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Saturday, June 22, 2013

IS POPE FRANCIS MORE OF A HARLEY MAN THAN A CONCERT FAN?

UPDATE!UPDATE!UPDATE!: It seems that the blog by La Stampa, Vatican Insider, has removed the statement attributed to the Holy Father,
"I am not a Renaissance Prince who listens to music instead of working." from that post. There is no English translation of that post at the Vatican Insider, but clearly it appears that the one who attributed this snarky remark to the Holy Father may well have been the one who wrote this piece for the Vatican Insider. Even the original headline last night included the snarky remark but now it is changed too! The Italian article though still laments that the Holy Father couldn't take a couple hours off from his rigorous work of cleaning up the curia to attend a concert and calls into question his etiquette in this situation, particularly now in his role as Head of State of the Vatican City. But why would La Stampa first print words attributed to the Holy Father that were more of the writer's conjecture, based upon something the Holy Father said about bishops the day before, than reality? What's up with that??????? More intrigue developing as we enter this Holy Father's second 100 days.

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Clearly Pope Francis didn't show up at the concert at the last minute or his chair would have been removed more promptly! Someone wasn't pleased and no one removed the chair, only to make it even more obvious that he wasn't there. Why didn't he go and are the words attributed to him as to the reason he didn't go more of the same from the so-called out of control "curia" trying to discredit him? In other words, did the Holy Father really say the snarky remark or did someone put the words into his mouth?

The Holy Father did show up for all the noise and lots of it of the Hell's Angels rally in Rome:

A bit of a brouhaha is developing in Rome tonight as Pope Francis was supposed to be at a concert in honor of the year of faith. In fact, his chair was set up in the middle aisle for him to sit. But at the last minute he was a no show.

Keep in mind that last week he made a concerted (no pun intended) effort to greet thousands of Harley Davidson Bike riders in Rome and even received two bikes and a leather jacket!

The Vatican Insider is reporting the following about this incident that has the Vatican City-State talking:

The pontiff was expected at a Beethoven concert, but Monsignor Rino Fisichella told the audience just before the concert was to start that Francis couldn't make it due to "commitments that could not be postponed."

And this rather terse statement attributed to the Holy Father (which I hope and pray isn't true, like what was reported that he said to the Msgr. Marini prior to coming out to the balcony of St. Peter's "the circus is over.")

La Stampa's Vatican Insider adds that the Pope allegedly said the following:

For the entire afternoon, Francis did not leave his room at [Domus] Sanctae Marthae and simply told his associates:

"I am not a Renaissance Prince who listens to music instead of working."


MY COMMENT: I just can't believe this is true, that he would have said this. Is this more of the diabolical intrigue in the Vatican to discredit the pope? The gay lobby? I think we'll be hearing more about this PR debacle if it is true and if it isn't true. To me it sounds like someone at the Vatican with sour grapes and an axe to grind against Pope Francis. Certainly the Holy Father would not have said such a thing. Certainly he has more class than that!

The Associated Press had this observation: The pope was smiling with no signs of tiredness when he greeted worshipers at a Mass in St. Peter’s earlier Saturday. Unlike his predecessor Benedict, who was well-known as a music lover, Francis has shown scant interest in music, liturgical or otherwise.

MY FINAL COMMENT: Yikes!

19 comments:

ytc said...

He is displaying attention-seeking behavior and I will not entertain it.

Anonymous said...

Use google to translate the Vatican insider/report. Note the pope has been working aal day on a soon to be release reform perhaps someone in the Curia does not like that and is hoping to destroy the pope to be release decision

Unknown said...

This whole Pauperism is becoming a bit old. The schtick was cute for the first couple of months, now it is just tedious. It's time for Bergoglio to realize that he is not just himself any longer, but he is a Sovereign and there are important things that go with it. This is very bad form.

ytc said...

Anon, I do not see how that relates to the Pope's extremely rude behavior which we have learned is the norm of this Pope (if he said it) or his not showing up.

Anonymous said...

Let's not use Rorate Caeli as a source. They are despicable and have very vile non Catholic things to say about people who don't conform to their ideology. I'm probably an awful infidel because I have the audacity to be over thirty and I work and have a MBA rather than wearing a burqa while being changed to the kitchen and popping out numerous children.

Anonymous in Archdiocese of Detroit said...

Father, please read the June 23 Church Bulletin by Fr Jerry Slowinski of St Jane Frances Parish in Sterling Heights MI
http://www.thecatholicdirectory.com/directory.cfm?fuseaction=display_site_info&siteid=71075

In it, he quotes Pope Francis:

"The Lord has redeemed all of us, with the Blood of Christ, not just Catholics, everyone! Yes even atheists, If we do good for others we will meet one another there [Heaven]"

He goes on to quote Fr Thomas Rosica's attempt to read Francis through Benedict, then adds his own comment:

"I believe Fr Rosica's remarks were unnecessary. There are many roads that lead up to the mountain of Heaven. I do, however believe that the Catholic Church offers the most advantageous and beneficial way to help people be one with God both in this life and the next."

So, here we have a Catholic priest and pastor teaching "all roads lead to Heaven". What I get out of this, is it's A-OK if I want to dissent on certain Catholic teachings, mostly sexual issues, since all roads lead to Heaven, and I'll still be on the Catholic road, although maybe making my own detours by dissenting. But I'm OK, you're OK, all roads lead to Heaven anyway.

