Anne Elliot

Moving on

2005-10-28T11:12:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed posting here, but I did not like posting anonymously. Please come on over and visit me at my new blog, Meg's Musings (but not if you are an e-mail spammer). See you there!

Some observations on Vatican goings-on

2005-07-08T15:50:00.000-06:00

From my far-removed perch - I read my daily dispatch from the Vatican press office, I'm nowhere near Rome, but I notice over time that some interesting things emerge. E. g. - Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the CDF, is meeting with His Holiness a lot (including tonight). So is Cardinal Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, the other fellow having an audience with HH tonight. I've already mentioned how interesting I find all the Section 2 resignations; those must keep Cardinal Re pretty busy. And Cardinal Pell of Sydney had an audience this morning. Was he just in town or what? Again, interesting.

London 7 July 2005

2005-07-07T14:33:00.000-06:00

Our sympathies and condolences. God bless all there, and their families and loved ones.

Africa . . . before we send the waBenz* more money . . .

2005-07-06T20:16:00.000-06:00

. . . maybe we could do a leeetle more about Darfur?

Dunno, just a suggestion.

(*One good thing about this G8 summit, it's getting out one of my all-time fave nicknames, waBenz or waBenzi which, in Swahili, means, literally, "men [or people] of the Benz" - the popular name for the African kleptocrats and their hangers-on who have a bit of a penchant for fine German automobiles. For an English-language reference, go here and scroll down to NIGERIA'S ANTIDOTE TO MERCEDES "WABENZI".)

Here's a Darfur roundup for those of you who are, like me, sick of yappy pop singers, preening politicos, and college students two days off their Ritalin. Courtesy the Coalition for Darfur:

Khartoum and the two rebel groups in Darfur have signed a preliminary peace agreement with the arduous and contentious details of a comprehenisve peace agreement to be worked out later:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/05/AR2005070501120_pf.html

The UN is reporting that $1.3 billion out of the $1.9 billion it needs to support the North/South peace agreement has yet to be received:
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-6DVMFU?OpenDocument

Eric Reeves has revised his mortality total for Darfur from 400,000 to 360,000 but warns that the mortaily rate will likely increase in the near future:
http://www.sudanreeves.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=58&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Rebels in Eastern Sudan have accused Khartoum of bombing civilians and villages and covering up the attacks:
http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=10450

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, briefed the Security Council recently on the status of the investigation into the crimes committed in Darfur. He reported that the ICC has collected a "significant amount of credible information" to show that grave crimes have taken place in Darfur.

Ocampo's statement and report can be found here (both PDF files):
http://www.icc-cpi.int/library/cases/LMO_UNSC_On_DARFUR-EN.pdf
http://www.icc-cpi.int/library/cases/ICC_Darfur_UNSC_Report_29-06-05_EN.pdf

Sudan is still refusing to cooperate with the ICC:
http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=10443

Last week, President Bush stated "the violence in Darfur region is clearly genocide."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/06/20050630.html

A survey of 11,000 Africans show found that about two-thirds of respondents agreed that the U.N. should have the right to intervene to stop serious abuses of human rights in the region:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=29262

Janes Defence Weekly reports that sections of eastern Sudan are becoming "areas of choice" for Al-Qaeda and other militant groups as they seek to boost recruitment in the region:
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jid/jid050630_1_n.shtml

One man's patriot is another man's scoundrel

2005-07-06T19:04:00.000-06:00

My dear American friends: I'm not making this up!!!

ON THE COVER: True patriot love

Thanks to former prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s open-border policy, approximately 50,000 draft-age Americans fled north during the late 1960s and early 1970s (many with wives and girlfriends) to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. Fifty-eight thousand Americans ended up losing their lives in that war, and thousands more veterans lost their health and well-being after they’d made it home.
A number of those artful dodgers made Vancouver home, and many continue to enrich the city with their intellectual prowess, commitment to community involvement and activism, and their sharp sense of humour. For many, the time they’ve now lived in Canada is close to double the years they spent in the U.S.

Considering all of the great Canadians now (quietly) coming to the U. S. in the "brain drain", I'd say we're definitely getting the better end of the deal.

Back from vacation

2005-07-06T19:00:00.000-06:00

Lovely vacation with the world's best in-laws in Vancouver. A little blogging on the side as we air out the home. It's good to go away, but it's even better to come home. Hope everyone had a lovely Canada Day/Fourth of July/what-have-you.

Canon 401, paragraph 2 resignations

2005-06-21T14:40:00.000-06:00

Remember back under the administration of John Paul the Great (seems a while ago now in some respects), when people would complain that the pope just wasn't doing enough? Statements like, "If I was pope . . . " (a frightening prospect, in many cases). Well, I should hope no one is saying that about our Benedict, the German Shepherd (which I say with all fondness). I keep all my Vatican Information Service e-mails for a few months, and today, not having seen any article analyzing this, I ran a search through my mailbox. This is what I came up with:

CANON 401, PARA. 2 RESIGNATIONS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 18, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Linz, Austria, presented by Bishop Maximilian Aichern O.S.B., in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law.

VATICAN CITY, MAY 24, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, U.S.A., presented by Bishop Raymond James Boland in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Robert W. Finn.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 2, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
-On May 30, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Hsinchu, Taiwan, presented by Bishop James Liu Tan-kuei, in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law.

On Saturday, June 4, it was made public that the Pope:
- Appointed Bishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas, auxiliary of San Vicente, El Salvador, as bishop of the same diocese (area 2,056, population 477,603, Catholics 456,982, priests 43, religious 155). He succeeds Bishop Jose Oscar Barahona Castillo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with Canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 6, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father
- Appointed Bishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas, auxiliary of San Vicente, El Salvador, as bishop of the same diocese (area 2,056, population 477,603, Catholics 456,982, priests 43, religious 155). He succeeds Bishop Jose Oscar Barahona Castillo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with Canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Reno, U.S.A., presented by Bishop Phillip Francis Straling, in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

Six in what, two months? And he's just warming up? Not too bad. I wonder what they were really talking about at the bishops' meeting last week.

For reference:

Can. 401 §2. A diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.

230 Years of Bunker (Breed's) Hill

2005-06-21T14:01:00.000-06:00

A few days late with this, but this is a wonderful account of the Battle of Breed's (Bunker) Hill, by Tom Fitzpatrick. Saturday was the 230th anniversary of this pivotal battle in the American Revolutionary War. I've always been interested in it as a patriotic American, and also because through a maternal great-grandmother I'm descended from all kinds of Massachussetts folk, including Breeds of Charlestown. It wasn't that the Americans were so brilliant (they weren't) as much as they were able to go the distance; as British General Henry Clinton said, "A few more such victories would have surely put an end to British dominion in America."

Great moments in Canadian-American history

2005-06-07T15:30:00.000-06:00

Who needs guns when you have explosives?

Friends say he is just a jokester. A threat at school, a teen arrested (requires free registration, or use bugmenot.com)

I doubt that this boy is any more violently anti-American than any bright, disaffected American boy his age. The Justice Dept. is just plain stupid to tie the sentiments of a pro-Canadian t-shirt to an alleged anti-American mindset. However . . . Travis, you haven't exactly done a great job keeping yourself clear of the circumstantial evidence, now, have you? Whether he did it or not, as I say, this case will ensure a few great moments in Canadian-American history (along the lines of the Singapore caning . . .). All the way out here in Edmonton, I can hear the Newsworld people batting around story ideas in a conference room in Toronto . . .

UPDATE: Mark Steyn mentions this in the sidebar shown on his inner pages, calls it "maple jihad".

