United Kingdom - Prime Minister David Cameron
praised Benedict XVI, saying: “I sent my best wishes to Pope Benedict
following his announcement today. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen
Britain’s relations with the Holy See. His visit to Britain in 2010 is
remembered with great respect and affection." He added that “He will be
missed as a spiritual leader to millions.”
On the face of it, the Prime Minister's reaction seems genuine. I especially like the affection part.
France - President François Hollande
said Benedict XVI merits "respect" but did not comment on the matter
specifically as it is internal to the Roman Catholic Church.
The President's comment feels cold and guarded to me. I wonder what his religious life is like.
Israel - Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger's
spokesman said: "During his period there were the best relations ever
between the church and the chief rabbinate and we hope that this trend
will continue. I think he deserves a lot of credit for advancing
inter-religious links the world over between Judaism, Christianity and
Islam." The spokesman also said that Metzger wished Benedict XVI "good
health and long days."
I like the Israeli reaction, looking at the practical side of things. "Good health and long days." Indeed!
United States of America - President Barack Obama
praised Benedict XVI, saying: "On behalf of Americans everywhere,
Michelle and I wish to extend our appreciation and prayers to His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Michelle and I warmly remember our meeting
with the Holy Father in 2009, and I have appreciated our work together
over these last four years." He added that he wished "the best to those who will soon gather to choose His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's successor."
Unfortunately, prepared remarks from President Obama.
Pope Benedict XVI will
not interfere in the affairs of his successor after his decision to
resign later this month, the pontiff's brother has said.
Georg Ratzinger told the BBC the Pope would only "make himself available" if he were needed.
[///]
Benedict XVI will bid farewell to his followers in a final audience in
St Peter's Square on 27 February, Vatican spokesman Father Federico
Lombardi has said.
[...]
The Pope was to retire to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo when
he leaves office, the Vatican said, before moving into a renovated
monastery used by cloistered nuns for "a period of prayer and
reflection".
"He'll stay in Rome and will certainly have some duties and
of course will continue to educate himself intellectually and
theologically," Georg Ratzinger told the BBC.
[...]
Those are the salient points in an article that basically sums up what is already known. The final audience is going to be crazy. Back when the pontificate began in 2005, I read a lot about how Benedict was drawing greater and greater numbers to his audiences compared to John Paul II> I wonder how long that trend continued and if it merely plateaued or trended back down.
Catholic Hierarchy has the full list of cardinal-electors and people have begun looking at papabili. I agree with the general sentiment that there are no names jumping out at the moment. Certainly, aside from the thought that the will of the Holy Ghost will be done, a lot of people familiar with the college have their favorites.
On the conservative and/or traditional side, names like Burke, Ranjith, and Bagnasco (due to his being a disciple of Cardinal Siri) have been mentioned along with non-cardinal outsider Athanasius Schneider (known for his defense of Communion on the tongue and calling for a new Syllabus to clarify Vatican II). On the "progressive" side, I can't think of any names off the top of my head. Looking at the cardinals on the progressive side listed in Samuel's bookmakers' odds post, none of them are young enough to qualify.
After the election of Cardinal Ratzinger in 2005, it's pointless to try to decide just what the college will look for as far as "conservative" or "progressive". I really think it will come down to age: anyone over the age of seventy-five is in my mind not a serious papabile.
Samuel: I agree with Jacob's last point here. In the "BREAKING" post, the link in the third update goes on about how Benedict never had a chance because he is the pope who followed John Paul. I would think maybe the next pope would be chosen young enough to really put his stamp on things and not justadminister.
9/4 Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, 64 Country: Ghana Cardinal in the Ghanaian Catholic Church Elevated to cardlinalate by Pope John Paul II Significant views: Would like to see a
black pope. Believes condoms should be used in marriage if one partner
is infected with Aids. Wikipedia
5/2 Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 68 Country: Canada Elevated to the cardinalate by Pope John Paul II Significant views: Belief that abortion is unjustifiable, even in cases of rape Wikipedia
7/2 Cardinal Francis Arinze, 80 Country: Nigeria Elevated to cardlinalate by Pope John Paul II Significant views: Extreme conservatism on birth control and abortion Wikipedia
7/1 Cardinal Angelo Scola, 71 Country: Italy Elevated to become Archbishop of Milan by Benedict XVI Significant views: Wants to work more closely with Islam and support Christians in the Middle East Wikipedia
10/1 Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, 70 Country: Honduras Elevated to cardinalate by Pope John Paul II Significant views: A moderate but is anti-abortion and criticised Ricky Martin for using a surrogate mother Wikipedia
12/1 Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 78 Country: Italy Elevated to cardinalate by Pope John Paul II Significant views: Blamed homosexual infiltration of the clergy for Catholic child sex scandals Wikipedia
14/1 Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, 70 Country: Italy Elevated to cardinalate by Pope Benedict XVI Significant views:Strongly against abortion and expressed anger towards same-sex unions Wikipedia
16/1 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 77 Country: Argentina Elevated to cardinalate by John Paul II Significant views: Against abortion and
euthanasia, is against same-sex marriage but calls for respect of gay
people. Washed the feet of 12 Aids patients in 2001. Wikipedia
20/1 Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 69 Country: Argentina Elevated to cardinalate by Benedict XVI Significant views: Said Christians in Iraq under Saddam Hussein were more free than they are now Wikipedia
25/1 Cardinal Christoph von Schonborn, 68 Country: Austria Elevated to cardinalate by John Paul II Significant views: Said use of a condom by an Aids sufferer could be seen as a 'lesser evil'. Wikipedia
However, in today’s world, subject to
so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the
life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim
the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which
in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I
have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry
entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of
this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of
Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the
Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February
2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be
vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be
convoked by those whose competence it is.
An update from the Vatican spokesman says that Benedict will finish up his work and then retire to the cloister within the Vatican walls.
Father Z's blog is not loading, I assume from heavy traffic. It's all over the news, so you'll have no trouble finding stuff, though beware of rumor and gossip as I doubt anyone knows anything beyond what's stated above.
According to The Denver Post, the bishops of Colorado are undertaking a full investigation of the hospital and its owner, Catholic Health Initiatives, but will not comment on ongoing litigation.
Canon City, Colorado (CNN) -- Life begins at
conception, according to the Catholic Church, but in a wrongful death
suit in Colorado, a Catholic health care company has argued just the
opposite.
A fetus is not legally a
person until it is born, the hospital's lawyers have claimed in its
defense. And now it may be up to the state's Supreme Court to decide.
And
They said that under state law, an embryo is not person until it is born
alive, according to court documents. The Stodghills' twins were
deceased when they were removed from their mother's lifeless body.
There is no excuse for a "Catholic" hospital to be making this argument, even if it a legal maneuver to use already existing state law as a defense. The administrators of St. Thomas More Hospital and Centura Health should be ashamed of themselves! I hope the Colorado bishops who are looking into this matter will right this wrong as quickly as possible.
Many deacons have valuable professional, managerial and entrepreneurial
expertise that could revitalize parochial education. If they were given
additional powers to perform sacraments and run parishes, a married
priesthood would become a fait accompli. Celibacy should be a sacrifice
offered freely, not an excuse for institutional suicide.
