What a stupid argument

Reuters - A military Defence lawyer said Omar Khadr, who was captured in a firefight in Afghanistan at age 15, had abandoned the jihadist teachings of his al Qaeda financier father, apologized to his victims and accepted responsibility for his actions.

He called Khadr "a child with a bad dad" and urged the military jurors to free him and give him a chance to go to school and become a contributing member of society.

"This case is about giving Omar Khadr a first chance because he's never had it," Lieutenant Colonel Jon Jackson told the jury. "There's going to be no good keeping him here."
...
He dismissed a prosecution psychiatrist's testimony that Khadr was too dangerous for release, in part because he had been "marinated in jihad" during the years he was locked up with radical adult prisoners at Guantanamo.

That was the U.S. government's fault, said Jackson. He portrayed Khadr as a rule-abiding prisoner and eager student who deserved a chance at rehabilitation and had come to realise that "hate solves nothing."

Emphasis mine.
You put him a jail with radical adult prisoners, force him to be marinated in jihad, and then use that as an argument to lock him up longer?

Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Thomas Benjamin Cardinal Cooray

The 29th of October was the 22nd death anniversary of Sri Lanka's first (though no longer only) cardinal and Cololmbo's first native archbishop, Thomas Benjamin Cooray. On that day, at the great Basilica which Cardinal Cooray completed as a fulfillment of a vow (his predecessor, the last French  metropolitan of Cololmbo, Archbishop Jean Marie Masson had asked Mother Mary to preserve Sri Lanka from the ravages of World War II) Cololmbo's current archbishop (soon-to-be-Cardinal) Malcolm Ranjith declared the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Cardinal Cooray.

 
The Archdiocesan website reports (note, they're already calling Archbishop Malcolm "His Eminence"):

His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith presided at the Eucharistic Celebration together with His Excellency Archbishop Joseph Spiteri the Apostolic Nuncio in Sri Lanka, His Grace Archbishop Emertius Nicholas Marcus Fernando, His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis, Very Rev. Fr. Clement Waidysekara the Oblate Provincial, Very Rev. Fr. Francis Senanayake the Judicial Vicar and several other Fathers. A large crowd of faithful participated in the Memorial Mass.

His Eminence Thomas Benjamin Cardinal Cooray from the Parish of Periyamulla, Negombo, was born on 28th December 1901, was ordained a priest on 23rd June 1929 in the Congregation of Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Thereafter he was appointed as the Co-adjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo on 12th December 1945 and succeeded as the Archbishop of Colombo on 26th July 1947.

He was elevated as a Cardinal on 22nd February 1965 by Pope Paul VI.

His Eminence was called to Eternal Rest in the Lord on 29th October 1988 and his mortal remains were buried in the crypt chapel in the Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka, Tewatta on 03rd November 1988.

New York Times issue on 01st No. 1988, quoted, ''During the years of suppression or limitation of religious freedom, Cardinal Cooray constantly affirmed the spirituality of his own mission and the loyalty of Roman Catholics'' to the Sri Lankan Government, the Vatican said.

Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis said, during his homily:

" In 1960's our schools were taken over by the government, not on a vision of better education but to attack the Catholic Church and to disrupt the religious education. His Eminence deeply disturbed by the "School Takeover Bill" appealed to the government to give at least the primary schools. Government having realized that there were more students in the primary departments rather than middle schools, primary schools were taken over by the government Then the Church in Sri Lanka had find ways and means to educate our children and maintain religious education in the schools." " His Eminence was also concern of the economy of the Archdiocese. He purchased lands for future schools and churches and estates to strengthen the economy of the Archdiocese. He even convinced the Brothers to work in the estates during the holidays to support the Archdiocese. Look at the Basilica Watta, many trees planted here are rare and they were very carefull chosen and planted by His Eminence. Not only he purchased lands for the Archdiocese, but also he was concern about the welfare of the other dioceses as well. Once on his way to Madhu Shrine, he met his friend Fr. Emilianus Pillai OMI, who later became the Bishop of Jaffna looking after Anuradhapura diocese as well. Fr. Emilianus informed Cardinal Cooray about a Catholic Community in Alagollewa and who had no services of a priest. His Eminence not only arranged a priest to lookafter the Catholic Community at Alagollewa, but also personally visited those areas and purchased lands for the present diocese of Anuradhapura."

