The Far Sight

the far sight 2.0...

2008-05-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

... is online.

Now there's an idea

2008-05-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Beware!

2008-03-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

It happened twice now: I went to flickr, saw a picture in which some "atheist", "agnostic", "freethinker", "humanist" or whatchamaycallit ridiculed God and the Pope in the typical "I am SOOOOOO much holier than thou"-fashion. I wrote a comment, giving these people a piece of my mind and confronting them with simple truths. Both comments appeared. But where they answered?

In a way.

They were deleted and I was blocked by those persons.

Dear everybody out there: This is the sad but true reality of the "new radical/militant atheism": Censorship, brainwashing, mind-control, dishonesty, hypocrisy. A bunch of spoiled brats, stomping their foot, screaming "But I don't WANT there to be a God!"

They firmly locked themselves up in their ivory tower of no-truth. Nothing can touch them and thereby nothing can force them to confront their projects of life with honesty and clarity. A today, B tomorrow. Free speech for everyone, as long as they say what I want and do not come at me with rational arguments and the right questions.

Don't buy anything these guys have to offer. If they were selling quality, they wouldn't have to silence those who question them.

Daniel Jenky, Bishop of Peoria...

2008-01-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

... on his way to Solemn Pontifical Vespers in "Sancta Maria in Silva (?)

I don't know what the strange purple dress of the caudatarius is all about...

... but I know that it doesn't go very well with the sandals.

And why does he hold the end of the cappa like he wants to hang it up to dry somewhere?

Abortion... ?

2008-01-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

"Right here, buddy!"

I always wondered...

2008-01-13T01:19:00.001-08:00

Bishops know they're cool

2008-01-13T01:14:00.001-08:00

Cardinal Siri

2007-12-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

The latest laugh!

2007-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

From the National 'Catholic' Reporter, today's issue:

At least 300 Catholics and supporters braved cold temperatures and gusty winds to gather outside the Cathedral of St. Paul Dec. 2 in a vigil of solidarity with gay and lesbian Catholics and their families.

So far, so righteous.

The event included a “die-in”...

They've got to be kidding...

...on cathedral steps and brief remarks by speakers including Mary Lynn Murphy, president of Catholic Rainbow Parents, and Mel White of SoulForce, a nonprofit activist organization that confronts homophobia by addressing religious bigotry.

... then again...

White told the group they were the latest in a long line of dissenters such as Galileo and Franz Jägerstätter, “who loved the church enough to stand up and say, ‘You’re wrong.’ ”

Aaaaaand - hey, presto - instant elevation to the moral highground.

The group also delivered an open letter to Coadjutor Archbishop John Nienstedt, who is to succeed Archbishop Harry Flynn as head of the archdiocese in the spring. The letter responded to Nienstedt’s Nov. 15 column in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit. Nienstedt had written that people who support homosexual activity, such as parents who support their adult children’s gay or lesbian partnerships or family relationships, may be considered to “formally cooperate in a grave evil” or be “guilty of mortal sin.” He also distanced himself from the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter to parents of gay children, “Always Our Children.” Nienstedt said that document “is not a normative teaching statement of the bishops’ conference.”

At least one true sentence in this article.

The open letter characterizes Nienstedt’s column as hurtful and unacceptable and derived from flawed research on human sexuality.

Shame on him! Who does this bishop think he is, anyways? Resorting to Sacred Scripture and Church Tradition instead of listening to the all-knowing scientist and psycho-analysts. Tsk!

Michael Bayly of the Progressive Catholic Voice, a grass-roots group...

Oh, come on! One more of these and I'm down for the count.

...that organized the event, said they hoped to “show there are Catholics who disagree not only with what Nienstedt has said but how he arrived at his teachings. We want a voice in the formulation of church teachings especially with regard to human sexuality. In Catholic tradition, the laity should have a role in developing teachings.”

Maybe in your 'Catholic' tradition.

