Word: shrine
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Japan to rely on American military protection so it could focus on developing an export-led economy. Fast-forward half a century and Aso, a former Foreign Minister, staunchly supports the U.S.-Japan security alliance, while antagonizing China by defending visits of Japanese statesmen to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are memorialized. Meanwhile, Fukuda's father was an LDP stalwart who while PM promoted diplomatic relations with Asia through "heart-to-heart" dialogue. And guess what? That's what Fukuda, a former Chief Cabinet Secretary, peddles himself as today: a consensus-driven political insider who opposes Yasukuni visits...
...pilgrimage, Pope Benedict XVI insisted, not a political outing. The pontiff's just-completed stay in Austria was built around a visit to Mariazell, an 850-year-old shrine to Mary in the foothills of the Alps, just over two hours south of Vienna. And though Benedict used his three-day trip to touch on some familiar hot-button issues both inside and outside his Church - abortion, euthanasia, the so-called "de-Christianization" of Europe - he did so in a context and spirit that matched the humble "just-a-pilgrimage" billing he announced just before takeoff from Rome on Friday...
...Pope's press secretary, Father Federico Lombardi, emphasized that this trip is meant to be more a papal pilgrimage than a pastoral visit, with the stated purpose to celebrate the 850th anniversary on Saturday of the shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. "My voyage is not political," the pontiff told reporters just before takeoff. "I want to join in with other faithful in this act of unity that such a journey brings." Nevertheless, Austrian Catholics will be looking to their pontiff for words of encouragement as the nation's Church continues to recover from a sex abuse scandal...
Nevertheless, as with every trip beyond Italian borders, the three-day trip to Vienna and the Marian shrine of Mariazell, could indeed include surprises. When he's on the road, Benedict often explores delicate themes with the full force of both his intellect and his sure-fire faith, which has gotten him into hot water not only in Regensberg. On his last trip to Brazil, the Pope was making big news before even landing by telling reporters on the Rome-to-Sao Paulo flight that pro-choice politicians were automatically excommunicated. Later, he would speak about the Church's role...
...impressive stone mosque and shrine were built in the 1990s to pay homage to Fazal Wahid, who fought 27 tribal wars with the British and died while in hiding in Mohmand Agency in 1937 at the age of 81. Today, Fazal Wahid, who remains an important social and religious figure in the region, is much better known as Haji Saheb Turangzai, after the place of his birth. Commander Usman says he and his other brothers selected the shrine and mosque because it was a symbol of mujahideen struggle against foreign occupation. "We would begin our campaign from here. Our first...