So, either, A), this is the leadership and theology we are getting from Francis and we are screwed, or B) Fr Slowinski is leading his flock astray with flawed theology of his own. If B is the case, wouldn't it be the charitable thing to do for you, FrAJM to contact your brother priest, either by email or phone, to try to humbly correct his erroneous theology?

Anonymous said...

He is a sovereign - of nothing. The Papal States are gone and the title "Sovereign of Vatican City" is a fiction of law.

Relax, Andy, the best is yet to come!

Marc said...

Here's the pauperism that will be on display at World Youth Day:

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/06/catholic-kryptonite-or-liturgy-from-age.html

Maybe if it were a Beethoven concert, he would refuse it...

Marc said...

I think we are in a situation right now where perhaps the best (only?) way to keep the Faith is to pay as little attention to the day-to-day goings on and sayings of the hierarchy as possible. Reading about Cardinal Dolan's now weekly meanderings into de facto apostasy or the Pope's inexplicably vague yet alarmingly indifferentist remarks... One doesn't get the sense that things are turning around because these oblivious men see no mess that needs to be "cleaned up" (to borrow from a commenter in the other thread).

Go to Mass on Sunday (ignoring either the abuses or the banality or both), pray the Rosary daily, live a devotional life of piety through the week filled with solid, Traditional writings and meditations, and pray that our Lord is vindicated in the end by the conversions of those who need to be converted. All the while, offer up these currents struggles as sacrifices for the temporal reign of Christ the King. That's all we can do...

Oh, and pray that a Traditional order happens to set up a parish nearby to where you live...

That's my roadmap anyway. I pray for the perseverance to keep the Faith because it is very difficult in these times (as it has always been for one reason or another - only now the most serious dangers thereto come from within the Church instead of without).

John Nolan said...

At Mass this morning the priest made reference in his sermon to the cavatina movement of Beethoven's string quartet op.130, to which the composer appended the word Sehnsucht (longing). The context was that Christianity is a religion of longing, and I was glad to hear a reference, not to pop 'culture' but to one of the greatest achievements of mankind.

Pope Benedict (how he is missed!) understood Beethoven. He once said that the Ninth Symphony elevated humanity but the Missa Solemnis, with its praise of God, was the greater work.

I'm told that Pope Francis, despite all evidence to the contrary, likes music, especially opera. Perhaps he sings in the bath. I think one of the causes of the present malaise is that the Church has never taken music, the greatest of all the arts, too seriously. The word predominates. The patron saint of music, St Cecilia, was an early Christian martyr who had, as far as we know, no connection with music. The only composer-saint we have is Hildegard of Bingen.

It's all right for pop queens like Elton John to insult people by not turning up, but I can assure you that the real Queen would never be so discourteous, despite the fact that she has to endure things that would have me tearing my hair out.

I am not required, as a Catholic, to like or approve of the man that occupies the Chair of Peter. I would hope that he has enough people around him to stop him making a fool of himself. Time will tell, but if a papal resignation is unusual, a papal deposition is by no means as uncommon.





Gene said...

Yes, Marc, one has to remind oneself that the Catholic Church, through her dogma and the Magisterium, still contains the true Christian faith despite the apostasy and "spiritual wickedness in high places." Back a while, I said that the Pope's remarks reminded me of the pre-senile ramblings of someone lost at the mall...I see no reason to change my opinion yet.

DW said...

I am curious to know Fr McDonald's opinions on Anon in AOD's post.

rcg said...

John, you illuminate an important point: if Pope Francis intends to 'clean house', and he seems to have tipped his hand that way, then he pretty needs to expect the sin of omission of allowing the Pontiff to make a fool of himself if no one in the Palace trusts him.

Carol H. said...

I may be an eternal optimist, but it seems to me that the Pope could do his best work, without interference, during times when he knows the disruptors will be away (such as during a concert).

Pater Ignotus said...

AAD - Read Dominus Iesus at(http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfunici.htm

It should help clarify the Church's teaching regarding the "necessity" of the Catholic Church for salvation.

Section VI. THE CHURCH AND THE OTHER RELIGIONS IN RELATION TO SALVATION is of particular importance.

Unknown said...

Since he looks down on Catholics who pray the rosary as "Pelagians" I wouldn't put those comments past him either.

rcg said...

James, I don't think he looks down on Catholics who pray the Rosary. I think he supports popular devotions of all kinds. I think he was chiding people who count the humber of Rosaries they say as if it was a more Holy accomplishment than one sincere Prayer to the Blessed Mother for intercession.

Marc said...

What if one counts their sincere prayers to the Blessed Mother for intercession and then delivers a large number of said prayers to the Pope as a spiritual bouquet? What if the pope then says one is a Pelagian, that is heretic, for having done so?

Would that be like scheduling a concert so the professional musicians could practice for a once in a lifetime chance to perform for the Pope, only to have him not show up for an unstated reason, and then to say he's above wasting time listening to music, thereby dismissing the profession of those who devoted so much time to practicing to impress him?

Lets think about this on more basic terms -- the pope is called pope because he is "papa"... How would any child feel if his father said to him, "I don't want your kindness" or "No, I won't come to your recital because music is a waste"?

I am not a pope basher, but I will become one if he continues in this uncouth way. Being pope doesn't make one above simple kindness. This is especially true when one makes such a big deal about being humble as his introduction to the world.

Anonymous said...

Marc, never ever become a "pope basher". A "Bergoglio basher", on the other hand....