Mary Turbak, a parishioner at St. Pascal Baylon, said she doesn’t have a gay or lesbian child but she was there to support friends. “We’re here because we’re against what Nienstedt said, that you’re living in sin if you’re supporting your children. Isn’t it the people in the church that matter, or is it a bunch of rules?”

Precisely because it is the people that matter, Bishop Nienstedt said what he said, Nimrodette!

How about we confront clerophobia, dissent and sin by adressing the bigotry of the one's who try to make us believe we are still living in 1968 (and look how well that turned out)? Too daring? Too P-un-C? Too avantgarde?

I love it. Almost every issue I find the NCR drawing the conclusion that because "the world" or "modern times" or "scientist" or "psychologists" or "that women, who really doesn't need a child in her life right now" or "my gay friend's mom" say so, the Church has to do so. Is anybody ever gonna tell them?

Luke 17:2

2007-11-15T01:46:00.000-08:00

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Gay "Pride", Rome 2007

Boo-friggin'-hoo (or: Why I hate "activists")

2007-10-31T06:50:00.003-07:00

PETA (People for Excessive Trespassing for Animals) have this to say:

And just look how right they are! Here is the meanest of'em all: Pope Benedict XVI - fur-wearer, meat-eater and I don't even want to know what he does to insects!

Reverse the message and it says that nice people do not wear fur. And, as the photo below shows, the unfurred are not only nice, but also cultivated, educated, gentle and an altogether pleasing crowd to look at.

Seriously, even if Tommy Lee wore a fur, he'd still be a thug in animal skin. The Holy Father would still be a gentleman, even if you put him in sackcloth.

By the way: The T-Shirt can be bought at the PETA-store. The message behind this? "Please, give us your money, so we can kill more animals, keep on brainwashing your kids, insult victims of the Holocaust, offend Christians and support criminals." You don't believe it? check this!

Honestly, I can't believe how much therapy some people need.

"It does not always have to be the cappa"

2007-10-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

You never thought you'd hear me say that, right?

Neither did I.

Well, I guess I am more flexible, open and liberal than I thought. Uhh, no, scratch that liberal thing.

Vincenzo Cardinal La Puma

Lorenz Cardinal Jaeger

Holy Blood Procession, Belgium 1927

Bishop Lamiroy, Bruges

William Cardinal O'Connell

The Obvious

2007-10-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Archbishop of Toledo, Primate of Spain ordained two priests for the Institute of Christ the King in July. He wore the cappa magna. And the obvious happened: The world ended.

At least you should think so if you read the comments on Spanish webpages, blogs, forums etc.

Laypeople and priests alike went up in righteous immolation.

"Rome wants to bury VCII!"

Well, at least that makes for an interesting mental image.

"Look at the expression of satisfaction on the cardinal's face in these photographs. It is only vanity and the desire to see himself aggrandized to make up for his inferiority complex!"

Rrrrrrright... I guess it would take one to know one...

"What has this got to do with the Gospel of Christ?"

What? You mean you havent read Gammarellicus 3:8-21?

"He is against gay marriage and runs around dressed like that?"

You are in favor of gay marriage and don't appreciate a sight like that?

"But what about poverty? What about the starving children in the world?"

Don't you worry! They are being fed right now! Can't you hear them munching and burping, eagerly gobbling down every word you put online? The difference between the bleeding-heart posse and good people? They former always know exactly what other people should be doing with their money and possessions. The latter just tend to give and shut up about it.

"These photos are proof for the hypocrisy in the Church!"

Here's where these guys really lost me.

"We are alarmed by the fact that the cardinal accepted the offer to wear these clothes!"

That's comforting. At least these "Catholics" stick with their principles. God forbid they feel alarmed about abortion, dechristianization, relativism and muslims building their mosques all over Europe.

Vivid and gripping indeed, these lamentations. I am reminded of Pawlow's dog, only that our liberal friends do not salivate in response to the sound of a bell, but rather fume and whine in response to the sight of watered silk. Brain activity? Sheah, right! Then again we should be grateful for these reactions, because they do show us exactly what is wrong with the ones that call themselves "liberal" or "progressive" nowadays. They are the ones living in the past by wanting to make us believe that it is still 1968. They are the ones who are inflexible and intolerant by not allowing for any phenomenon to be explained in terms other than those they find within their limits (which seem to be very narrow).

