{"id":1986,"date":"2013-01-11T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-11T11:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/theology-professor-sheds-light-on-les-mis-bishop\/"},"modified":"2013-01-11T11:05:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-11T11:05:00","slug":"theology-professor-sheds-light-on-les-mis-bishop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/01\/theology-professor-sheds-light-on-les-mis-bishop\/","title":{"rendered":"Theology professor sheds light on ‘Les Mis’ bishop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Cleveland, Ohio, Jan 11, 2013 \/ 04:05 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Doris Donnelly drew attention to the clerical hero of \u201cLes Miserables;\u201d a character she says has been significantly \u201cpared down\u201d in the musical and film versions.<\/p>\n

\tAlthough the pious Bishop Bienvenue is central to the plot of Victor Hugo's \u201cLes Miserables\u201d \u2013 which has recently been adapted into an Academy-Award nominated musical \u2013 his role is minimized outside the 19th century novel.<\/p>\n

\tDr. Donnelly, a theology professor and head of the Cardinal Suenens Center at John Carroll University in Cleveland, said she decided to write the piece for the Wall Street Journal because \u201cobviously there would be no story without the bishop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt\u2019s just so beautiful, no matter who reads it, you don\u2019t have to be a Catholic to read it, it\u2019s stunning,\u201d she told CNA Jan. 8.<\/p>\n

\tIn her article, she described how even though Hugo was anticlerical, he chose to use the character of the bishop as a \u201ccatalyst\u201d for Jean Valjean\u2019s epic conversion story. At the same time, he expected corrupt priests of his day \u201cto be shamed and indicted by comparison with a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tValjean, or Prisoner 24601 as he was known during his nearly 20 years of imprisonment for stealing a loaf of bread to save his starving relatives, emerges as \u201ca very mean, angry, dejected, depressed man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tUnable to find work because of his mark as an ex-convict, Valjean struggles to survive until he is directed to seek refuge from Bishop Bienvenue who was known by his flock to be a particularly benevolent and holy man.<\/p>\n

\tThe bishop heartily welcomes Valjean as an honored guest in his home. Valjean is touched, but still desperate, and steals the silver place-settings from his host\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

\tWhen he is soon brought back by the police, the bishop denies that the pieces were stolen saying that they were, in fact, a gift.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition to letting Valjean keep the silver and protecting him from the police, Bishop Bienvenue \u201cbuys\u201d the ex-convicts soul for God with two silver candlesticks, telling him to use the treasure to begin a virtuous new life.<\/p>\n

\tAlthough the event \u201cis a tiny part of the movie,\u201d it shows Bishop Bienvenue\u2019s \u201cintimate connection with Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAs a theologian, Dr. Donnelly said she found this scene interesting since God is the only one who can ransom souls. This act shows that in his role as bishop, the cleric is \u201cso confident and so comfortable\u201d acting as a mediator of Christ for Valjean.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOnce you know the story, you can connect it with the movie,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\tDue to this confidence in Christ, she said the bishop and Sister Simplice \u2013 a character who is not clearly defined in the recent musical \u2013 are able to lie in order to spare Valjean\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\tSimilar to how the bishop tells the police that Valjean did not steal the silver, Sister Simplice tells antagonist Javert, who is tracking Valjean for violating his parole, that she does not know where he is even thought he is hiding in her convent.<\/p>\n

\tThis event illustrates God\u2019s mercy because technically, the cleric and the nun tell lies, but do so for the purpose of saving a human life, Donnelly said \u2013 something that Javert could never understand.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHe has no flexibility whatsoever and that\u2019s what drives him mad,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s just a law and order person and doesn\u2019t get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBecause of the depth of the novel, many details are unable to be included in the modern adaptation which is why Donnelly said that the original, unabridged version of the novel is \u201cworth reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cleveland, Ohio, Jan 11, 2013 \/ 04:05 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Doris Donnelly drew attention to the clerical hero of “Les Miserables;” a character she says has been significantly “pared d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nTheology professor sheds light on 'Les Mis' bishop<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cleveland, Ohio, Jan 11, 2013 \/ 04:05 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Doris Donnelly drew attention to the clerical hero of “Les Miserables;” a character she says has been significantly “pared d...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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