In the post, the author links to an article by Michael Leahy at The Washington Post and quotes a bit of it. Here is a small portion of that quote:
[T]o this day, Notre Dame remains a political and social battleground
for American Catholics. The university’s invitation for President Obama
to deliver the 2009 commencement address became a national controversy,
with conservative Catholics opposing the president’s positions on
abortion rights and stem-cell research. And last year, the university
filed suit against the federal government, seeking to overturn a
requirement in Obama’s health-care law that employers offer insurance
plans including contraception coverage — a move that more politically
moderate church members resented, concerned that Notre Dame would seek
to deprive women, Catholic or not, of such coverage.
The rest of the quote at Hotair.com goes on with Leahy positing that due to its Catholicness and ethics as far as recruiting players who are academically capable (as opposed to the SEC schools who are just out to gain talented football players at any cost), ND is somehow carrying on the tradition of the Church of his youth with its nagging, dogged adherence to standards of old.
That's an interesting narrative Leahy (and Hotair.com by extension) is pushing, but it's also wrong. I'm not going to go out of my way to illustrate why beyond just looking at the excerpt I give above. Leahy says that the invitation to the president became a national controversy with conservative Catholics opposing the president's positions on abortion and stem-cell research (his words). He misses the fact that conservative Catholics (let's just ignore his use of secular terminology) were as much up in arms with Notre Dame itself as they were with Obama and his well-known positions. ND invited Obama and when it blew up in its face, it gave out a wishy-washy justification about dialogue. Then it went so far as to prosecute eighty-eight people for their protesting Obama's speech.
Leahy asks if Catholics have a duty to root for the Irish? The answer is only if Catholics are willing to accept the Notre Dame narrative at face value.
Vatican City, (VIS) - "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with
you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all
of you from my heart".
This was Benedict XVI's first tweet,
published after the blessing that concluded today's general audience.
The Pope used a tablet to send his first tweet, which was transmitted in
eight languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese,
Polish and Arabic), and displayed on a screen installed in the Paul VI
Hall.
Throughout the day the Pope will respond to three questions
- submitted from three different continents - selected from those sent
during recent days.
The Holy Father already has over one million followers on Twitter.
Personally, I would have gone for two tweets, preceding the one above with "In nómine Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti. Amen." With such a universal tool of communication like Twitter, the universal language of the Latin Church is logical.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican's top astronomer has some assurances
to offer: The world won't be ending in about two weeks, despite
predictions to the contrary.
The Rev. Jose Funes, director of
the Vatican Observatory, wrote in Wednesday's Vatican newspaper
L'Osservatore Romano that "it's not even worth discussing" doomsday
scenarios based on the Mayan calendar that are flooding the Internet
ahead of the purported Dec. 21 apocalypse.
Yes, Funes wrote, the
universe is expanding and if some models are correct, will at one point
"break away" — but not for billions of years. But he said Christians
profoundly believe that "death can never have the last word."
The
Mayan Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly
394-year periods known as Baktuns. The Mayans wrote that the significant
13th Baktun ends Dec. 21.
Tuesday 25 December 2012 SOLEMNITY OF THE LORD’S BIRTH
Central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, at 12:00
The Holy Father Benedict XVI will address His Christmas message to the world and pronounce the "Urbi et Orbi" Blessing.
Monday 31 December 2012 SOLEMNITY OF MARY, HOLIEST MOTHER OF GOD
Vatican Basilica, 17:00
The Holy Father Benedict XVI will preside over the First Vespers of
the Solemnity of Mary, Holiest Mother of God, followed by the exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament, the traditional Te Deum hymn in thanksgiving for the past year and the Eucharistic Blessing.
Tuesdat 1 January 2013 SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLIEST MOTHER OF GOD – WORLD DAY OF PEACE
Papal Chapel, Vatican Basilica, 9:30
The Holy Father, Benedict XVI will celebrate Holy Mass for the
Solemnity of Mary, Holiest Mother of God on the eighth day of Christmas,
which falls on the same day as the 46th World Day of Peace on the theme "Blessed are the peacemakers".
The Mass will be co-celebrated with the Secretary of State, Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone; the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice
and Peace, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson; the Titular Archbishop
of Roselle and Substitute for General Affairs to the Secretary of State;
the Titular Archbishop of Sagona and Secretary for Relations with
States, Mgr. Dominique Mamberti; S.D.B., Titular Bishop of Bisarcio and
Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Mgr. Mario
Toso and the Titular Archbishop of Midila and President of the
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Mgr. Beniamino Stella.
Sunday 6 January 2013 HOLY MASS ON THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY
Papal Chapel. Vatican Basilica, 9:00
The Holy Father, Benedict XVI will celebrate Holy Mass on the
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, during which he will confer
Episcopal Ordination upon some presbyters.
Sunday 13 January 2013 FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
Sistine Chapel, 9:45
The Holy Father, Benedict XVI will preside over the Eucharistic
Celebration, during which he will administer the Sacrament of Baptism to
some children.
Over at HotAir, they're talking about what the election means. Ed Morrissey mentions last night proved 2010 was the anomoly, that 2008 and 2012 represent the new norm, realignment to the Left. But I don’t see this as a realignment towards the Left. I think it is a realignment AWAY from the Right. I think Americans are relatively sane in regards to big government. But they simply don’t trust Republicans and are even frightened of them.
While the Democrats use it as an excuse to pretend their Leftist agenda is awesome despite public disapproval, I think it is very true for the GOP. I think the Republicans have a messaging problem.
Some more thoughts:
Romney is a great guy and I think he would have been a good president. But he played right into voters’ fears by being a rich white guy and he didn't do enough to transcend that stereotype.
The President went small in the campaign. Romney went big. But not big enough. In retrospect, Romney should have made this election not about the economy, but a referendum on the Future. Right or Left? Small government or Big government? Fiscal sanity or Fiscal disaster?
Romney should have made it clear that a vote for the President was a vote to embrace and cement the new norm of greater entitlement and regulation of society, which America can no longer afford.
To put it simply, Romney failed to message how high the stakes were in the election.
Every nation gets the government it deserves.
-- Joseph de Maistre, Lettres et Opuscules
Bishop Tawadros has been
chosen as the new pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians, becoming leader of
the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.
His name was selected from a glass bowl by a blindfolded boy
at a ceremony in Cairo's St Mark's Cathedral. Three candidates had been
shortlisted.
The 60-year-old succeeds Pope Shenouda III, who died in March aged 88.
He succeeds as attacks on Copts are on the increase, and many say they fear the country's new Islamist leaders.
The other two candidates were Bishop Raphael and Father Raphael Ava
Mina. They were chosen in a ballot by a council of some 2,400 Church and
community officials in October.
And
The new pope has studied in Britain, and has also run a medicine factory, the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo reports.
He is a man of broad experience and with managerial skills,
our correspondent says, adding that he will need all those talents to
lead the Copts as they face an uncertain future in a country now
debating the role of Islam following last year's revolution.
This new Pope seems to be a bit of a technocrat. Unfortunately, the BBC article doesn't really tell me anything about the man himself. I realize it is probably not a priority for Copts, but I am most interested in seeing if this Pope will continue his predecessor's efforts towards unity among the Christian churches. I wonder if unity would be helpful to the Copts in their struggles in Egypt.
For the last few days, I've been following the case of Father Christiaan Kappas (or Kappes), a priest of the diocese of Indianapolis who has been studying in Athens under the aegis of some Vatican institute.