On a positive note, there also have been a handful of people defending the cardinal. They did so in a rational and civilized way (yup, they're not like me at all), without ridiculing anybody. So I am afraid that - in a world where humor is in the guts and not in the brains - the other side ("Princess Di had a train on her dress as well, hahaha!") will get all the laughs. Well, as long as we keep the cappae, that's fine with me.

New Archbishop, old style

2007-08-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

Malta! Good old, poor old Malta. Now finally facing the problems that the Catholic Church in the West has faced for far too long. Makes me wonder why the Maltese would want to repeat exactly the same mistakes that brought the rest of Europe so close to the abyss. Number of seminarians dropping, mass aatendance dropping. Instead: Divorce, abortion, gay marriage, relativism, consumerism, egotism, satisfying every need right away, no matter what the cost. Good old, poor old Malta.

The (not so) new archbishop, Paul Cremona, decided that he wants to stick with the traditions a bit longer and even put on the cappa magna on the feast of the conversion of St. Paul:

He probably thought that if his predecessor, Joseph Mercieca, looked so fine in the cappa, he might give it a try as well.

Funniest thing ever!

2007-08-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

Found in the Visual Dictionary

And one wonders why people are getting more and more ignorant and stupid?

"Hey! I found it on the net, so it has to be right! Right?"

By the Way...

2007-07-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

... I am taking some well-deserved off-time from studying and blogging. See you again in September!

Ciao, Leo!

Google's "Quote of the day", Sunday June 17th

2007-06-17T05:21:00.000-07:00

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

Which only shows us how bad things have become since religion has been subjectivized and how bad things are going to get if people don't start to learn proper ontology.

"gasp, choke, wheeze"

2007-06-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Exams!

No time!

Here are some pics!

Enjoy!

Stone Cappae

2007-05-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hugues-Robert-Jean-Charles Cardinal de la Tour d'Auvergne-Lauraquais

René-François Cardinal Régnier

Pierre Cardinal Giraud

Willem Marinus Cardinal van Rossum

Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran

John Henry Cardinal Newman

Just when I thought...

2007-05-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

... that I saw all the photos of Cardinal Pell's Solemn Pontifical Vespers during WYD in Düsseldorf 2005 that possibly could be found on the net, Juventutem France has these gems to offer:

Ecclesia militans

2007-05-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

"Meep! Friar Tuck! Please help us! The secular-liberal-socialist-laicist-radicals are coming!"

"Yes, but they sure wont be leaving again!"

Brazilian Cappa Magna

2007-05-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Bishop Rifan of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Maria Vianney in the Diocese of Campos, Brazil, treated the parishioners of the Administration's principal church, Nossa Senhora de Fátima to a special sight, when he entered the church in Cappa Magna on Palm Sunday.

Pretty much anything between "nice" and "glorious" comes to mind.

Those who want or need some more information can check these Wiki-articles on the Apostolic Administration and on Bishop Rifan.

What the...?

2007-05-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Captions, anyone?

Disappointing

2007-05-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

From the archives of the North Country Catholic (Feb 14th 1965):

CARDINAL GRATEFUL

Boston

This is wrong in so many ways.

I mean, cutting up a cappa magna (I am still feeling the physical pain)? Use the rags for dresses on cardinal dolls? And give these dolls to even more future "protect the constitution, especially the right to make our own reproductive decisions"-smooth-talkers? Good call, Cush! Well, it's not solely his fault. I mean, can you name one pro-life Kennedy? Seems to run in the family. Still, maybe little Caroline would have been better off with a real Catholic education than a real cardinal doll.

And what's that "out in the country"-stuff about? Yeah, those hillbillies deserve a taste of Hollywood-Catholicism, but I don't think I can impress the hard-boiled townies with a couple of yards of watered silk. Nice attitude. But I guess for someone who refers to a cardinal in cappa magna as being "all dressed up", the whole question is one of person rather than of office.

