Shining Star
- Fr. Stan Fortuna tells young Catholics to attend Papal events with faces painted
Click the link and watch the video (the same videos I blogged yesterday). His messages are the light rays you need to see that star! He's funny, he's serious, he's eccentric, he's humble, he's God's truth personified; a true example for all Catholics to follow. He wants us to visit the Pope at any of the events with our faces painted white and yellow, keys on our foreheads and waving rosaries in one hand and flags in the other!
Top Website
- The Church Mouse Blog This award winning blog is catchy in all its information, and everything on the blog makes for interesting (and sometimes entertaining) reading. Written by an Anglican, it communicates very well arguments from both sides of the coin (secular and non-secular). Obviously the hot topic now is Pope Benedict's visit, so more and more our little mouse is commenting on this subject. He's also worth following on twitter: @thechurchmouse.
Audio
Clifford Longley's Thought for the Day
- The question Longley asks is: Will the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI, just over two weeks away, amount to a dramatic confrontation with Britain's secular society? Have a listen to find out more.
- The question Longley asks is: Will the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI, just over two weeks away, amount to a dramatic confrontation with Britain's secular society? Have a listen to find out more.
Real Player needed to play audio. Alternatively, you can read the transcript.
Video
Lord Patten speaks on Newsnight Timestamp: 16:17-28:1. Date: 31/08/10
- In this clip, Catherine Pepinster of The Tablet says the Pope needs to know about what 'we' think about the child abuse scandal, married and celibate priesthood, and women priests among other things.
- NSS (National Secular Society)'s Terry Sanderson says the Pope is taking the Church backwards.
- Catholic Voices' Austen Ivereigh confirms the Catholic Church has raised £5mill for the pastoral part of the Pope's visit thus far, and also expresses that for many Catholics, a £3-4mill debt will be worth it for the Papal Visit.
- Lord Patten hopes for a dialogue between secular and non-secular Britain and Europe, by addressing the foundations of our society.
- In this clip, Catherine Pepinster of The Tablet says the Pope needs to know about what 'we' think about the child abuse scandal, married and celibate priesthood, and women priests among other things.
- NSS (National Secular Society)'s Terry Sanderson says the Pope is taking the Church backwards.
- Catholic Voices' Austen Ivereigh confirms the Catholic Church has raised £5mill for the pastoral part of the Pope's visit thus far, and also expresses that for many Catholics, a £3-4mill debt will be worth it for the Papal Visit.
- Lord Patten hopes for a dialogue between secular and non-secular Britain and Europe, by addressing the foundations of our society.
Article
Most people, as would be expected, probably don't know how they would be able to relate to our current Pope. Sometimes, I think of any Pope, and think... almost immortal. But no Pope is born like that. Pope Benedict is a human being, just like you and I. This cute article exposes Pope Benedict XVI as a child; before the knowledge of adulthood and a title equal to a King's.
Humour
- Top 3 reasons the Pope should sing with the Queen!
7reasons.org posted 7 reasons why the Pope should sing with the queen back in April. I won't be posting all 7 reasons, because actually, I found some of them not funny in the least. However, despite some of the things mentioned being quite serious, one can't help but chuckle at the pictures our imaginations would conjure up when hearing these songs!
1. Restate existing views (in song). Bohemian Rhapsody would be perfect for the concert; after all, it’s already a Queen song. The Queen can sing the main vocal and the Pope can be the chorus of scary inquisitors (this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him, as he disagreed with the apology to Galileo that Pope John-Paul II made almost 400 years after the event). Singing Bohemian Rhapsody would allow him to restate his position on the Inquisition in a light-hearted way which wouldn’t make him seem wholly un-loveable. Or perhaps it would. We suppose that depends on whether you see the Inquisition as a good or a bad thing. Hmmm.
2. Apology. The F.O. document also stated that the Pope should apologise for the Spanish Armada. We don’t know why he should apologise, but we haven’t had one from anyone yet, so why not? A rendition of Rod Stewart’s Sailing, with slightly altered lyrics, would tell the story of the Armada and would enable the Pope to apologise to the current Queen Elizabeth (how appropriate). Obviously Nick Drake’s dead, but Francis Rossi could probably earn himself a knighthood by accompanying the pontiff on guitar. We imagine the Pope’s verse would go like this:
I am sorry, I am sorry,
For the Spaniards, from the sea.
I am sorry, I’m so sorry,
I’ll denounce bullfights, immediately.
3. The Church of England. We’re pretty sure that we blotted our copybook a bit with the English Reformation, so it’s important to reassure the Pope that we’re not a godless nation. The Queen will do this during the concert by singing, as a hymn to God, a specially adapted Olivia Newton-John song re-titled Popelessly Devoted To You.
4. Levity. Obviously, the regal/papal concert won’t all be gloom and diplomacy and the Queen will provide some light-relief by putting on her best Dick Van Dyke accent and singing this song about Vatican life from the musical, Mary Poppins:
Chim chiminey,
Chim chiminey,
Chim chim cher-oo.
Your smoke it is white
And your Pope, he is new.
From CBCEW
- The Official Papal Visit website’s latest news
- The Official Papal Visit website’s latest news
- More videos and photographs of previous Papal Visits by Pope Benedict XVI have been uploaded on the official facebook page. Don’t forget to click ‘Like’!
Top Twitter must-follows
@thepapalvisit and #pvuk2010
@RCWestminster @thechurchmouse and @OSV
Something to contemplate on...
Do you think the Catholic Church has produced a 'subdued response' to Pope Benedict XVI's visit so far?
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