The details and timeline of events from a week ago when Father Kappas went missing are emerging slowly, but the gist of it is that last weekend and on Monday he contacted his family in a state of fear and told them of people wanting him and his translator friend dead due to an inheritance.
Last Monday, the pair visited the police, the US embassy, the airport, and the US embassy again before disappearing. At the second stop at the US embassy, Father Kappas spoke to his family for the last time and they haven't heard from him since.
Sister Campbell suggested that her organisation's vocal support for
President Barack Obama's healthcare bill was behind the slapdown.
"There's a strong connection," she said. "We didn't split on faith, we split on politics."
For a Citizen, I believe there can be leeway between faith and politics. But for those who are directly apart of the Church, can there really be a difference between faith and politics without compromising themselves?
But Sister Campbell suggested a difficult time ahead: "It's totally a
top-down process and I don't think the bishops have any idea of what
they're in for."
I still have faith that this is not true. I believe in my heart the vast majority of sisters in America are not the problem here. But that these organizations have developed their own agenda.
The Vatican has ordered a crackdown on a group of American nuns that it considers too radical.
It says the group is undermining Roman Catholic teaching on homosexuality and is promoting "feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith".
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is the largest organisation of Catholic nuns in the US.
This is a good thing. From all the mail I receive asking for support, it seems clear that a more conservative and traditional way of life is calling women in America. Unforunately, it seems that many organizations in America ignore their members' wishes and have their own agenda from the top down. I hope that is the case here so this crackdown can happen as painlessly as possible while achieving full effect for the good of all.
For those of you who don't follow Rorate Caeli and the sources it links to regularly on the question of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X's final regularization, here are a few points:
1. The CDF/Ecclesia Dei Commission has been in talks with the SSPX for a few years now.
2. The CDF gave the SSPX a preamble to ponder and with which to agree. There was back and forth as things were clarified and so on.
3. The SSPX was given until April 15 to state its final intention regarding the preamble. Some interpret this as an ultimatum, but it read more to me as a due date.
In any case, that date has come and gone and now there is a lot of talk that regularization is imminent due to private letters being submitted, etc. Since I don't care to get caught up in all the echoing of news, rumor, and gossip, I haven't said anything on this. What will happen will happen according to God's will. However, if it dues turn out to be true and the SSPX is coming in with all or most of its following, this is a very very good thing. People have been talking about how this is the SSPX's last chance given Benedict has been so friendly and the next pope isn't likely to be there with an outstretched hand.
Cairo (CNN) -- Coptic Pope Shenouda III, the spiritual leader of Egypt's Coptic Christian community for nearly four decades, died Saturday, according to the head of the Egyptian General Coptic Association. He was 88.
And
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the largest Christian church in the Middle East, according the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre in Stevenage, England.
In addition to millions of followers in Egypt, the church has adherents in Europe, Canada, the United States, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa, the center says.
When a Coptic pope dies, all 150 bishops of the church's Holy Council appoint an acting patriarch until a vote is conducted for a successor, Doss said. Thousands of bishops, priests and monks are eligible to vote.
The most senior bishop usually takes the role of acting patriarch. In this case, that would be Bishop Michael of Asiut. If he declines, Bishop Bakhamious of Behira is next in line, Doss said.
CNN doesn't mention it, but I read elsewhere that Shenouda III was the first Coptic Pope to meet the Bishop of Rome in over a thousand years and was big on Christian unity, especially in the East. I am interested in seeing what kind of fresh efforts his successor makes towards ecumenism on behalf of the Coptic Church.
Earlier this week I finished The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio, published in 2009. In the case of this book, the title does say it all. The main subject of this non-fiction book is Father Gary Thomas, a parish priest from California who is appointing by his bishop to be the diocesan exorcist and who takes a course on the subject while in Rome on sabbatical. While studying and living in Rome, Father Gary is taken on by the Franciscan Father Carmine as an apprentice. Father Gary's experiences are detailed interspersed with comments from prominent exorcists on the rite, its execution, and the pastoral approach when helping people. Along the way, Baglio has sections that detail the scientific views on exorcism. They are interesting in themselves and lend the book additional heft while not attempting to discredit or disprove Father Gary's experiences. The final chapter, named 'The Exorcist', describes Father Gary's return to his home diocese and the beginning of his new ministry.
The basic description gives an idea, but the book contains a lot more in the way of details that really give it flavor as it explains the Catholic milieu in a country like Italy as opposed to the largely protestant United States. Baglio does an excellent job of sharing with the reader Father Gary's sense of culture shock. The opening chapters that explain the ins and outs of Catholic thinking on angels and demons also do much to help the reader as the book moves forward through Father Gary's training.
I enjoyed this book and give it five out of five stars. On the same subject, I recommend Michael Cuneo's American Exorcism, a look at various forms of exorcism and deliverance as practiced by Christian groups in the US, both protestant and Catholic.
I don't put in the time like I used to to post daily. Maybe I will again someday. But thinking back, I started going through some of the older folders in my bookmark menu tonight. After a bit of looking, I found myself in a rather melancholy state seeing as how so few of the Catholic blogs I used to read on a regular basis have stood the test of time except for those authored by professional journalists or those who've evolved and chosen blogging as a calling.
Now I am left wondering where those people went and what they're doing now. One in particular springs to mind even as I type this. I read daily the blog written by the Anglican priest who went by the pen name of 'the Pontificator' due to his journey away from the Episcopal Church towards Rome. His journey concluded with he and his wife joining the Catholic Church. This was of course years and years ago now. Has he found his way into the Ordinariate here in the US? What was his name?
Questions like that linger after half a dozen years of reading the Catholic blogosphere.
Read this first by Magister. The short version is that Cardinal Bertone, secretary of state, has in all his schemes overshot and is now just about out of influence to peddle.
The fact is that in appointing Bertone secretary of state, Benedict XVI
thought he was making use of his sincere devotion and untiring activism
to have him carry out those practical tasks of management from which he,
the pope-theologian and –professor – wanted to keep far away. Bertone
accepted enthusiastically, but interpreted the assignment his own way.
The pope didn't travel much? He started hopping the globe in his place.
The pope kept his nose in his books? He started frenetically cutting
ribbons, meeting with ministers, blessing crowds, giving speeches
everywhere and on everything.
With the result that the
secretariat of state worked more for Bertone's agenda than for the pope.
And the cardinal slips into his agenda, once again according to his own
designs, maneuvers that are sometimes very ambitious and risky.
The rest of the article above and below the excerpt details the various major attempts of the cardinal to impose his will and how they failed. Magister does not point out how Bertone's fellow SDBs have been placed throughout the curia, but apparently that strategy has not helped him get things through when he most wanted them done.
Depending on how long the Holy Father hangs on, I'm interested in seeing if Bertone will make it to the end of the pontificate. That is if Magister is correct in his description of just how isolated the cardinal is within the curia.
Over the years I've lost interest in the ins and outs of the Italian episcopal scene. This article from Magister telling of the choosing of Bishop Francesco Moraglia as the new patriarch of Venice by the Holy Father though caught my eye.
Moraglia as Magister tells it is respected in various quarters. He was ordained by Cardinal Siri of Genoa. Moraglia's resume is impressive, though I am always interested in what these officials of the various institutes and offices in Italy actually do with their days besides shuffle paper.
