Islam and the Church: Let's Leave Ecumenism Outside of the Ring

This is Marco Antonio Barrera a hardnut, devout Catholic from Colombia. I wouldn't like to be put in the ring with this man. Look at that physique and look at those Rosaries!



This is Amir Khan, British devout Muslim. Has knocked seven bells of the proverbial out of many people. Will he be able to beat the Colombian, or is Barrera, assisted by Our Lady's prayers too powerful?

Ding-ding! Round 1!

Morrissey Throws His Arms Around Paris...

...because "Only stone and steel accept his love..."

A return to form for the Mozmeister. I wonder if when he performs this in Wales he will sing, "I'm throwing my arms around Powis."

If you are one of the Clergy you can change the words to reflect your vocation..."I'm throwing my arms around, around my parish because, only God's people, accept Christ's love."

"Francis, Rebuild My Church, Which As You Can See is in Ruins"

The Cross of San Damiano, through which Our Blessed Lord spoke to St Francis of Assisi, in a way, has much to say about the Church at different points in history. I truly admire the Holy Father, Pope Benedict who is trying valiantly to respond to the echo of the Voice that spoke to St Francis, asking him to, "Repair My Church" or "Rebuild My Church".

I very much think of the work of parish priests, my parish priest being an inspiring example, as being a great witness, a loving and enthusiastic response to those words of Christ, as much as those who feel called to religious life and monasticism. In a way, we are all called to think about those words that Our Blessed Saviour said to St Francis.

This is because God calls us to a radical conversion of life and to live out the true values of the Gospel which, like at most times in history, are counter-cultural and stand up against the values of the World. Our lives, even if we do struggle with our sins, temptations and vices, should be as signs of contradiction to the values of the World, its passing glories and vanities, and most of all, its false and illusory happiness. We know that only Christ can make us truly happy.

So often in history, God has asked people to come forward and boldy witness to those words and do something for Him that rebuilds or repairs the Church. St Francis was a key model and witness of this. St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila also were shining examples of reform of monastic life. This divinely-inspired process is continuing - a great work of the Holy Spirit. While numbers to the Priesthood are not growing as much as many would like, many religious communities are thriving, especially those which offer the most strict and orthodox life, such as the Carthusians and the Franciscans.

Now, after years of liturgical stagnation, Pope Benedict XVI, with all of his strength, wisdom and prudence, is trying to guide the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, towards litugical renewal which will not only strive to see God revered in His Church by His faithful once more, but will also guide the Faithful towards contemplation and the love of God. My feeling is that many vocations will spring from the work of Pope Benedict if it is allowed to flourish and those under his influence respond graciously. We must pray for him and for all the Bishops and Clergy that they will be graced with unity and the desire to see God truly revered and an increase of sound Catholic devotion to fill all of our parishes. And for ourselves too that we may seek God in contemplation and prayer.

Silly Sketch from Big Train

Hilarious!

I Am Genuinely Concerned and Angry!

Damian Thompson has always had an axe to grind with the Bishops of England and Wales and when I first joined his blog I was utterly mystified as to why he would always draw attention to news stories which implied that those selected by Christ to be Shepherds of the Faithful in England and Wales were not being totallly faithful to either the Magisterium or the Holy Father in his role as Prince of the Apostles. "Damian!" I would say, "Surely there are more important things than this to be discussed?! What about the riches of the Catholic Faith!" Over time, it has become more and more clear that there is a very, very good reason why he comes back to the same theme time and time again.

The riches of the Catholic Faith should be openly shouted from the rooftops every day, of course. But what Damian highlights is incredibly important! Day after day, he rightly draws attention to the plain and simple fact that there seems to be not one Bishop in England and Wales who is willing to stand up and be numbered among those who are loyal to the Holy Father, nor his incredibly wise and judicious reforms of the Church. What is more, it seems it does not matter whether it is Pope Benedict's desire to see an element of reform of the liturgy of the Church, at a time when it is often being liberalised to a point of no return, or whether he wishes to see the SSPX return to the True Fold in the Church, rescinding the sanction to the SSPX that basically amounted to their being cast into outer darkness and regarded as anathaema eternally.

The great and very tragic situation appears to be that the Bishops of England and Wales are not in communion with the Holy Father. Yet, it is not the Holy Father's job to be in communion with either the Bishops, Priests or Laity. The Holy Father has declared that it is time to reform the liturgy of the Church to reflect the Mystery of God, the Glory of Heaven, the Communion of the Saints and most of all, the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. So, releasing Summorum Pontificum, the Pope joyfully declared that this is an exciting time of renewal within the Church for restoring reverence for the great Mystery of the Sacrifice of the Mass. 'Oh how exciting', many thought, 'this Pope is very radical!' But, his joyful declaration fell upon deaf ears among certain quarters of the Church who to this day still don't quite 'get it'.

