PeterRS Posted Wednesday at 09:59 AM Author Posted Wednesday at 09:59 AM I have twice visited the Sistine Chapel - once before and once after the restoration of Botticelli's and Perugino's end-wall fresco and Michelangelo's stunning ceiling frescos. But until I saw this Associated Press photo today, I never associated it with the deliberations to elect a new Pope. The frescos dominating the space are so awesome in their power and magnificence the chairs laid out for the cardinals seem almost for ants. I wonder how they can concentrate on the serious business at hand when there is so much to see and be amazed by in those frescos. The sense of space is also much greater than I can remember. Of course we do have to remember that the frescos and indeed the chapel itself is not merely a work of art, it is an exercise in propaganda intended to convey the magnificence and the permanence of the Catholic Church. That Church was at that time riven with controversy. The 'heresy' of Martin Luther and the split with Henry VIII of England essentially founding two new religions. The instigation of the Inquisition and in most cases its horrific consequences. The flowering of the Renaissance with its glance backwards to a golden age before Christ. The sack of Rome in 1527 by troops commanded by the Holy Roman Emperor. Then, after all the frescos were finished, the election of Paul IV in 1555 which was a total disaster for moderates in the Church. But at least it had the Sistine Chapel as the centre of the glory to its God. photo: Associated Press/The Guardian Ruthrieston, a-447, bkkmfj2648 and 1 other 3 1 Quote
PeterRS Posted Thursday at 12:30 PM Author Posted Thursday at 12:30 PM Black smoke this morning, so Trump is still not Pope! 🤣 kokopelli3, unicorn, vinapu and 1 other 1 3 Quote
KeepItReal Posted Thursday at 05:40 PM Posted Thursday at 05:40 PM Pope Leo is the new kid on the block. Elected today...his first speech is already on the books. kokopelli3 1 Quote
Keithambrose Posted Thursday at 09:55 PM Posted Thursday at 09:55 PM 4 hours ago, KeepItReal said: Pope Leo is the new kid on the block. Elected today...his first speech is already on the books. I imagine Trump will claim credit for his election! PeterRS and Ruthrieston 2 Quote
vinapu Posted Thursday at 11:36 PM Posted Thursday at 11:36 PM 1 hour ago, Keithambrose said: I imagine Trump will claim credit for his election! his first response was surprisingly dignified and presidential Quote
PeterRS Posted yesterday at 01:59 AM Author Posted yesterday at 01:59 AM 2 hours ago, vinapu said: his first response was surprisingly dignified and presidential Sadly, when the Pope starts criticising Trump's policies, it won't last. His first words included the phrase "Evil shall not prevail." vinapu, floridarob and Ruthrieston 3 Quote
floridarob Posted 14 hours ago Posted 14 hours ago 16 hours ago, vinapu said: his first response was surprisingly dignified and presidential was he silent..... Keithambrose, Ruthrieston and vinapu 3 Quote
PeterRS Posted 4 hours ago Author Posted 4 hours ago When I heard the new Pope is American, my thoughts flooded back to all the abuse scandals and how the Catholic Church went to massive efforts and spent loads of cash to hush them up. That was unfair! I had not known about the new Pope's years of work with the poor in Peru and then that Pope Francis himself had clearly admired him by making him a Cardinal only two years ago. He deserves time to show us how his Papacy will evolve. Hopefuly it will be similar to that of Francis. But symbols are important. I believe the second thing he should have done after first conducting Mass in the Sistine Chapel was be driven at whatever hour of the night to Santa Maria Maggiore to pray at the tomb of Pope Francis. Nothing would have told the world in simpler terms that he intended to continue Francis' mission. Second, will he, like Francis, avoid the grand Papal apartments and sleep in the priests' guest house? Is he really a man of the people? Only time will tell. But I also have to add another symbol - he is American. No matter his many admirable and praiseworthy years of service spent among the poor in Peru, he was brought up with American values. Every psychiatrist, psychologist, psychoanalyst and psycho-whatever will tell you that the values instilled in us as children rarely disappear other than into the recesses of our minds. Changing those inner belief systems is a hugely complex affair. Then there is the American media onslaught on his family. The world in general never knew that Francis had a living sister until after his death. Yet a day after his election, we have worldwide interviews with Leo's brother and with Joe Aurelio at Aurelio's Pizza where he dined some months before his election - Aurelio even had the gall to say "he blessed us all just by being here!" Portillo's restaurant has added a new Italian Beef Sandwhich named "The Leo". There are even T-shirts now on sale naming him "Da Pope". The Wiener's Circle, an alleged famed hot dog stand in Lincoln Park known for its viral insults and profanities, also debuted a new sign - "Canes nostros ipse comedit," it says. Being transated that means, "He has eaten our dogs!" How utterly disgraceful! We now all know he's always been a White Sox baseball fan! Michael Murphy, director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University, just added to the tackiness “(Prevost) is a bridge builder, since his mom was a Cubs fan, his dad was a Cardinals fan, but as a true South Sider he’s a Sox fan.” The Pope is a bridge builder because of baseball team rivalry? May the good Lord above spare us from further such total irrelevancies! Yet because this is America, it will continue for a long time to come! https://www.yahoo.com/news/chicago-loudly-proudly-claims-homegrown-235100327.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall floridarob 1 Quote