Magister sums up with this:
With the appointment of Moraglia – who will be made a cardinal at the
first consistory after the one that will be celebrated in February – the
influence of the ecclesiastical disciples of Siri is growing, although
with different sensibilities. In addition to Moraglia, in fact, others
who were ordained to the priesthood by Siri are cardinals Bagnasco and
Piacenza, and the newly created cardinal Domenico Calcagno. Without
counting the apostolic nuncio Antonio Guido Filipazzi and the French
bishop Marc Aillet. The current master of pontifical ceremonies, Guido
Marini, was the last "train-bearer" deacon of Cardinal Siri, while the
Vatican deputy foreign minister, Monsignor Ettore Balestrero, although
incardinated in the diocese of Rome, was also born and raised in
"Sirian" Genoa.
The old-timers of the curia recount that once
Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio, the powerful prefect of the congregation for
bishops during the last phase of the pontificate of Paul VI and at the
beginning of that of John Paul II, criticized Cardinal Siri for training
his seminarians and priests as if on an island separate from the
Italian Church. And because of this, they were not taken into
consideration to be made bishops.
"Yes, it is true," Siri is said
to have replied, "we are on an island, but I have taught mine to swim."
And to swim well, it could be added today.
On Friday I watched most of the film Doubt from 2008. I missed the last twenty minutes or so because I had to leave for 5:30 Mass, but I checked out the ending at Wikipedia. The film stars Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn, Amy Adams as Sister James, and Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller. The basic plot: in 1964, a black boy, Donald Miller, attends a Bronx parochial school where the student body is exclusively Irish and Italian (i.e. white). Donald is taken under the wing of Father Flynn who is determined to help the boy survive. However, doubt is cast on Father Flynn's motives in the minds of Sister Aloysius, the school principal, and Sister James, Donald's teacher.
All four of the lead actors are convincing in their roles. I am always impressed with how Philip Seymour Hoffman has morphed from the weak George in Scent of a Woman and the manic Dusty in Twister to his mature roles in the last decade. I never saw that coming. Meryl Streep is always fine in her roles, though I admit I am not completely enamored with her like so many others. Amy Adams as young Sister James and Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller, the mother of the boy, both did fine in their supporting roles. The children who acted in the film were very believable. I have no firsthand experience of teaching sisters and priests; I have read that some felt that Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman were not entirely convincing in their roles. But I thought they did fine in that regard.
I enjoyed the location shooting. The use of schools that evoked that time period really gave the film heft. When certain films are trying to create an atmosphere, I think shooting in the autumn does a lot to help that effort and it shows in Doubt. As events proceed in the film and the tension builds, several scenes involve the tilting of the camera so that the frame is not level. This only adds to the tension, especially in the scenes with Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn.
Doubt came out about three years ago, so I am not going to hold back on the plot here. If you haven't seen it and have read this far and don't want spoilers, don't read on.
The film is about suspicion and doubt on many levels. Most obviously, Sister Aloysius suspects Father Flynn of abusing the black boy Donald Miller. Sister sees things and has things reported to her by the young and naive Sister James that leads her to suspect, but she has no proof and Father Flynn when confronted adamantly denies any wrongdoing. In the past when such issues came up, Sister Aloysius went through back channels to allies in the priesthood who handled the issue quietly, but in the case of Father Flynn, she has no one to whom she can turn with her suspicion. In the end Father Flynn resigns and is reassigned; nothing is resolved.
On a deeper level, the movie examines the tide of change within the Church in 1964. Vatican II is underway and Father Flynn and his attitudes represent that change to a kinder, friendlier Church. Sister Aloysius represents the old ways that are now in doubt. I wonder if the writer/director John Patrick Shanley realized the irony of Sister Aloysius when he was writing her given that she is determined to instill in her students and the sister-teachers under her the sense of hierarchy that she herself fights in dealing with Father Flynn. Even the arrival of a black family in an Irish and Italian neighborhood foretells the upheavals that are to come with urban renewal and white flight to the suburbs.
Is the film anti-Catholic? I wouldn't say so, no. It certainly relies upon the Catholic milieu of the time and place in which it is set to tell its story and I can't fault it for that. It tells a story well, its characters are not caricatures as far as I could tell. I'll give it four out of five stars.
Here in Iowa winter has finally arrived. Earlier this month there were record breaking high temperatures; a few days there the high during the day was in the upper fifties. But it did not last and the mercury bottomed out this last week at the same time as a few rounds of snow have covered up the faded greens and browns.
For those of you who are interested in such things, a consistory has been announced and with it the list of cardinals-to-be. It's a pretty underwhelming list of names even when considered in the best light.
More recently, the Vatican approved certain 'celebrations' of the Neocatechumenal Way (Wiki link). Again, that is looking at it in the best light in that 'celebration' does not mean the infamous form of Mass to which the Way subscribes. On the other hand, many are of the opinion that it is an outright approval and even if it is not, the devotees of the Way will view this Vatican approval as general vindication, ignoring the subtleties of it.
Finally, this morning it is being reported by various sources that former Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno is dead. There were erroneous reports that he died last night. Earlier this autumn, Paterno was fired after being caught up in the Sandusky sexual abuse case. The former coach, a Catholic, received the Last Rites. Requiescat in pace.
Merry Christmas! Happy Epiphany! Happy birthday to the Maid of France!
Tonight I saw an interesting commercial on the US cable channel TNT. It was for CatholicsComeHome.org, a website with a rather self-evident mission. The commercial I saw was the US national spot that can be viewed by running the cursor over the 'About' button on the main page, then clicking on 'Commercials' which should bring up a page with the commercials. Effective? It looked okay to me, but I'm sure sound would add a lot to the message.
There is a new movie in theaters now in the US, The Devil Inside. I caught the TV teaser for the very first time today, despite the fact the movie opens today. It claims to be a documentary with actual forbidden footage of exorcisms. This documentary style for horror films is in the grand style of The Blair Witch Project. The teaser for The Devil Inside had all the Hollywood trappings for the Catholic Church: priests in cassocks, sisters in habits, a priest genuflecting before a main altar (against the wall).
CatholicsComeHome.org might want to take notes: the visual trappings of traditional Catholicism sell.
This morning, The Drudge Report's headline is "Pope Health Concerns." The actual article makes no claim that HH is suffering from any health problems besides fatigue from a grueling schedule and advacing years. Which is natural and as intended.
The article mentions that in the past, HH ha indicated resignation is preferable when one is physically, mentally or spiritually unable to discharge their duties. Also mentioned are potential downsides of resignation, such as setting a precedent that future Pope's might be pressured follow or perhaps causing fissures by the existance of two living Popes at the same time.
These are legitimate concerns, to be sure. But I am more concerned with simple continuity. There is so much work to be done. And I believe the present Holy Father is the best man to do it. Please, pray for the Holy Father, that God strengthen him to continue to do his work.
A blogging colleague contacted me this morning with the following:
Good morning everyone.
Sorry for the mass email but I'd appreciate you taking a look at this and putting it on your blog, writing about it or, simply, emailing it around if you don't have a blog or paper to write for.
These pics show something I feel is simply incredible for so many reasons -- the Traditional Latin Mass being prayed in Afghanistan.
Please consider doing anything you can to tell this story. It's one that deserves to be told:
Afpak of course refers to the Afghanistan-Pakistahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn theater of operations. Click on the link and check it out. Be sure to pray for the Pour Souls of the Society.