One of my favorite "Nigerian" e-mails

2005-05-20T23:10:00.000-06:00

Received this junk e-mail today for the second time and couldn't resist posting it. Doesn't it sound like it was written by a man in the UK named "Brian Smith"? The Chinese footer at the end is a nice touch, especially since the e-mail addy is Italian (it probably says, "Man who responds to junk e-mail and his money are soon parted"). The sad thing is that people (still) actually respond to these.

From: briansmith@ssizz.net
Subject: [Bulk] Favour
Date: May 20, 2005 7:37:27 PM MDT
Reply-To: briansmith@lifegate.it

Hello,

I am Brian Smith Esq, my client is one of the top Managers of Midland Bank London Branch and his colleague in the same bank here in the United Kingdom have an urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.

On June 6th, 2001, a Chinese business man, Mr. CHOW LIU, deposited in his personal safety deposit vault currency valued at (Seventeen Million, Five Hundred Thousand British Pound Sterling) in my client's branch.

Upon expiration of the period of leasehold of his safety deposit vault Two years ago, my client sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. Some months ago, a reminder was sent and finally it was discovered he had passed away.

On further investigation, it was discovered that he did not leave a WILL and all attempts to trace his next of kin were fruitless. Further investigations revealed that Mr. CHOW LIU did not declare any next-of- kin in all his official documents in my
clients' bank.

This sum of Seventeen Million,Five Hundred Thousand British Pound Sterling) is still in the Vault which was opened and the keys changed upon the expiration of the period of leasehold by my clients.

Consequently, my proposal is that my clients will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to Mr. CHOW LIU. This is simple. I will like you to provide me immediately with your full names and address so that by virtue of my position as an
attorney, I will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits, which will put you in place as the next of kin.

I shall do the drafting and notarization of the WILL and obtain the necessary documents and letter of probate/administration in your favor for the shipment of the funds through a security company to you. The money will be shipped by courier to you for us to share in the ratio of 80% for me and my clients and 20% for you. I hope that is okay.

There is no risk at all as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by me as an attorney and the position of my client as the Branch Manager guarantees the successful execution of this transaction. If you are interested, please reply immediately via email. If on the other hand you are not interested please disregard this mail and I will not contact you again.

Upon your response, I shall then provide you with my phone number, more details of the transaction and the relevant documents that will help you understand. Please observe utmost confidentiality and be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for all of us.

Best regards,

Brian Smith Esq.

-----------------------------------------
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Just before the Canadian budget vote . . .

2005-05-19T15:42:00.000-06:00

. . . something feels funny. I don't know why. Anxiety, probably. But The Hack thinks so, too. We'll know soon enough. BTW, I'm betting that John Efford votes.

Ugh. This is almost as bad as the 2000 presidential election.

Now: Who would have predicted this?

2005-05-19T06:33:00.000-06:00

Anything is possible today. Anything. My American brethren, you are really missing some choice political drama.

Parrish has appendicitis, could miss budget vote

Update: This story came and went so fast it could have given you whiplash, but looks even more interesting now, as Warren Kinsella notes: Liberal MP [Jim Karygiannis] falls ill, but will return to vote

Updateder: Well, Carolyn's "well" now, will vote today, as the linked story above has changed.

"Benedict bishops"

2005-05-18T11:52:00.000-06:00

Because they tend to be tougher and more willing to do what must be done, also more orthodox and orthoprax, the habit came about of calling bishops created in the '90's on "John Paul II bishops". Well, now we have our first two American "Benedict bishops":

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Congratulations to them; may they stay close to Christ and find in their ministry the satisfaction of being a hard-working shepherd, and not one who may wonder if there is a millstone to be fitted for him.

Pillow Talk - Peter and Belinda

2005-05-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

This is a great satire - hat tip to the Shotgun.

Pillow Talk - Peter and Belinda

Holy crap

2005-05-17T14:12:00.000-06:00

(as they say down in Texas)

Stronach appointed to Liberal cabinet

Oh, my. Talk about your red Tories. At any rate, this confirms my opinion of Belinda's political skills and ability to read which way the wind's blowing.

Poor Peter, she's broken his heart . . .

Other big news of the day - beatification cause opened for John Paul II

2005-05-13T11:55:00.000-06:00

Slow news day, right? From the Vatican Information Service, as well:

BENEDICT XVI ANNOUNCES CAUSE OF BEATIFICATION OF JOHN PAUL II

Whadda ya know - Levada is heading the CDF

2005-05-13T11:46:00.000-06:00

Okay, kids - discuss amongst yourselves.

NOMINA DEL PREFETTO DELLA CONGREGAZIONE PER LA DOTTRINA DELLA FEDE (article is in English)

Moloch on Ratzinger - er, Benedict

2005-05-12T11:54:00.000-06:00

Demander of child sacrifice checks in with his take on the elevation of Benedict XVI.

Different day to pay attention to Rome?

2005-05-12T11:03:00.000-06:00

I mean, in the sense of appointments.

I've gotten used to the rhythm of North American appointments being announced on Tuesdays. But the Holy See made our announcements today, a Thursday. Guess we'll see soon enough.

From the "Great Minds Think Alike" series

2005-05-11T21:04:00.000-06:00

Andrew Coyne's column this morning in the Nat'l Post:

Government by technicality

He takes what I said this morning about the "non"-non-confidence vote and runs with it. Takes it exactly where I'd go, by the way.

One way to quickly learn about the country you're living in: Move there just before a major constitutional crisis.

Hey, babe, where's the show?

2005-05-11T20:52:00.000-06:00

CNBC Canceling Dennis Miller's Talk Show

Ring, ring. "Hello, Mr. Miller? This is Roger Ailes. Mr. Murdoch asked me to give you a call . . . "

Only question is, where would he fit into the schedule there? Or is it time for FOX2?

Anyway, in Dennis' honor, I always recommend the hilarious SNL skit from 1992, Cooking with Dennis Miller. If you like Dennis, you'll love this homage from Dana Carvey, done the fall after Miller left the show.

Do you have a blog? Do you care about Darfur?

2005-05-11T17:10:00.000-06:00

Are you a member of the Coalition for Darfur?

No?

Well, it's past time already, but late's better than never, right?

The Attention it Deserves

The Coalition for Darfur has two goals: to get bloggers writing about Darfur and to raise money for worthy organizations providing life-saving assistance to the people of Darfur.

So far, we are not doing particularly well on either count.

Outside of Instapundit, very few of the "big blogs" seem to be paying much attention to Darfur, which is why it was nice to see Kevin Drum finally address the issue a few days ago.

In his post on the topic, Drum made an important point about the genocide:
But hope is not a plan, and right now it strikes me that the only realistic option for stopping the genocide is to be prepared for a full-scale invasion and long-term occupation of Sudan. I could probably be talked into that if someone presented a serious military plan showing where the troops would come from and how they'd get there, but I haven't seen it yet.
It is probably an oversimplification to say that full-scale invasion and occupation of Sudan is the "only realistic option" for dealing with the genocide, but the key point to be understood here is that nobody knows what it will take to stop this because almost nobody is even thinking about it.

Lt. General Romeo Dallaire, the head of the failed UN mission to Rwanda, estimates that it would take 44,000 troops to stop the violence and Brian Steidle, a former Marine who spent six months serving with the AU mission in Darfur, estimates that it will take anywhere from 25,000 - 50,000. There is also talk of imposing a no-fly zone and an arms embargo and expanding the AU mandate to allow it to protect civilians. But after more than 2 years of violence, these things still remain little more than talk.

