottenham keen on Norwich City youngster Max Aarons appeared first on Soccer News. Reported by SoccerNews.com 1 hour ago.
The post Tottenham keen on Norwich City youngster Max Aarons appeared first on Soccer News. Reported by SoccerNews.com 1 hour ago.
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TomatoFest Announces Release of “Anthony Bourdain Tomato” Seeds
Exceptional, heart-shaped tomato with bold, complex flavors pays tribute to the life and legacy of American celebrity chef, author, and television personality, Anthony Bourdain.
LITTLE RIVER, Calif. (PRWEB) December 26, 2018
Gary Ibsen, founder of TomatoFest® Heirloom Tomato Seeds, author of The Great Tomato Book, grower of more than 650 varieties of certified organic, heirloom tomatoes and co-founder of World Tomato Society, announces the release of “Anthony Bourdain Tomato” seeds.
Ibsen said, "Anthony Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, and television personality who explored the cuisines, culture, joys and essentials of human existence around the world. He was an icon to me, and many others, who love food and cooking as a most enjoyable way of gathering people together to celebrate our humanity.
"We wanted to pay tribute to Anthony Bourdain’s life by honoring his legacy with naming a tomato after him, a tomato heretofore unknown, that we have identified as particularly outstanding for its excellent flavors and beautiful, heart-shaped appearance, the 'Anthony Bourdain Tomato'.
"We found it suitable that 'the world’s most popular fruit', a tomato, would carry Tony’s name and story through future generations in a way that would enrich the lives of many."
This tomato was created by respected tomato breeder, Jeff Dawson, from a crossing between Sungold and Amish Paste. This cross yielded the Amish Red which over time threw off a slicer (Red Buddha) and this red oxheart. After 7 years of stabilization it has produced beautiful, 1 lb. fruit with particularly bold, complex, fruity-sweet flavors and good acidity for perfect balance.
About TomatoFest® Heirloom Tomato Seeds
Gary Ibsen, author of The Great Tomato Book, founded TomatoFest Heirloom Tomato Seeds in 1991 and revitalized the appreciation and desire for heirloom tomatoes. Ibsen’s belief in sustainable, organic farming, seed saving and sharing seeds and the stories of their cultural histories, inspired him to grow heirloom tomato varieties for more than 30 years. For the 2019 season, he, and his wife/partner, Dagma Lacey, grew more than 650 varieties of certified organic, heirloom tomatoes from seeds originally sourced from family farms around the world. Their personal, hands-on tomato production and seed harvest techniques ensure the highest quality seeds and help ensure that these precious heirloom tomato varieties will be sustained for years to come. In 2008 Ibsen retired from 18 years of producing the nationally celebrated Carmel TomatoFest event in Carmel, CA. to focus on their TomatoFest seed business. Through their ongoing TomatoFest Seed Donation Program, Gary and Dagma have donated organic tomato seeds to more than 380 non-profit, urban garden projects, school gardens, community outreach gardens around the U.S., India, Africa, and Europe. For additional information, visit: http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-seed-donations.html Reported by PRWeb 1 hour ago.
LITTLE RIVER, Calif. (PRWEB) December 26, 2018
Gary Ibsen, founder of TomatoFest® Heirloom Tomato Seeds, author of The Great Tomato Book, grower of more than 650 varieties of certified organic, heirloom tomatoes and co-founder of World Tomato Society, announces the release of “Anthony Bourdain Tomato” seeds.
Ibsen said, "Anthony Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, and television personality who explored the cuisines, culture, joys and essentials of human existence around the world. He was an icon to me, and many others, who love food and cooking as a most enjoyable way of gathering people together to celebrate our humanity.
"We wanted to pay tribute to Anthony Bourdain’s life by honoring his legacy with naming a tomato after him, a tomato heretofore unknown, that we have identified as particularly outstanding for its excellent flavors and beautiful, heart-shaped appearance, the 'Anthony Bourdain Tomato'.
"We found it suitable that 'the world’s most popular fruit', a tomato, would carry Tony’s name and story through future generations in a way that would enrich the lives of many."
This tomato was created by respected tomato breeder, Jeff Dawson, from a crossing between Sungold and Amish Paste. This cross yielded the Amish Red which over time threw off a slicer (Red Buddha) and this red oxheart. After 7 years of stabilization it has produced beautiful, 1 lb. fruit with particularly bold, complex, fruity-sweet flavors and good acidity for perfect balance.
About TomatoFest® Heirloom Tomato Seeds
Gary Ibsen, author of The Great Tomato Book, founded TomatoFest Heirloom Tomato Seeds in 1991 and revitalized the appreciation and desire for heirloom tomatoes. Ibsen’s belief in sustainable, organic farming, seed saving and sharing seeds and the stories of their cultural histories, inspired him to grow heirloom tomato varieties for more than 30 years. For the 2019 season, he, and his wife/partner, Dagma Lacey, grew more than 650 varieties of certified organic, heirloom tomatoes from seeds originally sourced from family farms around the world. Their personal, hands-on tomato production and seed harvest techniques ensure the highest quality seeds and help ensure that these precious heirloom tomato varieties will be sustained for years to come. In 2008 Ibsen retired from 18 years of producing the nationally celebrated Carmel TomatoFest event in Carmel, CA. to focus on their TomatoFest seed business. Through their ongoing TomatoFest Seed Donation Program, Gary and Dagma have donated organic tomato seeds to more than 380 non-profit, urban garden projects, school gardens, community outreach gardens around the U.S., India, Africa, and Europe. For additional information, visit: http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-seed-donations.html Reported by PRWeb 1 hour ago.
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Agoda reveals where everyone is headed to ring in the New Year
SINGAPORE, Dec. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tokyo, Paris and New York City are the top destinations to ring in 2019 according to Agoda, one of the world's fastest growing online travel agents (OTA), with more than a third more people opting to getaway to celebrate on New Year's Eve (NYE).A top ten NYE destination for many markets globally and number one for Chinese and Singaporean travelers, Tokyo's appeal continues with a jam-packed itinerary of concerts, parades and light shows making it the perfect destination to cast off the old and welcome in the New Year.
It's no wonder Paris, boasting endless themed parties, New Year countdowns at popular landmarks and shows for the whole family, has secured the top spot for NYE travel in Europe. The "City of Love" is a top ten for their British neighbors as well as travelers from Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The ball drop at Times Square in New York City is one of the most iconic and star-driven celebrations of NYE in the world, so it comes as no surprise that New York City is the top North American destination for travelers globally and number two for Americans traveling domestically for NYE.
