BEA Stars

Joseph's favorite...Spiderman

Bob Newhart

Former Presidential Csndidate Senator Gary Hart

Jim Belushi

Book Expo of America

I'm here in Washington attending the Book Expo of America--a massive book trade show that is so immense that it always gives one a sobering view of the amount of books that are being published constantly.

I met Tim Russert, Newt Gingrich, Randal Cuningham, Doug Williams, and Tracy Ulman yesterday--all of them here to promote books.

The setup is rather awkward here, there are exhibit halls on multi levels and I read in the Publisher's Marketplace that this has led to complaints from both exhibitors and attendees (I concur).

What strikes me so far, is that there doesn't appear to be anything that really is creating a buzz right now. We'll see.

Vatican Statement on Father Marcial

From the Vatican Information Service:

"Beginning in 1998, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith received accusations, already partly made public, against Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, for crimes that fall under the exclusive competence of the congregation. In 2002, Fr. Maciel published a declaration denying the accusations and expressing his displeasure at the offence done him by certain former Legionaries of Christ. In 2005, by reason of his advanced age, Fr. Maciel retired from the office of superior general of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.
"All these elements have been subject to a mature examination by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and - in accordance with the Motu Proprio 'Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela,' promulgated on April 30 2001 by Servant of God John Paul II - the then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, authorized an investigation into the accusations. In the meantime, Pope John II died and Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the new Pontiff.
"After having attentively studied the results of the investigation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the guidance of the new prefect, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, decided - bearing in mind Fr. Maciel's advanced age and his delicate health - to forgo a canonical hearing and to invite the father to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry. The Holy Father approved these decisions.
"Independently of the person of the Founder, the worthy apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and of the Association 'Regnum Christi' is gratefully recognized."

Movie Critics Lukewarm About DaVinci Movie

From Yahoo News:

The Cannes audience clearly grew restless as the movie dragged on to two and a half hours and spun a long sequence of anticlimactic revelations.

"I kept thinking of the Energizer Bunny, because it kept going and going and going, and not in a good way," said James Rocchi, a film critic for CBS 5 television in San Francisco and the online outlet Cinematical. "Ron Howard makes handsome films. He doesn't make bad ones, but he doesn't make great ones."

One especially melodramatic line uttered by Hanks drew prolonged laughter and some catcalls, and the audience continued to titter for much of the film's remainder.

Some people walked out during the movie's closing minutes, though there were fewer departures than many Cannes movies provoke among harsh critics. When the credits rolled, there were a few whistles and hisses, and there was none of the scattered applause even bad movies sometimes receive at Cannes.

New Book on Natural Family Planning

Amy on The Big Story w/John Gibson (FoxNews) Today

Correction on the time...

Look for Amy on The Big Story with John Gibson today on Fox News between 5:10 and 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Little Rock Bishop is New Bishop of Jolliet

From the Vatican Bulletin, Now in English:

- Appointed Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of Washington (area 5,447, population 2,630,894, Catholics 578,796, priests 1,166, permanent deacons 187, religious 1,677), U.S.A. The archbishop-elect was born in Pittsburgh in 1940, he was ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1986. He succeeds Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Bishop James Peter Sartain of Little Rock, U.S.A., as bishop of Joliet in Illinois (area 10,920, population 1,768,390, Catholics 636,862, priests 293, permanent deacons 178, religious 779), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Joseph L. Imesch, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

What is interesting about the Joliet appointment is that Bishop Imesch isn't 75 just yet, but will turn 75 next month. So here we have the pope effectively accepting his resignation before he reaches the age. Hmmm