Pope Benedict XVI can expect some pissed off Tweets this week. The head of the Roman Catholic Church said this week that gay marriage poses a threat to “justice and peace.” He also called same-sex marriage “unnatural.” The 85-year-old Pontiff kicked off the Christmas season on Friday afternoon with the traditional lighting of the tree in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square. There, he released the Pope’s message for World Day of Peace 2013. In his annual address, he that same-sex marriage is “against human nature.” According to reports, he said the following: “There is… a need to acknowledge and promote the natural structure of marriage as the union of a man and a woman in the face of attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different types of union.” “Such attempts actually harm and help to destabilize marriage, obscuring its specific nature and its indispensable role in society.” “These principles are not truths of faith, nor are they simply a corollary of the right to religious freedom. They are inscribed in human nature itself, accessible to reason and thus common to all humanity.” The Pope went on to suggest that support of gay marriage “constitutes an offense against the truth of the human person, with serious harm to justice and peace.” Pope Benedict XVI said abortion is also a threat to peace. This is not the first time that Pope Benedict has vocally opposed same-sex marriage, having derided the idea as “insidious and dangerous” earlier this year. Previously, he had called same-sex unions “a threat to humanity.” Do you support the right of gay couples to marry? Support Oppose View Poll »
Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza learned everything he knew about firearms – and obtained the ones he used in Friday morning’s massacre – from his mother. Adam’s mom, Nancy Lanza, became his first victim that fateful day. An avid gun collector, she reportedly bragged to friends and neighbors about her weapons and took her son to several firing ranges to teach him how to shoot. All in the months leading up to Adam murdering 27 innocent people. One of Nancy’s neighbors, Dan Holmes, said that Nancy was a gun enthusiast and collector, often taking her kids, Adam and Ryan Lanza , to the gun range. According to the N.Y. Post , this fed his knowledge of firearms, and will surely be discussed as part of the obligatory and necessary gun control debate . Adam Lanza used several different guns when he opened fire on Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is believed that all three weapons were registered to Nancy. Nancy Lanza was not a teacher at the school, despite initial reports claiming this. Nor was she killed at the school; Adam, who lived with her, shot her at home. From there, he went on to kill 20 kids and six adults before taking his own life as police arrived, making for one of the worst mass murders in U.S. history. Police have yet to disclose a motive for the attack, which left those who knew Lanza trying to discern whether anything in his past could have foreshadowed this. One of Lanza’s aunts, Marsha, described Lanza as a “quiet, nice kid” who had issues with learning, she said. Her husband is Lanza’s paternal uncle. “He was definitely the challenge of the family in that house. Every family has one. They have one. I have one. But never in trouble with the law, or with anything.” As for her connection to the school, if any? It’s unclear, though Lanza’s mother “battled” with the school board and ended up having her son home-schooled. “She had issues with school ,” said the aunt, who lives in Illinois. “I’m not 100% certain if it was behavior or learning disabilities, but he was a very bright boy. He was smart.”
The first photos of Adam Lanza have been released, along with more information on the 20-year-old responsible for the Connecticut school shooting massacre yesterday. The Newtown, Conn., native was a child of the suburbs and of divorce who still lived with his mother, Nancy, in the quiet town about an hour from N.Y. City. Friday, he began his day by shooting Nancy in the face. As if that weren’t disturbing and tragic enough, he then drove her car to nearby Sandy Hook Elementary School, armed with two handguns and a semi-automatic rifle. There, before turning his gun on himself, he shot and killed 20 children. Six adults were also killed at the school. Nancy Lanza was found dead in her home. A relative told ABC News that Adam was ” obviously not well .” Family friends in Newtown described the young man as troubled and described Nancy as rigid. “[Adam] was not connected with the other kids,” said one. “A little bit different … Kind of repressed.” Federal authorities believe his mother may have once worked where the Connecticut school shooting occurred, although she was not a teacher, as originally reported. Nancy and her husband Peter, Adam’s father, divorced in 2009. Peter Lanza, who drove to northern New Jersey to talk to police and the FBI, is a vice president at GE Capital and had been a partner at accounting giant Ernst & Young. Adam’s older brother Ryan Lanza , 24, has worked at Ernst & Young for four years, following in his father’s footsteps and carving out a solid niche in the tax practice. He too was interviewed by the FBI, but neither he nor his father is under any suspicion, despite erroneous reports originally naming Ryan Lanza as the killer. “[Ryan] is a tax guy and he is clean as a whistle,” a source familiar with him said. Ryan Lanza (above, right) sent out a series of Facebook posts saying it wasn’t him and that he was at work all day. Video records and card swipes at Ernst & Young confirm that. Two federal sources say that an ID belonging to Ryan Lanza was found at the scene of the mass shooting, perhaps leading to the initial conclusion. Neither Adam Lanza (above, left) nor Ryan has any known criminal history. Sig Sauer and Glock handguns were used in the slaying, and .223 shell casings – a round used in a semi-automatic military-style rifle – were also found at the scene. Nancy Lanza had numerous weapons registered to her, including a Glock and a Sig Sauer, plus a semi-automatic Bushmaster rifle, which holds .223 caliber rounds. Friends and relatives of the Lanzas in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts are being interviewed by the FBI in an effort to put together a better picture of the gunman. “I think the most important thing to point out with this kind of individual is that he did not snap this morning and decide to act out violently,” said FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole “These acts involve planning and thoughtfulness and strategizing in order to put the plan together so what may appear to be snap behavior is not that at all. President Obama cried during a press conference when describing the “beautiful little kids” between five and 10 years of age who had been slain.
