Celestine V, 13th-Century Pope, Examined; Skeleton Rules Out Murder By Head Trauma (PHOTOS)

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Pope Celestine V was an elderly, possibly frail man. After living as a self-flagellating hermit in Italy, he served as pontiff for only five months before resigning at the end of the 13th century. Since his death, the so-called “Hermit Pope” has been the subject of much speculation and intrigue, with legend holding that the he was murdered by his successor, Boniface VIII.

During examinations of Celestine’s remains, a small, mysterious hole found on his skull led some to believe he died from trauma to the head. But a recent examination of the pope’s skeleton suggests this murder theory might be false. Instead, Celestine may have died slowly from natural causes as he languished in Boniface’s castle prison, where he was locked away soon after his resignation prompted fears that two popes could cause a schism in the Church.

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Celestine V’s remains, newly outfitted with a silver mask and papl vestmetns, lie in repose at the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, in central Italy.

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Jewish Wedding (and Mitzvahs): An Unexpected Surprise!

RECEIVED THIS LINK IN AN EMAIL FROM A FRIEND

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Wedding crashers, see their fun B’nai Mitzvah surprise appearance!

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Pope Tawadros II And Pope Francis: Coptic Orthodox And Catholic Heads Meet In Vatican (PHOTOS)

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Two popes prayed together Friday at the Vatican, one Catholic and one Orthodox, in a sign of improving ties following the election of new leaders for both churches.

Pope Francis welcomed the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, Pope Tawadros II, in the first such meeting at the Vatican in 40 years, saying his visit “strengthens the bonds of friendship and brotherhood” between the two churches.

The Coptic and Catholic churches split in the fifth century over theocratic differences.

Christians comprise about 10 percent of Egypt’s population. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt counts about 10 million faithful, while the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt – whose faithful are loyal to Pope Francis – counts about 165,000.

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Pope Francis (R) greets the Coptic Orthodox leader Tawadros II during a private audience in the pontiff’s library on May 10, 2013 at the Vatican. Tawadros II arrived in Rome the day before for a historic four-day visit to meet Pope Francis — a sign of growing rapprochement between the Vatican and the Orthodox world. AFP PHOTO / POOL / ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)

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Women Of The Wall Attacked By Ultra-Orthodox Haredim While Praying At Western Wall (PHOTOS)

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Thousands of ultra-Orthodox jeered, spit and threw rocks at the 400 ‘Women of the Wall’ who prayed at the Western Wall today, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The women were protected by the police following a recent court order in favor of the Women of the Wall’s right to pray at the sacred site.

The Women of the Wall praised the police and condemned the action by the ultra-Orthodox in a statement released to The Huffington Post:

For the first time in 24 years, Israel Police protected nearly 400 Women of the Wall today as they gathered at the Western Wall (Kotel). The women and the police were confronted by thousands of ultra-Orthodox (haredi), both young girls watching from the side and haredi men of all ages, acting out violently towards the group of women.Women of the Wall is proud to have gotten to this historic point, in which women are praying freely, defended by the police. Likewise, the group is greatly saddened by the use of violence by haredi men. Women of the Wall calls on ultra-Orthodox leadership to denounce all forms of violence against women.

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Plot To Kill Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew Uncovered By Turkey

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Turkey is investigating an alleged plot to assassinate Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, and has stepped up security around the patriarchate in Istanbul, his spokesman said on Friday.
Spokesman Dositheos Anagnostopoulos said the patriarch had not received any direct threats but had learned of the alleged plot from Turkish media, which was later confirmed to the patriarchate by Turkish police.

“Later in the day, police informed the patriarchate of a possible threat and dispatched additional police officers,” Anagnostopoulos said.

Turkish broadcaster NTV said one man had been arrested in relation to the alleged plot, after state prosecutors in central Kayseri province received an anonymous letter saying there was a plan to assasinate Bartholomew on May 29, the anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of present-day Istanbul.

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Shakuntala Devi Dead: ‘Human Computer’ Math Prodigy Dies In India At 83

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Quick: What’s the cube root of 61,629,875?

Stumped? Shakuntala Devi, the woman known as the “Human Computer,” could tell you, and probably faster than any mathematical computer could.

Devi, who passed away on April 21 at age 83 in her hometown of Bangalore, India, toured the world as a prodigy for much of her life, making appearances on radio, television and in theaters, the New York Times reports.

In a 1977 appearance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Devi found the 23rd root of a 201-digit number in just 50 seconds, besting a slowpoke Univac computer that took 62 seconds to make the same calculation. The root of a number (“X”) is equal to another number (“Y”) that can be multiplied by itself a given number of times to equal “X.” So the 23rd root of “X” equals “Y” multiplied by itself 23 times.

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Shakuntala Devi (November 4, 1929 – April 21, 2013), Indian mental calculator known as the ‘Human Computer,’ has died.

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Judas Gospel Authentication Relied On Ink Of Ancient Egyptian Documents, Scientists Say

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A long-lost gospel that casts Judas as a co-conspirator of Jesus, rather than a betrayer, was ruled most likely authentic in 2006. Now, scientists reveal they couldn’t have made the call without a series of far more mundane documents, including Ancient Egyptian marriage licenses and property contracts.

The Gospel of Judas is a fragmented Coptic (Egyptian)-language text that portrays Judas in a far more sympathetic light than did the gospels that made it into the Bible. In this version of the story, Judas turns Jesus over to the authorities for execution upon Jesus’ request, as part of a plan to release his spirit from his body. In the accepted biblical version of the tale, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/08/judas-gospel-authentication-ink-ancient-documents_n_3038312.html

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Pregnant Man: Judge Refuses To Grant Thomas Beatie’s Divorce

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An Arizona judge on Friday refused to grant a divorce for a transgender Arizona man who gave birth to three children after beginning to change his sex from female.

Maricopa County Family Court Judge Douglas Gerlach ruled that Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriages prevents Thomas Beatie’s 9-year union from being recognized as valid.

Thomas Beatie was born a woman and later underwent a double-mastectomy, and began testosterone hormone therapy and psychological treatment to become a man, but he retained female reproductive organs and gave birth to three children.

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Ohio School’s Jesus Portrait: ACLU Seeks Removal Of Christian Painting At Jackson Middle School

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A portrait of Jesus that hangs prominently in an entrance way at a rural Ohio public school is in violation of the U.S. Constitution and should be removed, a federal lawsuit filed Thursday says.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation say the large portrait at Jackson Middle School unconstitutionally promotes religion. The two groups seek a court order requiring the school to remove the portrait and prohibiting its re-hanging or any substantially similar display in the future.

“The maintenance and display of the portrait has the effect of advancing and endorsing one religion, improperly entangling the State in religious affairs, and violating the personal consciences of plaintiffs,” the lawsuit says.

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Mummy Head, Europe’s Oldest-Known Preserved Human Dissection, To Go On Display

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In the second century, an ethnically Greek Roman named Galen became doctor to the gladiators. His glimpses into the human body via these warriors’ wounds, combined with much more systematic dissections of animals, became the basis of Islamic and European medicine for centuries.

Galen’s texts wouldn’t be challenged for anatomical supremacy until the Renaissance, when human dissections — often in public — surged in popularity. But doctors in medieval Europe weren’t as idle as it may seem, as a new analysis of the oldest-known preserved human dissection in Europe reveals.

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This anatomical specimen dating to the 1200s is the oldest known in Europe.

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