" Thomas Cardinal Cooray was truly a very committed and dedicated holy priest of God.Holiness of his life spread wherever he went. His unassuming life style, the fraternaly way he spoke to the priests calling them "my sons", his pastoral zeal to visit his people very often in accordance of his episcopal motto - "ministrare non ministrari" - to serve and not to be served and these qualities of his life brought musch desired changes in the transition of the Archdiocese."

 

 Source

Another article on Cardinal Cooray can be found here.

The tomb of Cardinal Cooray at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka.

 Our family visits this magnificent church every time we go to Sri Lanka on holiday (it's not too far from where my father's parents, and many of our relatives on my father's side live).

Bravo!

This afternoon I attended a musical production by the NUS Indonesian Society (PINUS) titled "This Earth of Mankind" which was based on a novel by Indonesia's famous author Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Ferninda produced the musical while Edbert and Brigitta acted in it. It was a great show and I want to read the book (soon, I hope). Well done to the cast and crew! And congratulations to Ferninda!

I'll post some photos soon.

Cardinal McCarrick

I came across an old article by Rocco Palmo on Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Here's an excerpt:

If the record's any indicator, the man is one of the most-accomplished Stateside prelates of the post-Conciliar era -- his tour of duty's seen him serve as secretary to the Cardinal-Archbishop of New York, dean of students at CUA and president of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, auxiliary bishop of his hometown, founding ordinary of Metuchen, archbishop first of Newark, then in the nation's capital, always doubling up his plate with a boatload of other commitments, as if the day jobs alone weren't demanding enough.

But whether his audience has been heads of state or disaster victims on the road, grade-schoolers or Tim Russert at home, those who know him well and admired him from afar have always cited the cardinal's sense of simplicity and modesty -- the famous homespun kindness -- as his defining quality. Along the way, it raised untold millions for the help the church, the neediest and the common good, earned widespread affection, esteem and credibility in the public square... and, of course, brought the Pope to New Jersey... and Our Lady of Kazan to the Vatican.

Needless to say, the heights have been quite high. For most others, they'd be dizzying. But not even these could keep the prelate known to everyone from reporters to donors to his aides as "Uncle Ted" from keeping close to the ground, still buying his jackets from a Hertz Rent-a-Car closeout sale (the company's patches still sewn in the liner), shirking the French cuffs in favor of his beloved tab shirt and sweater-vest, heading out on the first plane to be present for victims of natural disasters the world over with help and consolation, or even -- as his confreres went into lockdown mode over the first waves of the abuse crisis -- pulling a couple dusty folding chairs off a stack to sit down with a reporter and talk frankly about the scandals on-record.

Read the rest here.

 

I want a lollipop Papi.

"No now."

SO cute!

Two popes

 

 

And a bonus - the two personal secretaries:



All via Summer Miller Vining.

Little children

Baby Joseph Alois Ratzinger:



And Cardinal Ratzinger with children:







Photos from a large collection by Summer Miller Vining

James MacMillan's Mass

Wow. Music fitting for the Christ and His Vicar on Earth:



No wonder rumour has it that the Holy Father considered the Mass he celebrated at Westminster Hall an ideal celebration of the modern Roman Rite – “the best he’s presided over in any foreign country”.

There were some who were not happy with the music though, as James MacMillan recounts in this article.



Heavenly.

"But passing through the midst of them he went away."

This is an extremely beautiful homily:



Luke 4:16-30

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read;
and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"
And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, `Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Caper'na-um, do here also in your own country.'"

And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country.
But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Eli'jah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land;
and Eli'jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Eli'sha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Na'aman the Syrian."

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong.
But passing through the midst of them he went away.

And Cardinal Schonborn reflects:
"Lord do not abandon us. Do not leave our countries. Do not leave the Church in Europe. We have been so enthusiastic about you throughout all the great ages of Christianity. But then we have become tired about your words, about your requirements, about what seemed to us too hard a request, too hard a call. We prefer the mainstream. We prefer the politically correct. We are tired of your Gospel...I ask you to pray that the Lord does not pass through the midst of us and go away."

He goes on to say that he see signs that the Lord has indeed not abandoned His Church in Europe.

I've long been interested in Cardinal Schonborn - the princely cardinal (he comes from an ancient and illustrious Central European noble family). He's also a famous student of Cardinal Ratzinger.

