by arabnews -- CAIRO: The Arab League on Saturday said Lebanese officials should have dealt differently with the crisis stemming from comments by the country's information minister which have impacted its relations with countries in the Gulf region. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit “expressed his deep concern and regret over the rapid deterioration in Lebanese-Gulf relations...,” the league statement said. He also said that there are parties that have an interest in dismantling Lebanon's relations with Arab countries. The statement added Aboul Gheit was confident Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati would act quickly to ease the crisis.

Aboul Gheit appealed to Gulf countries "to reflect on the measures proposed to be taken...in order to avoid further negative effects on the collapsing Lebanese economy". The statement came a day after Saudi Arabia ordered the Lebanese ambassador to leave the Kingdom within 48 hours and banned all Lebanese imports in response to remarks by the Lebanese minister, who described the war in Yemen as Saudi “aggression.” Hours later, Bahrain ordered the Lebanese ambassador to leave the country within two days for the same reason, Bahrain's foreign ministry said. (With Reuters)

بين رحيل وزير  او افساد  العلاقات مع المملكة العربية السعودية ودول الخليج التي تحتضن مئات الاف اللبنانيين نفضل ان يرحل الوزير باي …

The Vatican declined to comment Friday on U.S. President Joe Biden’s statement that Pope Francis encouraged him to keep receiving Holy Communion during a private audience. The Vatican, which has a long-standing policy of not commenting on specific statements attributed to the pope during private meetings, emphasized that the encounter between the two men on Oct. 29 was “a private conversation.” Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See press office, told reporters: “I would consider it a private conversation, and it is limited to what was said in the public statement.”

By Simon Caldwell -- catholicherald.co.uk -- US President Joe Biden has boasted how the Pope gave him his blessing to continue receiving Holy Communion because he was a “good Catholic” – in spite of an outcry over his record of support for abortion. Speaking to reporters after his first Vatican visit as US president, Mr Biden said he and the Holy Father did not discuss abortion once during a conversation which lasted an estimated 90 minutes. “We just talked about the fact he was happy I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving Communion,” President Biden said. The revelation is bound to inflame sentiments among many Catholics, including some US bishops, who believe it is a public scandal for Mr Biden to continue to receive the sacrament given his support for liberal abortion policies.

At their November meeting, the US bishops will be considering the application of Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law which forbids Holy Communion to those who “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion”. They intend to address the problem of Catholic politicians – like President Biden and Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – who support and advance programmes, policies and laws for abortion while claiming to be devout Catholics and presenting themselves regularly for Holy Communion. The bishops are divided among themselves about to what extent they should intervene publicly with politicians who publicly dissent from fundamental aspects of faith and morals. Mrs Pelosi has repeatedly clashed with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco over her position, for instance. Earlier this year, however, she announced that she was “pleased” with a Vatican letter to the US bishops which she claimed had instructed the bishops not to be “divisive” on the issue of abortion.

BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Lebanese President Michel Aoun has asked Russian ambassador Alexander Rudakov for satellite images from Aug. 4, 2020, when a …