A couple of days ago, Father Z posted about a story by the Italian Vatican watcher Andrea Tornielli at the Italian daily La Stampa.
Tornielli's story is about excerpts from a diary supposedly written during the 2005 conclave in which Cardinal Ratzinger was elected pope, the excerpts published in the Italian journal Limes.
I am not going to recapitulate the details of Tornielli's story given Father Z has already done so. Reading Father Z's post, I was instantly reminded of something I had read a number of years ago about Limes publishing a diary recording the very same event, the 2005 conclave. Longtime readers of this blog will remember that I cited Limes' original story in the past in the sidebar in my list of papabili. I couldn't find anything in my archive, so I checked out Sandro Magister and found his original story on the subject from 2005, "The Vatican Codes: This Is How I Rewrite My Conclave". I'm not going to rehash what Magister wrote back then beyond his point that the diary had too many inaccuracies to have come from a true-blue cardinal.
So we have Tornielli's recent story of Limes publishing excerpts from a diary on the conclave and we have my remembrances and Magister's analysis of Limes publishing excerpts from a diary on the conclave. Comparing the details of what the diary said in Tornielli's story to those from Magister make it clear to me that the Limes diary cited by Tornielli is the same as the one from long ago.
Why is Andrea Tornielli bringing up an article from six years ago about a diary that one of the most eminent of his colleagues showed to be most likely fake, a clumsy attempt to undermine the new pope's support?
Magister has this article up today about Cardinal Bertone's efforts to secure control of two hospitals in Italy to build a Catholic medical hub. One of them is already controlled by the Italian bishops' conference and is basically a turf war over who gets to be on the board.
The other hospital, the San Raffaele, Magister describes as follows:
The San Raffaele is a massive, cutting-edge medical center, founded and headed in Milan by a priest, Luigi Maria Verzé, which does not, however, have anything in its statutes binding it to the Church, nor much that is Catholic in what it does.
Suffice it to say that artificial fertilization, which is condemned by the Church, is practiced there, and that in its highly modern laboratories experiments are conducted without any regard for the ethical criteria affirmed by the magisterium.
Not only that. In the connected Università Vita-Salute, dedicated to humanistic studies, philosophy, theology and scientific subjects are taught by professors who are in glaring contrast with the Catholic vision, from Emanuele Severino to Massimo Cacciari, from Roberta De Monticelli to Vito Mancuso, from Edoardo Boncinelli to Luca Cavalli-Sforza.
Fr. Verzé himself has repeatedly worried the Catholic hierarchy, with statements that could be taken as supporting euthanasia or the use of embryos.
Bertone's offer to take the San Raffaele, which is on the brink of bankruptcy thanks to its massive debt to the tune of a billion euros:
The IOR said that it was ready to provide 200 million euros immediately, while one billion over 3-5 years would be guaranteed by an international "charity" still shrouded in mystery (the financier George Soros has denied being part of the deal).
In exchange, Cardinal Bertone has demanded seats on the administrative board of the Mount Tabor Foundation, which governs the entire complex, of four of his proteges...
I am going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that the "charity" to be named is the holding company of the Legion of Christ with its billions now under the control of a papal delegate.
The head priest Fr. Verzé is willing to accept the offer as long as he can expand the board and appoint two of his own men who will counter Bertone's people.
Magister says that it will all be decided in the next few days. He also notes that the character of the San Raffaele was only discussed for the first time a few days ago!
What he conceived of as an "epochal revolution" thus threatens, if not stopped in time, to turn into a costly and disastrous boomerang.
Because rebuilding from the ground up, on Catholic foundations, a complex like the San Raffaele, which has never been Catholihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifc, is simply an impossible undertaking.
Now this story of Bertone's adventures in taking control of hospitals is interesting in itself to me. What makes it more interesting is that the secretary of state is willing to spend 200 million on a hospital and university in Italy right now.
Read here: "Hopeless, But Not Serious: Once Again", by David Goldman. He has a nice graph of population in a key demographic for several southern European countries including Italy.
The present crisis can and will be papered over, because there is no reason not to paper it over, and for the moment, there is plenty of fat to be cut from European government budgets. In ten or fifteen years, the budget knife will cut bone. Italy’s population is on the cusp of a tumble.
My conclusion: there is no reason to panic over the present kerfluffle, but there is no reason to own any exposure to southern Europe. Ever again.
Goldman's assessment rings true to me. Its lesson and the fact pointed out at the very end of Magister's article go well together: Bertone is on a fool's errand for more reasons than one.
This last Thursday, we took off for a day trip up to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Thursday ended up being an excellent day to go as it was cloudy, breezy, and cool. The high was 75 degrees for the day. We made it to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The shrine was founded in the mid to late 90s by His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke back when he was bishop of La Crosse. After turning off the main highway, we followed the road to the entrance drive to the shrine and on to the parking lot next to the visitors center. Going inside, we looked around and after obtaining a map of the complex, we decided to ride up to the top rather thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhan walk it as it would have been a good hike, taking time we didn't have. So we and I think another person got on the golf cart with the driver and took off.
From the parking lot, one can see the visitors center and above it the candle chapel. The cart took us up the path, which was out in the open up through the first switchback and then to the chapel. We picked up another man there and then went on our way up as the path became shrouded in trees. Along the way were memorials and benches for resting, but our cart kept going up to the shrine church.
The inside of the church is pretty impressive. Here are a couple of pictures to get an idea.
The sanctuary
Down the nave
After that, we decided to hike back down the hill since a ride back down required four and we were only three. Along the way, we stopped at the candle chapel and then the visitors center before heading back home. An interesting coincidence is that we headed south and ended up driving past the Dickeyville Grotto. It will have to wait for another trip.
TUESDAY, 24 MAY, IS dedicated to the liturgical memorial of Our Lady, Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai: the whole Church joins in prayer with the Church in China. There, as elsewhere, Christ is living out his passion. While the number of those who accept him as their Lord is increasing, there are others who reject Christ, who ignore him or persecute him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). The Church in China, especially at this time, needs the prayers of the universal Church. In the first place, therefore, I invite all Chinese Catholics to continue and to deepen their own prayers, especially to Mary, the powerful Virgin. At the same time all Catholics throughout the world have a duty to pray for the Church in China: those members of the faithful have a right to our prayers, they need our prayers.
CHINA YESTERDAY CALLED FOR “concrete actions” from the Vatican to help improve relations, after Pope Benedict XVI urged Chinese bishops to resist pressure from Beijing and stay true to Rome.
“We hope that the Vatican can be clearly awhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifare of the fact that China practises freedom of religious belief and of the continuous development of China’s Catholic Church,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.
Ms Jiang added that Beijing hoped the Vatican would “create conditions for the development of China-Vatican relations through concrete actions”.
WHILE THE CULTURE COMMISSION of the Vatican originally approved sketches of the sculpture, it is now arguing that the "mantle almost looks like a sentry box, topped by a head of a pope which comes off too roundish." L'Osservatore Romana, the main Vatican newspaper, described the statue as looking like it had been exploded by a "violent gash, like a bomb" had struck. According to the Associated Press, various passersby have even noted that the Rainaldi's artwork rather resembles Italy's former dictator, Benitohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Mussolini.
Tonight it was announced by the president that Osama bin Laden met his end today thanks to US special forces who tracked him down to a mansion not far from the capital city of Pakistan.
