Samuel Alito, Jr. nominated to the Supreme Court

If confirmed, Alito would be the 11th Catholic in U.S. history to sit on the Supreme Court and would become the fifth Catholic justice on the current court, forming for the first time a majority of Catholics on the nine-member court.

Other Catholics currently on the nation's highest bench are recently appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.

Past Catholics on the Supreme Court included two other chief justices, Roger Taney, 1836-64, and Edward White, a justice from 1894 to 1910 and chief justice, 1910-21. Other former Catholic justices were Joseph McKenna, Pierce Butler, Frank Murphy and William Brennan Jr.

Read the complete article Alito would be fifth Catholic on Supreme Court from Catholic News Service.

Not that having a majority of Catholics on the Court makes a difference, given that Kennedy isn't exactly of the same juridical temperment as Scalia or Thomas. We have ourselves a nice 'cross-section' of the Catholic Church in the US.

One of the great questions of Bush's presidency will be why he didn't go with Alito in the first place instead of enduring the debacle of Harriet Miers. Those out there who think that Mier was was a ploy need to realize that Bush has been on thin ice with the conservative base for a long time. As a colleague of mine summed up in his blog this last summer, the Republican Party is composed of several parts with goals that are somewhat counter to each other. Judicial nominations were a big reason why libertarian types voted Bush. If Bush wants to play games with those people, the mid-term elections are already looking to be a bloodbath for the Republicans unless they turn things around sooner rather than later.

All Hallows' Eve

It's the 31st, isn't it? I woke up and found out that Sam Alito had been nominated by President Bush (why didn't he just go with him the first time, I don't know). But then I was reminded of the date and that reminded me that tonight is the night.

No, I don't plan on going trick or treating. I went to a costume party last weekend and that took care of any need to dress up in some horrific outfit. Instead, I intend to make my second pilgrimage to the Black Angel, situated in Oakland Cemetary on the north side of Iowa City.

I first read about the Black Angel in W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe, the novel upon which Field of Dreams is based. A lot of the action in the novel takes place in Iowa City itself. Kinsella was involved in the Writers Workshop back in the late seventies and his Iowa City is one that had pretty much disappeared by the time I arrived in 1999. In the novel, some of Iowa City's folklore is recounted, including the traditions surrounding the Black Angel, a bronze statue in Oakland Cemetary that turned black shortly after its erection almost a century ago.

Bob Hibbs writing in the Iowa City Press-Citizen summed up the history of the Black Angel best, telling of the various stories that claim to be the truth of why the monument was commissioned and placed in Oakland Cemetary.

Other websites recount the superstitions that surround the Black Angel. One site gives a version of the tale of the famous 'virgin kiss' beneath the Black Angel.

She incarnates a mother’s desperate love for a son who died at age 18 in 1891. But, students claim no woman is a true UI coed unless she had been kissed beneath the Black Angel, preferably at midnight. Fraternity members claim that if such a coed is “innocent of men” the statue will turn white. Nobody ever said myths were fair!

Another site reminds us that some of the other superstitions are not so benign.

However, the main phenomena here appears not to be something lingering in the cemetery, but something that vandals and disrespectful people take away from the cemetery. Many stories involve people who have touched or desecrated the Angel in some way who were rewarded subsequently by death. One well-known story is about four boys who urinated on the monument, and died later that night in a car wreck. Another tells of a young man who used a hacksaw to cut the thumb off the Angel (and indeed a thumb and a few fingers are missing) who basically lost his mind and was eventually found dead in the Chicago River. His cause of death was strangulation, and the sole piece of evidence was a single thumbprint on his neck. Days later, a caretaker supposedly found a blackened piece of bronze in the shape of a thumb at the base of the Black Angel monument.

Tonight, I'll walk through the darkness and see if I can not get lost on my way to my meeting with the supernatural. I don't plan on touching the Angel myself, nor do I have a virgin co-ed with whom to test whether or not drastic color change is possible. But walks through the dark under the trees are spooky enough. Happy Halloween.

