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What is ‘ordo amoris?’ Vice President JD Vance invokes this medieval Catholic concept

Vice President JD Vance recently cited medieval Catholic theology in justifying the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. “Just google ‘ordo amoris,’” he posted Jan. 30 on the social media platform X. He posted this in reply to criticism over statements he made in a Fox News interview: “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.” He claimed that the “far left” has inverted ...

Rahim Al-Hussaini is named the new Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Rahim Al-Hussaini was named Wednesday as the new Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims, following the death of his father. The 53-year-old was designated as the Aga Khan V, the 50th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims, in his father’s will. His father died Tuesday in Portugal. The Aga Khan is considered by his followers to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and is treated as a head of state. The Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community announced earlier that His Highness Prince ...

Local church briefs

Bible Study LOCK HAVEN — God’s Eternal Life Church at 30 Woodward Ave., Lock Haven, is holding weekly Bible studies each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The topic will be Thru the Bible Word for Word. Please feel free to join. Church services are held on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. All are welcome. Pastor Dean Williams can be reached at 570-748-3700. Holy Moments Series MILL HALL — Bald Eagle United Presbyterian Church will be starting their Holy Moments in History series on Feb. 5. Retired history teacher Mike Palischak will lead the program. Mike has chosen William Penn as his first ...

A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people was recognized as a legal person on Thursday after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being. Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Maori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand, which has ruled that a river and a stretch of sacred land are people before. The pristine, snow-capped dormant volcano is the second highest on New Zealand’s North Island at 2,518 meters (8,261 feet) and a popular spot for ...

Don’t be afraid

While watching the Redskins (Oh, I mean “The Commanders”) game over the weekend, I noticed a lot of the commercials seem to want to scare you into buying their product. At the very end of the commercials, fear seems to be the overriding motivation of why you should buy their product. I counted five pharmaceutical commercials, each warning us that if we didn’t take their shots, use their pills or apply their ointment, we might never be cured of the sickness that was coming our way. In another commercial advertising a different product, one couple warned us if we didn’t ...