VATICAN CITY, 30 APR 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for May is: "That those working in communication media may respect the truth, solidarity, and dignity of all people ".
His mission intention is: "That the Lord may help the Church in China persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and grow in unity".
Happy Divine Mercy Sunday. It's still Saturday here in the central United States, but over in Rome, it's dark and the ceremonies will be getting underway in a few hours. In checking Wikipedia to make sure I am spelling 'beatification' right, I see that the Holy Father's article has already been updated, granting him the title of 'blessed'!
Tomorrow the Holy Father will be beatified and will be only one step away from sainthood. The cause for the canonization of the Holy Father has been a contentious one and especially so now that the penultimate step is here. The five-year waiting period before any cause could begin was waived in his case, this beginning early what was already a shortened process due to the reforms instituted by John Paul himself.
Stipulating John Paul's personal holiness, the question boils down to what is the vocation of the supreme pontiff? Is it to be a teacher? An administrator? A combination of the two? This blog is of course about the Vatican and the business of governing the Church, right or wrong. With that viewpoint in mind, it's hard to ignore John Paul's deficiencies as an administrator. I do agree with those who say that electing bishops can be a crap shoot and that the Holy Father did as well as he could in promoting better men over time to help right the Church. At the same time though, his choices for his personal assistants in Rome cannot be ignored. First and foremost, there was Ratzinger. Much can be forgiven thanks to the astute choice of the German as prefect of CDF. On the other hand, there is Cardinal Sodano at the Secretariat of State and others like him who are not so easy wave off as outliers.
The wide acclamation following John Paul's death is not to be ignored, but at the same time, would five years of waiting have hurt his cause if it was truly meant to be? There is much out there waiting to see a final resolution that bears heavily upon John Paul II's legacy as the vicar of Christ. I don't doubt that John Paul II walks with the angels, but for us men and women on earth, prudence is a virtue.
Sandro Magister's latest piece talks about the recent events in the People's Republic of China and the new secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Archbishop Savio Hon Taifai. Magister includes a translated interview of the archbishop with Avvenire.
The two sides are manned principally by Father Jerome Heyndrickx and Cardinal Zen. The former takes a compromising approach and the later not so much. Magister sees Hon as occupying a position that is much closer to that of the cardinal's than Heyndricks, though Archbishop Hon is not in lockstep with Zen. Reading the interview provided, Archbishop Hon's answers are on the whole prudent and level-headed.
This is an interesting blog post by David Goldman, also known as Spengler of Asia Times Online.
He has a quote from Bloomberg News on how Iran is beaming Azeri-language programming to its neighbor in a bid to destabilize the pro-western government. Goldman mentions as well the fault lines of Azeri society and how they reflect the larger lines in the Middle East. Two-thirds of Azeris are Shi'ites, like Iran, and Azerbaijan has historically been known as northern Persia. But Azeris are ethnically Turkic and are viewed by Sunni Turkey as its own ancestral backyard.
At the political current events blog I read, Hot Air, a lot has been made lately of Turkey's drift towards Islamism and Iran. But in his blog post, Goldman sees rather that Azerbaijan is the wedge between the two and Turkey is moving into alignment with the likes of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states in a bid to counter Iranian ambitions.
Goldman's conclusion is rather pessimistic:
But it is not surprising that the oil price should keep rising. The United States government is in the hands of a clique of amateurs like Samantha Power and Susan Rice, human-rights romantics without a clue about the real power relationships, while the ground has shifted under the regimes of the Middle East. Iran’s ambitions are the main concern in Riyadh and Ankara, and the weakness of the Assad regime in Syria–Iran’s main regional ally–make the situation very tippy indeed.
Aside from the usual local stories, the pastoral columns, and the national and international news (along with the opinion page that I hardly ever read), my diocesan newspaper carries the question and answer column by Father John Dietzen.
I got my newspaper today in the mail today and saw on the back page the CNS obituary of Father Dietzen, who passed away on March 27.
I like to pretend I'm up on the Catholic faith, but even when I don't agree with points of his answers, he always has interesting and educational points and his column is one of the principal features of the paper I look forward to each week. Hopefully CNS has a few more to run and hopefully Father's replacement will be as informative.
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his souls and the souls of all the Faithful departed rest in peace. Amen."
VATICAN CITY, 31 MAR 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for April is: "That through its compelling preaching of the Gospel, the Church may give young people new reasons for life and hope".
His mission intention is: "That by proclamation of the Gospel and the witness of their lives, missionaries may bring Christ to those who do not yet know Him". BXVI-PRAYER INTENTIONS/ VIS 20110331 (70)
In case you didn't know, in Iowa at the midterm elections of 2010 the portion of justices who were up on the ballot for retention were voted out. Normally in Iowa, the vote is just a formality and justices are kept on, but in this case, the Iowa Supreme Court had legalized homosexual marriage in the state, an unpopular move that generated a campaign to vote no for retention.
In the days after the election, many arguments were made about Iowa voters interfering with the Court, politicizing the bench, and taking away judicial independence. The obvious reply is that if voters aren't supposed to have any say on keeping or sending off justices, why does the Iowa Constitution give them that right?
So today I got my copy of the local diocesan paper in the mail. In it was the usual column by Father McBrien and his subject was Archbishop Dolan being elected to the presidency of the USCCB instead of the vice president, Bishop Kicanas. It's costumary for the vice president to succeed, so Dolan's election was a break with tradition. Father McBrien drew parallels between the rise of the Tea Party in US politics and the slow conservative drift of the US episcopal conference and then the world at large.
McBrien obviously has his opinion on where the Church is headed and he's entitled to it. I just want to reply: if the bishops weren't supposed to choose anyone else except the vice present, why bother having the vote?
This past Sunday I joined the Knights of Columbus. I had been thinking about it for a number of years. Several years ago, I received an application form during a previous recruitment drive, but for various reasons didn't get around to going any further. At Mass the previous few weeks, a gentleman spoke after Communion and information was handed out after the Dismissal. An email address was provided as a point of contact for interested parties and that more than anything helped me follow through this time around.
That was last week. I met with my point of contact last week and received information on how things would work given my disability (booklets were provided for me to read through and a helper helped me keep my place). The gentleman was very friendly and helpful and this put me at ease.
Sunday came around; I got up early and got ready to go, dressing in my suit. My brother drove me out to the family center of the parish council and I was ushered into a front office where I waited with several other gentlemen who there to be inducted with me. All were friendly and while others talked, I got a chance to look at some of the religious prints on the office walls. One of the knights came in and explained a few things to us (I followed along in one of the provided booklets). Then it was time to go inside for the 1st Degree exemplification.
After it was over, pizza was served and I met a few of my fellows. Then it was time to go. I met my brother in the parking lot and we set out for a nearby church where the 2nd and 3rd Degree exemplifications were slated to take place. Once we got there, I went inside and was vouched for by one of my fellows from my council. Then I went to wait with even more men who were from the different parishes of the city. Once more, things got under way and afterward food was served.
I learned a lot and I'm looking forward to helping my fellows and getting to know them better while helping my parish and community with other practical Catholic men.
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for March is: "That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and progress in justice and peace".
His mission intention is: "That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to those in many regions of the world who are persecuted and discriminated against because of the Gospel".