Lajolo visits the Third Rome

Moscow (AsiaNews) - "Every encounter brings hope, but this one with Russia has been a confirmation”. Thus did Mgr Giovanni Lajolo, Vatican Secretary for Relations with other States, sum up his first visit to Russia. He was speaking to AsiaNews at the end of a four-day visit to Moscow, where he went on the invitation of the Russian Foreign Affairs Minister, Sergei Lavrov. The pope’s “foreign affairs minister” described as “positive” meetings held with civil and Orthodox authorities. One meeting which stands out is that in Danilovskij monastery with Metropolitan Kirill, president of the external relations department of the Moscow Patriarchate. Already on the eve of his visit, Mgr Lajolo had talked about improving ties with the Moscow Patriarchate “even in view of bearing a needed shared witness to all Christians, in today’s world, about evangelistic values”.
[...]

Read the complete article Mgr Lajolo’s Moscow visit instills high hopes for Russia’s Catholic Church from AsiaNews.it.

The rest of the article describes Monsignor Lajolo's homily and comments on the Eucharist and the Eucharistic Congress in Moscow.

As far as the success of Lajolo's mission, only time will tell. The next time the Russian Orthodox Church speaks out on the Catholic issue in Russia will be a good indicator.

One thing that doesn't get near enough press is the relationship between the Holy See and the Russian Federation. I'm surprised that in his special way, President Putin doesn't put more pressure on the Patriarch of Moscow to bury the hatchet with the Holy See in order to get the Pope to Russia. The Pope in the Kremlin would certainly be an amazing photo op and a feather in the cap of Mr. Putin.

Latin is a dead language (who knew?!)

The post-mortem on the language of the Church.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Latin limped through another synod in October, as bishops paid lip service to the assembly's official language but did their real communicating in the vernacular.

When Cardinal Angelo Scola opened the synod with the traditional reading in Latin of the "relatio ante disceptationem" (pre-discussion report), bishops throughout the synod hall reached quickly for their translation headphones.

The Vatican's translators, also unprepared for the task, had to work from a parallel Italian text.
[...]

Latin came up in one of the synod propositions on liturgy, which called for training of seminarians so they are able to say Mass and lead prayers in Latin. But a proposal to promote Mass in Latin for international, multilingual gatherings of Catholics was downgraded from a recommendation to a suggestion.
[...]

He [Father Richard Foster] recalled that the proceedings of the Second Vatican Council, which ended 40 years ago, were conducted entirely in Latin.

Since then, he said, Latin "hasn't really been squelched -- 'oppressa est' -- but it's just been neglected -- 'neglecta est,' put off to the side."

Most younger priests and bishops don't know Latin well, he said, and the church's Latin teachers are disappearing, too. [...]

Read the complete article Rigor mortis? At synod, bishops give lip service to Latin from Catholic News Service.

I'm working on learning Latin myself. It's an intellectual exercise that I could use at this point, post-college. I would have taken it in school, but Latin I at the University of Iowa was at 8:30 AM, Monday through Friday... You get the idea. We'll see how my self-study goes.

Rooney to the rescue (of Taiwan)

The recently confirmed Francis Rooney arrived in Rome to begin his new job as Ambassador to the Holy See. John Allen reports on a question fielded by Rooney during his hearing.

During confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in late September, Rooney made brief comments about a couple of issues he'll tackle as ambassador. Rooney said Benedict XVI has made it clear he intends to continue John Paul II's work in promoting human dignity and "building bridges to the Muslim world."

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., who presided over the hearing, said he was concerned about reports the Vatican is considering severing relations with Taiwan. Allen said he didn't want to see the Vatican recognizing China over Taiwan.

Rooney said he would make it a priority to ensure the Vatican has "a sensitivity to the feelings of our government" on the issue.

He'll be facing an uphill battle, especially in light of recent comments from Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano to the effect that the Vatican is ready to cut ties with Taiwan right away if it can be assured of the immediate launch of relations with Beijing.

Read the complete article at The Word From Rome.

Luckily, paranoia reigns

While Rome crosses its fingers and makes promises, one tends to forget that the PRC is a totalitarian regime and such regimes tend to be rather paranoid and implacable. Behold.

From AsiaNews:

Beijing (AsiaNews) – China puts the blame back on the Vatican for not doing enough to improve diplomatic relations. Kong Quan, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that the Holy See in China expects “facts” and not “words”. This is how Kong commented on statements by Cardinal Angelo Sodano according to which Rome is willing to immediately transfer its nunciature from Taipei to Beijing.