Myself and many, many other Laity actually understand what the Holy Father is trying to do because we've seen so much liturgical abuse around the land. So, if the Laity, who are untrained in the formal workings of Holy Mother Church can understand that - why don't the Bishops of England and Wales? They either do understand why the Holy Father is trying to move liturgy beyond the shallow and secular forms which people experience and put up with on Sundays, and are deliberately blocking reform because they fear both Sacred Tradition and Papal Authority, or they do not understand it at all, wish to be loyal to the Holy Father, but the reasons for the Benedictine reform have to be explained again.

The very fact that the Holy Father had to write a long and beautifully written letter to all the Bishops of the World about the lifting of the excommunication of SSPX is, in itself, scandalous. The fact that the letter (while acknowledging a lack of media savviness on the part of the Vatican and regret over timing of the lifting in the light of a Williamson 'Holocaust-denial' interview available on the web) openly rebukes the Bishops who rose up against the Holy Father is deeply troubling. The Holy Father shouldn't have to so publicly but charitably admonish disloyal Bishops, yet he has to at the same time, for if he doesn't, misunderstanding, division and suspicion will fester. He has realised that there is animosity towards him and is once again reaching out to mollify the wounds and heal the rifts.

Now, as Damian so rightly points out, the Bishops of England and Wales have issued a 'summary' of the Papal letter on their website, a letter instructing them on why he has taken the decision of lifting the excommunication on the SSPX. Unfortunately, their summary disregards the admonition to them and ignores the charitable and pastoral reasons for the lifting of the excommunication, dwelling instead on the healing of Jewish/Christian relations in the light of the row. The healing of this rift is of course something to be glad about. But what about the rest of the letter in which he explained his actions and pleaded for the Bishop's support?

Pope Benedict XVI has to explain his decision to them, yet a great many Laity and Priests understand why he took the decision in the first place - Church unity and the healing of wounds within the Church. You don't have to be a 'scholar' or have access to the Holy Father's mind to understand that.

The very fact that they have issued a 'summary' on the Catholic Communications Network, a summary which conveniently leaves out the all important plea to the Bishops to act in accordance with their vow of obedience to Papal Authority, and encourages them to appreciate the great advantages of lifting the excommunication in terms of a much-needed influx of clergy with a huge desire to serve Christ, is an act of disobedience and a scandal in itself.

It is also a cover up of their own errors of judgment. It is a scandal and demonstrates that the virtues and heavenly attributes of humility, courage and wisdom in Pope Benedict XVI's possession are not in theirs at all. It speaks of a crisis at the heart of the Catholic Church, which, if it continues, threatens the authority of the Church, the stability of the Church and the ability of the Church to witness to Christ: Truth and Love Incarnate!

When Christ returns at His Glorious Second Coming those who now threaten to wound the Church, those who rise up against the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and those who deliberately block his message of reform and his desire to repair the wounds which separate the Mystical Body of Christ, will realise that Heaven never was, is not now, nor ever will be, a democracy. Christ rules supreme, the Head of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop of Rome, maybe describes himself as such, but also he is the Vicar of Jesus Christ and has made his intentions clear. What then, is the problem afflicting the Bishops?

For a link to the Press Release from the Bishop's Conference click here.

For a link to the Letter from Pope Benedict XVI to Bishops on the lifting of the excommunication on the SSPX Bishops, click here.

Bishops Inspiring Message on Environment and FairTrade Making Progress in Schools

I noticed in a Catholic school newsletter recently that the Bishops' inspiring message of the Gospel of Salvation, sorry, I mean the Gospel of the Environment and Fairtrade is seeping into Catholic education as I read with hearty laughter a Fairtrade Prayer:

"Lord. We pray that we will learn to shop responsibly. Open us to the full impact of our purchases, to the people behind the products. Make us better stewards of creation and more loyal servants of your Kingdom, where the weak are made strong, just; and the just, compassionate. Amen."

Hmm...here's a prayer I composed more apt for Catholic schools:

"Almighty and Merciful God. We pray that Catholic schools may never tire of teaching the Holy Gospel of Salvation to young minds. Inspire within teachers and pupils zeal for Your Holy Gospel and inspire within all school teenagers a love of prayer, the gift of chastity, fidelity to the Church, understanding of the Faith, regular frequency of Confession and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament, because when it comes to teenagers, Fairtrade and the Environment is the least of Your concerns."

