The Last Vestige of Rome?

Pentecost on Mount Athos
by Sandro Magister

MOUNT ATHOS – When you see the summit of Athos emerge through the mist of the Aegean, stop the clocks. Because things are on another schedule there. The calendar is the Julian one, 13 days behind the Latin calendar that spread throughout the rest of the world. The hours are counted not from midnight, but from sunset. And it is not under the noon-day sun but in the dark of night that Athos is most alive and pulsating. In songs, lights, and mysteries.

US: The stop at the UN

Magister has the complete speech.

US: The Nationals Park Mass

I missed it. Yes, I had an appointment this morning and I was not able to watch. But perhaps God spared me from what I have read on the blogs this afternoon after getting home from my appointment. (I'm deaf, but that was a joke anyway...)

Father Z:
1. Benedict XVI’s sermon at Nationals Stadium
2. A comment on the Holy Father’s Mass at Nationals Stadium
3. Blogs I look at react to the Washington D.C. Mass
4. NLM on the Papal Mass at Nationals Stadium

USCCB Papal Visit Blog: Mass at Nationals Park
This entry has come under fire from Father Z for its deletion of negative comments regarding the Mass this morning.

The New Liturgical Movement:
1. Papal Mass, Nationals Park, Washington [Comments re-opened]
2. Music for the D.C. Mass: The End of an Era, and the Beginning of Something New

After all that, the end conclusion is that the Mass was a travesty and that it is possibly a kind of death-knell for post-Vatican II musical efforts. Time will tell.

US: Benedict's First Mass

People came just to be close...

The papal address as provided by the USCCB.

Neil has revised his list

I have linked to and reproduced here at the blog the papabili list at Neil's Film Lounge for several years now. I was checking tonight just to see if it was updated. Lo and behold, it has been updated and given the last consistory, we have some interesting names.

1. Angelo Comastri (1943) Italy
Comastri was included on the list a long time ago, but then he fell off the list and apparently out of favor after a consistory went by and he didn't get the red hat. All that has changed now it seems after the last consistory and His Eminence is now number one to succeed Benedict XVI (whom we pray will lead us for many years to come).

The next few simply moved down a notch.

2. Norberto Rivera Carrera (1942) Mexico
3. Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne (1943) Peru
4. Angelo Scola (1941) Italy

And the newcomer to the list is:

5. Angelo Bagnasco (1943) Italy

The cardinal-archbishop of Genoa is the recently appointed president of the Italian bishops' conference, succeeding Cardinal Ruini who soldiers on as vicar of Rome for the Holy Father. Cardinal Bagnasco was chosen for the red hat this last time as well.

US: Yep, it's about what I expected

The speech to the bishops...

It was pretty cool, the first third or half of it. Then at 6 pm local time, CNN cut away for Lou Dobbs. So I switched over to EWTN and yeah, no captions. So right now he's still talking and answering questions, but all I can do is /watch/ him talk. It's entertaining for about five minutes...

The first half of the speech was a general statement on the bishops' role as guides in the secular culture of the US public square. The Holy Father touched upon several points. His point about immigration was a good one: we should welcome immigrants. I agree. He didn't say anything about illegal immigrants, etc. The much anticipated words on the sex abuse scandal must have been in the second half.

Cardinal George's opening remarks were also interesting themselves. I got the distinct impression that he and his fellows were trying hard to look faithful to the pope on national TV before the speech came down upon them.

There, now they seem to be done. Time to go look for a transcript.

EDIT (6:40 PM CDT): NCRegister has excerpts.
EDIT (7:03 PM CDT): The prepared speech and the Q&A at the USCCB.

US: The Holy Father's remarks at the White House

Father Z has the full speech interspersed with his comments and emphasized points. I would suggest reading it first and skipping Father Z's points and then reading it a second time along with the comments for a deeper appreciation of what's going on in the speech. The Holy Father's command of US history is impressive. But hey, we all knew he was brilliant before today.

US: I'm disappointed

This image is from Reuters. Yesterday when President and Mrs. Bush greeted the pope out at Andrews Air Force Base, both the first lady and the first daughter were wearing black, quite appropriate. Today though, Mrs, Bush went for off-white...

Anyone remember Mrs. Blair's faux pas?


Catholic Press Photo
The text of the remarks delivered will be posted later.

US: The Pope Has Landed

The Holy Father, President Bush, one of the Bush twins, Mrs. Bush
{Reuters)
I was at therapy, so I missed it. I'll catch the replay later tonight. I caught some of CNN though. Talk talk talk talk talk! Blah! Did anyone catch anything on CBS? Has their reporting lived up to the promise of the press release?

Benedict retires to the nunciature for the rest of the day. More tomorrow.

US: Oops...

Today's VIS press release:

VATICAN CITY, 15 APR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, the Holy Father departed from Rome's Fiumicino airport. Following a flight of more than 7,000 kilometres, his plane is due to land at 4 p.m. local time (10 p.m. in Rome) at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington D.C. This is the Benedict XVI's eighth apostolic trip outside Italy and his first to the U.S.A. as Pope.

U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife Nancy will welcome the Pope as he descends from his aircraft. No speeches are scheduled for this first meeting and the welcome ceremony proper will take place tomorrow at 10.30 a.m. local time (4.30 p.m. in Rome) at the White House, official residence of the U.S. president.

After landing, Benedict XVI will travel by car to the apostolic nunciature in Washington D.C where he will spend the rest of the day.

Tomorrow, 16 April, is the Pope's 81st birthday, and Saturday 19 April, will mark the third anniversary of his election to the pontifical throne.

I could have sworn her name was Laura... :D