[...] "China is not able to understand that a division between state and church is needed; the government fears that, at a time of crisis, Catholics will obey the Pope more than China.”

From Pravda:

The Vatican must not interfere with China's internal affairs if it wants to restore diplomatic relations, Beijing said Thursday, responding to the Holy See's call for dialogue. [...]

Just when I thought...

...that I wasn't going to find anything really interesting to blog this week, Magister rides to the rescue. I don't have any great-great-...-great-uncles who were cardinals like Rocco and I don't have any kids about whom I can tell stories like Amy, so when I'm browsing around through the news and nothing is jumping out at me, sparking a thought on how I can discuss it meaningfully... You've all seen how active I've been this week.

On to Magister

Signs of growing closeness between China and the Vatican alternate with sudden breakdowns. The four empty seats at the synod. The new bishop recognized by both the government and the pope. The invitation to the sisters of Mother Teresa. "La Civiltà Cattolica" adds up the figures

by Sandro Magister

Read the complete article Rome Is Calling Beijing – But the Connection Keeps Getting Interrupted from www.chiesa.

In the opening section, Magister sums up his reporting lately on China. He starts with the four missing bishops at the Synod and the correspondence between them and the Holy Father. The bishops enjoying approval from both the CPA and the Holy See is noted. Nothing much new. But it's all basically background for the piece from La Civiltà Cattolica.

Produced in Rome by a group of Jesuits, each edition of "La Civiltà Cattolica" is examined by the Vatican secretariat of state before it is printed. It therefore authoritatively reflects the point of view of the Holy See on the topics it discusses, in this case on China.

With everything that has gone on since April and the reporting that Magister has done on it, I can't help but smile that he still mentions that La Civiltà Cattolica is reviewed by the Secretariat of State and that somehow translates into reflecting the view of the Holy See as a whole...

Hans Waldenfels, S.J's article, excerpted by Magister, 'China Is Opening Up. Impressions from a Voyage', tells of his trips to China and his impressions. I skimmed it in places and came at last to the good father's points on the questions holding up greater PRC-Holy See relations: the approval/appointment of bishops and the recognition of the Republic of China (i.e. Taiwan). Waldenfels (and the Holy See via the Secretariat of State if you buy that talk about authoritative approval) gives the Taiwan issue all of eighteen words.

As for Taiwan, there have long been signs that discussions should begin and that the problem seems resolvable.

So what we have here is the Holy See (apparently) is willing to write off relations with a democracy in the interests of making nice with the Chicoms. So with that messy little item cleaned up neatly, Waldenfels launches into a long discussion on the appointment of bishops...

My position is well-known to long-time readers (appeasement bad, standing strong good). I just feel like we're on a broken record here. Rome keeps putting out this material in the news that relations are improving, things are getting better with China. And I just keep saying, "Yeah, right."

The best Pope ever

This last week, I was asked who I thought the best Pope was in history.

After considering this for some time, I came up with St. Peter, since he denied Christ three times and still became the Rock upon which Christ built His Church.

I guess that brings up the logical next step of who is the second-best Pope? In the United States, historians love to rate the presidents. Is that a common thing to do in the Catholic world?

How would one rate them? By saintly living? By what they achieved? By popularity?

I'm sure there are those who would suggest that one should not try and rate those who've been chosen by the Holy Spirit to serve as Supreme Pontiff, since the ways of the Lord are mysterious and not to be understood by Man. But it remains a question I've been pondering and I'd by interested in some feedback.

The quiz itself from which this question sprang
You can ask me six questions.
Any six questions you like!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I will try to answer them truthfully.

Papal veto vs. Papal fiat

(AGI) - Vatican, Oct 24 - The Pope is rumoured as not agreeing with the Synod's views on whether divorced couples should be allowed to partake in Catholic mass. According to cardinal Walter Kasper, who chairs the Vatican's Office for Christian Unity, "divorced couples which have remarried are a serious issue for us: the Synod hasn't issued its final word on the matter. [...] any bishop in any western country knows this to be an issue; the Synod on that note has heard all parties, not just the majority. Each and every priest, even the Pope, knows that there are worthy cases [...]. I too subscribe to such views". (AGI) Siz241430 OTT 05 -
241535 OTT 05

Read the complete article Vatican: Pope may 'overturn' Synod decision on divorcees from AGIonline.

