The Remarkable Lesson of the Pope

A unique and good appraisal of the Pope at WYD.

From Sandro Magister

Benedict XVI spoke the latter of these words at the culmination of the nocturnal vigil in Marienfeld, before an altar beneath a starry sky. And then, all of a sudden, he added: "Dear friends, this is not a distant story that took place long ago. It is with us now. Here in the sacred Host he is present before us and in our midst. [...] He is present now as he was then in Bethlehem. He invites us to that inner pilgrimage which is called adoration." Silence. The pope blessed the crowd with the host and quickly withdrew into the shadows, without passing through the crowd. He would return the next morning for the Mass, to repeat that it is only through God and the Eucharist that true revolution comes to the world. And he would give two pieces of advice to the young people: that they attend Sunday Mass and study the catechism.

Pele, who?

From POPE DOESN'T KNOW PELE:

At least the pontiff got his nationality right, asking: "Are you Brazilian?"

But he was spared his blushes thanks to an aide who whispered: "He's Pele. He's the world's greatest-ever footballer."

The three-times World Cup winner was then allowed to kiss the pontiff's hand before he was granted a blessing.

Tropical Storm Katrina Threatens South Florida

Sun-Sentinel: South Florida weather

Feast of St. Bartholomew

Bible Trivia: What was the Apostle Bartholomew's other name?

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Many scholars, however, identify him with Nathaniel (John 1:45-51; 21:2). The reasons for this are that Bartholomew is not the proper name of the Apostle; that the name never occurs in the Fourth Gospel, while Nathaniel is not mentioned in the synoptics; that Bartholomew's name is coupled with Philip's in the lists of Matthew and Luke, and found next to it in Mark, which agrees well with the fact shown by St. John that Philip was an old friend of Nathaniel's and brought him to Jesus; that the call of Nathaniel, mentioned with the call of several Apostles, seems to mark him for the apostolate, especially since the rather full and beautiful narrative leads one to expect some important development; that Nathaniel was of Galilee where Jesus found most, if not all, of the Twelve; finally, that on the occasion of the appearance of the risen Savior on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, Nathaniel is found present, together with several Apostles who are named and two unnamed Disciples who were, almost certainly, likewise Apostles (the word "apostle" not occurring in the Fourth Gospel and "disciple" of Jesus ordinarily meaning Apostle) and so, presumably, was one of the Twelve. This chain of circumstantial evidence is ingenious and pretty strong; the weak link is that, after all, Nathaniel may have been another personage in whom, for some reason, the author of the Fourth Gospel may have been particularly interested, as he was in Nicodemus, who is likewise not named in the synoptics.

Vatican Denies Papal Trip to Istanbul

While European media continues to insist that it is a done deal, for November 30, Feast of St. Andrew.



ZAMAN DAILY NEWSPAPER (2005082323269)

Virgins by Choice, Women Embrace Ancient Ministry

Consecrated virgins...in the Detroit Free Press

'Hail Mary' Is More Than a Football Play

Newsweek on Steubenville...Roman Catholicism: 'Hail Mary' Is More Than a Football Play - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com