As far as can be determined, nobody (not the US, the EU, NATO, or the UN) has even seriously contemplated what sort of military action might be necessary in order to stop the genocide. Foreign policy journals and think tanks have likewise been silent on the issue. The only people who appear to be seriously thinking about what needs to be done in Darfur are journalists like Bradford
Plumer and activists like Eric Reeves.

For two years, rhetorically pressuring Sudan to disarm and reign in the Janjaweed and stop the genocide has not worked. Many hoped that the Security Council's referral of the crimes in Darfur to the International Criminal Court might force Khartoum to back down, but unfortunately that has not happened. If anything, the ICC referral may have made the situation on the ground worse - and open discussion ofpossible military intervention might make things worse still. It is impossible to say.

Nobody wants a large-scale invasion of Sudan, but more importantly, nobody wants to even think that such an invasion might be necessary and how it will need to be carried out. It is a sign of just how little serious concern the genocide in Darfur is generating that those who might theoretically be called upon in the future to intervene do not appear to even have begun examining the feasibility of such an intervention. Darfur might not require military intervention, but it certainly requires more than the few small steps currently being contemplated. And until those in power begin to give the genocide the attention and serious thought it deserves, there is little reason to believe that there will soon be an end to the violence.

This genocide will end in one of two ways: either the international community will begin to take its responsibility to protect the people of Darfur seriously and take whatever steps are necessary to ensure their survival or it will end when the Africans in Darfur have been completely eliminated.

The choice is ours.

The Voice of Canada

2005-05-11T16:47:00.000-06:00

Just before I went to turn off CPAC, this caller (by accent, an Atlantic Canadian of some stripe) was interviewed. He said, "When Mulroney went out and Chrétien came in, I thought things would get better. Then when Chrétien went out and Martin came in, I thought things would get better. Now, with all the Gomery revelations, I just don't know what to think." The interviewer asked, "Do you think it's reasonable to wait until next Thursday for a confidence vote, or should it be sooner?" The fellow said, "Oh, no! They should do it in the next day or so. And forget the budget, it should just be a confidence vote. Martin must really be scared."

Now the guy couldn't tell that Chrétien was a walking moral sewer, but he can tell that Martin's running scared. Hint: Bad news for the government.

The game's afoot!

2005-05-11T16:46:00.000-06:00

Occam's Carbuncle has an interesting take on the Liberals standing up to vote "Yea" on the adjournment today. Personally, I think they did it to take at least one "non-confidence" vote out of the oppo's hands: "How could it be a 'confidence' vote? We voted for it! To end the day! It was just a short day anyway!" Though my heart did kind of jump when Annie McLellan first stood up - we live in her riding, and I was wondering if being the red bulls-eye in a blue ring was getting to her . . . but of course she was just voting as deputy PM.

BTW, I think Jack Layton was not amused by this maneuver.

Stephen Harper: Man on Fire

2005-05-11T15:31:00.000-06:00

Well. Stephen's little address in Parliament today was something to see. No more "robot" jokes, people, they're as passé as using "natural governing party" in an un-ironic sense. His eyes were flashing, the gloves were off. No more Mr. Nice-former-economist-Guy. His French was quite passionate.

So now they're voting on a motion to adjourn. To an American, this doesn't sound very exciting, but it's come to be the Canadian political equivalent of High Noon.

(Hehehe: CPAC now has the "William Tell Overture" playing over the voting-call screen. Sly pro-Con/Bloc statement? Or desperate pro-Liberal cry? Either way, it's pretty amusing listening to it in the current context.)

Parliament: So, it's come to this

2005-05-11T12:34:00.000-06:00

Majority of parliament: We don't have confidence in the govenment.

Governing party: Well, that wasn't a real non-confidence vote. So, we'll just keep going.

Majority of parliament: Je ne pense pas.

P.S. Looks like Harper's letting Peter MacKay lead on the follow-up. If so, I say, smart move. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and your high-profile next-rank rivals doing jobs that can win them praise.

We're all loving this Cafeteria

2005-05-11T12:05:00.000-06:00

(Well, except maybe Maureen Dowd.)

A charming member of Red Sox nation (in San Diego), Gerald Augustinus, has started a new blog, The Cafeteria is Closed. Seems we're all finding out about it at the same time. Anyway, loved today's entry, ooOOooOO The Vatican . Sooooo true.

Why am I not surprised?

2005-05-09T16:51:00.000-06:00

Terri Schiavo's Estranged Husband Still Withholding Burial Information

If my dear grandmother (God rest her soul) was still around, she'd put this under the heading of respecting the dead . . . after she got over the whole shock of the Schiavo story.

Sorry if I don't cry too much for Tom Reese . . .

2005-05-09T16:16:00.000-06:00

. . . I used up all my emotional energy for Joe Fessio. Dale Price remembers as well, and links to a great article from 2002 by (non-Catholic) Stanley Kurtz. (And we can't forget dear old Cornelius Buckley, either.)

Main differences: A) Fessio was in accord with Rome. B) The Jesuits were cracking down on, instead of coddling, one of their own.

I have often wondered whether, when Jesuits come to the gates of heaven, St. Peter doesn't step aside and let St. Ignatius step up . . . and then the gimpy Spanish knight looks the priest in the eye and asks, So, my son, how have you done, doing all for the greater glory of God?

It would be an interesting moment.

Mary's Fiat - and more

2005-05-09T15:59:00.000-06:00

The Curt Jester at it again:

He also notes that "Jimmy Akin previously posted that VW was going to build the next popemobile which will be a pickup like vehicle. A papal pickup would be cool if it included a monstrance rack." Totally.

C is for Cookie Monster - and that's good enough for me

2005-05-08T16:41:00.000-06:00

Let Cookie Monster Be Cookie Monster

Jonah Goldberg's excellent column on an event horrifying to many of us children of the '70's. I also find this worse than declaring Bert and Ernie gay, or Grover "transsexual", for exactly the reason Jonah states. Must-read.

Step on up for the gravy train!

2005-05-08T16:18:00.000-06:00

Wow! Dalton McGuinty, the Liberal premier of Ontario (roughly equivalent to the governor of an American state), got Paul Martin to promise almost C$6 billion to the province! Hel-loooooo, voters! Obviously, Ontario's in a special situation, but if any other premier thinks he can pull it off, I think he ought to try it. You have to have a goodly number of Liberal-leaning voters (so, say, Alberta's out) and you have to have big enough mass (forget it, P. E. I.). Maybe Gordon Campbell (premier of B. C.) could try his hand a little bit. See how low Paul will go to try to ensure voters stop holding their noses long enough to vote Liberal when the election finally comes.

Suh-weet! Good job, little Dalton!

Congrats, Steve Nash!

2005-05-08T16:06:00.000-06:00

King of hoops: Nash named MVP

Proving that a skinny white boy (from Canada, no less!) can still compete on equal terms at the game's highest level. And how does he do it? An "unremitting work ethic." He may be from Victoria, B.C., but he's got some Hoosier in him somewhere.

And, before any Canadians pipe up, yes, I know James Naismith of Canada created basketball, though he was living and working in Massachussetts at the time, which I suppose is why we Americans claim it as a "native" sport.

(P.S. Mark Cuban, why? Why did you trade him???)

If it's Monday and you're reading this . . .

2005-05-07T12:15:00.000-06:00

. . . you missed a pretty big story (if you're Catholic, anyway).

Tom Reese, S.J., resigned as editor of America.

My, oh my.

See Amy, Phil Lawler, Diogenes, and of course National Catholic Reporter.

