Jerry Douglas' Blog

Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, lives in a small flat, takes the bus and only has one functioning lung. The new head of the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church is Pope Francis the first. He was elected on Wednesday 14th March 2013 at the end of the conclave of 115 cardinals. Below are 16 facts about the new pope: 1.  His real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio 2.  He is 76-years-old 3.  He is an Argentinean 4.  He was born Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of five children born to an Italian railway worker and his wife 5.  He is the first Jesuit to be named a pope. He entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1969 during his theological studies at the Theological Faculty of San Miguel. 6.  He is the first Latin American to become Pope 7.  He was the runner-up during the last conclave that elected Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 8 . He is a conservative known for his strong anti-gay stance. In 2010 he described homosexuality as a “de

Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it's set rolling, it must increase. - Charles Caleb Colton. The mask is off, the veil and façade of 'fighting corruption' has been yanked off by the man himself. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is now the Poster Boy for corrupt leadership the world over. Jonathan became the president of Nigeria with no positive antecedent or manifesto to develop or make Nigeria a better place to live in. He rode to power on the back of base sentiments without any known achievements nor blueprint to show. He was "our" son. What most people who voted or supported him did not know was that he is an indicted felon. Hold your stone, before you hurl expletives at me, see the next paragraph... From his antecedents, Jonathan is corruption personified, and I say this without any fear or favour. However, intellectual laziness has blinded most of us from researching his past. Here is a little snippet into the past of Mr. Jonathan, a creation of the c

The cardinals of the Roman Catholic church on Wednesday chose as their new pope a man from almost "the end of the world" – the first non-European to be elected for almost 1,300 years and the first-ever member of the Jesuit order. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, becomes Pope Francis – the first pontiff to take that name – an early indication perhaps of a reign he hopes will be marked by inspirational preaching and evangelisation. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio takes name of Francis after accepting his election as 266th head of Roman Catholic church Lets take a look at some of the pictures in recent hours after his appointment as a successor to Benedict XVI.

                                  Cardinal Bergoglio addresses the crowd in Rome as Pope Francis Continue reading the main story Pope Francis is beginning his first day at the helm of the Catholic Church, attempting to set out his vision for his papacy amid a testing schedule. He will lead cardinals in his first Mass, begin appointing senior Vatican staff and may visit his predecessor, Benedict, Pope Emeritus. The first Latin American and Jesuit pope has received a flood of goodwill messages from around the world. But the Argentine also faces a series of tough challenges. The Church has been dogged by infighting and scandals over clerical sex abuse and alleged corruption. Thursday morning saw Pope Francis begin the day with a visit to a Rome basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, for a private prayer. 'Journey of love' The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio shocked many onlookers when it was revealed on Wednesday. Continue reading the main story   Ana

Pope Francis I called Wednesday for “brotherhood” in the Roman Catholic Church and prayed for “pope emeritus” Benedict XVI in his first speech upon being elected pontiff. The former Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Latin American pope, said fellow cardinals “went to the other end of the world” to find a new pope. Thunderous applause for new pope in Buenos Aires cathedral as he addressed them after he was elected. The  European Union has offered its “sincere congratulations” Wednesday to the newly-elected Pope Francis I of Argentina, urging him to promote peace, solidarity and human dignity in a rapidly changing world. “On behalf of the European Union, we convey our sincere congratulations on your election,” EU President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso said in a joint statement after Jorge Mario Bergoglio was named as the church’s first Latin American pontiff.

Cardinal Jorge Bergogolio who was previously the Archbishop of Buenos Aires has been elected as Pope. The announcement came a few minutes after cardinals completed their fifth round of voting on the second day of their conclave. Pope Francis I is the first pontiff from Latin America and the First Non-European pope of the modern era. He will now serve as spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Pope Francis I is 76 years old.

Traditions aren't traditions if they're not a little weird, right? "We have decided to prepare the body of our "Comandante President," to embalm it so that it remains open for all time for the people," Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro declared on Thursday, in announcing plans to preserve Hugo Chávez's body and showcase it in a glass tomb at a military museum near the presidential palace. "Just like Ho Chi Minh. Just like Lenin. Just like Mao Zedong." In fact, it turns out Maduro was missing a few names. The practice of embalming national (mainly communist) leaders and boxing their bodies in glass for posterity may have gone out of vogue with the end of the Cold War, but Chávez still has distinguished company. Here are the most notable members of the exclusive club:  Vladimir Lenin, Russia. Died: Jan. 21, 1924 Call him a trendsetter. Lenin was the first communist revolutionary to be encased in glass upon his death, and

The sun was preparing to retire to the east for a well-deserved rest after scorching the earth tirelessly all day. A group of men in a convoy of four motorcycles arrived a stream, which locals prefer to call a river, in a remote part of a village. The road to the river is uneven. In fact, it is doubtful if the road had ever been graded not to talk of being asphalted.  The river is surrounded by mangrove with bamboos, standing as if on sentry duty while some children were playing inside the river, splashing water about merrily. Dateline: Sunday, March 3, 2013. On arrival, the eldest of the men, Pa Aaron Njoku, a slim built fellow with springy steps, crossed to the other side of the river and walked up a few metres.  Left in his own world as it were, he muttered some words like appeasement of or deference to an unseen being before rejoining the party. He spent just a few minutes on the trip across the river.  But his mission was accomplished as events proved few minutes later,

Beyonce and Jay Z’s marriage might not be as happy as they want fans to believe. According to Beyonce’s credit report, which was obtained by a Russian website, the singer owns a luxury condo in Miami — which she uses as her official address! The website, Exposed.su, posted the confidential credit reports of top shelf celebrities and notables, including Beyonce, her aging husband Jay Z; First Lady Michelle Obama, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Mel Gibson and others. Beyonce G Knowles, 31, apparently filed for credit (or a loan) and listed her official address as the entire 18th floor at 1450 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131. Anyone who is familiar with Brickell avenue knows that it is the playground of the rich and famous. Beyonce, whose social security number, date of birth and phone numbers are also listed on the Russian website, is obligated to give her official address when applying for credit, like everyone else. It’s interesting that she gave the Miami address rather t

The state pardon granted former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieye-seigha and some former military officers found guilty of coup plotting was done in the interest of the country, the presidency declared yesterday, adding that it had no apologies on the issue. However, while friends, associates and Ijaw stakeholders welcomed the pardon granted the former governor who was convicted for corruption, others in the civil rights community said the action had finally opened the Goodluck Jonathan’s indifference to the fight against corruption. Alamieyeseigha was convicted following a guilty plea he made on corruption charges brought by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Another pardoned convict found guilty of corruption was erstwhile Managing Director of Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama. Others pardoned on Tuesday by Council of State were Gen. Shehu Musa Yar‘Adua, Gen. Oladipo Diya, Major Bello Magaji, Mohammed Lima Biu, Major Gen. Abdulkarim Adisa and