Agoda's Top 2018 NYE Destinations (31 December 2018) *Asia*
*Europe*
*North America*
1
Tokyo
Paris
New York City (NY)
2
Bangkok
London
Las Vegas (NV)
3
Taipei
Barcelona
Los Angeles (CA)
4
Seoul
Rome
Orlando (FL)
5
Osaka
Berlin
Oahu (HI)
6
Pattaya
Amsterdam
San Francisco (CA)
7
Taichung
Istanbul
Chicago (IL)
8
Hong Kong
Prague
New Orleans (LA)
9
Bali
Madrid
Miami (FL)
10
Chiang Mai
Milan
Toronto
*NYE destination data for American travelers: *
· Las Vegas is the top NYE destination for American travelers again in 2018.
· New Orleans, which will be celebrating its Tricentennial throughout 2019, makes the top ten list coming in this year at number eight.
· Those celebrating NYE abroad will be headed to long-haul destinations in Asia -- Tokyo (#2), Bangkok (#5) and Taipei (#10).
Agoda's Top 2018 NYE Destinations for American Travelers (31 December 2018) 2016
2017
2018
1
Las Vegas (NV)
Las Vegas (NV)
Las Vegas (NV)
2
Bangkok
New York (NY)
Tokyo
3
Tokyo
Tokyo
New York (NY)
4
New York (NY)
Los Angeles (CA)
Orlando (FL)
5
Los Angeles (CA)
Bangkok
Bangkok
6
London
Orlando (FL)
Los Angeles (CA)
7
Orlando (FL)
San Francisco (CA)
Chicago (IL)
8
Manila
Chicago (IL)
New Orleans (LA)
9
Hong Kong
Phuket
San Francisco (CA)
10
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Taipei
*Notes to Editors: *
Read the global press release here: https://www.agoda.com/press/nye-2018
About the data: Agoda booking data was collated on 10 December 2018 for NYE bookings in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
*About Agoda *
Agoda is one of the world's fastest growing online travel booking platforms. From its beginnings as an e-commerce start-up based in Singapore in 2005, Agoda has grown to offer a global network of 2 million properties in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, offering travelers easy access to a wide choice of luxury and budget hotels, apartments, homes and villas to suit all budgets and travel occasions.
Headquartered in Singapore, Agoda is part of Booking Holdings (Nasdaq: BKNG) and employs more than 3,700 staff across 53 cities in more than 30 countries. Agoda.com and the Agoda mobile app are available in 38 languages.
For more information, please contact press@agoda.com.
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agoda-reveals-where-everyone-is-headed-to-ring-in-the-new-year-300770582.html
Related Links :
http://www.agoda.com Reported by PR Newswire Asia 1 hour ago.
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EVS Broadcast Equipment: Belfius and Ackermans & van Haaren invest in EVS to strengthen the shareholding structure
Publication on December 26, 2018 - 12.00pm CET
Regulated information – privileged information
EVS Broadcast Equipment S.A.: Euronext Brussels (EVS.BR), Bloomberg (EVS BB), Reuters (EVSB.BR)
**Belfius and Ackermans & van Haaren invest in EVS to strengthen the shareholding structure**
EVS Broadcast Equipment, the leading provider of live production solutions, today announces the realization of a capital increase within the framework of the authorized capital pursuant to which Ackermans & van Haaren NV, a Belgian diversified investment group active in different industries, and Belfius Insurance, have each subscribed to 351,012 newly issued shares (representing a participation of 2.45% by new shareholder) at a price corresponding to the average closing price of the last 30 days (e.g. EUR 21.2133 per EVS share). As a result, EVS Broadcast Equipment’s share capital henceforth amounts to EUR 8,772,323 represented by 14,327,024 shares.
Through this operation, and in addition to the availability of these additional funds, EVS Broadcast Equipment reinforces its shareholding structure with the arrival of two new shareholders. Based on their profile and their financial means, they will be able to sustain the development of EVS activities notably in terms of strategy, product roadmaps and financing of future opportunities. With their long-term vision and expertise, these new shareholders will support EVS in a market confronted with on-going consolidation and disruptions. They will also contribute to a stronger corporate governance structure and decision-making process.
This capital increase has been made based on the authorization that had been granted to the board of directors by the extraordinary shareholders' meeting held on 4 December 2017 to increase the capital of the company up to a maximum amount of EUR 1,600,000 (excluding issuance premium). The issuance of the above 702,024 new shares has been established by notarial deed today together with a corresponding EVS Broadcast Equipment’s share capital increase by EUR 429,844 and a total issuance premium of EUR 14,462,425.12 both by contribution in cash. Through this operation, the board of directors has therefore made a very reasonable use of the authorized capital having a limited dilution impact.
Dr. Pierre De Muelenaere, Chairman of the board and CEO ad interim of EVS declares: “EVS used to have reference shareholders with a strong strategic vision. Since the departure of the two founders of the company (Pierre L’Hoest and Laurent Minguet), who sold their position in the company, EVS was lacking strong reference shareholders ready to support the company with a long-term industrial vision.
Also, one of the feedback I have received during different investor’s roadshows, was that external investors were not well represented at the EVS board.
I’m now very pleased to welcome Belfius and Ackermans & van Haaren as new shareholders of EVS with a representation at Board level. The Board will propose to the General Meeting of May 2019 to appoint their representatives in the Board. I’m convinced that, thanks to their long-term vision and expertise, these renowned companies will help the EVS Board to make the best strategic choices and maximize the value created for all stakeholders of EVS.”
Baron Luc Bertrand, Chairman of Ackermans & van Haaren declares: “We are very excited to start this cooperation with EVS, which is one of the greatest Belgian success stories and a world-wide leader in the Live video production market. The broadcast industry is confronted with significant challenges with strong pressure on key players, important on-going consolidations and breakthrough evolution of the technologies. With our specific expertise in the broadcast sector, we will do our best to help the board and the management to take the best direction for the company and leverage the strong technological assets of the company.”
Marc Raisière, CEO of Belfius: “Belfius is “the” Belgian bank and at the heart of our mission, we want to help the development of our local companies, start-ups or more confirmed champions. We want to bring to the EVS board our long-term vision and we will focus on the creation of value for the country and for the shareholders. We are pleased to see that Ackermans & van Haaren will also bring their complementary expertise to EVS.”