British election results

2005-05-05T15:46:00.000-06:00

Jim Geraghty of NRO is on the scene in London - check in with TKS for latest results. Looks good for Conservatives, a reduced Labour majority and no big swing to Lib Dems. On the down side, will give Howard more staying power than I think he deserves. Well, not surprising to me. We'll see how it comes out. Mark Steyn also has coverage going on, so get over there too. Don't forget to check in for the results in the "Blighty Blowout" tomorrow!

UPDATE: Mark Steyn's live coverage isn't working so well; you can get live updates at telegraph.co.uk. Free registration is required; if you don't have it, you can go to bugmenot.com, though registering with the Telegraph is handy, especially if you read Mark Steyn very much.

Liberals: If the ship sinks, we'll decide why it sank, thankyouverymuch

2005-05-04T16:12:00.000-06:00

This is the second-most hilarious unseen outcome of this minority parliament, after Jack Layton's unabashed sell-out.

Grits tailoring demise around budget

"If (the opposition) defeat us on the budget -- or before -- this election is on the budget," Martin said, according to two MPs.

For a government under fire for allegations of a corruption and facing its possible demise, the strategy is obvious.

They would prefer to be defeated over their plans to fund health care, cities, seniors, day care, housing, education, the environment, the military and foreign aid -- and not in a confidence vote on corruption.
-----
One Liberal MP said his party sees the budget as their best chance of surviving the election.

"That's the only strategy we have," said the MP.

"If (Conservatives) talk about ethics, we'll turn it around and say, 'Was it ethical to defeat a budget that spoke about health care, the environment and seniors?'

"If we're going to go down, we might as well go down on the budget."

Judge lifts publication ban on Chuck Guité

2005-05-04T16:01:00.000-06:00

You'll notice that canada.com (CanWest's overall site) now has a special "Gomery Inquiry" section; here's today's top story:
Judges lift pub bans

To Americans: Think "Watergate", plus turning a profit for your buddies and your political party. That's about the size of Adscam, the subject of the Gomery Inquiry. And yet, the Liberal Party is so ingrained as the Canadian governing party, I'll only believe they're out of government when I see the election results.

The Rome Depot - From Odd to POD, We Have It!

2005-05-04T15:39:00.000-06:00

Another classic from Jeff Miller at the Curt Jester. The man is a Photoshop genius. (HT to Ragemonkey.)

I especially like the Ecumenical Scuba Tanks for "breathing with both lungs of the Church" when you dive - "One tank is filled with an oxygen/nitrogen mix of Roman air and the other an oxygen/nitrogen mix of Eastern air". And the RD-250 propane sacrament elimination system is perfect for those yellowed old Palm Sunday palms and my three ancient brown scapulars that I haven't anywhere to burn or bury!

Darfur: A Very Delicate Balance

2005-05-04T13:46:00.000-06:00

We Americans were trying to lead the way. Now, will we plumb new depths of French-style amoral realpolitik because "it must be so"? Please visit the Coalition for Darfur.

New location for Anne Elliot

2005-05-04T13:28:00.000-06:00

This collection of zeroes and ones has moved from blogspot.com. I've now obtained my own little corner of cyberspace at www.anneelliot.com, and will have more fun and goodies there in the weeks and months to come. Please update your bookmarks and come join us!

Sir Ridley's (snort) Middle Ages

2005-05-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

Go here: (may require free registration; take care of that with bugmenot.com) The Crusaders were right after all

"If we could just take God out of the equation," says Sir Ridley, like John Lennon in Imagine, "there'd be no f---ing problem."

Hmmm. Probably also no Crusades. And also no movie for Sir Ridley. Ah, the logical thinking of modern mankind.

(Hat tip to Relapsed Catholic, sine qua non.)

Just a friendly reminder . . .

2005-04-24T16:12:00.000-06:00

. . . to those out there anguished and seeming surprised about the election of the seriously Catholic Benedict XVI:

"Is the pope Catholic?" is a rhetorical question.

Now he really looks "popely"

2005-04-24T14:11:00.000-06:00

I think he had his hair cut. And the all-white, that makes a big difference, too. But he's definitely "The Pope" now.

Andrew Coyne on the PM's address last night

2005-04-22T14:05:00.000-06:00

The prime minister of Canada addressed the nation last night. My husband said he couldn't remember a similar address since Trudeau addressed the country when invoking the War Powers Act against the FLQ (in '71 or '72), though there may have been one or two. But even that Trudeau address could not have been the embarrassing cringe-a-thon that was Martin's televised pity-party.

Serving the party, not the nation

If you are going to commandeer the nation’s airwaves, after all, it is usually expected you should have some message of extraordinary urgency to impart -- a declaration of war, a major legislative initiative, a snap election. But to do so for no reason other than to deliver a plainly self-serving defense of your record, coupled with a no less self-serving appeal to stave off an election, is all the illustration you need of the basic problem facing this government.

Even as an American, it didn't take me long to realize that, as a member of Parliament, the PM really should have done this in Parliament. However, lately Mr. Martin has been avoiding the tough questions and fobbing them off onto Scott Brison, the gay Conservative Party defector, for whom I almost feel sorry (almost).

Rex Murphy: Hold the election . . .

2005-04-22T13:45:00.000-06:00

. . . until we're so stuffed with Gomery goodness we just can't take anymore!!!

Do we really want to shut this down just to have another boring election and miss out on the fishing tips, the map of all the non-existent Olympic stadiums in Quebec, the hunting for grants, the granting for hunts, and the whole tart broth of menace, incompetence, evasion, and sudden riches that is the great saga of Gomery and company?

I think not.

From the CBC hater's favo(u)rite CBC guy.

Hold the writ and keep on truckin'

(Note to Americans: The Governor-General issues (in Her Majesty's name) a "writ" for the election; this is called "dropping the writ". Delaying an expected election by whatever tactics is "holding the writ". As I understand it.)

While We Were Distracted

2005-04-21T14:06:00.000-06:00

Be honest with yourself: Which did you allow to have more of an impression on you in 1994: O. J., Kurt Cobain, Nixon's death and funeral (with all the former presidents there - what a rehab!), that boy caned in Singapore - or what was happening at that moment in Rwanda?

So when we all became conscious of Rwanda, all people of good conscience said, "Never again!" Right?

Riiiiiiiiiight. Perhaps you might take a look at this nifty timeline that Eugene has put up over at Coalition for Darfur.

Oh, I know, we Catholics just got a new pope, the U.S. has the Bolton fracas and the "nuclear option", the Britons are going to the polls, Canadians are seeing the possible disintegration of their government (the PM is addressing the nation tonight about the Adscam scandal - and the PM doesn't do that, certainly not like the president makes addresses in U.S. primetime) and will probably have an election in June, Europe is facing major fights over ratification of the EU constitution, etc., etc., etc. In other words, life is going on around us. Just like 1994.

And in an African country, one group of people are being displaced and killed by another, just because they're different. Just like 1994.

Not to guilt you out, but get yourself over to Coalition for Darfur to see some things we sad, pasty people can at least try to do about the situation. At the very least, if you have a blog or website, join the Coalition to spread awareness, and write letters to your representatives, to the newspaper, to broadcast networks (to bemoan their paucity of coverage), donate to the relief organizations on the ground, whatever you can think of. The Darfur crisis is something that everyone - left, right, religious, non-observant, gay, straight, what-have-you - can agree on.

A lovely reflection on Benedict XVI

2005-04-21T13:57:00.000-06:00

From Robert Moynihan at Inside the Vatican:

Austrian Student in Rome Reflects on Election of German-Speaking Pope

. . .

ITV: What was your reaction when you heard the announcement and when you saw him on the balcony?

