Pope Benedict being his old self again

According to some people in recent days, Pope Benedict XVI is being controversial by just being himself. Thing is, nothing he said in his "controversial" statements aren't really controversial once you understand the context of what he said.

First, his statement to allow the pre-Vatican II Latin style Mass to be reinstated. The only ones REALLY upset by this are those of a more left-wing bent - the very group often promoting diversity and multiculturalism and open-mindedness and such. Well, isn't there room in their big ol' tent for those who prefer the Latin, aka the Tridentine, Mass?

Vatican II (V2 from here on) actually didn't demand that the Latin Mass be done away with and replaced with the current style (sometimes called 'Novus Ordo', or 'New Order') that is celebrated today. The reason we have the Novus Ordo Mass (NO from here on) is because some of the more enlightened and open-minded types took it upon themselves to "revamp and update" the Mass. Well, they kinda got carried away. Some of the more extreme examples of their efforts were "clown and puppet" Masses. Ugh. I'm glad that I never saw that.

The only thing that I have against the Latin Mass is that it's not participatory. You just show up and watch as the clergy does everything. I will admit here, though, that my preference could be because the NO Mass is what I grew up with. BUT, at the same time, the Latin Mass has a beauty all its own, and I can very easily see why many Catholics who remember it would want it back. The one thing not brought up about these news stories about Benedict allowing the Latin Mass to be celebrated again is that he didn't do away with the NO Mass in the process; he's just making it easier for the Latin Mass to be celebrated if enough of a given parish's congregation wants it. It used to be that the local bishop had to give permission for a Latin Mass to be celebrated, but now it can be done at the parish level. Again, if you're open-minded and tolerant and such, you should have no objections to this.

The second "controversial" statement that Pope Benedict made is one that also needs not ruffle any feathers if anyone thinks it through enough (I know... that's a lot to ask!). Benedict said, in essence, that the Catholic Church is the one true church. On the surface, yes, I can see why it would ruffle feathers, but - BUT - doesn't every faith system say as much? In other words, if you're Baptist, isn't it because you believe the Baptist way to be 'the one true way'? If you're Jewish, isn't it because you believe it to be 'the one true way'? Heck, even if you're atheist, isn't that because you believe it to be 'the one true way'?

Why do believers join the faith system that they're in? Isn't it because they believe that faith system to be the one with the answers? So why not the pope? Actually, because of the pope's prominent role as head of the Catholic Church, why should anyone be surprised that he feels that the Catholic Church is the one true church? Write the following on your forehead:

Pope Benedict wouldn't be doing his job if he felt that some other faith system was better than his!!

By the way, if you do write the above on your forehead, please take a picture of yourself and send it to me, and I'll post it here. I'd like to see if anyone does it.

So in summary, now you should see why these "controversies" are actually not controversies at all. They are only news because many people in the media have an axe to grind with the Catholic Church, so they look for any excuse to invent controversies that aren't there. Fortunately, you good folks have me to sort it all out for you. :-)

Bush gives Pope a walking stick

I was a bit surprised that this news story was news. It's in regard to the gift that President Bush gave Pope Benedict XVI. Below is a pic of the gift. It's a walking stick that was made by a former homeless man. It's inscribed with the 10 Commandments, and it was that man's means of paying his bills. It was a 'controversy' because the gift was a rather homely gift, seeing that it came from the head of the most influential country in the world and it was given to someone whose influence is also very extensive. Also, the 10 Commandments are numbered according to the Protestant understanding, rather than the Catholic one. While I can understand all that, it seems to me that it's hard to give a gift to someone like Pope Benedict that he hasn't already gotten. I don't blame Bush for trying something different, and the Pope actually looks pleased with the gift.

At least Bush didn't give Benedict what former President Lyndon B. Johnson gave former Pope Paul VI: He gave him a statue of: Lyndon B. Johnson! I literally laughed out loud when I read that! CAN YOU IMAGINE the uproar from the mainstream media would have been had Bush done that? And Saturday Night Live would have material for endless skits!















By the way, folks - this is the last week for my "Post something every day" month. I've managed to do this so far! I'm on the last lap!

Man tries to board Popemobile

A man tried to board Pope Benedict XVI's Popemobile as it went along St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Fortunately, not only was the Pope not hurt, he didn't even seem to notice the man trying to grab the back of the Popemobile - so quickly had the guards grabbed the man and wrestled him to the ground.

What this shows, though, is that the Pope needs Pope Goons. He needs goons for protection in situations like this. Don't get me wrong, the Pope's security force is cool and all that, but the Swiss Guard's uniforms look too nice, and such dirty work should be the job of Pope Goons.

Here are the Swiss Guards' uniforms. See? Who wants to mess that up taking down somebody? Nope, you need a guy who looks like someone you don't want to mess with.