Dirk Vanderschrick, CEO of Belfius Insurance: “The acquisition of a stake in EVS is perfectly in line with the diversification of our investment portfolio, which supports the Belgian economy. Belfius Insurance is very proud to become a leading shareholder of one of the jewels of Belgian technology.”
Yvan Absil, CFO of EVS, comments: “The EVS board has decided to organize this capital increase in a balanced way with only 2.45% per new shareholder, who will not have any dominant position compared to other shareholders. This operation has a limited dilution impact which will be compensated by the benefits of the operation. We have made a very moderate use of the Authorized capital resulting in a reasonable increase of the net cash of the company. This additional cash available will be an asset for the EVS, in a rapidly changing market where some more consolidations are expected that might bring acquisition or partnership opportunities. The new shareholders will certainly help EVS to have a longer-term vision and will help us with their specific expertise.”
*For more information, please contact:*
Yvan ABSIL, CFO
Geoffroy d’OULTREMONT, Vice President Investor Relations & Corporate Communication
EVS Broadcast Equipment S.A., Liege Science Park, 13 rue du Bois Saint-Jean, B-4102 Seraing, Belgium
Tel: +32 4 361 70 13. E-mail:corpcom@evs.com; www.evs.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the business, financial condition, and results of operations of EVS and its affiliates. These statements are based on the current expectations or beliefs of EVS's management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties relate to changes in technology and market requirements, the company’s concentration on one industry, decline in demand for the company’s products and those of its affiliates, inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, and loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition which could cause the actual results or performance of the company to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. EVS undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
About EVS
EVS is globally recognized as the leader in live video technology for broadcast and new media productions. Our passion and purpose are to help our clients craft immersive stories that trigger the best return on emotion. Through a wide range of products and solutions, we deliver the most gripping live sports images, buzzing entertainment shows and breaking news content to billions of viewers every day – and in real-time. The company is headquartered in Belgium with offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America, and provides sales and technical support to more than 100 countries. EVS is a public company traded on Euronext Brussels: EVS, ISIN: BE0003820371. For more information, please visit www.evs.com.
*Attachment*
· Press release in pdf format Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.
Regulated information – privileged information
EVS Broadcast Equipment S.A.: Euronext Brussels (EVS.BR), Bloomberg (EVS BB), Reuters (EVSB.BR)
**Belfius and Ackermans & van Haaren invest in EVS to strengthen the shareholding structure**
EVS Broadcast Equipment, the leading provider of live production solutions, today announces the realization of a capital increase within the framework of the authorized capital pursuant to which Ackermans & van Haaren NV, a Belgian diversified investment group active in different industries, and Belfius Insurance, have each subscribed to 351,012 newly issued shares (representing a participation of 2.45% by new shareholder) at a price corresponding to the average closing price of the last 30 days (e.g. EUR 21.2133 per EVS share). As a result, EVS Broadcast Equipment’s share capital henceforth amounts to EUR 8,772,323 represented by 14,327,024 shares.
Through this operation, and in addition to the availability of these additional funds, EVS Broadcast Equipment reinforces its shareholding structure with the arrival of two new shareholders. Based on their profile and their financial means, they will be able to sustain the development of EVS activities notably in terms of strategy, product roadmaps and financing of future opportunities. With their long-term vision and expertise, these new shareholders will support EVS in a market confronted with on-going consolidation and disruptions. They will also contribute to a stronger corporate governance structure and decision-making process.
This capital increase has been made based on the authorization that had been granted to the board of directors by the extraordinary shareholders' meeting held on 4 December 2017 to increase the capital of the company up to a maximum amount of EUR 1,600,000 (excluding issuance premium). The issuance of the above 702,024 new shares has been established by notarial deed today together with a corresponding EVS Broadcast Equipment’s share capital increase by EUR 429,844 and a total issuance premium of EUR 14,462,425.12 both by contribution in cash. Through this operation, the board of directors has therefore made a very reasonable use of the authorized capital having a limited dilution impact.
Dr. Pierre De Muelenaere, Chairman of the board and CEO ad interim of EVS declares: “EVS used to have reference shareholders with a strong strategic vision. Since the departure of the two founders of the company (Pierre L’Hoest and Laurent Minguet), who sold their position in the company, EVS was lacking strong reference shareholders ready to support the company with a long-term industrial vision.
Also, one of the feedback I have received during different investor’s roadshows, was that external investors were not well represented at the EVS board.
I’m now very pleased to welcome Belfius and Ackermans & van Haaren as new shareholders of EVS with a representation at Board level. The Board will propose to the General Meeting of May 2019 to appoint their representatives in the Board. I’m convinced that, thanks to their long-term vision and expertise, these renowned companies will help the EVS Board to make the best strategic choices and maximize the value created for all stakeholders of EVS.”
Baron Luc Bertrand, Chairman of Ackermans & van Haaren declares: “We are very excited to start this cooperation with EVS, which is one of the greatest Belgian success stories and a world-wide leader in the Live video production market. The broadcast industry is confronted with significant challenges with strong pressure on key players, important on-going consolidations and breakthrough evolution of the technologies. With our specific expertise in the broadcast sector, we will do our best to help the board and the management to take the best direction for the company and leverage the strong technological assets of the company.”
Marc Raisière, CEO of Belfius: “Belfius is “the” Belgian bank and at the heart of our mission, we want to help the development of our local companies, start-ups or more confirmed champions. We want to bring to the EVS board our long-term vision and we will focus on the creation of value for the country and for the shareholders. We are pleased to see that Ackermans & van Haaren will also bring their complementary expertise to EVS.”
Dirk Vanderschrick, CEO of Belfius Insurance: “The acquisition of a stake in EVS is perfectly in line with the diversification of our investment portfolio, which supports the Belgian economy. Belfius Insurance is very proud to become a leading shareholder of one of the jewels of Belgian technology.”
Yvan Absil, CFO of EVS, comments: “The EVS board has decided to organize this capital increase in a balanced way with only 2.45% per new shareholder, who will not have any dominant position compared to other shareholders. This operation has a limited dilution impact which will be compensated by the benefits of the operation. We have made a very moderate use of the Authorized capital resulting in a reasonable increase of the net cash of the company. This additional cash available will be an asset for the EVS, in a rapidly changing market where some more consolidations are expected that might bring acquisition or partnership opportunities. The new shareholders will certainly help EVS to have a longer-term vision and will help us with their specific expertise.”