After watching his videos on science, Darwinism, Creation, I'm now a big fan!

O Mio Babbino Caro

I was checking the lyrics of this famous song, which I heard on the Ponte Vecchio - turns out that the song itself is sent in Florence.

Italian	Translation in English
O mio babbino caro Mi piace, è bello, è bello Vo' andare in Porta Rossa a comperar l'anello! Sì, sì, ci voglio andare! e se l'amassi indarno, andro' sul Ponte Vecchio, ma per buttarmi in Arno! Mi struggo e mi tormento! O Dio, vorrei morir! Babbo, pietà, pietà! Babbo, pietà, pietà!	Oh my dear papa I love him, he is handsome, handsome I want to go to Porta Rossa to buy the ring! Yes, yes, I want to go there! And if my love were in vain, I would go to the Ponte Vecchio and throw myself in the Arno! I am anguished and tormented! Oh God, I'd like to die! Papa, have pity, have pity! Papa, have pity, have pity!

Here's another version, sung by Maria Callas

The Catholic approach to Scripture.

"We're asked to take the Bible seriously, not to take it literally."

- Fr. David Garcia O.P.

The Reformation and the Power of the State

The reformers (and Luther in particular) had preached of emancipation from the discipline of the Church and a gospel of release from what was plausibly represented as a religion of law, obedience, and priestly authority. Their converts were taight to enjoy 'the liberty of the Christian man', saved by faith (fiducia, not merely assensus) alone and absolved from having to work their passage by good deeds and penitential sufferings. The outcome was a vast moral and religious anarchy upon which the Reformers themselves had little disposition to impose a new creed or a new ecclesiastical order. And it fell to the 'godly prince' (like the Emperor Constantine on an earlier occasion) to curtail the seemingly endless theological disputes, to define a 'confession' for his subjects, to create and endow from the spoils of ecclesiastical depredations the 'reformed' church of his state, to insist upon uncompromising uniformity, and this to place his state under the aegis of the new and powerful God of the reformers. And in so doing he acquired a command over his subjects which no Catholic king ever enjoyed. From the converts of the reformers released from disciples and subject to the pulls of a hundred novel fanaticisms, and from the desire of princes and municipal governments to protect their confiscations and to enhance their independence, there emerged the new territorial 'reformed' churches, each 'a wheel in the great machine of the state': a clergy without priestly authority whose fortunes (now that they had confirmed their defection by marrying) were irrevocably bound up with those of the regime, and their often bewildered congregations tied to the religion of the regio they inhabited.

- Michael Oakeshott, On Human Conduct (London: Oxford University Press, 1975) p. 285.

Shakespeare in original pronunciation

Joe Carter has an interesting article:

Professor’s research allows audience to hear Shakespeare’s words in his own accent:

“The audience will hear rough and surprisingly vernacular diction, they will hear echoes of Irish, New England and Cockney that survive to this day as ‘dialect fossils.’ And they will be delighted by how very understandable the language is, despite the intervening centuries.”

Here's what it sounds like:


And an explanation by Professor Paul Meier:



Interesting stuff.

Cardinal Schönborn on evolution

Check another speech here. Embedding has been disabled for it so I can't post it here.

"[P]lease distinguish clearly what is 'natural science' and what is 'reflection about natural science and its results'; distinguish between science and natural philosophy or science and theology of creation. And we urgently need this distinction because very often in the debate these lines are confused and I am certain that many conflicts do not come from science nor from theology but from a lack of philosophy of nature..."

I really enjoy listening to him speak - his style is very simple and precise.

"How shall a man judge what to do in such times?"

"Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves, and another among Men. It is a man's part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house."

- Aragorn to Éomer, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

I remember watching this live

Firenze

This beautiful song brings back memories of Florence. A street musician was playing this on his guitar at the Ponte Vecchio. This was on my first evening in Florence, on the 30th of June. I had had a stressful journey from Rome to Florence after my one week stay in Rome with the group organized by Opus Dei. It was the first time I was alone, and already I had run into a bit of trouble - the queue at Termini Station to validate my Eurail pass was so long that I missed my train to Florence. Thank God though, for 8 Euros I was able to board the next train leaving Rome to Florence. I checked in at Hostel Archi Rossi, an excellent place to stay recommended by Monika, then went for a stroll.