Which brings me to the "stretched out half a mile"-part. I don't know much about Cardinal Cushing except for the Kennedy bit, so maybe I am being unjust now. But reading this short article I can't shake the feeling that he probably had a self-confidence in comparison to which the train of a cappa really seemed to be half a mile long. So at least he got that right.

P.S.: Cardinal Cushing was once asked: 'Are you conservative or liberal?' To which he replied: 'In things I don't know about I'm conservative. In things I know about I'm liberal.' I know, this probably was supposed to be witty. But if you let the answer melt on your tongue for a while the taste of horror slowly unfolds.

Christus resurrexit!

2007-04-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

We're already out of the Octave, but I still want to wish each and every one of you the grace, joy and peace of our risen Lord!
I hope you had a fruitful and spiritual Easter break. I know I did.

Well, time for the solution to our little game. I had some problems beating back the hordes that were willing to take the challenge...

Okay, seriously: Even if Castor only had gotten one out of the ten right he'd still be the winner, because he was the only one who gave it a try. And he did well. Score: 8 out of 10!

Here's the solution:
1. Giobbe
2. Tisserant
3. Bacci
4. Cento
5. Cushing
6. Landazuri-Rickets
7. Larraona
8. Rugambwa
9. Tappouni
10. Tardini

So, congratulations, Castor! Your price: A nice color photograph of Albert Cardinal Meyer, Archbishop of Chicago.

Everybody else look away. That's Castor's price!

Gone on holidays...

2007-03-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'll be back after the Octave of Easter
(Man, am I looking forward to saying the h........-word again!)

To keep you entertained, here's a little game: The first person that names the following cardinals from top to bottom will..., will..., well, will win.

I know it's too easy, but - hey - is it my fault you guys know so much?

See y'all later!
Leo

Should you be in Ecuador...

2007-03-26T03:18:00.000-07:00

... then make sure you spend Holy Week in Quito.

On the Wednesday of Holy Week the archbishop and the canons of the cathedral of Quito celebrate the "arrastre de caudas". It is a very old custom, obviously imported from Europe. Roman soldiers who had fallen in battle were covered with a big black flag, which was supposed to suck up their mojo. The flag was then carried past the mourning soldiers, all dressed in black, and the fighting spirit of the fallen was thus passed on to the living.

The church transformed it into a ceremony in which the huge black flag carried by the archbishop is supposed to symbolize death (in fact, superstitious belief had it that you would die in the coming year, if the flag touched you while it was carried through the town). The procession ends in the cathedral, where the canons - all dressed in black cappe - lay down, while the archbishop, in cappa magna, holds up the flag so that the faithful be reminded of the virtue of Christ, who died for us on the cross.

Seeing the photos and thinking of the rich sybolism behind the whole ceremony, I once more shake my head in sorrow when I think of what the Holy Mother Church could be and then see what She actually is. "Nihil est in intellectu quod non sit prius in sensu." Does this sound familiar, dear bishops? It should. Feed you flock with a bit more than clown-masses, rock liturgies, uninspired homilies and polyester chasubles.

What is that?

2007-03-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

This is Cardinal Rufino Santos from Manila. Apart from the fact that I cannot remember to ever have seen buckled shoes worn together with a suit, these shoes deserve some attention. Because they have laces and buckles. And the buckles look like His Eminence ripped them off of two gun belts. What's going on here? Please?!

Sitting in state

2007-03-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

William Cardinal O'Connell as the Prince of the Church that he was and is accused to have been.

Paul Cardinal Cullen, Archbishop of Armagh and later Dublin, Primate of Ireland. This is taken from a painting I'd love to see in color.

Franz Cardinal König, Archbishop of Vienna. This was scanned from a newspaper, so sorry for the shining-through of the letters in the white parts.

Quiz-Time!

