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just now (995+ words) Pope Leo XIV, center, walking with Muezzin Musa Asg'n Tunca, left, Dr. Emrullah Tuncel, second from left, and Imam of Mosque Sultanahmet Fatih Kaya, visits the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's iconic Blue Mosque on Saturday but didn't stop to pray, as he focused more on bolstering ties with Orthodox patriarchs and promoting courageous steps for Eastern and Western churches to be united. Leo took his shoes off and, in his white socks, toured the 17th-century mosque, looking up at its soaring tiled domes and the Arabic inscriptions on its columns as an imam pointed them out to him. The Vatican had said Leo would observe a "brief moment of silent prayer" in the mosque, but he didn't. An imam of the mosque, Asgin Tunca, said he had invited Leo to pray, since…...

4+ min ago (388+ words) ISTANBUL " As part of the global Airbus recall on most of their a320 aircrafts, one of the most widely used passenger planes in use, the ITA Airways plane Pope Leo is using during his trip to Turkey and Lebanon had to undergo a technical fix before departing for Beirut. On Saturday the Airbus airline company announced that it was grounding some 6,000 planes for modifications of monitors related to a risk of solar flares on Thanksgiving weekend " one of the most highly trafficked weekends of the year. It also coincided with Pope Leo's Nov. 27 " Dec. 2 visit to Turkey and Lebanon. The announcement was made the night before Leo is due to fly from Istanbul to Beirut for the last leg of his two-nation journey, the first international trip of his papacy. Airbus made the decision after discovering that computers installed on most…...

14+ min ago (605+ words) Breaking with his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV declined to pray at the Blue Mosque of Istanbul on Saturday as he continued his first international tour as the Bishop of Rome. In a show of respect, Pope Leo removed his shoes and toured the 17th-century mosque in his white socks; however, unlike Pope Benedict and Pope Francis before him, the recently selected pontiff declined an invitation to pray at'the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on the third day of his Apostolic Visit to Turkey, a former Christian epicentre now comprised of 99.8 per cent Muslims. According to the AP, the Vatican had briefed the press to expect Leo to hold a "brief moment of silent prayer" at the Islamic place of worship known for its thousands of blue Iznik tiles. However, after being invited to pray by Imam'Asgin Tunca in "Allah's house", the Pope…...

15+ min ago (1787+ words) " " " | November 29, 2025 10 Kislev marks the 84th yartzeit of the legendary chasid R. Itche Masmid. "From the Margins of Chabad History" presents a series of contemporary newspaper articles that give us a glimpse into his remarkable personality and dedicated work. R. Yitzchak Halevi Hurvitz was born in approximately 5650 in the Jewish farming village of Bereznehuvate (Nahar-Tov), Ukraine. At a young age, he earned the nickname "Itche Masmid," due to his remarkable diligence in learning. After joining the new Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch, he devoted himself to learning Chasidus and avodas hatefilah with the same intense hasmadah. After his marriage, R. Itche served as a mashpia and Rosh Yeshivah in various Russian cities. In 5693, he left Russia and settled in Riga, Latvia. For the rest of his life, he served as a traveling shadar for the Frierdiker Rebbe, collecting money and teaching Chasidus, "reaping gashmiyus and…...

17+ min ago (475+ words) " " " | November 29, 2025 Chabad of West Hampstead,led by shluchim Rabbi Dovid and Chana Katz and Rabbi Menachem and Tobale Vogel, unveiled its brand-new CTeen Lounge, dedicated in memory of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky a'h. The West Hampstead Jewish community gathered in celebration this week as Chabad of West Hampstead unveiled its brand-new CTeen Lounge, marking a significant milestone for local Jewish youth programming. The project was led by Shluchim Rabbi Dovid and Chana Katz, together with Rabbi Menachem and Tobale Vogel, with the support from Rabbi Dov and Aidel Katzel, who collectively helped shape the vision and development of the new teen space. The opening featured a ribbon-cutting and a Mezuzah dedication ceremony. Located on the top floor of the Gan Yeladim preschool building, which has seen tremendous growth in recent years, the new lounge represents the next stage in the building's…...

18+ min ago (400+ words) " " " | November 29, 2025 When Reb Yisroel Noach, the Tzemach Tzedek's son, set out to build his home in Niezhin, he gathered the local baalei batim for advice. After hearing them out, he calmly explained that his father had taught him to do the opposite of whatever baalei batim suggest. Reb Yisroel Noach, the fourth son of the Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzeddek, was born in the year 5575 (1815). In his first marriage, he was the son-in-law of Reb Yekusiel Zalman Valles, son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe. After his first wife passed away, he married the daughter of Reb Nochum, son of the Mitteler Rebbe. He lived in Lubavitch, where he served as the rosh yeshiva in his father's yeshiva (founded in 5602/1842). The Tzemach Tzeddek also appointed him to respond to many of the halachic queries sent to him, leaving only the more difficult ones…...

18+ min ago (213+ words) Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "West Central Tribune staff report." Often, the "West Central Tribune staff report" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story. The West Central Tribune newsroom can be reached via email: [email protected] or phone 320-235-1150. Church Calendar published Nov. 29, 2025 GROVE CITY " The annual "Christmas at Trinity" will be from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 6, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove City. There will be cards, napkins, quilts, crafts, baked goods, lefsa and ethnic goodies…...

37+ min ago (62+ words) Hello brothers and sisters. I have followed Christ for many years I have struggled with OCD since I was a young teen. At first it was having to say things a certain amount of times for it to feel right. That abated and it did not rear its ugly head it I was 35. Sitt at home with my wife, all of......

38+ min ago (68+ words) Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Nilova Pustyn monastery73 meters high, built in late 1860sLocated in Tver Region, on Lake Seliger, about 400 km northwest of Moscow The majesty of Russia's SPIRITUAL POWER Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Nilova Pustyn monastery 73 meters high, built in late 1860s Located in Tver Region, on Lake Seliger, about 400 km northwest of Moscow...

39+ min ago (686+ words) by Melinda McCredie | Nov 30, 2025 On this episode of Facing the Canon, Paul Robinson joins J.John to discuss his journey of faith and his role as CEO of Release International. Paul Robinson on standing with the persecuted church is both a personal story of courage and a call for Christians to pray and take action. Paul grew up in the steel town of Scunthorpe before joining the army at sixteen. Life in the barracks was tough, and he soon found himself drawn into an unhealthy culture of drinking and swearing. Yet God had a plan. Through the persistence of Christian witnesses and a friend's invitation to church, Paul encountered the gospel in a way that changed his life forever. These early experiences prepared Paul for his future ministry. He later read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, which deeply shaped his…...