My Belated 2008 Cinema Round-Up!

Well, I have finally seen twenty-five films from 2008, so here is my much-delayed (not to say anticipated) round-up of the 2008 films that I've seen. Not enough really for a Top/Bottom ten list, but enough to write an article about them.

(Order may not reflect where I rated them initially)

1. Slumdog Millionaire - This year's Oscar darling, and absolutely deserved in my opinion - it held up very strongly to a second viewing and thus I lift it over the two below films. It may not be cinema's greatest masterpiece but it's an endlessly fun Dickensian Valentine to India, with extremely likeable characters, good direction, fun music and an ingeniously constructed plot. If you don't enjoy this movie, you just don't have a heart; even I was grinning during the final dance sequence.

2. Doubt - Manages to overcome being a filmed play (unlike another film further down this list); Mr. Shanley has skill as a director. But more than that, the movie strikes the right tone of humor and tragedy throughout. Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are always going to be great, but who would have thought Amy Adams capable of such a compelling performance? Damn, that girl can act! The only false note is an incredibly lame final line, but I can live with that.

3. Australia - Baz Luhrman pays affectionate homage to the old school epic film and does so marvelously. A bit too long and perhaps it drags at times, but for the most part it excells as an epic and an adventure film. If nothing else it's a visual wonder, one of the most strikingly beautiful films of the last decade. David Lean, eat your heart out.

4. Valkyrie - I was pleasantly surprised due to the massive amount of pre-production trouble and anti-Tom Cruise buzz, but I ignored the morons and took the movie on its own terms. A top-notch historical thriller that never lets up on the tension, with absolutely beautiful production values. Fine performances from a truly great cast of character actors, as well, though some get short shrift.

5. Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood goes out with a bang in one of the greatest character/actor exits since a terminally ill John Wayne faced down a trio of scumbags in The Shootist. The rest of the movie is pretty good, a well-done mixture of comedy and drama, but Clint is the main attraction and he does not disappoint.

6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - In spite of low expectations and a none-too-promising story, Button actually managed to be... a very good film. The visual effects and cinematography are worthy of praise, but the film's wonderfully elegiac tone and well-constructed story make it work beyond expectations. Brad Pitt is pretty good although the scene is frequently stolen by the likes of Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, and Tilda Swinton. And stop the Forrest Gump comparisons; if anything this is the anti-Gump.

7. Frost/Nixon - I have trouble rating this one so high since it never really breaks out of its status as a filmed play, the basic plot/character arcs are taken from any number of other films/plays, and the throat-clearing exposition is a bit hard to get through. But it maintains a high rating because when the actual debates get under way, the movie becomes endlessly gripping - and Frank Langella's phenomenal performance is alone worth seeing the movie for. Wouldn't be surprised if it went down after a rewatch, though.

8. Changeling - Clint's second effort is a bit lacking compared to his first; the movie goes on for half an hour too long and relies a bit much on cliche and sentimentality. But the wonderful direction and sense of period detail, and a great cast headed by the fabulous Angelina Jolie, manage to make it work for the vast majority of its length.

9. The Dark Knight - This year's summer phenomenon is a very good crime/superhero film that goes on about half an hour beyond all reason; everything after the Harvey Dent/Joker confrontation in the hospital is borderline pointless and should have been left for the sequel. Still, the film excells at what it does, and remains an entertaining action film, worthy of a lot of its praise though not most of the hype. Although, in my opinion Heath Ledger is the third-best performance of the film after Aaron Eckhardt and Gary Oldman.

10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Harrison Ford inhabits his best role like he never left it, and the result is a fun if goofy adventure flick. The movie is extraordinarily silly and campy but so were the originals - there's zero sense in pretending otherwise. The truck chase through the jungle is alone worth the price of admission. Extra points for a not-annoying Shia LaBeouf, superhot Cate Blanchet and CGI army ants.

11. Iron Man - A much more typical superhero pic than that Batman flick. It's nothing we haven't seen many times before, but it's done fairly well, and Robert Downey Jr. alone makes it worth checking out.

12. The Other Boleyn Girl - Well-acted and visually gorgeous film that falls apart when Anne Boleyn actually becomes queen - the pacing becomes abrupt and what should be the most interesting part of the film becomes a footnote. Epic fail. Plus Eric Bana is a worse Henry than Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, which is saying something. Still, Natalie Portman is ravishing and commands the screen as Anne Boleyn, and at least the movie works up to a point - and yes, the cinematography is stunning.