2007-03-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

How does the sentence on the poster continue?

a) ... who don't buy our headgear!
b) ... who be more smarter then we be!
c) ... who accuse us of behading those who accuse us of killing those who accuse us of...
d) ... who do not prance around like screaming queens in red T-shirts while calling for the beheading of somebody else!
e) ... who insult Islam!

"e!" I hear you scream? Well, that would be something to think about. Either Islam is the religion of hate and violence it continues to be lately. Then this poster is just one more proof for the fact that Islam doesn't have any place in the world. Or it really is the religion of peace, in which case every fanatic Islamist carrying posters like these or even acting according to the order given would have to commit suicide by beheading for insulting his/her religion. So, yes, why don't we go with "e"?

"The Lord be with you" - "And... fart... also with... shit, you smell that?... you."

2007-03-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

The following is taken from a commentary that was written in response to an article which described a kind of "Come as you are and do what you want"-liturgy (including four-letter-words) on a webpage which shall remain unnamed because I'd feel kinda guilty to make the life of these dillweeds even more miserable by exposing them to the public. But if you ever wanted to know what is wrong in the Church today, you can stop asking. Just read.

"Worship has to be more than routine liturgy. The goal isn't to complete a cheklist of todos -- but to be authentic people in relationship and worship with God.

I have a friend who asks his congregation not to edit their behavior in the church versus outside the church. If you cuss, drink, and cheat on your wife outside the walls of the church -- might as well do it inside the church walls. What do you think -- God can only see you in the church? God is everywhere... and wants us to be faithful everywhere too.

Worship should be human.. and unpredictable."

There is this sentence echoing somewhere in the back of my head: "Clericalism is destroying the Church, by driving a wedge between the allegedly superior priestly class and the people and thus seperating the well meaning fluffy lay kittens and the dogmatic blockheads of the hierarchy" (or something tear-wrenching like that, I am sure most of you heard similar stuff).

Well, dear laypersons, I can assure you that there always will be a handfull of Catholic Priests that will indeed feel superior to a bunch of farting, belching and swearing mass-visitors.

My favorite part is of course the "God wants us to be faithful everywhere". Depending on how you define "faithful" this does indeed create a nice opening for behaving like a pig in Church instead of behaving like a Catholic striving for sainthood in everyday life: "Of course I know this is your wife. But God wants it. And now shut up, I cant do it when somebody yells at me. Besides, the homily is up."

And no: The page I copied the comment from is not a satire on lay-participation gone haywire.

YIKES!

2007-03-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

"Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky. Stormy weather..."

Now that's where I have to go on vacation!

2007-03-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

The diocesan museum of the archdiocese of Munich-Freising in Bavaria offers this stylish vitrine: Those are the cardinal's clothes of Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber (1869-1952, archbishop of Munich-Freising from 1917 until his death, created a cardinal in 1921). Freising was one of those typical Southern German prince-bishoprics. Disbanded in 1802, it was joined with the nearby Munich to form todays archdiocese.

Well, what we see here is a purple choir dress including a cappa magna with hermine upper part, a red-watered silk cappa magna, a galero, a mantelletta, red shoes with buckles, a capello and an abito piano with ferraiolo. Man, this reads like my shopping list.

Gangway!

2007-03-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

Prelates with trains coming through...

Installation of Josef Stangl (right) as bishop of Würzburg in 1957. Next to him you see Josef Schreiber, archbishop of Bamberg and consecrator

Cardinal Mercier

Unknown bishop (front) and Cardinal Wendl processing through what looks like the Basilica in Mariazell, Austria

A Benedictine Abbot

Archbishop Kolb of Bamberg processing through the streets of war-torn Würzburg in 1948 on the occasion of the consecration of Julius Döpfner as new bishop of Würzburg

Some French cardinal

Surprise your local bishop!

2007-02-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

This post will only be interesting for the next four days. Someone is selling two cappae magnae (one of which looks like purple silk, the other like purple wool) and one winter-upper part of a cappa made of white fur (don't know if it is actually ermine).

So, if you have some left-over cash right now...

They finally lost all sense...

