May God bless you all.

Cheney 'approved' waterboarding

Rights groups have repeatedly condemned the Bush administration's use of waterboarding [EPA] The US vice-president approved the use of waterboarding against al-Qaeda suspects, US media reports have said. Dick Cheney and other senior Bush administration officials attended meetings to approve harsh interrogation techniques, which took place after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, ABC news and The Associated Press reported. The officials took care to insulate George Bush, the US president, from the meetings, where waterboarding - simulating drowning and feelings of suffocation by causing reflexive choking and gagging - sleep deprivation and slaps and pushes were approved, according to the reports. Participants were said to be members of a National Security Council's Principals Committee, a senior group of advisors to the president Bush. Condoleezza Rice, formerly national security adviser now US secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld, the former US defence secretary, Colin Powell, who was
secretary of state, George Tenet, the former CIA director and John Ashcroft, the former US attorney-general also reportedly attended the meetings. It was unclear which officials attended which meetings. Al Jazeera contacted the White House for a reaction, but it declined to comment. Techniques 'demonstrated' CIA officers would demonstrate some of the tactics, or at least detail how they worked, the reports said. The meetings approved specific interrogation techniques to be used on specific prisoners. The group agreed that waterboarding should be used on Abu Zubaydah, a senior al-Qaeda suspect detained in Pakistan in 2002, according to ABC news. The CIA has confirmed that Abu Zubaydah was subjected to the interrogation technique. 'Approve torture' International human rights groups have repeatedly condemned the Bush administration's use of harsh interrogation techniques. Waterboarding
Variations include pouring water over face covered with cloth or cellophane, or dunking headfirst into water Induces reflexive choking, gagging and feelings of suffocation
Dates back to the Spanish Inquisition and was used in Central and South America 30 years ago

Bush denies US uses torture but has vetoed a congressional bill outlawing the practice Edward Kennedy, a Democratic senator, criticised "yet another astonishing disclosure about the Bush administration and its use of torture". "Who would have thought that in the United States of America in the 21st century, the top officials of the executive branch would routinely gather in the White House to approve torture?" Kennedy said in a statement. The American Civil Liberties Union called on congress to investigate the claims. "With each new revelation, it is beginning to look like the torture operation was managed and directed out of the White House," Caroline Fredrickson, the ACLU's legislative director, said. Bush has said that the US does not use torture, but last month he vetoed legislation passed by congress that would have banned the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques.
"Because the danger remains, we need to ensure our intelligence officials have all the tools they need to stop the terrorists," Bush had said, adding the vetoed
legislation "would diminish these vital tools".
Michael Hayden, director of the CIA, told congress in February that government interrogators used waterboarding on three suspects captured after the September 11 attacks.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Video-Message of The Holy Father Benedict XVI to Catholics

and People of the United States of America

on the Occasion of the Upcoming Apostolic Journey .
Text of video message

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the United States of America,
The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you! In just a few days from now, I shall begin my apostolic visit to your beloved
country. Before setting off, I would like to offer you a heartfelt greeting and an invitation to prayer. As you know, I shall only be able to visit two cities: Washington
and New York. The intention behind my visit, though, is to reach out spiritually to all Catholics in the United States. At the same time, I earnestly hope that my
presence among you will be seen as a fraternal gesture towards every ecclesial community, and a sign of friendship for members of other religious traditions and all
men and women of good will. The risen Lord entrusted the Apostles and the Church with his Gospel of love and peace, and his intention in doing so was that the
message should be passed on to all peoples.
At this point I should like to add some words of thanks, because I am conscious that many people have been working hard for a long time, both in Church circles and
in the public services, to prepare for my journey. I am especially grateful to all who have been praying for the success of the visit, since prayer is the most important
element of all. Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced that without the power of prayer, without that intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavours
would achieve very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I
am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life.
Together with your Bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: “Christ our hope”. Following in the footsteps of my venerable predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul II, I shall come to United States of America as Pope for the first time, to proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. Yes, Christ is the face of God present among us. Through him, our lives reach fullness, and together,
both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father. I know how deeply rooted this
Gospel message is in your country. I am coming to share it with you, in a series of celebrations and gatherings. I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the
great Assembly of the United Nations, to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace,
for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfilment in the commandment to love
one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This “golden rule” is given in the Bible, but it is
valid for all people, including non-believers. It is the law written on the human heart; on this we can all agree, so that when we come to address other matters we can
do so in a positive and constructive manner for the entire human community.
Dirijo un cordial saludo a los católicos de lengua española y les manifiesto mi cercanía espiritual, en particular a los jóvenes, a los enfermos, a los ancianos y a los que
pasan por dificultades o se sienten más necesitados. Les expreso mi vivo deseo de poder estar pronto con Ustedes en esa querida Nación. Mientras tanto, les aliento
a orar intensamente por los frutos pastorales de mi inminente Viaje Apostólico y a mantener en alto la llama de la esperanza en Cristo Resucitado.
Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short,
with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my
mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Que la Virgen María les acompañe y proteja. Que Dios les bendiga.
May God bless you all.