[Andrea] Haas: Enthusiastic applause rose as Cardinal Estevez stepped out on the balcony and announced the great joy: “Habemus Papam!” The applause died quickly and the whole Piazza was silently waiting for the name to come. I was standing in the very first rows closest to the balcony, on my chair, crying with joy and ready to cheer for him – who ever it may be – because he was the one sent to us by God’s graces. Immediately when I heard “Iosephum,” even before listening to the full name, I knew it was him: Joseph Ratzinger! I started clapping and cheering along with everybody else, but it took until I actually saw him coming out, vested with the papal stole, that I could really believe it: Joseph Ratzinger is our new Holy Father!

As I stood looking at him up there on the balcony, the first reaction I had was of great gratitude – what a gift to have in him the new Pontiff of the Catholic Church!

I also felt gratitude towards him for accepting this great responsibility of leading the universal flock to heaven. And it became clear to me that it must cost him so much – physically and spiritually – to stand there, this man, whom I came to know as one of the most humble persons imaginable, and have the crowd cheer and clap at him. I closed my eyes, which were filled with tears, and said silently “Danke” – Thank you.

ITV: Have you ever met Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI?

Haas: I am very lucky to have had several encounters with the Pope - then still Cardinal Ratzinger - during the three years I've been living in Rome. I tried to go as often as possible to his Thursday morning Mass in German at the Teutonicum.

I remember very well the first time. I did not know much about him as a person, but only what I read in journals and newspapers, which was usually a very lopsided opinion describing him as the “Great Inquisitor,” the hard-core traditionalist who allegedly tortures infidels and heretics in his free time. What struck me most was the humble and welcoming tone in his voice as he began. I thought to myself: so this is the guy that everybody is so scared of? I watched this man, a servant of God, who said Mass with such a reverence and dignity that I couldn’t help thinking what a great man he must be and how blessed our holy Father is to have this man working for him, putting all his intelligence and love of God at the service of the Church.

It was always possible to stay after Mass and have a chat with him – no trace of the “inquisitor,” simply a man, a priest, a cardinal, who was actually really interested in who you were and where you were from.

I also saw him more than once walking over St. Peter’s square from where he lived to his office, always ready to stop and answer questions or pose for pictures with tourists and pilgrims. I remember very clearly his slow but steady walk, with a little briefcase in his hand, a kind-hearted smile on his face, emanating a reassuring peace with his rock-like presence.

Why I never want to have a child in Britain

2005-04-21T13:23:00.000-06:00

Charlotte Wyatt

This has to do somewhat with the NHS and somewhat with the disdain for "imperfect" life. Britain is much more secular than the U. S. nowadays. We have so much lifesaving equipment and are pushing back the boundaries of viability, and even HMOs would be hard-pressed to put a DNR order on a child like this. And yet, "life unworthy of life" is already a growing concept here. So how could it not be in a more secularized country? Even the girl's grandmother thinks it's better to keep a DNR order in place. Sheesh.

President and Mrs. Bush Congratulate Pope Benedict XVI

2005-04-20T17:23:00.000-06:00

President and Mrs. Bush Congratulate Pope Benedict XVI
The South Lawn

April 19, 2005 3:31 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Laura and I offer our congratulations to Pope Benedict XVI. He's a man of great wisdom and knowledge. He's a man who serves the Lord. We remember well his sermon at the Pope's funeral in Rome, how his words touched our hearts and the hearts of millions. We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as His Holiness leads the Catholic Church.

Thank you all.

Globe and Mail: Beyond Parody

2005-04-20T13:43:00.000-06:00

Canada's newspaper of record is crazy-bad. Each new low makes you wonder, what's next? But I think this takes the cake. I really laughed out loud when I saw it, because, as I say, it's beyond parody. Even the New York Times is rather moderate this morning (see here: not too bad, considering). Just check it out.

BENEDICT THE STRICT

"Benedict XVI, not Kickass Micromanager I"

2005-04-19T20:17:00.000-06:00

This is how I feel today. Things will change, but not exactly in the ways that either "we" (and if you're reading this, surely you know who "we" are - I hate "political" labels) or "they" expect. Plus, it's classic Dale.

Yes, I would love to see him visit L.A., soak a copy of Gather Faithfully Together in lighter fluid and burn it in public in front of a sackcloth-clad Cdl. Mahony who had just announced his retirement from office and watch the Pope announce that the retired archbishop's penance would be to run a gauntlet between rows of the families of the victims of his pervert priests. And then watch him announce his visit to the Diocese of Dallas, then Manchester, then...

We would all enjoy the announcement of an interdict on every Catholic education institution that failed to publicly adhere to a much more fearsome version of Ex Corde Ecclesia.

I, too, would delight in an announcement that failure to adhere to the last jot of Redemptionis Sacramentum--and the rubrics in general--would result in the appointment of a co-adjutor just promoted from faculty work at a FSSP seminary.

Indeed, we can all construct scenarios in which the wicked are given their just reward by a stern Pope bent on rooting out every last problem in the Church.

But it's not going to happen like that.

My moment of schadenfreude

2005-04-19T19:02:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm sure this is mean. So I ask forgiveness. But it's too delicious an image.

Just imagine all the chancery employees all over the western world who just can't stand the new Pope Benedict XVI. And there are lots of 'em. Well, in every chancery (and parish, and Catholic school, and "real" Catholic university or hospital, etc.), there are more than a couple of pictures of the pope around, the way the queen's picture is in public buildings here in Canada, or pictures of the president and vice-president are in post offices and other federal buildings in the States. The last quarter-century, these folks have been walking by portraits of Papa Wojtyla, groaning internally, praying for their salvation from the Middle Ages by a new pope like the marvelous Martini. "Once he's gone, things will get better." Oh, yes.

So what do they get, when the tough old Pole finally kicks off?

Papa Ratzinger!

And now the pictures of Wojtyla (hey, he wasn't that bad, was he?) come down, and every day, all these "progressive" Catholics must trudge past frames from which Benedict XVI smiles benevolently down upon them. If they didn't have an aneurysm when they heard the conclave's selection, then walking under Benedict's gentle but firm eyes will probably drive them around the bend . . .

Okay, end of the schadenfreude, I'll mention it at Confession.

Opus Dei, That Stupid Novel, and the conclave

2005-04-19T13:04:00.000-06:00

Oh bruh-thair. Will it never end? (No, it won't. Oh, Opie, why, why, why?) From the fabulous fellows at Get Religion.

Pre-smoke: Passive-voice info on Opus Dei

The Ratzinger Fan Club website is "down"

2005-04-19T12:54:00.000-06:00

According to Christopher Blosser, who runs it, www.ratzingerfanclub.com is "inaccessible". Here's what he said to us RFC list members:

. . . but don't fret. As you can imagine, the entire world wants to know who this Cardinal is (if they don't already). I'm working on upgrading the bandwidth, but the changes may not go into effect for 24 hours, so you might have to wait to access the site.

I apologize. I should have anticipated this. But then, who knew? -- A hearty congratulations to Pope Benedict XVI

The journey towards the maturity of Christ and the communion of wills

2005-04-19T12:45:00.000-06:00

Dom Bettinelli has (the former) Cardinal Ratzinger's homily to the cardinal-electors from yesterday up on his blog. It really is worth re-reading and meditating on.

Deo gratias - Benedict XVI

2005-04-19T12:01:00.000-06:00

I really cannot believe it. The cathedral bells were ringing, ringing, ringing, and on CBC, they showed Bishop Henry down in Calgary, in front of St. Mary's Cathedral, where the bells were also ringing out. (Incidentally, they let Bishop Henry look like a normal person, I suppose since he wasn't talking about gay marriage.)