I read this at more than one place, but AGI tends to have these brief little blurbs that are eminently suitable for complete copying and pasting rather than pulling out a few choice quotes from long articles.

A few things
1. The Synod didn't make any decisions to be overturned. But then you all know that by now. It's there to consult, not legislate. The Pope is not vetoing anything. It's the Pope who decides what's going to happen, God bless him.

2. I'm intrigued by Cardinal Kasper's words. The Synod closed up shop yesterday, but it hasn't issued its final word on the matter...

The morning after

Well, not quite morning yet in Rome...

The Synod wrapped up today (it's still Sunday in the US). Mass was said. Saints were canonized. Bishops went back to their lodgings and prepared to head home.

I read the other day that there is some speculation that the Pope will not issue a huge final document, given the fact that the Synod was on the Eucharist and the Eucharist has already been a favorite topic of Cardinal Ratzinger. The Holy Father has nothing left to say...

I'm not going to toss in my hat and make a prediction, but the encyclical that is coming out in December could very well serve the purpose. Just a thought.

In any case, attention has been turning back to the curial shuffle. To borrow a phrase from Al Gore, we'll see how His Holiness reinvents the government of the Catholic Church. It's like reinventing the wheel, I know.

Latin lovers unite!

(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - In a bid to stop Latin falling entirely into disuse, bishops meeting in the Vatican have proposed that the language be used for masses at major international events.

Bishops suggested that the Catholic Church's official language be used for the key prayers and rites in masses while homilies and readings from the bible should remain in the language of the host nation.
[...]

Read the complete article Bishopes ask Pope to save Latin from ANSA.it.

I hope they push through with this and the Pope makes it a reality. The question then becomes if people are simply learning Latin prayers by rote or if they'll have any real understanding of the language itself. Personally, I'd like to see Latin taught in all Catholic schools. (Like that will ever happen...) After all, foreign language study makes for better students and what better language than the basis for the Romance (and a good portion of English) languages?

Use of Latin has been declining in the Catholic Church for many years. This synod is believed to be the first one in living memory in which it was impossible to set up a Latin-language working group because too few prelates spoke the language well enough.

Apart from in the opening address given by the Venice Patriarch, Cardinal Angelo Scola, Latin was hardly heard during the talks. When Scola started his speech, which was entirely in Latin, prelates had to reach for headsets in order to hear a translation.

Only one synod participant spoke Latin the whole time: the archbishop of Riga, Cardinal Janis Pujats.

The Cardinal-Archbishop of Riga has my admiration.

Rising stars?

By John Thavis:

Traditionally, the Synod of Bishops has been a good place to watch ecclesial careers on the rise.

The church's future all-stars are often found in the lineup of top synod positions like presidential delegate or recording secretary and among the small number of papal appointees to the assembly.

Read the complete article Rising stars: Synod a good spot
to watch ecclesial careers from The Tidings.

Aside from Scola and Arinze and Ouellet, here are some of the unknowns and Thavis' comments on each.

Telesphore Cardinal Toppo of India, 65

The Ranchi archbishop stood up at a 2001 synod and said bishops need to live with the poor in the style of Jesus --- a revolutionary step that he said could attract many Asians to the Gospel.

Archbishop Roland Minnerath of Dijon, France, 58

[Scola's assistant as Relator] ...who impressed people when he prodded synod debate toward some sharp questions midway through the assembly. Already a seasoned expert in Vatican diplomacy and management, don't look for him to end his career in Dijon...

Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, 56

The bishops elected most of the other commission members, including one relatively unknown leader of a new generation of Italian church leaders...

Bishop Jean-Louis Brugues of Angers OP, 61

...current head of the French bishops' doctrinal commission. A papal appointee to the synod, Bishop Brugues made an impression when he helped write the International Theological Commission's landmark document in 2000, "Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the Faults of the Past."

I'm sick

I got up yesterday and was ill. By afternoon, I was back in bed. This morning, I'm still not 100%.

As always, check out the links down the left for what's going on, especially 'Daily Readings'.

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with some more energy.

At the library

Today I'm at the UI library. My car is in the shop being repaired and I have no way home unless I want to take the bus as far as it goes and then walk for another 15 minutes.

