Rufugees in Europe - Crisis

The USA have a responsibility to take in more refugees from the Middle East especially From Iraq. The Islamic State (IS) contains part of Saddam Hussein's ( SH ) Army.

When the USA invaded and toppled they disbanded his large army. They Americans & British were only looking for chemical weapons and didn't follow up the stockpiles of conventional arms. Of course they didn't find the chemicals as they hadn't sold them any . Generals in the north of the country hid a lot of the weapons and disappeared into the countryside. They were part of the Sunni population who were in the minority but under SH controlled the country. Now they have reappeared as the military force behind IS. They used there expertise to gain control of much of Northern Iraq and Syria, . The refugees fleeing to Europe are a direct consequence of the American failed policies in Iraq. It should be there responsible to help with the refugee crisis.

Did you know what you can see in Paris !

Did you know what you can see in Paris !

John : 19-2-5.   "The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe"

This is the quote from the Christian Bible. So Jesus had a crown of thorns put on his head while on the cross. Well it can be seen to day in Notre Dam Cathedral in  Paris. It is one of the most important relics in the Christian world. On the first Friday of every month and every Friday in lent there is the VENERATION OF THE CROWN OF THORNS. The crown housed in the Paris cathedral is a circle of canes bundled together and held by gold threads. The thorns were attached to this braided circle, which measures 21 centimetres in diameter. The thorns were divided up over the centuries by the Byzantine emperors and the Kings of France. There are seventy, all of the same type, which have been confirmed as the original thorns.

In the 4 th century the relics were kept in the basilica on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Between the 7th and the 10th centuries, the relics were moved progressively to the Byzantine emperors’ chapel in Constantinople, mainly to keep them safe from pillaging. In 1238, Byzantium was governed by Latin Emperor Baldwin of Constantinople. As he was in great financial difficulty, he decided to pawn the relics in a Venetian bank to get credit.

Saint Louis, the king of France, took over and paid back the Venetians. On 10 August 1239, the king, followed by a brilliant procession, welcomed twenty-nine relics in Villeneuve-l’Archevêque. On 19 August 1239, the procession arrived in Paris; the king took off his royal garments. Wearing only a simple tunic and with bare feet, assisted by his brother, took the Crown of Thorns to Notre-Dame de Paris before placing the relics in the palace chapel. He built a reliquary worthy of housing these relics, Sainte Chapelle.( one of the greatest chapels ever built & still standing ).

During the French revolution, the relics were stored in the National Library. After the Concordat in 1801, they were given back to the archbishop of Paris who placed them in the Cathedral treasury on 10 August 1806. They are still housed there.

It might not be the exact crown of thrones but a lot of people still venerate it. It has been visited by millions over the years and can still be today. In our modern world it still has a place.