*For more information, please contact:*
Yvan ABSIL, CFO
Geoffroy d’OULTREMONT, Vice President Investor Relations & Corporate Communication
EVS Broadcast Equipment S.A., Liege Science Park, 13 rue du Bois Saint-Jean, B-4102 Seraing, Belgium
Tel: +32 4 361 70 13. E-mail:corpcom@evs.com; www.evs.com
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to the business, financial condition, and results of operations of EVS and its affiliates. These statements are based on the current expectations or beliefs of EVS's management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties relate to changes in technology and market requirements, the company’s concentration on one industry, decline in demand for the company’s products and those of its affiliates, inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, and loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition which could cause the actual results or performance of the company to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. EVS undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
About EVS
EVS is globally recognized as the leader in live video technology for broadcast and new media productions. Our passion and purpose are to help our clients craft immersive stories that trigger the best return on emotion. Through a wide range of products and solutions, we deliver the most gripping live sports images, buzzing entertainment shows and breaking news content to billions of viewers every day – and in real-time. The company is headquartered in Belgium with offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America, and provides sales and technical support to more than 100 countries. EVS is a public company traded on Euronext Brussels: EVS, ISIN: BE0003820371. For more information, please visit www.evs.com.
*Attachment*
· Press release in pdf format Reported by GlobeNewswire 1 hour ago.
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Germany to Oppose New Missiles in Europe if US Scraps INF Treaty - Minister
Reported by RIA Nov. 23 minutes ago.
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HOTEC Design 2019 Keynote Announced: Granting the Gift of Creativity with John O'Leary
Crafted specifically for hospitality design professionals, HOTEC Design is a unique experiential and educational networking event that brings designers, hoteliers, architects, management companies and purchasing firms face-to-face with innovative suppliers for two days and three nights of well-curated activities and receptions in a 5-star luxury setting. This year, HOTEC Design will be held at The Phoenician, a collection luxury resort, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Each day, hospitality design buyers and suppliers are strategically matched up according to their preferences for a series of twenty-minute face-to-face meetings. In 2018, 100% of attendees reported that they fostered valuable relationships and drove new business through the HOTEC Design experience.
NEW YORK (PRWEB) December 26, 2018
Crafted specifically for hospitality design professionals, HOTEC Design is a unique experiential and educational networking event that brings designers, hoteliers, architects, management companies and purchasing firms face-to-face with innovative suppliers for two days and three nights of well-curated activities and receptions in a 5-star luxury setting. This year, HOTEC Design will be held at The Phoenician, a collection luxury resort, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Each day, hospitality design buyers and suppliers are strategically matched up according to their preferences for a series of twenty-minute face-to-face meetings. In 2018, 100% of attendees reported that they fostered valuable relationships and drove new business through the HOTEC Design experience.
HOTEC Design is produced by Questex Hospitality Group, the leading B2B events and media company dedicated to global hospitality professionals looking to expand their businesses in hotel investment, development, operations, design and more.
HOTEC Design is pleased to announce John O’Leary as this year’s headliner. In 1987, O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy, playing with fire and gasoline, which led to a massive explosion in his home and burned 100% of his body. Given a 1% chance to live, O’Leary shares his story of survival and teaches professionals around the world how to tackle challenges without relinquishing joy and the possibility of tomorrow.
The motivational speaker and author says, “I can’t wait to join hundreds of new hotel design friends in Scottsdale this summer for HOTEC Design 2019. Together, we’ll explore bold ideas, make meaningful connections, and recognize the limitless possibilities within all of our lives. The best is yet to come…we just have to open our eyes to see it! See you soon!”
Event Director Mary Malloy says, “We are so excited to host HOTEC Design 2019 at our gorgeous host property, The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona! HOTEC 2018 was sold out, and the 2019 event is filling up quickly. We are behind the scenes curating another productive, fun event for our select audience of hospitality buyers and suppliers looking to find creative inspiration and foster new relationships.”
Click here to reserve your spot for HOTEC Design 2019. The HOTEC Design agenda consists of a rigorous schedule of events including a welcome reception, networking meals, one-to-one appointments, free time to enjoy the resort, and more. Click here to view the full agenda.
For those buyers and suppliers located in or who do business in Europe, HOTEC Europe will take place 8-11 October 2019 at the Corinthia Hotel in Budapest, Hungary. HOTEC Europe brings together senior executives of leading hotel chains, purchasing companies and interior and architectural design from Europe to meet face-to-face with key leading domestic and international suppliers representing innovative products and services to participate in a series of one-to-one meetings over two dedicated business days.
Editors notes:
About Questex Hospitality Group
Questex Hospitality Group serves the worldwide hospitality, travel and related industries that together contribute over $6 trillion to global GDP. Through our innovative platform of targeted solutions, the group serves the sector’s entire ecosystem from tourism and hotel development and investment to hotel design, purchasing, management and operations. The Questex Hospitality+Travel Group serves every B2B segment of the industry via our proven demand generation, learning, loyalty and rewards solutions as well as our network of live events. For more information visit https://www.questex.com/markets/hospitality.
Mary Malloy, Event Director, 212-895-8279, mmalloy@questex.com
Alexandra Aldridge, Marketing Director, 212-895-8284, aaldridge@questex.com
Angela De Palma, Marketing Coordinator, 212-895-8445, adepalma@questex.com Reported by PRWeb 7 minutes ago.
NEW YORK (PRWEB) December 26, 2018
Crafted specifically for hospitality design professionals, HOTEC Design is a unique experiential and educational networking event that brings designers, hoteliers, architects, management companies and purchasing firms face-to-face with innovative suppliers for two days and three nights of well-curated activities and receptions in a 5-star luxury setting. This year, HOTEC Design will be held at The Phoenician, a collection luxury resort, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Each day, hospitality design buyers and suppliers are strategically matched up according to their preferences for a series of twenty-minute face-to-face meetings. In 2018, 100% of attendees reported that they fostered valuable relationships and drove new business through the HOTEC Design experience.
HOTEC Design is produced by Questex Hospitality Group, the leading B2B events and media company dedicated to global hospitality professionals looking to expand their businesses in hotel investment, development, operations, design and more.
HOTEC Design is pleased to announce John O’Leary as this year’s headliner. In 1987, O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy, playing with fire and gasoline, which led to a massive explosion in his home and burned 100% of his body. Given a 1% chance to live, O’Leary shares his story of survival and teaches professionals around the world how to tackle challenges without relinquishing joy and the possibility of tomorrow.