The wedding on Saturday
There's not really much to say. The church itself was pretty. It had a window in the back wall of the sanctuary area that looked west. Given the setting sun (the wedding started at 5 pm), there was a nice golden color coming through. The pews were padded, but the comfort factor was mitigated since we stood through the entire ceremony.

Mass on Sunday
I went to the Newman Center on campus for the 6 pm Mass. The center does not have pews, it has chairs that are padded and the chairs do not have kneelers. I've been there before, so this was not a big deal for me. What was a big deal was the lack of missalettes. Luckily (aside from the readings), I do have the various parts of the Novus Ordo pretty well memorized. (The lack of kneeling did throw some confusion into it...)

That's all.

The meeting

(AGI) - Vatican City, Oct.18 - Benedict XVI wants to meet Moscow patriarch Alexis II: Moscow Catholic Archbishop mons. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said so to the reporters on the sidelines of the Synod. "Let's pray they will meet - he said - This event would allow to start a new page in the history of relationship between the two churches, the largest in the world".

Nothing new here at all. The Holy Father, both the previous one and the current one, wants to meet with the Patriarch of Moscow. Is it going to happen anytime soon? Doubtful.

Mons. Kondrusiewicz also mentioned the proposal of a common Synod with the Orthodox, suggested in May by card. Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican Council for Christian Unity, recently mentioned again by Leopolis archbishop, card. Lubomyr Husar. "THe proposal was met very well by the Orthodox authorities".

Who exactly are these 'Orthodox authorities' that have met this proposal with a positive response? The Russians? I doubt it. The Ukrainians themselves? Other parties? Anyone who really counts? We'll see if there is any follow-up to this.

"In Russia, the catholic church is expanding: there are now 220 official parish churches (6 in Moscow), another 300 communities are currently waiting to be officially enrolled by the authorities, 120 priests are working on it, 90 pct foreign, and there already 65 seminarists in St.Petersburgh. "Proselitism is not our policy - said the archbishop - we are not supporting the coversion of orthodox, but the people who want to turn to catholicism are to be respected. Despite these problems, everyone expects important steps towards unity: it's no longer time to throw stones, but to pick them up".n(AGI) -
181815 OTT 05

With statistics like this, all the optimism in the world is not going to placate the Russian Orthodox Church. Cardinal Kasper and the Archbishop of Moscow either have inside sources that tell them things that the Russians do not admit when they're talking in the press about Catholic infringement or the cardinal and the archbishop simply make these comments and hope for the best, as if talking will change attitudes.

Read the complete article The Pope wants to meet Alexis II from AGI.

Benedict XVI packs St. Peter's Square

First the figures:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's public appearances are drawing huge crowds of pilgrims to the Vatican -- even more than those of his beloved predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

According to Vatican statistics, more than 1 million people have attended the pope's weekly general audience or his Sunday blessing since his election in April.

That's more than twice the number of pilgrims who attended the same events in 2004 which were presided over by an infirm Pope John Paul.

Observers cited a "new pope" effect, saying people want a personal look at Pope Benedict. Interest may have broadened after the global media attention given the Vatican during the period of papal transition.

Many of the pilgrims say they are coming to see two popes, visiting the tomb of Pope John Paul in the Vatican grottoes and attending an audience or blessing with Pope Benedict.

According to the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, about 410,000 people attended Pope Benedict's general audience in the period May-September, compared to 194,000 last year.

In the same period, the Sunday Angelus blessing drew 600,000 this year and 262,000 last year, it said.

Read the complete article Pope Benedict's public appearances drawing huge crowds from Catholic News Service.

Are these large crowds merely from the 'New Pope' effect or are they representative of a trend? As it's pointed out in the article, the cold will have an effect. The question is will the crowds still come over the long term?

We'll see how they hold up through the winter.

NEWS FLASH: a brother who listens to his brother?!

(ANSA) - Vatican City, October 17 - The pope is scheduled to attend two concerts in his honour in the Vatican this week, hearing music by Mozart, Wagner and his own brother Georg.

The first, to be held on Thursday in the Vatican's Paul VI hall, will be given by the Regensburg cathedral choir and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

It will feature church music by Mozart, Liszt, Verdi and Wagner. The choir will also sing some pieces composed by Georg Ratzinger.

