A potential opening for the kind of universalism that could go a long way towards chilling the planet out—and taking the wind out of al-Qaeda's Iberian franchise. But the local Catholic hierarchy isn't going for it. Maybe the Pope will exercise better judgement? From the Italian news agency AKI, Dec. 28:

The Bishop of the southern city of Cordoba, Juan Jose Asenjo, has turned down a request from its Muslim community to be allowed to pray with Christians in its cathedral - a former mosque. Asenjo was quoted as saying the joint use of consecrated places of worship would "generate confusion" and lead to "religious indifference".

A pretty astounding figure. But as we noted the last time it happened, in May: when resource hyper-exploitation co-exists with dire poverty, such incidents are absolutely inevitable. From IRIN, Dec. 28:

LAGOS - The Nigerian Red Cross has taken the lead in responding to the latest pipeline blast in Lagos on Tuesday that killed at least 269 people and left scores of others severely burned.

Ali Mohamad Gedi, prime minister of Somalia's Federal Transition Government (FTG) announced his parliament will declare a period of martial law to maintain control of the country after Ethiopian and FTG troops wrested the capital from Islamists Dec. 28. "This country has experienced anarchy and in order to restore security we need a strong hand, especially with freelance militias," he said, speaking from Mundul Sharey, a village some 40 km southwest of Mogadishu. FTG spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said the Islamists had fled to the southern port city of Kismayu and that the administration now controlled 95% of Somalia. (Reuters, Dec. 29)

Ethiopian troops seized towns throughout southern and central Somalia Dec. 25 and bombed the international airport at Mogadishu, in a dramatic escalation of a new offensive against Islamic militants who have taken power in much of Somalia. Ethiopian forces seized Baladweyne, a strategic town on the main road from the border into central Somalia, and Aadado. Ethiopian troops and allied Somali militiamen are reportedly advancing toward Jowhar, an Islamist stronghold 50 miles north of Mogadishu.

The bishops of San Cristobal de las Casas, Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel (titular), Enrique Diaz Diaz (auxiliary) and Samuel Ruiz Garcia (emeritus) officiated at a mass in the Chiapas Highland village of Chenalho Dec. 22 in memory of the victims of the Dec. 22, 1997 massacre at Chenalho's outlying hamlet of Acteal, in which 45 unarmed Tzotzil Maya were slain. In an emotional ceremony that mixed Catholic and Maya rituals, the gathering prayed at the grave of the victims, who belonged to the civil indigenous organization Las Abejas (the Bees).

Four people were wounded in an armed clash between rival factions of Tzotzil Maya settlers in the outlying colonia (neighborhood) of Molino de los Arcos in the Chiapas Highland city of San Cristobal Dec. 21. The settlers are originally from the nearby village of San Juan Chamula, but were forced to occupy lands on the outskirts of San Cristobal after being expelled by Chamula's authorities for practicing evangelical Protestantism. One faction in the land conflict was said to be led by the Council of Indigenous Representatives of the Chiapas Highlands (CRIACH), and the other by the National Union of Agricultural Workers (UNTA). Domingo Lopez Angel, director of CRIACH, said the violence began when members of his organization, who had gathered in Los Arcos to build a church, were set upon by a group led by UNTA director Mariano Lopez Cruz, armed with clubs and pistols. Two of the injured received bullet wounds. (La Jornada, Dec. 22)

From AP, Dec. 23:

OVENTIC, Mexico - About 5,000 Zapatista rebels, many in black ski masks, gathered in this village in southern Mexico to show their support for protesters in the historic city of Oaxaca who are trying to oust the state governor.

Thousands of supporters of the Popular People's Assembly of Oaxaca again took to the streets of southern Mexico's Oaxaca City Dec. 22 to demand the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, as well as the release of "political prisoners" arrested in the protests and the withdrawal of federal police from the city. (La Jornada, Dec. 23) It was part of an international mobilization, with protests in solidarity with the APPO reported from some 35 countries around the world, including the USA, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, Argentina, Brazil and Peru. (La Jornada, Dec. 23)