The motivational speaker and author says, “I can’t wait to join hundreds of new hotel design friends in Scottsdale this summer for HOTEC Design 2019. Together, we’ll explore bold ideas, make meaningful connections, and recognize the limitless possibilities within all of our lives. The best is yet to come…we just have to open our eyes to see it! See you soon!”
Event Director Mary Malloy says, “We are so excited to host HOTEC Design 2019 at our gorgeous host property, The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona! HOTEC 2018 was sold out, and the 2019 event is filling up quickly. We are behind the scenes curating another productive, fun event for our select audience of hospitality buyers and suppliers looking to find creative inspiration and foster new relationships.”
Click here to reserve your spot for HOTEC Design 2019. The HOTEC Design agenda consists of a rigorous schedule of events including a welcome reception, networking meals, one-to-one appointments, free time to enjoy the resort, and more. Click here to view the full agenda.
For those buyers and suppliers located in or who do business in Europe, HOTEC Europe will take place 8-11 October 2019 at the Corinthia Hotel in Budapest, Hungary. HOTEC Europe brings together senior executives of leading hotel chains, purchasing companies and interior and architectural design from Europe to meet face-to-face with key leading domestic and international suppliers representing innovative products and services to participate in a series of one-to-one meetings over two dedicated business days.
Editors notes:
About Questex Hospitality Group
Questex Hospitality Group serves the worldwide hospitality, travel and related industries that together contribute over $6 trillion to global GDP. Through our innovative platform of targeted solutions, the group serves the sector’s entire ecosystem from tourism and hotel development and investment to hotel design, purchasing, management and operations. The Questex Hospitality+Travel Group serves every B2B segment of the industry via our proven demand generation, learning, loyalty and rewards solutions as well as our network of live events. For more information visit https://www.questex.com/markets/hospitality.
Mary Malloy, Event Director, 212-895-8279, mmalloy@questex.com
Alexandra Aldridge, Marketing Director, 212-895-8284, aaldridge@questex.com
Angela De Palma, Marketing Coordinator, 212-895-8445, adepalma@questex.com Reported by PRWeb 7 minutes ago.
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The Siena Option: What one saint did in the face of a troubled Church
Siena, Italy, Dec 26, 2018 / 05:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When St. Catherine of Siena was alive in 14th century in what is now Italy, it looked like it was the end of the world.
The Bubonic plague was sweeping through Europe in waves, which would ultimately wipe out 60 percent of the population. The Papal States were divided and at war. Rich churchmen were buying their positions; bishops were making sure their family members would succeed them. The pope had been living in France for 70 years, and though he would return to Rome, the Western Schism happened shortly after, with three claimants to the See of Peter.
“She lived in really terrible times,” Fr. Thomas McDermott, O.P., a St. Catherine of Siena scholar, told CNA. “And people really did think it was the end of the world.”
The state of the world, and the Church today, is different, though in some ways no less troubled. The new wave of sex abuse scandals and their alleged cover-ups have rocked anew the Church throughout the world.
When St. Catherine talked about the Church, she often referred to it as the Body of Christ, in the tradition of St. Paul, McDermott noted.
“She says the face of the Church is a beautiful face, but we’re pelting it with filth,” he said. “It has a beautiful face, that’s the divine side of the Church, but we human beings are pelting it; we’re disfiguring the body of Christ through our sins.”
While the current abuse crisis and related scandals have left many lay Catholics wondering how to respond, some Catholics have suggested looking to the saints - like Catherine of Siena - for guidance.
*Who was Catherine?*
Catherine was born March 25, 1347, the 25th child born to middle-class parents in Siena; about half of her siblings did not survive childhood.
At a young age, she became very devout, and resisted her parents when they attempted to have her marry the husband of one of her sisters who had died. Instead, she chose to fast and cut off her hair to make herself less desirable. She would ultimately vow her virginity to Christ, and experienced a mystical marriage to him around the age of 21.
Instead of entering a convent, however, Catherine chose to live a life of prayer and penance at home as a tertiary, or third order, Dominican. She spent several years in near-seclusion, in a cell-like room under the steps in her parents' house, spending her days in dialogue with Christ.
After several years of this at-home novitiate of sorts, while in her mid-20s, she heard Christ telling her to lead a more public life.
“He said now you have to go out and share the fruits of your contemplation with others,” McDermott said. “That’s very Dominican, it’s from the Summa of St. Thomas Aquinas.”
Catherine obeyed, and rejoined her family in their daily activities. She also began to serve the poor, and soon became renowned for her charitable works. She gathered a following of young men and women - many of them from rich families of high social status - because they enjoyed her warm personality and her holiness.
*Catherine goes public - and gets political*
Once she stepped back into a more public life, she became more connected and in tune with the happenings in the Church.
At the time, Gregory XI was living in Avignon and was at war with the Republic of Florence. He placed it under interdict; essentially the equivalent of excommunicating a city - they were cut off from receiving the sacraments, among other sanctions.
Through her life of prayer and her consultation with her spiritual directors, Catherine began corresponding with papal representatives and the pope himself, attempting to broker peace in Florence and advocating for reform where she saw corruption.
“The papal nuncio to Florence in Catherine’s time is grossly hated by the powerful families in Florence, and he’s hated because the powerful families feel that they’ve been mistreated by the Pope,” said Catherine Pakaluk, an associate professor of economics at Catholic University of America and a devotee of St. Catherine.
“She’s writing to the nuncios, she’s writing to the pope, and she’s trying to prevent this internal Catholic war between these parts of the Papal States,” she said. “And this is before the Great Schism when things get really bad.”
Tempers and tensions were so high that the papal nuncio of Florence was eventually skinned alive in the streets.
“So when we think about things today and how shocking and horrifying (they are), you know, things were pretty bad then,” Pakaluk noted. “The nature of the particular crimes is different, but the tensions were really high and these folks were quite violent.”
Catherine was drawn into the Church politics of her time not because of a misplaced sense of ambition, McDermott said, but because she loved the Church as she loved God.
“It wasn’t her motive to be involved in the politics of the Church, but what was best for everyone and for the church led her into politics,” he said. “But it’s not like she was interested in politics itself.”
As part of her attempts at solving the problems of the Church, Catherine joined the call of many other Catholics of the time for the Pope to return to Rome.