Rome is grand, awesome, eternal; Florence seems more fleeting, and it has a touch of fantasy and magic to it. Perhaps this is because of the city's tumultuous political history, which I had read up on (mainly in Paul Strathern's Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance), or maybe its the fact that Florence is the tourist city par excellance and seems totally geared towards welcoming foreigners (and therefore it's not uncommon to hear English spoken along the streets, unlike in Rome or any of the other Italian cities I visited), or perhaps its the musicians you often encounter as you wander through the city. Whatever it is, you just can't miss the unique charm of the city. It's in the air.

In Rome I relied completely on Fr Marin's excellent knowledge of the city's history and architecture. It was my own knowledge that came alive as I walked the streets of Florence that evening.

The Church of Santa Maria Novella was the first landmark that greeted me after I left Florence's main station, which takes its name from that Dominican church. This was where I attended Mass while in Florence. Mass was in a side chapel - sadly I never got to see the interior of the main church.



 

During my walk, I passed the Medici family church of San Lorenzo, with its unfinished dome. Again I didn't get to step inside this church and take a look at the Medici tombs. Nearby was also the Mercato di San Lorenzo (Market of St Lawrence).





The Medici coat of arms, at the Cathedral square. The Palle can be seen all over Florence:



Then I reached the famous Duomo - a place I had been wanting to visit for a long time. Florence is very small, especially compared with Rome. Almost as soon as I left the hostel, I could see the beautiful and iconic masonry dome of the Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore. It's an extremely beautiful building.












Saint Reparata, a third century Christian virgin and martyr, patron saint of Florence. Florence's Cathedral was originally named after her:

A photo of the dome, taken the following afternoon:



I didn't ascend Giotto's Bell Tower, from which you can get a wonderful panorama of Florence.



I was able to slip inside the next afternoon, bypassing the long queue because I went in to pray, rather than as a tourist (which meant that I couldn't spend a lot of time exploring the interior, as much of it was cordoned off and was open only to paying tourists.

Here's a photo of the dome from the inside, taken the next day (July 1):


The dome depicts the Last Judgement, and was commissioned by Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, and Zuccari and a number of collaborators, such as Domenico Cresti after Vasari's death.

I love the sound of church bells and I heard the Duomo's bells quite a few times during my stay in Florence:


The famous Baptistery of St John, where all Florentines used to be baptized, making it the heart of the city's faith:


The east pair of doors, the work of Lorenzo Ghiberti, was dubbed by Michelangelo "the Gates of Paradise". Ghiberti beat Brunelleschi in the competition to make these doors.



The interior is spectacular. I paid to enter it the following evening (July 1). There was no queue at that time. Here are some photos:

The ceiling:








The Cathedral Square is the centre of the city life and is always packed.



One unforgettable memory is of the relaxing times I spent on both evenings, when the sun had already set, just observing the people walking about, sitting on the Cathedral steps, eating gelato, and the toy vendors who went about demonstrating a projectile lit by LEDs which they kept launching high into the air and then expertly catching.

The Duomo at dusk, taken on the 1st of July:



On one part of the square, gazing up at his greatest creation, the Cathedral dome, is a statue of Fillipo Brunelleschi.




Somewhere around this area, I entered a souvenir shop, to buy a shot glass, and some postcards. While waiting for the owner to tally the price, I admired a small statue of Dante Alighieri that was on display. The owner, seeing my looking at it said that Dante was her favourite author. It was great to be able to whip my copy of Dante's Purgatory out of my bag and show her. Florence is indeed the city of Dante. Plaques bearing quotes from his Divina Comedia are a very common sight.

After passing the Piazza del Repubblica, I came to the Palazzo Vecchio, formerly known as the Palazzo della Signoria where the Signoria, the government of the Renaissance republic, was headquartered. This palace has seen so much of Florentine politics and the struggles for power that are part of Florence's history.



From the courtyard of the Palace, here is an example of the plaques I mentioned:


"O how beheld I those who are undone By their own pride!"

Just outside the Palace was a collection of reproductions of the great sculptures of the Florentine Renaissance, including Michelangelo's David and Donatello's Perseus (the bronze statue in the photo below)


Nearby is the world-renowned Uffizi Museum. I visited the museum the next day, but that evening I spent some time admiring the statues outside - sculptures of the great men of Florence.



