Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia has been the indispensable go-to source for complete and timely postings of the texts of each of the many addresses Pope Benedict has made during his sojourn in America. I was happy to see that he (and Fr. James Martin) thought similarly to me, that the pontiff’s brief extemporaneous remarks at the back of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (upon being reminded that it was the precise moment of his election three years earlier) provided a... Read more
For cryin’ out loud, Michelle Malkin is not Bill Maher – not even close – not even in the same time-zone, and I think that is a silly charge to make – one that over-reacts in precisely the same way that some feel Michelle over-reacted. But I can understand why some were unhappy with her post on “Open Borders and the Catholic Elite”, which echoed SOME the sort of cynical crap I’ve seen in nasty emails when I have dared... Read more
This is a pretty thought-provoking piece by PJ O’ Rourke on John McCain. O’ Rourke spends time on a carrier, getting to know the naval aviators and what they do: Some say John McCain’s character was formed in a North Vietnamese prison. I say those people should take a gander at what John chose to do–voluntarily. Being a carrier pilot requires aptitude, intelligence, skill, knowledge, discernment, and courage of a kind rarely found anywhere but in a poem of Homer’s... Read more
Miss Ella – “You’ll have to swing it, (Mr. Paganini)” Read more
:::SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE:::: Fr. James Martin looks at the pope’s very long and full address to US bishops at the Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It is a vast and far-reaching speech, and I’m printing it out to read and comment on more fully tomorrow, but for now I’m intrigued by Fr. Martin’s focus on the terrible scandals which will always be before us. Even veteran Vaticanologists were surprised that Benedict chose to addressthe problem at... Read more
Did it seem to you, as it did to me, that we watched Benedict loosen up or break free a little bit at this mass? Watching him exit he seemed bigger and bolder to me, as though he was growing into his part. I was inclined to like him, of course, through his writings, but I didn’t know if I would be put off by his manner. After half a lifetime watching the effusive, playful and outgoing John Paul II,... Read more
:::UPDATE::: Yale says FAKE; this is performance art. I must admit my mind would never go there, but if it’s a hoax, as I had hoped, then good.:::END UPDATE::: If the story is true, and it is so mind-boggling I want to believe it’s a hoax, then its breaking during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI (where we watched the pontiff pause in his exit from mass at National’s Stadium to kiss the forehead of a sleeping infant) will bring... Read more
(H/T American Digest) Yes, I said the site would be “wall-to-wall” Benedict for the duration of his visit. I may throw in a video here or there – or something just to refresh myself, but if you’re looking for All Things Benedict, this is where we’re at so far – I’ll be writing more later. Benedict Gets Big at Nationals Stadium (He seemed Bunyunesque!) The Pope on the Sex Abuse Issue (A first-look at Benedict’s address to his bishops following... Read more
In looking again at the text of Pope Benedict’s White House address, I was struck by how serious were his remarks within the context of such a short speech given amid such pomp, particularly here: Historically, not only Catholics, but all believers have found [in America] the freedom to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, while at the same time being accepted as part of a commonwealth in which each individual and group can make its... Read more
:::UPDATE: All my Benedict coverage so far linked here:::END UPDATE::: In my piece currently featured at Pajamas Media I note that the reality of Pope Benedict XVI has been very different from the projections of pundits and media gasbags who fretted over his election. As the pope makes his first address to America-at-large on the White House South Lawn, US Catholics, and really, the world get their first up-close look at man routinely reviled as the “hard-line enforcer” and “God’s... Read more
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