After some correspondence, Catherine set out on foot with her followers to go meet with the pope in person.
“It was a remarkable thing for Catherine who was a homebody to take off on foot for France with her disciples, but she was prepared to do anything for the Church because the Church was the Body of Christ,” McDermott said.
After scores of people pleading with the pope to return to Rome between 1309 and 1377, St. Catherine seemed to prove most persuasive.
During her visit, Catherine referenced parts of the pope’s dream, about which he had told no one.
“It was astounding to him (that she knew about the dream) and he took that as a clear sign from God that he was speaking to him through this woman,” McDermott said. So after decades of exile, within a few weeks of Catherine’s visit, the pope packed up his things and headed back to Rome.
“She’s a great example of a laywoman who had strong convictions about the Church and was not timid about expressing them,” said Dr. Karen Scott, an associate professor of Catholic Studies and History at DePaul University in Chicago.
“It was a very different situation from today, so it would be a mistake to think that it’s an automatic equivalent” to the problems of the current Church, Scott told CNA.
“She was living a long time ago and it was a different time and a different Church and different historical set of circumstances...but she was aware of all sorts of problems with the clergy and she believed they ought to be reformed.”
*The legend of the opinionated laywoman*
What Catherine excelled at in her correspondence with the pope and other clergy was her ability to balance her no-punches-pulled critiques with her profound respect for the Church and the papacy, Scott said.
“There’s a beautiful balance between clear thinking and the ability to see the flaws...but at the same time to be enormously respectful of the Church and the papacy in particular and to base all of this on her deep spiritual life, a life of deep prayer,” Scott said.
“She’s a laywoman who had strong opinions and views on (Church matters) and took action, and amazingly they paid attention,” Scott added. Amazingly, because she was an uneducated lay woman from a modest background who wasn’t particularly well-known.
“They listened to her because what she was saying was so obviously right and sincere and coming out of her prayer and the Gospel,” Scott said.
In total, Catherine wrote at least 381 letters in her lifetime. Three years before her death, she also began dictating “Il Libro” (“The Book”), a collection of her spiritual teachings and conversations with God that became known as “The Dialogue”.
A significant portion of her Dialogue, chapters 110-134, gives insight into her thoughts on the Church reforms needed at the time. Catherine relayed that the “Eternal Father” (how she frequently refers to God the Father) had told her that the biggest problem facing the secular priests of her time was money, while the biggest problem facing priests in religious orders was homosexuality.
Her frank critiques were considered so indelicate that they were excised from many of the English translations of her book, McDermott said.
“She was writing this in the 1300s, she believes it was dictated to her by the Eternal Father, and she’s always a direct hitter, she doesn’t hold anything back,” McDermott said.
But while her dialogues contain punchy critiques of the clergy, she also urged respect for them at the same time, as they are “Christs” on earth who bring Jesus to the world through the Eucharist.
“You should love them (priests) therefore by reason of the virtue and dignity of the Sacrament, and by reason of that very virtue and dignity you should hate the defects of those who live miserably in sin, but not on that account appoint yourselves their judges, which I forbid, because they are My Christs, and you ought to love and reverence the authority which I have given them,” the Eternal Father told Catherine, as recalled in her Dialogue.
While Catherine was successful at bringing the papacy back to Rome and brokering peace between Florence and the Eternal City, the period known as the Great Schism, or the Western Schism, would begin just two years before her death.
“It wasn’t crystal clear who the real pope was,” McDermott said, noting that even some saints who are now canonized had sided with opposing claimants at the time. “So that must have also seemed like the end of the world.”
“St. Catherine was totally horrified,” Scott said, “because for her, Church unity was really essential.”
During this time, French cardinals had elected a leader as the Pope, and later on, the Council of Pisa also elected a claimant. St. Catherine sided with the claimant residing in Rome, Urban VI, and moved there in the last few years of her life to advocate for him and offer intense prayer and penance for the Church.
When she died in 1380, a result of illness brought on by her extreme penances, the western Church was still in schism, and would remain that way until the conclusion of the Council of Constance in 1418.
“Some historians, I think specifically less faithful ones or who don’t have a life of faith...will say well Catherine really failed, because her goal was to bring the Pope back to Rome to heal the divisions in the Church, but how could she have succeeded if the greatest schism of the Western Church occurs after she dies?” Pakalu said.
“I don’t know that’s quite the right view. We never know the hypothetical of history, we never know what would have happened without Catherine’s influence, and she does at least initially bring the Holy Father back to Rome before she died and that was pretty important,” she said.
“My guess is that the Church was able to survive the Great Schism because she got certain things lined up before she died.”
*Catherine’s lessons for Catholics today*
“What would she say today? I think that’s a dangerous question,” Scott said, “because we can’t say how she would relate to the current issues and complex questions, except that she would know very well what the moral stance is, that bishops and priests and lay people should all follow.”
Catherine would set the highest of standards for honesty and integrity and pastoral concern for the laity, Scott said, as well as the highest standards “for avoiding schism and being close to the papacy.”
“Beyond that I think she would advise people to take the time to pray and discern and not have knee-jerk reactions to things,” she added.
Pakaluk said that she thinks there are three lessons to be learned from Catherine’s life and example, with the first being that any activist role in Church politics must be rooted in deep prayer and love for the Church.
“I wouldn’t say don’t get involved until you’re as holy as Catherine … but to do activism or public ministry without that deep commitment to prayer would be completely absurd and would not be faithful to her life or her example,” she said.
The second lesson, she said, would be to take the long view of history. The Church has survived hard times and scandal before, and she can survive them again.
“I am horrified at outraged at what I’m seeing and hearing about” regarding the current scandals, Pakaluk said.
“But I’m not personally disturbed, my faith isn’t challenged, because I’m so familiar with (ages) in the Church’s past, particularly and especially the one that Catherine lived through, in which there was so much corruption and so much disappointment on the part of the faithful with respect to the hierarchy and some members of the clergy,” she said.
“So it doesn’t disturb me because I think well, why would it be different? Why would we think we’re better? Why do we think we’re completely immune to some of the things that have occurred in the past?”
The third thing Catholics can learn from St. Catherine is that it is possible to be a saint even in the most trying times in the Church, Pakaluk said.
“She’s there in Heaven, she ran the race, she made it,” she said. “We can look at her not only like ‘we can do it too’, but she’s our older sister, and we can follow her and ask her to intercede for us.”