VATICAN CITY, 1 FEB 2011 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for February is: "That all may respect the family and recognise it for its unmatched contribution to the advancement of society".
His mission intention is: "That Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ in serving those who suffer from disease in those mission territories where the fight against disease is most urgent".
It's in the previous post, but I'll embed it here again for those who find this individual post through searching.
From the only review at Amazon.com, by a C. Weinstein of Los Angeles:
If this DVD represents the documentary "Sapporo Winter Olympics" by Masahiroo Shinoda, it is probably one of the best that came out of Japan in the 1970's. Extremely difficult to find on video, this film is as much about a meditation on discipline and on pure atmosphere as it is a coverage of the 1972 winter games. Each section has its own rhythm and flows effortlessly into subsequent scenes. Narration is almost completely absent for most of the film, the director preferring you to experience the feeling of cold weather that practically chills you from the screen and the determination on the part of many entrants gunning for a chance to make their mark.
If you like pure atmosphere in a film or are just looking for a good documentary about the 1972 Sapporo Olympics I highly recommend finding a copy of this.
The clip is all of three minutes and thirty-five seconds, but it is amazing how it captures all the points listed in Mr. Weinstein's review. It is absolutely atmospheric and a meditation. When I first watched it yesterday, I thought to myself at first that it was some kind of extremely stylistic film portraying fictional characters, starting with the opening shot showing the lone building against a bleak, empty sky and then moving on to the bird's-eye view of the skater alone on the ice and going from there. The katakana characters only added to the feeling of foreignness. Only during my reading of the commets at YouTube did I discover that the clip is from the documentary by the noted Japanese director.
The clip has that quality that so often is found in photos and films of that period that is hard to describe. It's detailed and focused, yet subdued. without the rich colors one today associates with digital film.
The action is simple, three different ladies skating around and judges judging the figures left behind. I think only a Japanese director, with his attention to nuance and unspoken expression, could capture with such detail the emotions evident. The first skater is calm, collected, disciplined and confident. The second skater is uncertain and hesitant. Shinoda captures this by showing both her facial expression and her posture before starting as she stands there before beginning her figure. The crowd looks nervous. She begins tentatively and looks wobbly. This is followed by close-ups of two of the judges, judging, watching, commenting as they examine everything.
Like I said, it's barely over three and a half minutes, but it is captivating. It reminded me immediately of Tarkovsky's Solaris, especially the prewiew shot of the second skater, standing there with her short blond hair. It looks surreal.
In the world of traditional Catholics, the loss of what is now known as the Extraordinary Form was keenly felt in a Church gone crazy as it threw aside the old ways in favor of the new.
In the last half of the twentieth century, that phenomenon was not restricted solely to the Church. Even in the world of sports, things changed, not necessarily for the better. In baseball, the mound was lowered and the designated hitter was introduced. In basketball, the skilled teamwork of bygone eras was replaced by a more free-flowing style that was perhaps more entertaining, but at the expense of basic fundamentals.
So it went in the world of figure skating. Figure skating had for a long time been composed of two elements, the compulsory figures and the free skate. The free skate is of course what we see on television today, men and women skating around at various speeds, performing jumps and spins throughout. Compulsory figures was a portion of the competition that involved the drawing of figures on the ice with the edges of the blades of one's skates. The figures' exactness in terms of how they were made and their shape were judged and marks were given. Watch the video below, a clip from coverage of the 1988 Winter Olympics at Calgary, Canada for more information along with interviews on the change going on in the sport as the idea of removing compulsory figures from international events was first considered.
Over time, the figure skating changed as the free skate gained in importance, especially with the advent of television coverage of premiere events. Compulsory figures did not translate well in the medium as the above clip demonstrates (though by the late eighties, much had been done to make it as appealing as possible); audiences watched the jumps and spins of the free skate and then were left confused by the compulsory figures and the winners of competitions who excelled at the latter and beat the favorite of the general public who watched for the skaters who excelled at jumping and spinning.
The clip below from a documentary on the 1972 Winter Olympics at Sapporo, Japan happens to document not just the games themselves, but the turning point for the sport of figure skating. The first skater shown, Beatrix Schuba of Austria, is considered to be one of the greatest compulsory figure skaters ever. The second skater shown, Janet Lynn of the United States, was known to American audiences for her free skating ability.
Schuba received a 5.0 for her figures, a high mark that was what I have read extremely rare at senior international events and placed first. Lynn was tentative as the clip shows so well (more on the second video later) and placed fourth. The situation was reversed though for the free skate as Lynn placed first and Schuba seventh. Due to the weight given compulsory figures, Schuba won the gold medal and Lynn the bronze. After that result, a new short program was introduced and the weight of compulsory figures was slowly reduced over the years until in 1990 they were removed from international competitions altogether.
Today, compulsory figures have been largely forgotten by the viewing public and in the skating community at large as well, though there is debate in some circles as modern skaters are seen by some as having lost the skills needed for fundamental footwork that even the mediocre compulsory figure skaters of yesteryear displayed in their jumps and spins due to their training in the discipline. Whether this is actually true, I cannot say, not being an expert myself, but it stands to reason that something has been lost.
Having started to watch curling during the Winter Olympics a few olympiads ago and having watched the clips above, could there be an audience for compulsory figures, if not as a component, then as a sport unto itself? Certain people are willing to sit through curling, thought by others to be exceedingly boring, not because they are well versed on the ins and outs of the sport, but due to the human drama unfolding on the ice. Especially on television with the close-ups of the participants, viewers can get a very good sense of the tension of the back-and-forth match of wits and skill. The second clip above demonstrates that there certainly was tension in compulsory figures. With high-definition televisions and modern technology demonstrating the sport, I would suggest that the viewing experience today would be far different from all those years ago.
This obviously isn't a blog dedicated to the sport of figure skating and this post is pretty much for me alone, but it's something I have thought about and wanted to share. Make of it what you will.
Right now, the demonstrations are not against Christians. Patriarch Shenouda has called for calm. But many Christians and non-Christians told him, that this is not the time for calm, because Christians are also affected by the crisis. In fact, for Christians the crisis is even worse because they suffer discrimination and have a hard time finding jobs. In case of promotions, they are passed over in favour younger Muslim employees. If a Christian opens a shop, fewer people buy from him.
Another interesting aspect is that this project of reform of Islam was published Jan. 24, one day before the outbreak of demonstrations in Egypt. These protests have economic and political roots. This means that in addition to current politics, there is an intellectual current that is fed up with the Islam that has spread in the last 30 years in the country, an "externalized" Islam that puts the emphasis on external things (clothing, beard, veil, etc. ..). This shows that there is a global movement - both spiritual and political - in Egypt that wants to transform the country. And since it is a leading country in the Middle Eastern world, one can expect that the changes in act in Cairo will spread throughout the region. Perhaps the same demonstrations that are taking place on the streets of the capital will have an influence on this "externalized" Islam.
He then goes on to examine several of the points of the article, including interaction between the sexes, jihad and its classical limits, and externalization of piety at the expense of personal responsibility.
I discovered this book by way of a book review in an issue of New Oxford Review last year. As much as I want to say that it's a military history due to the great part of its subject-matter, I can't quite bring myself to do it. It does recount the history of the Papal Zouaves and recounts their various actions both in service to the Pope and afterward. But I've found it to be more a description of the time and those who lived during it.
