August 21 - Pope to celebrate Fatima, Vatican II anniversaries
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

Pope Francis will take part in a mid-October Marian celebration commemorating the final apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization organized a Marian weekend on Oct. 12 and 13 upon the request of former pontiff Benedict XVI.

This event will mark the fifty-first anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, as well as the dates of the last apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, in Portugal.  On Oct. 13, 1917 at Cova da Iria, Mary appeared for the sixth time to three shepherd children: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. During the apparition, the sun changed color, size and position for about ten minutes, and has since been known as the 'miracle of the sun.'

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 August 26 - 'Doomsday scenario in Syria'
 Article: Wars And Rumors Of Wars

Days after the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad allegedly carried out a chemical attack in a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds of people, Western nations and their Arab allies are actively planning a military strike. This would be the first show of force by an outside power since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011, all Arab dailies lead off.

The Saudi-owned A-Sharq Al-Awsat, known for its hostility toward the Assad regime, reports that in the face of overwhelming international pressure, Assad came to an understanding with the United Nations that will allow an international fact-finding team to investigate the chemical attack as early as Monday. The Syrian government has publicly accused "terrorists," or rebel forces, of launching the deadly attack.

Regardless of the conclusions the fact-finding team comes to, the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France have already decided that Assad's gesture is too little too late. The Syrian regime will already have had enough time to destroy crucial evidence.  The United States has already announced a re-concentrating of American warships in the eastern Mediterranean.

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 August 28 - Youth build multi-faith community in Bossey
 Article: Ecumenical Movement - Misc.

Young people of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths have recently created a unique community at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland. Together they seek to break religious stereotypes, promote mutual respect and enhance their understanding of religions beyond the conflict paradigm.

Taking part in a summer course titled "Building an Interfaith Community", these young adults were hosted by the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Switzerland from 12 to 30 August.

"In Bossey we have discussed several issues, ranging from the place of feminism in Islam to common values of peace within Christianity and Judaism," said Gorgi. "The discussions here are intense and intriguing, and we are not always in agreement. However, by the end of our conversations I always discover something new about even my own faith. This is the discovery that leads us to mutual respect, tolerance and acceptance of the other," she said. "Our faiths have more commonalities than we think," she said.

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