McDermott said that Catholics should be heartened by St. Catherine’s witness because even while she prolifically wrote about the problems of the Church, she never once hinted that she was thinking about leaving.
“She would’ve said don’t leave the Church, this is the human, sinful side of the Church that is being reflected. And the good of the church - stay and purify it,” he said.
“Our love for Christ and the Church - the two are inseparable - is shown in hard times when it doesn’t feel very good to be a Catholic, that we keep on walking with Christ and the Church.”
This article was originally published on CNA Sept. 16, 2018. Reported by CNA 2 minutes ago.
The Bubonic plague was sweeping through Europe in waves, which would ultimately wipe out 60 percent of the population. The Papal States were divided and at war. Rich churchmen were buying their positions; bishops were making sure their family members would succeed them. The pope had been living in France for 70 years, and though he would return to Rome, the Western Schism happened shortly after, with three claimants to the See of Peter.
“She lived in really terrible times,” Fr. Thomas McDermott, O.P., a St. Catherine of Siena scholar, told CNA. “And people really did think it was the end of the world.”
The state of the world, and the Church today, is different, though in some ways no less troubled. The new wave of sex abuse scandals and their alleged cover-ups have rocked anew the Church throughout the world.
When St. Catherine talked about the Church, she often referred to it as the Body of Christ, in the tradition of St. Paul, McDermott noted.
“She says the face of the Church is a beautiful face, but we’re pelting it with filth,” he said. “It has a beautiful face, that’s the divine side of the Church, but we human beings are pelting it; we’re disfiguring the body of Christ through our sins.”
While the current abuse crisis and related scandals have left many lay Catholics wondering how to respond, some Catholics have suggested looking to the saints - like Catherine of Siena - for guidance.
*Who was Catherine?*
Catherine was born March 25, 1347, the 25th child born to middle-class parents in Siena; about half of her siblings did not survive childhood.
At a young age, she became very devout, and resisted her parents when they attempted to have her marry the husband of one of her sisters who had died. Instead, she chose to fast and cut off her hair to make herself less desirable. She would ultimately vow her virginity to Christ, and experienced a mystical marriage to him around the age of 21.
Instead of entering a convent, however, Catherine chose to live a life of prayer and penance at home as a tertiary, or third order, Dominican. She spent several years in near-seclusion, in a cell-like room under the steps in her parents' house, spending her days in dialogue with Christ.
After several years of this at-home novitiate of sorts, while in her mid-20s, she heard Christ telling her to lead a more public life.
“He said now you have to go out and share the fruits of your contemplation with others,” McDermott said. “That’s very Dominican, it’s from the Summa of St. Thomas Aquinas.”
Catherine obeyed, and rejoined her family in their daily activities. She also began to serve the poor, and soon became renowned for her charitable works. She gathered a following of young men and women - many of them from rich families of high social status - because they enjoyed her warm personality and her holiness.
*Catherine goes public - and gets political*
Once she stepped back into a more public life, she became more connected and in tune with the happenings in the Church.
At the time, Gregory XI was living in Avignon and was at war with the Republic of Florence. He placed it under interdict; essentially the equivalent of excommunicating a city - they were cut off from receiving the sacraments, among other sanctions.
Through her life of prayer and her consultation with her spiritual directors, Catherine began corresponding with papal representatives and the pope himself, attempting to broker peace in Florence and advocating for reform where she saw corruption.
“The papal nuncio to Florence in Catherine’s time is grossly hated by the powerful families in Florence, and he’s hated because the powerful families feel that they’ve been mistreated by the Pope,” said Catherine Pakaluk, an associate professor of economics at Catholic University of America and a devotee of St. Catherine.
“She’s writing to the nuncios, she’s writing to the pope, and she’s trying to prevent this internal Catholic war between these parts of the Papal States,” she said. “And this is before the Great Schism when things get really bad.”
Tempers and tensions were so high that the papal nuncio of Florence was eventually skinned alive in the streets.
“So when we think about things today and how shocking and horrifying (they are), you know, things were pretty bad then,” Pakaluk noted. “The nature of the particular crimes is different, but the tensions were really high and these folks were quite violent.”
Catherine was drawn into the Church politics of her time not because of a misplaced sense of ambition, McDermott said, but because she loved the Church as she loved God.
“It wasn’t her motive to be involved in the politics of the Church, but what was best for everyone and for the church led her into politics,” he said. “But it’s not like she was interested in politics itself.”
As part of her attempts at solving the problems of the Church, Catherine joined the call of many other Catholics of the time for the Pope to return to Rome.
After some correspondence, Catherine set out on foot with her followers to go meet with the pope in person.
“It was a remarkable thing for Catherine who was a homebody to take off on foot for France with her disciples, but she was prepared to do anything for the Church because the Church was the Body of Christ,” McDermott said.
After scores of people pleading with the pope to return to Rome between 1309 and 1377, St. Catherine seemed to prove most persuasive.
During her visit, Catherine referenced parts of the pope’s dream, about which he had told no one.
“It was astounding to him (that she knew about the dream) and he took that as a clear sign from God that he was speaking to him through this woman,” McDermott said. So after decades of exile, within a few weeks of Catherine’s visit, the pope packed up his things and headed back to Rome.
“She’s a great example of a laywoman who had strong convictions about the Church and was not timid about expressing them,” said Dr. Karen Scott, an associate professor of Catholic Studies and History at DePaul University in Chicago.
“It was a very different situation from today, so it would be a mistake to think that it’s an automatic equivalent” to the problems of the current Church, Scott told CNA.
“She was living a long time ago and it was a different time and a different Church and different historical set of circumstances...but she was aware of all sorts of problems with the clergy and she believed they ought to be reformed.”
*The legend of the opinionated laywoman*
What Catherine excelled at in her correspondence with the pope and other clergy was her ability to balance her no-punches-pulled critiques with her profound respect for the Church and the papacy, Scott said.
“There’s a beautiful balance between clear thinking and the ability to see the flaws...but at the same time to be enormously respectful of the Church and the papacy in particular and to base all of this on her deep spiritual life, a life of deep prayer,” Scott said.
“She’s a laywoman who had strong opinions and views on (Church matters) and took action, and amazingly they paid attention,” Scott added. Amazingly, because she was an uneducated lay woman from a modest background who wasn’t particularly well-known.
“They listened to her because what she was saying was so obviously right and sincere and coming out of her prayer and the Gospel,” Scott said.