Tameka Raymond had her chance to respond to Usher’s “Next Chapter” interview with Oprah. During a 3-part interview with Nancy O’Dell of Entertainment Tonight, Tameka…
Should Jim Jones be embarrassed or proud? This one has me scratching my head. Check out the official video by Nancy Jones aka “Mama Jones” for “Psychotic.”
After perfect performances saw J.R. Martinez cement his frontrunner status on Dancing With the Stars , the question was who would join him in the final four. With J.R. amassing a huge lead and fan support, Ricki Lake remaining a virtual lock (no way she’d be out after just one off week that wasn’t even that off, and with Derek Hough as a partner), it came down to these three contestants … Was last night the end of the line for Hope, Nancy, or Rob? Hope Solo continues to improve, but would it be fast enough for fans as well as the judges’ liking? Ditto Rob Kardashian … and could Nancy Grace pull off an upset? Bristol Palin made the finals of this program, which has seen many worthy dancers set home prematurely, so you never know. Which one of them got the heave-ho? Follow the jump to find out here … Nancy Grace , despite a long and successful run, is now headed home. No one who even half-follows the show can be surprised at that outcome. As Len predicted Monday night after she performed , it was Cinderella time for the HLN host, who far exceeded expectations (including her own) by making it this far. “I am so proud, but I really cannot take the credit. It’s been all Tristan, from the get-go,” she said of partner Tristan MacManus. “And the whole crew at DWTS , my family taking care of my twins so I could dance, all of you – and especially to you, Tristan.” Fond memories of Nancy Grace DWTS performances past . “We’ve had a blast,” the Irish dance pro said, seconding Grace. “We’d just like to thank everybody. Thanks for being so welcoming to me, and also to Nancy.” “It’s the support we get from you all that really pushes us to do this. It’s not about being the best, it’s about doing our best, and I think that’s what we did.” Talk about exiting with – pardon the pun – grace. Kudos, Nancy and Tristan. Did Nancy Grace deserve to be voted off Dancing With the Stars?
We’ve been waiting for this fight longer than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao… It was one of the greatest scandals in Olympic history and now Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan are being offered big bucks to settle their grudge — not on the ice, but in the ring! It has been almost 20 years since Harding’s ex-husband and bodyguard hired a man to attack skating rival Kerrigan, smashing her leg with a baton in an attempt to prevent her skating in the 1994 Olympics. The attack failed to cause long-term damage and Kerrigan went on to win an Olympic silver medal, while Harding was charged with covering up the assault. Now one of the United Kingdom’s richest men is offering both ladies $100,000 each to duke out their differences in the ring. Digital media entrepreneur, FilmOn’s Alki David, has announced he wants the women to face off November 5 in three one-minute rounds. Only problem is Kerrigan has yet to agree to the fight, so David has made a public appeal for the skater to join in the fight offering to give the money to charity if she would prefer. “David is giving Kerrigan the chance to return to stardom in a fun three one-minute round match as part of his great celebrity fight night card,” David’s announcement said. However, Kerrigan may be a little bit apprehensive about facing off against her skating nemesis — not just because of their past — but because Harding has had a short-lived professional boxing career. We think Nancy Kerrigan should take this fight. After all, it’s boxing not MMA, as long as Tonya can’t attack that knee we think Nancy has a shot! LOL! Wouldn’t you like to see Nancy get her “Big Payback” on after all these years?? via RadarOnline
Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell have been together since mid-2007. The Beatles legend was married to the former Linda Eastman from 1969 until her death in 1998, then to Heather Mills in 2002 until their separation in 2006. Paul McCartney will wed fiancée Nancy Shevell at the same venue he married late wife Linda – Old Marylebone Town Hall, in London – it was revealed Friday. The pair have posted a notice that they intend to get married there. Earlier this week, the couple met with Superint
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