I spoke on the phone to my mother, who's down in Texas. She and I are both very happy that Cardinal Ratzinger was elected - not so much in a "he's going to stamp out the heretics" sort of way, but because we've read things he's written and know that he's a good and holy man, and not the caricature that you often see in both the secular and Catholic media. But it's hard for either of us to believe that he's actually been elected, because back in, oh, the early '90's or so, we used to say, "Wouldn't it be great if Cardinal Ratzinger could be the next pope?" - as in, it's never going to happen, it's a pipe dream, it's a fantasy, no way, no how! And now he's pope and Hans Kueng and every Jesuit and every dissenting priest anywhere is going to have to pray for "our holy father, Benedict" during the Eucharistic Prayer! (If Hans Kueng still says Mass.)

What I guarantee is that he'll surprise people. He'll definitely surprise those who think of him as the eeeeeeeevil "Panzerkardinal", but he'll also surprise those of us who are "fans". He was elected because of the homily he gave yesterday, not in spite of it. To Joseph Ratzinger, perhaps even more than to Karol Wojtyla, being orthodox and being pastoral are not mutually exclusive, but go hand-in-glove. Benedict, one of the men who helped write the documents of the Second Vatican Council, will see to their implementation, and what that means will be different than what most Catholics have thought it means.

Arinze to receive honorary doctorate from ND

2005-04-18T22:03:00.000-06:00

Notre Dame to present Cardinal Arinze with honorary doctorate

Of course, they're giving it for "his dedication to interfaith dialogue, particularly with Muslims", from when he was head of Interreligious Dialogue. He's been at Divine Worship for over two years now - they're definitely not giving it to him for his views on the liturgy! Nor is he receiving it for his theology. Too bad. Still, I bet they get more than just nicey-nice words about our Islamic brothers if he gives a speech - even if by that time he is Papa Arinze!

Commenting on the Conclave

2005-04-18T19:15:00.000-06:00

I haven't watched TV since . . . well, since the Holy Father's funeral. But I put on Global (a Canadian broadcast channel) to see their evening news tonight, and guess who they had commenting from Rome? Thomas Reese, S.J. The man is about to redefine ubiquitous. From what I've been reading, he's appeared everywhere. And, from what he's been saying, he's either 1) been trying to shape opinion, or 2) going to be very disappointed by whoever is elected, unless perhaps it is Papa O'Brien from Scotland, in which case I would be wondering what had happened in conclave . . .

The "New Evangelization"?

2005-04-18T16:30:00.000-06:00

Over at Catholic World News' "Off the Record", the venerable Diogenes refreshes the lyrics for the old Anglican hymn "From Greenland's Icy Mountains" in honor of Nigeria's Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola's announcement that he will form the Convocation of Anglican Nigerian Churches in America, "a ministry of the Church of Nigeria in America."

From darkest San Francisco, from Bath and Harvard Square,
Where Mardi Gras-theme'd disco replaces Common Prayer;
From Soho's Gay Collective, from Wiccan Womynist Pride:
They plead for that corrective we Africans provide.

Talk about your unintended consequences.

Darfur: Lacking the Political Will

2005-04-15T17:26:00.000-06:00

Lacking the Political Will at Coalition for Darfur:

For a year and a half, the UN and others have tread carefully, fearful that too much pressure on Khartoum would derail the north/south peace process. And Khartoum has relentlessly exploited that fear by, for instance, warning that the recent Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court "threatens Sudan's stability."

And while the world focuses on protecting the peace agreement, Darfur continues to deteriorate.

Boniface X? Cardinital democracy? and other thoughts

2005-04-15T17:13:00.000-06:00

Other thoughts, that is, from Father Neuhaus. He's keeping a Rome Diary, and of course it's excellent. Agree with him or not, he always calls it as he sees it. That's why I also like to read John Allen, even though we would disagree on theology etc. Father's entry for today, the fifteenth of April, is definitely worth a look.

Could I be wrong re: Conservatives? (and Canadians?)

2005-04-12T23:54:00.000-06:00

The Toronto Star (registration required, see BugMeNot for login info) has an overnight poll by Ekos with verra interesting numbers. Verrrrry impressive gains. Even in Québec, the Conservatives have more than doubled from last summer's election, from around 8% to about 18 %. But will Stephen's charm implant be ready in time?

More seriously, this is a shift away from the Liberal Party, and the Conservative Party is chosen because they are the most reasonable governing alternative. But they are still going to have to run for election. I would advise my conservative and/or anti-Liberal Party friends here in Canada to remember that for many voters, the default position is Liberal Party; they are shocked and disgusted now, and, one hopes, are still so by the end of June, but a party structure that kept Jean "da liddle guy from Shawinigan" Chrétien in power for ten years may certainly be capable of eking out another minority government, yes, right under the Gomery proceedings. "But, Stephen Harper is just, kinda, scary." "All those Westerners want to tell me how to live my life!" "They want to destroy the Charter!" "They might try to destroy the (sacred hush) gun registry." You know the routine. I'll say it again: You can always trust the rightist party to be an icky nice guy and a bumbling tough guy. Whereas you can definitely trust the Canadian Liberals (who I'm not sure have any ideology beyond expediency) to do whatever it takes.

I'm sure the pollsters are having a great time, though, riding the wave. Today's Canwest story, Conservatives look at forcing June election as Liberals drop in polls, compares poll numbers from last week, before the Breault testimony was published in Canada, with poll numbers done last night. (I think every voter on a polling list will eventually be called . . . Frederick was called last night by Ipsos-Reid but couldn't respond, since he's out of the country.) And this interesting quote suggests that perhaps Canadians are awakening from their Trudeaupian torpor.

Decima CEO Bruce Anderson said such a dramatic shift in public opinion is unusual. And he said the direct linkage between Canadian opinion and the corruption allegations at the sponsorship inquiry is also out of the ordinary.

Canada: Here's your chance. Prove me wrong! Show me what a cynical, wrong-minded American I am!

Don't forget Darfur . . .

2005-04-11T17:31:00.000-06:00

In the midst of the sede vacante period (as someone said on another blog, we're all sedevacantists now!), it's easy to forget anything that doesn't come to the top of the news pile in our own country (Bolton or Adscam, for example). But don't forget Darfur. While we debate the merits of this or that cardinal and wonder what the Holy Spirit has in store for us, genocide continues in East Africa. Ingrid at Sudan Watch has an interesting interview about this week's Oslo aid conference, if you need something to pray about:

Interview: Opportunity to jump-start Sudan may be lost over Darfur - U.S. Negotiator Charles Snyder

Check in with Coalition for Darfur every now and again to keep on top of things.

"Culture of Death"

2005-04-11T17:20:00.000-06:00

Oh, yeah, it's the popular new meme with the elite. "Culture of death, not culture of life", that's what we religious whackos are all about. Frank Rich, as usual, speaks the received wisdom like a good boy:

A Culture of Death, Not Life (Requires registration; go here if you don't have NYT registration)

Santo subito!

2005-04-11T17:10:00.000-06:00

Will we see the first saint-by-acclaimation in our lifetimes? (Or, indeed, in modern history?)

Alleged Miracles Attributed to John Paul

I pray for his soul, because I know, for example from his testament, that he'd want us to. But at the same time I'm asking him to pray for the Church and the cardinals, and for personal things . . . is that mixed up?

Last week my husband said, "Oh, darling, don't bother him right now, everyone is going to be pestering him!"