In total, Catherine wrote at least 381 letters in her lifetime. Three years before her death, she also began dictating “Il Libro” (“The Book”), a collection of her spiritual teachings and conversations with God that became known as “The Dialogue”.
A significant portion of her Dialogue, chapters 110-134, gives insight into her thoughts on the Church reforms needed at the time. Catherine relayed that the “Eternal Father” (how she frequently refers to God the Father) had told her that the biggest problem facing the secular priests of her time was money, while the biggest problem facing priests in religious orders was homosexuality.
Her frank critiques were considered so indelicate that they were excised from many of the English translations of her book, McDermott said.
“She was writing this in the 1300s, she believes it was dictated to her by the Eternal Father, and she’s always a direct hitter, she doesn’t hold anything back,” McDermott said.
But while her dialogues contain punchy critiques of the clergy, she also urged respect for them at the same time, as they are “Christs” on earth who bring Jesus to the world through the Eucharist.
“You should love them (priests) therefore by reason of the virtue and dignity of the Sacrament, and by reason of that very virtue and dignity you should hate the defects of those who live miserably in sin, but not on that account appoint yourselves their judges, which I forbid, because they are My Christs, and you ought to love and reverence the authority which I have given them,” the Eternal Father told Catherine, as recalled in her Dialogue.
While Catherine was successful at bringing the papacy back to Rome and brokering peace between Florence and the Eternal City, the period known as the Great Schism, or the Western Schism, would begin just two years before her death.
“It wasn’t crystal clear who the real pope was,” McDermott said, noting that even some saints who are now canonized had sided with opposing claimants at the time. “So that must have also seemed like the end of the world.”
“St. Catherine was totally horrified,” Scott said, “because for her, Church unity was really essential.”
During this time, French cardinals had elected a leader as the Pope, and later on, the Council of Pisa also elected a claimant. St. Catherine sided with the claimant residing in Rome, Urban VI, and moved there in the last few years of her life to advocate for him and offer intense prayer and penance for the Church.
When she died in 1380, a result of illness brought on by her extreme penances, the western Church was still in schism, and would remain that way until the conclusion of the Council of Constance in 1418.
“Some historians, I think specifically less faithful ones or who don’t have a life of faith...will say well Catherine really failed, because her goal was to bring the Pope back to Rome to heal the divisions in the Church, but how could she have succeeded if the greatest schism of the Western Church occurs after she dies?” Pakalu said.
“I don’t know that’s quite the right view. We never know the hypothetical of history, we never know what would have happened without Catherine’s influence, and she does at least initially bring the Holy Father back to Rome before she died and that was pretty important,” she said.
“My guess is that the Church was able to survive the Great Schism because she got certain things lined up before she died.”
*Catherine’s lessons for Catholics today*
“What would she say today? I think that’s a dangerous question,” Scott said, “because we can’t say how she would relate to the current issues and complex questions, except that she would know very well what the moral stance is, that bishops and priests and lay people should all follow.”
Catherine would set the highest of standards for honesty and integrity and pastoral concern for the laity, Scott said, as well as the highest standards “for avoiding schism and being close to the papacy.”
“Beyond that I think she would advise people to take the time to pray and discern and not have knee-jerk reactions to things,” she added.
Pakaluk said that she thinks there are three lessons to be learned from Catherine’s life and example, with the first being that any activist role in Church politics must be rooted in deep prayer and love for the Church.
“I wouldn’t say don’t get involved until you’re as holy as Catherine … but to do activism or public ministry without that deep commitment to prayer would be completely absurd and would not be faithful to her life or her example,” she said.
The second lesson, she said, would be to take the long view of history. The Church has survived hard times and scandal before, and she can survive them again.
“I am horrified at outraged at what I’m seeing and hearing about” regarding the current scandals, Pakaluk said.
“But I’m not personally disturbed, my faith isn’t challenged, because I’m so familiar with (ages) in the Church’s past, particularly and especially the one that Catherine lived through, in which there was so much corruption and so much disappointment on the part of the faithful with respect to the hierarchy and some members of the clergy,” she said.
“So it doesn’t disturb me because I think well, why would it be different? Why would we think we’re better? Why do we think we’re completely immune to some of the things that have occurred in the past?”
The third thing Catholics can learn from St. Catherine is that it is possible to be a saint even in the most trying times in the Church, Pakaluk said.
“She’s there in Heaven, she ran the race, she made it,” she said. “We can look at her not only like ‘we can do it too’, but she’s our older sister, and we can follow her and ask her to intercede for us.”
McDermott said that Catholics should be heartened by St. Catherine’s witness because even while she prolifically wrote about the problems of the Church, she never once hinted that she was thinking about leaving.
“She would’ve said don’t leave the Church, this is the human, sinful side of the Church that is being reflected. And the good of the church - stay and purify it,” he said.
“Our love for Christ and the Church - the two are inseparable - is shown in hard times when it doesn’t feel very good to be a Catholic, that we keep on walking with Christ and the Church.”
This article was originally published on CNA Sept. 16, 2018. Reported by CNA 2 minutes ago.
↧
Thomas Bjorn gets Ryder Cup tattoo on his bottom - keeping a promise to his winning Europe team
Europe's Ryder Cup-winning captain Thomas Bjorn promised to get the score tattooed on to a part of his body only his girlfriend could see...
Reported by BBC Sport 2 days ago.
↧
Europe's Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn gets celebratory tattoo on his backside
Thomas Bjorn fulfilled a promise to get a tattoo after leading Europe to a 17½-10½ Ryder Cup victory over USA in September. e Norwegian finally underwent the procedure.
Reported by MailOnline 2 days ago.
↧
PSG join race for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure as Everton also remain keen
Doucoure has developed into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League with his pace and power and attracted interest from some of the best clubs across Europe.
Reported by MailOnline 2 days ago.
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↧
Watch: Bjorn keeps tattoo promise after Ryder Cup win
Europe captain Thomas Bjorn keeps his promise of getting a Ryder Cup tattoo on a part of his body "only his girlfriend will see".
Reported by BBC Sport 2 days ago.
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Mount Etna erupts in Sicily amid dozens of tremors
Europe's most active volcano erupts, with reports of more than 130 earthquakes.
Reported by BBC News 2 days ago.
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Mount Etna has first 'flank eruption' in over a decade
Europe's most active volcano erupted on Monday and officials have reported more than 130 earthquakes nearly.
Reported by BBC News 2 days ago.
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