13. Kung-Fu Panda - Striking/visuals animation and great voice work somewhat overshadow the fact that this is the same "zero to hero" animated flick done for the 83,000th time. I haven't seen Wall-E though.

14. Tropic Thunder - Gets off on the right foot with some hilarious fake trailers, stumbles with juvenile Hollywood "satire" (think The Stunt Man For Dummies) and surprisingly gets good when the actual plot gets going; Ben Stiller's Colonel Kurtz impersonation is hilarious. Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Nolte give great comedic performances, although the rest of the cast is largely along for the ride and Tom Cruise is as annoying as he is funny in his much-hyped cameo.

15. Milk - Glossy Hollywood Biopic #459 - except it's about a gay rights activist. Yawn. All that means is another douchebag Oscar speech from Sean Penn. Decently made and mildly interesting, but nothing remotely original or particularly entertaining.

16. Quantum of Solace - Slightly better than Casino Royale, but the Bond series still errs drastically in its attempts to be more serious and realistic - because that of course is what we want out of our James Bond films. Daniel Craig is a great Bond but he's used very badly; the only really worthwhile scenes are his showdowns with Judi Dench's M. The plot is uninvolving and yet again we have extremely unthreatening, uninteresting bad guys. Add lots of shaky cam and chimps-on-speed editing and you've removed whatever appeal the film should have. When a Bond film can't even get the action right, you know you're in trouble.

17. The Bank Job - How many times am I going to use the words cookie cutter and routine in this article? As often as they fit. If you've seen just about any heist film you should have an inkling of what goes on here.

18. Bolt - Another cookie cutter animated film about being the best you can be while still being yourself. Okay, enough.

19. Body of Lies - Basically Syriana-lite, which fortunately means lacking the horribly convoluted and labrynthian plot of that film, but it also means it's fairly dry, boring and predictable without much of interest to say about the Middle East or the CIA that hasn't been said many times over. Leo DiCaprio is pretty good but what Russell Crowe is doing in a worthless part that could have been played by any 60 character actors is beyond me. The final showdown between Leo and the terrorist leader is, however, a wonderful scene in and of itself; too bad the rest of the film never approached that level.

20. 27 Dresses - A typical, by-the-numbers innocuous romcom and worthy of no more comment than that. Katherine Heigl sure is cute though.

21. Twilight - Now we're getting to abominally bad stuff. The book at least was fun to read as campy, pulpy garbage, but the film absolutely fails for one simple reason: it takes itself extremely seriously. Not even so bad it's good, it's just there, a nonentity that arouses no interest at all in terms of story or characters or even visuals. Just a flat, boring, lifeless, uninteresting piece of meh. With vampires.

22. Be Kind - Rewind - This movie is centered around a one-joke premise that isn't all THAT funny. After all, any idiot and his friend can (and have been) "sweding" movies on YouTube for ages now, so the joke is more or less pointless. The attempts to add poignancy and unearned sentiment are cloying and just end up making a lame comedy obnoxious.

23. The Reader - Pretentious, posturing Oscar bait that starts out as a soft core porn film and then turns into an obnoxious morality tale without the moral. Even after the actual plot gets underway it remains boring, shallow and uninvolving; the fact that the movie revolves around a character's literacy is just ridiculous, and the final half-hour is just painful to sit through.

24. Rambo - Just an insultingly-bad, mind-numbingly-stupid super-graphic-ultra-maxi-violent action flick with a roided up Sly shooting faceless evil Asians into bloody mist. Nothing to see here, move on.

25. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - I liked the first two Mummy movies well-enough, so I went into this with a reasonably open mind, but when Jet Li went "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" by exploding into chocolate, followed immediately by Brendan Frasier shooting at a school of fish, I gave up all hope. The movie is so crass, shallow and idiotic that I don't see how anyone over the age of six could possibly enjoy it. And you REALLY have a problem when you're ranked lower than fucking Rambo on a list of the year's movies.

26. W - Oliver Stone has been out of it for years, and I honestly don't know what the fuck he was thinking of when he decided to make this film. From the bizarre casting to the sub-SNL level script and "satire" to the complete lack of narrative focus (as the movie can't tell whether it likes Bush or hates him) and even the mediocre-to-poor technical qualities, there's absolutely no reason for this film to exist except for Stone to take one last cheap shot at a man he obviously doesn't like. To think that the man who brought us JFK and Platoon also made this piece of utter shit is truly mind-blowing. Offensively, hideously bad, and definitely worthy of being crowned worst film of 2008.