RELIGION BULLETIN: Charlemagne crowned as Holy Roman Emperor

Religious events in history:

Dec. 25, 800: Frankish king Charlemagne is crowned as the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In 799, Leo fled Rome after being assaulted and escaped to Charlemagne in Paderborn, Germany. In November 800, Charlemagne traveled to Rome to arbitrate the dispute between Leo and the partisans of the late Pope Adrian I. After being restored to his office, Leo swore an oath of innocence to Charlemagne on Dec. 23. Two days later, during mass, Leo crowned Charlemagne "Imperator Romanorum" ("Emperor of the Romans") as he knelt at the altar to pray. Along with restoring his authority, Leo created the "Emperor of the Romans" in response to the ineffectual leadership of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) in Constantinople. Charlemagne would go on to become known as the "Father of Europe" after he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the classical era of the Roman Empire.

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RELIGION CALENDAR

Jan. 5: Twelfth Night (Christian)

Jan. 5: Guru Gobindh Singh birthday (Sikh)

Jan. 6: Epiphany (Christian)

Jan. 6: Feast of the Epiphany (Orthodox Christian)

Jan. 6: Three Kings Day (Christian)

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THE WORD

Nirvana: Pronounced "nir-VAA-nah." In Buddhism and Hinduism, a state of ultimate peace that is the goal of all beings, which includes freedom from suffering, desire and the cycle of rebirth.

-- ReligionStylebook.com

RELIGION AROUND THE WORLD

According to the CIA World Factbook, the religious makeup of Netherlands is:

- Roman Catholic: 23.6%

- Protestant: 14.9%

- Muslim: 5.1%

- Other: 5.6%

- None: 50.7%