All posts tagged: altar

Putin’s ‘altar boy’ is finally in Ukraine’s sights

Putin’s ‘altar boy’ is finally in Ukraine’s sights

Published by Sam Flores

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been a thorn in the side of Ukraine – and Europe – for more than a decade. He famously nicknamed Vladimir Putin’s rule a “miracle of God” in 2012 and characterised the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a “Holy War”. He is, the EU says, “one of the most prominent supporters of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine”. And yet the bloc has been unable to sanction him. Some 14 separate attempts by Brussels to include the religious figurehead on sanctions lists were blocked by the Hungarian government over concerns for “religious freedoms”. But now, Kyiv believes the ousting of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s outgoing prime minister, presents a fresh opportunity to hit the 79-year-old with punitive measures over his support for the war. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian commissioner for sanctions policy, told The Telegraph: “This is one of the issues I’m going to flesh out – the oligarchs and patriarchs who have been missing on the list for a while because of powerful advocates, governmental …

Prehistoric Altar with Human Remains Discovered in Central Mexico

Prehistoric Altar with Human Remains Discovered in Central Mexico

Published by José Betancourt

Researchers working on an archaeological salvage project related to construction of a passenger train between Querétaro and Mexico City discovered a 1,000-year-old stone altar. The discovery was first reported in March, and was uncovered within the Tula Archaeological Monument Zone, a Toltec site in the central state of Hidalgo, according to Mexico’s INAH (the National Institute of Anthropology and History). When the three-level altar was excavated from the test pit, the project archaeologists discovered four human skulls abutting the monument, along with several long bones, which are believed to be femurs. There is also a black ceramic bowl, fragments of obsidian, and several blades with the altar. It is about three feet long on each side and is made up of andesite, river stones, and basalt rock. Related Articles “Each discovery like this expands our knowledge of one of the great civilizations of Mesoamerica,” said Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s secretary of culture. She went on to explain that the project “reinforces a central conviction of our cultural policy: Mexico’s archaeological heritage is the memory …

In ‘El Mencho’s’ last redoubt, a crucifix, saint candles and a handwritten psalm

In ‘El Mencho’s’ last redoubt, a crucifix, saint candles and a handwritten psalm

Published by Sam Flores

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Items found inside the final redoubt in Jalisco state of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” who was killed by the Mexican army on Sunday, revealed a side to the feared cartel boss few would have imagined: his religious fervor. The house inside an exclusive subdivision in southern Jalisco state contained a crucifix, as well as a makeshift altar with religious figurines of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Charbel Makhlouf, along with votive candles with images of saints. In the backyard, images of the Virgin and Saint Jude were carved into large rocks. On Sunday, Mexican special forces encircled Oseguera Cervante s and captured him after a firefight on the outskirts of Tapalpa. The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel died en route to hospital, authorities said. Images of the house’s inside captured by local media showed a handwritten copy of Psalm 91, which Catholics often invoke to ask God for protection from danger, fear and adversity. There were also letters, apparently written to Oseguera Cervantes and …