To wit: the main strength of the book is Coulombe's attention to individuals and their stories. He details their entry into and exit from the story, interweaving the accounts of the various volunteers into that of the larger regiment and the wars in which it fought. However, the flurry of names, particularly at the beginning as the first volunteers are introduced, is daunting. It's clear though that Coulombe must have sifted through a mountain of material, personal accounts and so on, to bring so much to the narrative.
The main drawback of the book is the lack of maps, which is one of the reasons why I don't qualify it as a military history. Battles and skirmishes are described (some in great detail), lines of march are given, but without maps to show the way, it is hard to follow.
The conclusion of the book does a very good job of bringing together all the threads as Coulombe recounts the final dissolution of the regiment and the endeavors of the veterans and then talks of their legacies, both personally and collectively. The Papal Zouaves and the ideals they embodied represent a facet of the Catholic identity that has been lost due not only to the encroachment of a secular, industrialized world, but also due to changes in the Church's view on war itself after two world wars.
Coulombe quotes Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro's homily at the annual Zouave requiem in 2007, "These soldiers had received from the Church, their reason for living and this is why they were ready to sacrifice their own life for her. We are sons of the Church, too, and for her we have to fight the good battle of our time." The author then remarks that whatever response may be made to the story of the Zouaves, it had better be made quickly as time is urgent.
Baltimore, Md., Jan 4, 2011 / 05:53 am (CNA).- Sudan's Catholic bishops say their country “will never be the same again,” once a January 2011 referendum that could split Africa's largest country in two takes place. Leading up to the vote, the Sudanese Catholic Church is playing a central role in preparing the country for the vote and its possible consequences.
The article talks about how the Church is taking the lead in preparing the people for the vote on independence on January 9 due to the lack of strong civil institutions and due to the trust in the Church thanks to its ability to cross tribal lines. Of course, it's what the Church has done for a thousand years and more since the fall of Rome.
This is sobering:
At worst, the referendum's results could prompt a third Sudanese civil war– “far more lethal” than the first two, in Griffin's estimation, and “just as targeted against civilians.” Such a war, he predicted, would involve not only Sudan's north and south, but the nine neighboring countries, in what “could be the largest conventional war on the African continent.”
That result, in turn, could de-stabilize large portions of East Africa, immersing other countries in “proxy wars that are ignited and played out across Sudan.” This “worst-case scenario,” according to Griffin, “would make Somalia and Yemen look manageable by comparison.”
So far, the Coptic patriarch says he will celebrate Christmas Mass, but he may yet cancel it. Security stepped up in churches throughout the country. The violence of young Copts, a sign of no confidence in the Egyptian system. Discrimination against Christians: to repair a toilet in a church, a decree from the provincial governor is needed; Muslims can build mosques freely, receiving construction materials for free. Attack on the church of Alexandria has opened "a new and more cruel style." In Sydney Christmas celebrations canceled. Security measures in France, Canada, Germany.
The reference to the toilet is telling. I'm assuming the priest means it takes getting a decree in order call up a plumber... Uh huh... That's either hyperbolic or just plain pathetic. The Coptic pope will have his hands full in calming the youth. Otherwise it could turn into a bloodbath.
The attack on the Church of Saints in Alexandria has even aroused the condemnation of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: "In all likelihood - says the priest - the source of the terrorist act is elsewhere, al Qaeda, perhaps in Iraq. What is certain is that we are faced with a newer and crueler style than before. It is the first time there has been an attack of such a violent level in Egypt, using explosives inside a church. So far there had been clashes, but between people, individuals, perhaps with a gun, but certainly not with lethal explosives".
Civil authorities in several European nations are providing police protection for Coptic Orthodox churches following threats by Islamists. A Coptic Orthodox priest in France described “threats made on the Internet by Islamic mujahideen who announced other attacks in Europe and in France in particular, and who mention our church.”
At least the Copts in Europe stand a chance with real security provided by the police, not just hired hands armed with a pistol and a cell phone like in Egypt.
Rome, 3 Jan. (AKI) - A religious edict signed by a Mauritanian cleric linked to Al-Qaeda' s late leader in Iraq and posted to jihadist websites appears to legitimise the deadly New Year's Eve attack on a church in northern Egypt. The edict, signed last month by Abu al-Mandhar al-Shanqiti, urges Muslims to avenge the alleged imprisonment in a convent of two Egyptian women after they converted to Islam.
Al-Shanqiti is close to the Jordanian sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the mentor of Al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a US raid there in 2006.
"How should Sharia (Islamic) law view Coptic priests and Christians who proselytise in our country and kidnap our women?" said al-Shanquiti's message, cited by jihadist website Al-Tawed.
And farther down:
"These Christians who don't hand over Muslims and who have kidnapped those two women have violated the accord under which they are afforded protection. We have no obligations towards them," said al-Shanquit.
Bolding my own. I like how he proclaims it to be their country, though as I recall, it was ours first. And note the clear statement regarding dhimmitude: those not of Islam are afforded protection, those who do not do as they should are owed nothing. Nice, huh?
Absurd accusations against the Coptic community of keeping two women who converted to Islam captive. The psychosis of a country that prohibits changing of religion. Islamic attacks against Shenouda, the criticism of the imam of Al-Azhar against Benedict XVI. Europe must open up channels for cultural dialogue with Islamic countries, rejecting secularism and fundamentalism. Just like the pope said.
The article after the rider given above goes through the various points in depth. The part I found most informative was the explanation of the "absurd accusations" that the Copts are holding captive two women who supposed converted to Islam from Christianity. The article mentions that the attack against Iraqi Christians last October was also motivated by these accusations. Samir goes to great length in explaining the situation and how even the late imam of Al-Azhar decreed that there was no evidence that the two women had become Muslims.
I read yesterday that Israel's Mossad secret service is also being blamed for the attack as some kind of provocation. Samir mentions that rumor as well.
The Holy Father intends to hold an ecumenical meeting in Assisi this year in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of John Paul II's infamous gathering. I think I can guess what will be one of the first agenda items.
VATICAN CITY, 30 DEC 2010 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for January 2011 is: "That young people may learn to use modern means of social communication for their personal growth and to better prepare themselves to serve society".
His mission intention is: "That every believer in Christ may be conscious that unity among all Christians is a condition for more effective proclamation of the Gospel".
VATICAN CITY, 30 NOV 2010 (VIS) - Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for December is: "That our personal experience of suffering may be an occasion for better understanding the situation of unease and pain which is the lot of many people who are alone, sick or aged, and stir us all to give them generous help".
His mission intention is: "That the peoples of the earth may open their doors to Christ and to His Gospel of peace, brotherhood and justice".
Technically it's the same war. In 1953, an armistice was signed, ending hostilities. Over time, there were incidents, but the armistice held. A few years ago, North Korea (Norks) unilaterally pulled out of the armistice. Several months ago, a South Korean (ROK) ship was sunk, most likely by a Nork submarine. Today, if you haven't seen the news, the Norks fired about 200 artillery shells at an ROK island close to the maritime border and the ROK retaliated with 80 shells of its own. Two ROK marines died and others were wounded. The ROK has stated that any further provocation would be met with retaliation. Japan is on alert.
Let us pray for those who've died and for those still alive on the front lines. Let us ask that the leaders on both sides be given wisdom that they may avoid a deadly and costly confrontation.
The Condom Drama is in the past. Welcome to the real world.
