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| POPE FRANCIS'' NEW FERULA A CLOSE UP PICTURE OF THE CORPUS
Just when things were beginning to calm down a little and we were looking forward to a hoped for return to something like Papal serenity.......the Holy Father appeared on All Souls' Day with this new Ferula or Pastoral Staff.
It looks rather different up close from the impression the whole creates at a normal distance. Not better just different.
POPE FRANCIS WITH NEW FERULA
MONS.GUIDO MARINI LOOKS AS IF HE HAD JUST SAID :
" HOLY FATHER, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?"
It appears that the new Ferula or Pastoral Staff was given to the Holy Father by a major international Mining Company, as the Blog "Rorate Caeli" reports it : "This ferula was donated to the Pope last month by Goldlake, a mining corporation that is part of major Italian cement holding Gruppo Financo, with mining concessions in Argentina and Honduras (from which came the metals used for this staff)."
The unfortunate appearance of the object flows from two sources : firstly the conception of the design - the Corpus is NOT crucified to the Cross, but rather is a Christ in Resurrection, secondly the effort to portray the radiance of the Resurrection looks from any reasonable distance to be something like a Hawaiian Lei hung about the Corpus. In summary, it is liturgically inappropriate because misconceived and slightly bizarre in appearance because of its design elements. The less seen the better.It would be better for the Holy Father to be seen riding in the donated Volkswagen Limousine, than walking about with this mis-conceived creation of a mining company.(In my humble opinion!)  |
CONVICT PRIEST - FATHER JAMES DIXON
In the days when "Brittania waived the rules" as the wags had it, it was not easy being a Catholic, if it ever has been.
Even in his native Ireland, James Dixon found that to be so. Because Erin had long since ceased to belong to its people, but rather to the English invaders. King George III sat upon the English throne for 59 years. He had the misfortune to suffer periodic bouts of apparent insanity induced by the disease known as porphyria. One of his other misfortunes was to lose the American colonies in their struggle for independence.
Closer to home, the Irish also developed the idea that they ought to rule in their own country.And in 1798, the United Irishmen rebelled against British rule. Most of the leaders of the Rebellion were in fact highly educated Protestants rather than Catholics. Nevertheless the popular support inevitably came from the Catholic majority. The Rebellion was bloodily repressed in short order. Then the fierce effort to find and punish the perpetrat…
Even in his native Ireland, James Dixon found that to be so. Because Erin had long since ceased to belong to its people, but rather to the English invaders. King George III sat upon the English throne for 59 years. He had the misfortune to suffer periodic bouts of apparent insanity induced by the disease known as porphyria. One of his other misfortunes was to lose the American colonies in their struggle for independence.
Closer to home, the Irish also developed the idea that they ought to rule in their own country.And in 1798, the United Irishmen rebelled against British rule. Most of the leaders of the Rebellion were in fact highly educated Protestants rather than Catholics. Nevertheless the popular support inevitably came from the Catholic majority. The Rebellion was bloodily repressed in short order. Then the fierce effort to find and punish the perpetrat…
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