The pope's older brother, who is also a Catholic priest, directed the prestigious cathedral choir of Regensburg in Bavaria for many years.

The choir, believed to be the oldest cathedral choir in existence, will again be on stage again on Saturday for a concert in the Sistine chapel.

Read the complete article Pope to listen to brother's music from ANSA.it.

I just found this rather amusing. When the brothers are off on their vacations together, who does the reporter think Father Ratzinger uses as a captive audience when trying out new compositions?

While we're off topic

A mass rally took place on October 14 in Kiev in protest against the opening of church representations of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine and Fanar’s interference in the Ukrainian church affairs. Thousands-strong rallies were held at the Turkish embassy, as well as the Supreme Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Administration. Special appeals were adopted, addressed to the Ukrainian president and the Turkish and Greek ambassadors.

Why to Victor Yushchenko is clear enough. The government has promoted the project for opening the Constantinopolitan church representations and interfered in church affairs, pressing for the absorption of the unrecognized UAOC group by the uncanonical ‘Kievan Patriarchate’, and all this despite the president’ promises that the government will not interfere in church affairs.
[...]

Read the complete article Orthodox Ukraine appeals to wisdom of Turkish authorities from Interfax Religion.

Daniil Spassky once again reiterates his pro-Russian position in the piece. His main point is that the Ukrainians and everyone else should put pressure on the Turkish government through boycotting Turkish resorts and other things Turkish so that the government will crack down on the Patriarch of Constantinople and halt the Church of Constantinople's 'interference' in Ukrainian affairs.

(I wonder if Mr. Spassky is cognizant of the fact that if Turkey starts limiting the freedom of the patriarch in church affairs that it would be putting its EU admission at risk...)

The final paragraph:

Accordingly, the question is whether the Turkish government will have enough resolution, will and resources to influence Patriarch Bartholomew. Indeed, there is already some talk that he dreams of establishing a kind of Orthodox Vatican in Fanar and obtaining the exterritorial right from the Turkish authorities. But still, the potential appeal to boycott Turkish resorts and goods appears quite telling for the Turkish interests. With an effective informational support this action may inflict millions-worth damages on the economy of this country. Thus, theoretically Turkey may become directly interested in putting her citizen in his right place as a one who causes damage to her relations with the countries which make up the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The bolding is my own, of course. If the Patriarch of Constantinople were to receive some kind of extraterritorial status in Fanar, that would certainly change the dynamic under which the patriarchate operates, since as it stands, you have to be a Turkish citizen to be chosen to the office.

It reminds us of all that once was good...

Hats off to Albert Pujols for his game-winning home run last night in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. The official distance was 412 feet, but if that pesky window had not been in the way, that ball would have been out in the street (or whatever is out there beyond the right field wall).

Kudos also go to my beloved David Eckstein for his indomitable spirit and Jim Edmonds for showing some uncharacteristic patience at the plate.

Game 6 in St. Louis, tune in.

Editorial: EWTN is so annoying

The Eternal Word Television Network is admittedly one of the most visually stimulating 'Christian' channels on cable. Let's be blunt. TBN's graphics, etc., look about as cheap as that pink-haired woman and the guy in the white suit who sits in that golden chair. On the other hand, EWTN does come across as quite professionally done. The network has a variety of programming on different subjects. And of course, how can you go wrong with documentaries on Renaissance church restoration?

But as the title states, the network is still annoying. Why? Closed captioning is pretty much nonexistent.

As I've alluded a few times here, I do not hear very well at all and it is only getting worse. About this time last year, my hearing descended below the point where one-on-one conversation could be held without a lot of 'huhs' and 'whats'. I've needed closed captioning for awhile now. Thankfully, most everything I want to watch has it.

But EWTN's captioning of programs is hit and miss at best. They caption the recitation of the Rosary with Mother Angelica and a few independent documentaries have captioning as well. But the shows that I wouldn't mind watching once in awhile, like 'Rome Reports' and 'The World Over', have nothing. Raymond Arroyo looks like he has something really interesting to report on, but his facial expressions and the little box over his shoulder don't do much for conveying information...

So until the network decides to put some time and effort into reaching the world of the hearing impaired in its home country instead of worrying about reaching the far reaches of the Third World, it will just have to remain one of those channels I flip past on my way between CNN and Bloomberg.