It was thrilling to see the statue of Cosimo the Elder, whom I had read about quite a bit. It was under Cosimo that the Medici family rose to great political prominence. He was also a patron of the luminaries of the early Renaissance including artists like Michelozzo Michelozzi, Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, Donatello, and Brunelleschi.

Another exciting discovery was the statues of Dante and Niccolo Machiavelli. I've had a several academic encounters with the latter and admire the way he writes, though I disagree with much of his advice in The Prince.

"On the coming of evening, I return to my house and enter my study; and at the door I take off the day's clothing, covered with mud and dust, and put on garments regal and courtly; and reclothed appropriately, I enter the ancient courts of ancient men, where, received by them with affection, I feed on that food which only is mine and which I was born for, where I am not ashamed to speak with them and to ask them the reason for their actions; and they in their kindness answer me; and for four hours of time I do not feel boredom, I forget every trouble, I do not dread poverty, I am not frightened by death; entirely I give myself over to them.

"And because Dante says it does not produce knowledge when we hear but do not remember, I have noted everything in their conversation which has profited me, and have composed a little work On Princedoms, where I go as deeply as I can into considerations on this subject, debating what a princedom is, of what kinds they are, how they are gained, how they are kept, why they are lost."

- Niccolo Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori, Dec. 10, 1513

 The Ufizzi (which means 'Offices' and which used to house the Florentine magistrates in the later Medici years) is near the River Arno, so I soon glimpsed the famous Ponte Vecchio:

"I was bred and born 

In the great city on Arno's lovely stream."

- Dante, Inferno, Canto XXIII

Along the Ponte Vecchio, there are many padlocks locked to various places, especially to the railing around the statue of Benvenuto Cellini. It was perhaps introduced by the padlock shop owner at the end of the bridge. It is popularly connected to idea of love and lovers: by locking the padlock and throwing the key into the river, the lovers became eternally bonded.

The Ponte Vecchio is lined with shops, mostly goldsmiths:





I spent a while just taking in the scenery at on the bridge. It was perfect - beautiful music, people talking and laughing happily, a peaceful sunset over the river:



BY THE ARNO
by: Oscar Wilde

HE oleander on the wall

Grows crimson in the dawning light,

Though the grey shadows of the night

Lie yet on Florence like a pall.

 

The dew is bright upon the hill,

And bright the blossoms overhead,

But ah! the grasshoppers have fled,

The little Attic song is still.

 

Only the leaves are gently stirred

By the soft breathing of the gale,

And in the almond-scented vale

The lonely nightingale is heard.

 

The day will make thee silent soon,

O nightingale sing on for love!

While yet upon the shadowy grove

Splinter the arrows of the moon.

 

Before across the silent lawn

In sea-green vest the morning steals,

And to love's frightened eyes reveals

The long white fingers of the dawn.

 

Fast climbing up the eastern sky

To grasp and slay the shuddering night,

All careless of my heart's delight,

Or if the nightingale should die. 

 

Seated on the curb on the bridge was this man and his cute and scruffy dog:






I put some coins into the cup.



Here's a video I took. Unfortunately it's quite shaky:


I did not cross the bridge to the part of Florence that lay on the other side of the Arno. I did that the next day. So after some time on the bridge, I turned back towards the city centre, with the Duomo as my guide.

I passed by the Mercato Nuovo, or the New Market, famous for its leather work. I bought my sister a purse from here the next day.

Il Porcellino (Italian "piglet") is the local Florentine nickname for the bronze fountain of a boar. Visitors to Il Porcellino put a coin into the boar's jaws and rub the boar's snout to ensure a return to Firenze. This tradition that has kept the snout very polished when compared to the rest of the boar's body.



Back at the Piazza del Repubblica there was more music. This girl was singing O Sole Mio:




As I reached the Duomo I heard drums and trumpets and a crowd was gathering at one end of the square. I was so lucky! I arrived just in time to watch a pageant with people dressed in Renaissance costumes and a marvellous display of flag-throwing.









Unfortunately my camera battery gave out and I wasn't able to take a lot of photos.

I had a late dinner near the Duomo and headed back to the hostel to sleep.

So that was my first encounter with Florence. I had seen much more than I had planned to - the city was unexpectedly small and there was so much to see within its confines. The next day was much more packed as I rushed around the city visiting all the museums and other historic places that were on my itinerary.




Visit my Facebook album for more photographs.