This weekend, I was at a charismatic conference; everyone was talking about "holy John Paul" or "Saint John Paul the Great", not in a forced way, but in a manner that was very natural and full of rejoicing. And at Mass on Sunday, our Basilica-Cathedral rector also referred to him (again, quite naturally) as "Saint John Paul the Great", and said JP had known our Lord from early in his childhood and walked with him, so had never had to have a "zing!" Emmaus road experience (as in yesterday's Gospel), however, he did continually have "Emmaus road experiences" in challenging himself to follow Christ and know him more deeply. It was actually quite inspiring.

Of course, "the great" is an appellation that only comes from the vox populi. It is not "decided" or "given". And, of course, a saint "becomes" a saint because he (or she!) is a saint; the Church merely recognizes that through formal paperwork, elevates that person to the altar, and puts them on the calendar. In a strict sense, the popular formulation is wrong; the Church does not "make" saints.

I saw someone complaining on CWR that Padre Pio had to wait, so why doesn't John Paul? I'm sure there are others who would substitute Therese of Lisieux, John XXIII, or Mother Teresa (also widely acclaimed) for St. Pio. But would the recognition of acclaimation detract from the glory of God shown through any of these saints? I don't think so, and I don't think any of them would begrudge the process. It's also good, now and again, to let those curial monsignori know that they are there to serve the faithful, the people of God, who sometimes can move without them. (Not to be too radical, but this is being acclaimed all over the world, so I think it's pretty safe to say!)

Canada: What will it take?

2005-04-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

If you're in the States, you may have heard of the great scandal du jour up here. If you're Canadian, well, do I even have to say "Adscam"? I saw on the National Post's front webpage that 99.75% of respondents to their online poll said that "the latest testimony before the Gomery Inquiry [has] convinced [me] the Liberals have lost the moral authority to govern". Even for an online poll at the "conservative" newspaper, that's a great whacking huge number.

Well, that is great. Or, that's great, if it makes the Canadian people get up off their behinds and do something about the sorry state that their government is in. If this really changes things, the way the treatment of the Iranian hostages in 1980 really put middle America over the edge with the sorry state the U.S. had slipped into since the late '60's, then I'll believe people really want change.

I feel I must go on record and say that I am not very optimistic that this will really bring about much change in the end. For convenience' sake, I am pasting my comments from here (brackets are for Americans; Paul Martin is the current PM and Jean Chretien was PM for the previous decade):

I really like Canadians the more I get to know them, but the peculiar brand of federalism and parliamentary government that you all practice makes me wonder if I should feel sorry for you for the current state of things, or blame you for them. At least in the U.S., if things are screwed up, we know who to blame. Up here, who knows? The PM? The judiciary? Party leaders? Real-live actual voters? Should we reapportion seats, votes, or what? Oh, well. "Da asymmetrical fed'ralisme is da asymmetrical fed'ralisme," as the late PM might put it.

Personally, I'm quite pessimistic that Adscam will change that much in the political culture here (Canada). You could have a picture of Paul Martin personally putting a cheque into Jean Breault's hand, a memo in longhand by Chuck Guite detailing the plan, Jean Chretien breaking down on Newsworld and telling the whole world exactly what happened, and at least a third of the voters in the GTA [Greater Toronto Area] would say, "Yes, but Stephen Harper [Conservative leader] wants to implement a theocracy and criminalize abortion! Just like Margaret Atwood's novel! Oh, and kill all the gays, too." That seems to be the level of political debate up here. Talk about your natural governing parties.

I know that radical change is not in the Canadian character, in general. But the evidence is out and who is surprised? Oh, those named will try every legal manuver in the book to wiggle out of the implications (Mr. former Prime Minister, I'm looking at you). But just try to find me one Canadian who is really, truly surprised, and doesn't hear at least a ring of truth to what is coming out. Now you see clearly what a nasty mire Ottawa's got into under the Libs. It's embarrassing, frankly. It's a good thing most Americans don't take much notice of Canada or, from the Gomery Inquiry, they would get the idea that it's a really cold banana republic.

What Canadians can do is a different question. The operation of the Canadian government is complex and I'm not certain how people should move to act effectively - whereas I could tell you 10 different, very effective things to do for citizen action in the U.S. right off the top of my head. My only comment is, the average Canadian better get up and do something now, or, instead of all this being exposed and taken care of, pols will know that they can do whatever they like, and the public will tolerate it. That is not a core belief you want your politicians to have.

What Cardinal O'Brien thinks

2005-04-08T17:28:00.000-06:00

I know that you, like me, have been waiting on the chair edge to know what his Eminence, Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, thinks about the coming conclave and about John Paul II of happy memory. Wait no longer!

Type of man required is clear: task now is to find him

"You never saw him lose his temper. He taught everybody to have regard for other people."

Yes, that was John Paul II's message: Be excellent to each other.

What retirement?

2005-04-07T19:14:00.000-06:00

First of all: Go read the testament (you can see it here). Another masterpiece. Written by a gifted writer and deeply spiritual man in the midst of spiritual exercises while contemplating last things, so the content flows from that. Why, what's that? You don't see anything in there about "retiring" or "resigning"? Me either. Karol Wojtyla, the plain-spoken poet, always called a spade a spade, and I should think that if he was contemplating retiring (and, by the way, why would the mere contemplation, especially as "veiled" as this, be in his testament? Wouldn't he have explained himself at the time of the act, then amended his testament from there?), he would have actually said so.

If anything in the passage can be construed to be about "retiring", then I suppose it is this passage, written in Lent 2000:

2. As the Jubilee Year progressed, day by day the 20th century closes behind us and the 21st century opens. According to the plans of Divine Providence I was allowed to live in the difficult century that is retreating into the past, and now, in the year in which my life reaches 80 years ('octogesima adveniens'), it is time to ask oneself if it is not the time to repeat with the biblical Simeone 'nunc dimittis'.

On May 13, 1981, the day of the attack on the Pope during the general audience in St. Peter's Square, Divine Providence saved me in a miraculous way from death. The One Who is the Only Lord of life and death Himself prolonged my life, in a certain way He gave it to me again. From that moment it belonged to Him even more. I hope He will help me to recognize up to what point I must continue this service to which I was called on October 16, 1978. I ask him to call me back when He Himself wishes. 'In life and in death we belong to the Lord ... we are the Lord's. (cf. Rm 14,8). I also hope that, as long as I am called to fulfil the Petrine service in the Church, the Mercy of God will give me the necessary strength for this service.

However, to any thinking Christian, certainly any Christian who is familiar with the Bible and who has been around old men and women ending well-lived lives, the context of this passage is obvious - it is about death, not mere retirement. Indeed what else would you expect in a final testament?

Many stories do not even bother to actually quote from the testament, they simply make the assertion. Here is an AP story, Pope's Will Shows He Considered Resigning [unfortunately, already the link does not work - it was from this morning and they changed it to another AP papal story], that does try to make the case, about 2/3 of the way down:

In the final entry, he appeared to consider stepping aside. "Now, in the year during which my age reaches 80 years, it is necessary to ask if it is not the time to repeat the words of the biblical Simeon, "Nunc dimittis." The reference is to the passage, "Now Master you may let your servant go."

He reflected that he had been saved from death in a 1981 assassination attempt "in a miraculous way," and said his fate was even more in the hands of God.

"From this moment it belongs to Him all the more. I hope He will help me to recognize up to what point I must continue this service," said the testament.

Hello? What about that sounds like retirement? The "help me to recognize" part? Not quite. Look at the next sentence: "I ask him to call me back when He Himself wishes." I think here he was asking God to help him not to plunge into projects, to keep the Church going but to not overexert himself. To "conserve his energy", if you will. For years he had pushed himself to, and past, the limit, with God's help, but that was no longer possible, and in fact he needed to move in the opposite direction, so that he would not damage himself and perhaps go into a coma or some such. All of this is ultimately in God's hands, of course, but we have the ability to aid his work in how we conduct ourselves, and Karol Wojtyla was a man keenly conscious of the physical side of his relationship with God.

