Not another one about how the butler did it

Here's something from an unimpeachable source: "an anonymous whistle-blower".

“The valet is just a delivery boy that somebody wants to set up . . . There are those opposed to the Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone. And those who think that Benedict XVI is too weak to lead the Church. And those who think that this is the time to step forward. So it’s become everyone against everyone.”

Well, that's nice.

And yeah, I know it sounds wrong for any priest, even the Pope, to have a butler. Or a valet, or anything Downton Abbey-ish like that -- but no, in fact, BXVI never did take a vow of poverty. He's what used to be called a secular priest, now "diocesan".

The Least of . . .

People whom, we think, don't matter have something on us. They know at least one of our secrets -- how low we'll go.

They know whether we tend to mistreat them, ignore them, or treat them decently and kindly. They see us do things that might shock the people we love. They catch a glimpse of how we feel about all Creation.

They've got our number, and so has God.

Late in the day

Because, among other things, I misremembered which paper I'd read this in. (It's way more National Postal than anything else.)

The climate change issue, Crowley says, is monopolized by two sides:                    

One has got religion, fervently believing in man-made climate change . . .

The other, which is also wrong, thinks it's all too uncertain to cause us to do anything. But let's go back to the "religious" side. How are they hoping to flee from the wrath to come?

 . . . the policy "solutions" utopians promote (we will give up cars and use buses and bicycles) assume a malleability of human attitudes and behavior that has little or no basis in social science or historical precedent. We must plan on the basis of how people actually behave, rather than how we wish they would behave.

If it's a religion, it's one without belief in original sin.

The version with this headline:

Canada’s Catholic bishops encouraging civil disobedience for moral policy issues

leaves out this little quote:

“We’re not calling for mass civil disobedience, we’re calling for respect of conscience rights within the framework of the law,” said Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau, Que.

That's from a version of the story headlined:

Bishops urge believers to ensure ‘religious voice’ is heard on abortion, gay marriage

. . . while the print version of the Post ran it (on the front page) under:

BISHOPS TO CATHOLICS: FORGET THAT MEEK STUFF

Well, I know what this means -- I'm going to have to read the entire pastoral letter on freedom of conscience and religion myself. 

What pastoral letter on free etc.?? Oh, that's what those stories are really about.

 

Okaaayyy . . .

It's been suggested to me by someone who knows more about such things that the petition of protest that had me so worried is seen by most people as more of a gesture than a real effort to change anything.

Well, I still think not signing it was the best course. If a trend is starting whereby hopeless petitions are circulated merely as a nice way to show support for some cause, that leaves it open for it to become so common that people and causes will expect  petitions on their behalf. Which also leaves a way to stick it to people/things we don't like: Failing to start a petition for them.

It's like the undeserved "achievement" medal nearly everyone in the service got just for being transferred. They'd list all the things you'd managed to do and decorate you as a goodbye present. This was not how the regs said it should be, but how it worked.

If you didn't get your medal, of course, something was wrong. But you could not demand a medal, you didn't even have a right to find out what you'd done wrong. Because the regs said medals were only for real achievements, not just for doing your job, and you weren't owed one just for leaving the base.

Except everyone knew it wasn't like that.

Well, THAT'S a relief!

It had occurred to me that President Obama's evolving ideas on marriage had been influenced by a comic strip.  This morning, however, I read: Obama: Biden forced hand, but "all's well"

Yes, all's well, it's only the Vice President who lets his deepest convictions be swayed by popular culture. After all, where else can a Catholic turn?

My computer is so slow today that . . .

I've seen that little hourglass on my screen often enough and for long enough that I've begun to hear Macdonald Carey's voice saying, "As sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

Macdonald Carey (RIP), star and opening voiceover of Days of Our Lives, a soap that for all I know may still be running.

Actually, I wish my machine would move as quickly as sands through the  hourglass.

Trivia I learned today: Studio publicity headshots, like this, are borderline public domain, because they're created to be scattered indiscriminately through the world.

Trivia I've known for a long time: Mr. Carey was one of the world's oldest altar boys.

"For unity in a congregation"

I forget the exact wording, and I'm too tired to get off the couch and look it up, but there's a prayer asking something like "as You have fed us with one Bread, let us be of one heart" or something like that.

Without giving anything away, I hope, I'll say my parish is teetering toward becoming one of those that wind up in the secular press for objecting to something the Chancery is doing. And there's no need. The issue in question isn't make or break. At least I don't think so. The reportedly vast majority that consented to sign a petition on it think otherwise -- and now I feel separated from them.

I know,  it's seldom that bad. But I don't look forward to what's bound to happen before it blows over.

Loose canon

Canon 1095 is the one that allows for “causes of a psychic nature” to prevent a valid marriage -- and these days it accounts for about two thirds of annulments. However, the so-called loose canon may be secured before long, it says here.

I don't know -- immaturity is a psychic cause, and I suspect it's one that only became common in our time. Anyway, it's both more honorable and more humiliating to say "I wasn't grown up enough to get married" than "I don't feel like being married anymore and I want out."