More than anything, the media are looking for a "hook". For the past decade, all the big Church-yakkers have been able to talk about is that the pope "should" "retire". (Abdicate would be the more proper word.) So there's this little phrase in there that anyone with a Catholic (or, even, a seriously Christian, if they really knew Luke 2) sensibility would recognize as saying, "Lord, you have given me extraordinary strength and grace and I have seen the completion of our [i.e., God's and his] great projects. Now may your servant go [die] in peace." But because everyone has this other idea in their heads, they see something else. A Rorschach testament, if you will.

Put it another way: The chances of a papal abdication (which is truly what it is), under any successor, are almost the same as having women priests: 0.000000%. Only you could maybe possibly stick a "1" on the very tail end there for the chance of a papal abdication. But, historically, the pope leaving office in any way but death has been too disastrous in its short-and near-term effects for the Church, and so is pretty much out of the question. Demanding the resignation of bishops on their 75th birthdays is still a newfangled thing (and with mixed results, IMO, but I'm sure there are plenty of curial bishops who'd be glad to give PowerPoint demos showing how I'm wrong), but the papacy's not going that way anytime soon. It's a job you quit when you die.

N. B. For more on "Nunc dimittis", see the old Catholic Encyclopedia article at New Advent.

UPDATE: Phil Lawler discusses why the passage is, at best, ambiguous, if you are seeking support for the "retirement" argument.

Mahony for pope?

2005-04-06T19:45:00.000-06:00

Why not? The sad thing is, with an ego like that, Rog might get the notion someone really does think he's papabile . . .

Cardinal Is First-Class Pope Material

(Requires registration; I've copied it here for convenience' sake, but if you're online much at all, you know you're going to have to go register eventually, right?)

Steve Lopez:
Points West

Cardinal Is First-Class Pope Material

I wasn't going to say anything until a reader noticed the same thing I did in a story about Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony. His Eminence, flying to Rome in the Pope's final hours, was stretched out rather comfortably in first class.

"I know that it's a little early to be nitpicking about these things," said a reader named Carol. "I thought at some point … you might want to do a column about this, because I think it's just shameful."

In the photograph Carol is referring to, Mahony was sitting with his flack, Tod Tamberg. The cardinal, with his eyes closed and rosary beads in his hands, has his comfy seat tilted so far back that he appears to be crushing the woman in the row behind him.

This may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I think it's only fair to ask the obvious question:

Where would Jesus sit?

You don't have to have spent your formative years in Catholic school, as I did, to know that — if he hadn't walked across the Atlantic — Jesus would have flown coach.

Generally speaking, it's always better for a man of the cloth to sit with his flock than with his flack.

On the other hand, now that the church is in transition with the death of Pope John Paul II, maybe it's high time for a pope who sees himself as a first-class kind of a guy. Mahony is one of 117 cardinals from around the world who, in choosing a successor, will chart a new course for an institution often criticized for being out of touch with its own followers.

Mahony may be reluctant to suggest it himself, but what the church really needs is the man Pope John Paul II referred to as "Hollywood," and I'm more than happy to sing his praises if it boosts his chances of moving to the Vatican.

That's right, I'm backing Cardinal Mahony as the next pope.

Let me explain.

Even though I often disagreed with Pope John Paul II, I respected him for having been unapologetically steadfast in his conservative views on abortion, homosexuality, birth control and divorce. The man believed what he believed, and he stuck to his principles rather than bend with the political breezes.

But church attendance is down, the number of priests is dwindling, Catholic schools are closing, anti-gay teachings have brought cries of hypocrisy, and millions of people died of AIDS and starvation while the pope preached against condoms.

Besides that, you can't get an annulment unless you're Frank Sinatra or former Los Angeles Mayor Dick Riordan.

The church needs to realize it's in trouble. Big trouble. I heard on the radio that Ireland, a longtime priest factory, now has to import padres because the home-grown variety is drying up.

What the church needs, more than ever, is a politically progressive, media-smart leader who can aggressively market the institution even as he keeps a tight lid on its darkest secrets.

Mahony was born for this job.

As for the progressive part, Mahony has been more open-minded than many high-ranking church officials on the subject of homosexuality and on marriage for priests. On the way to Rome, he spoke of a push for a less centralized church.

I e-mailed Mahony flack Tamberg, by the way, to ask about flying first-class, Mahony's reform ideas and his chances of becoming pope, but I got no response. He may have been busy lining up votes for His Eminence.

As for marketing genius, Mahony has no peer. He single-handedly brought the Rog Mahal into being, raising a whopping $200 million that might otherwise have gone to schools and social services for the poor.

Mahony sold crypts under the altar at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for up to $50,000 apiece, hawked paving stones for $5,000, peddled wine under the cathedral's name — and accomplished all of this while managing one of the biggest church scandals in modern history.

The most amazing thing about the scandal, in fact, is that Mahony continues to pass himself off as a national sex abuse reformer, even as he zealously stonewalls investigators trying to get to the bottom of cases involving priests accused of molesting young boys.

Alleged victims have pleaded and prosecutors have screamed for the cardinal to open up his files on accused priests. So have attorneys handling the 544 civil claims pending against the archdiocese.

Mahony shuts out their cries, and yet he endures, head high.

He's Teflon.

He's Hollywood.

He's first-class.

Could we call ourselves good Christians if we didn't share him with the world?

For the "usual suspects" file

2005-04-06T19:28:00.000-06:00

I clicked on the Yahoo News "pope page" and, in the editorial sidebar on the left, saw I could link to "Why I can't mourn the pope", at Salon.com.

Of course.

I didn't have the heart to go read the thing, but I mentally asked the writer, why not? I mean, I cannot think of anyone for whom I could not at least say, "May his soul rest in peace", and of course begging God's mercy, though I suppose sophisticated Salon.com types don't commit faux pas like really believing in a God Who Acts. And in the end, it's probably about abortion and women's rights etc. (though it could be a priest-abuse victim).

Back online

2005-04-05T14:50:00.000-06:00

Welcome, friend! You may remember my previous effort (under my "real" name), "The Perky Papist". If so, you have an idea what this will be like. If not, I hope you'll visit anyway.

Since the "Papist" went dormant last summer, due to my wedding preparations and packing, I have indeed gotten married and moved to ye Dominion. Frederick, my darling husband, is absolutely wonderful, though there have been snakes in paradise - to his astonishment (he is an English professor) I have turned out to be an Oxfordian (re: Shakespeare); to my shock and surprise, he (a good Catholic) has books ("books" with an "s") by Teilhard de Chardin lying around! So all is not perfect. But it is only eight months so we have plenty of time to get to know each other. Can you imagine that some people get divorced at this point? How on earth could you know??? Perhaps they did not do enough groundwork during their engagement to ascertain whether the other person was one they would want to change with, and be with as the other changed.

I have long desired to return to blogging, but busy-ness and illness prevented it. However, with Theresa Schiavo and Papa Wojtyla (both of happy memory, may they rest in peace) dying this last week, with the political ruckus here north of the 48th, and with so much else (Darfur, Bolton, Oil-for-Graft), I can no longer remain silent. Really, I'm in beta, getting used to Blogger's format, and I'm such a perfectionist I'd rather not post until my blog looks "just so". But if I waited for that, it would probably be the first of May! So if you stop by or send friends, you all are more than welcome!