2007-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

Now we know how far these people are willing to go. A NYTimes article about a James-Cameron-documentatry movie telling us everything we ever wanted to know about a crypt in Jerusalem that contains the bones of Our Saviour, His Blessed Mother, Her Most Chaste Spouse and - ta-dah! - Mary Magdalene and her Son, whose father is - ta-dah-dum-dee-dum! - Jesus of Nazareth.

My favorite line:

Mr. Cameron said he had been “trepidatious” about becoming involved in the project but got engaged out of “great passion for a good detective story,” not to offend and not to cash in.

Have you no shame? At long, effing last - HAVE YOU NO SHAME?

Council-Cappae

2007-02-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

The last photo shows the moment when James Cardinal McIntyre collapsed during re-opening of the council due to heat and fatigue. Really, those Cappae should come with a warning.

Truer words were seldom spoken

2007-02-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Encyclical Quod Apostolici Muneris of Leo XIII, 28 December 1878:

"At the very beginning of Our pontificate, as the nature of Our apostolic office demanded, We hastened to point out in an encyclical letter addressed to you, venerable brethren, the deadly plague that is creeping into the very fibers of human society and leading it on to the verge of destruction.

At the same time We pointed out also the most effectual remedies by which society might be restored and might escape from the very serious dangers which threaten it. But the evils which We then deplored have so rapidly increased that We are again compelled to address you, as though We heard the voice of the prophet ringing in Our ears: 'Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet'. You understand, venerable brethren, that We speak of that sect of men who, under various and almost barbarous names, are called socialists, communists, or nihilists, and who, spread over all the world, and bound together by the closest ties in a wicked confederacy, no longer seek the shelter of secret meetings, but, openly and boldly marching forth in the light of day, strive to bring to a head what they have long been planning - the overthrow of all civil society whatsoever.

Surely these are they who, as the sacred Scriptures testify, 'Defile the flesh, despise dominion and blaspheme majesty'. They leave nothing untouched or whole which by both human and divine laws has been wisely decreed for the health and beauty of life.

They refuse obedience to the higher powers, to whom, according to the admonition of the Apostle, every soul ought to be subject, and who derive the right of governing from God; and they proclaim the absolute equality of all men in rights and duties. They debase the natural union of man and woman, which is held sacred even among barbarous peoples; and its bond, by which the family is chiefly held together, they weaken, or even deliver up to lust.

Lured, in fine, by the greed of present goods, which is 'the root of all evils which some coveting have erred from the faith', they assail the right of property sanctioned by natural law; and by a scheme of horrible wickedness, while they seem desirous of caring for the needs and satisfying the desires of all men, they strive to seize and hold in common whatever has been acquired either by title of lawful inheritance, or by labor of brain and hands, or by thrift in one's mode of life. These are the startling theories they utter in their meetings, set forth in their pamphlets, and scatter abroad in a cloud of journals and tracts. Wherefore, the revered majesty and power of kings has won such fierce hatred from their seditious people that disloyal traitors, impatient of all restraint, have more than once within a short period raised their arms in impious attempt against the lives of their own sovereigns.

But the boldness of these bad men, which day by day more and more threatens civil society with destruction, and strikes the souls of all with anxiety and fear, finds its cause and origin in those poisonous doctrines which, spread abroad in former times among the people, like evil seed bore in due time such fatal fruit.

For you know, venerable brethren, that that most deadly war which from the sixteenth century down has been waged by innovators against the Catholic faith, and which has grown in intensity up to today, had for its object to subvert all revelation, and overthrow the supernatural order, that thus the way might be opened for the discoveries, or rather the hallucinations, of reason alone.

This kind of error, which falsely usurps to itself the name of reason, as it lures and whets the natural appetite that is in man of excelling, and gives loose rein to unlawful desires of every kind, has easily penetrated not only the minds of a great multitude of men but to a wide extent civil society, also. Hence, by a new species of impiety, unheard of even among the heathen nations, states have been constituted without any count at all of God or of the order established by him; it has been given out that public authority neither derives its principles, nor its majesty, nor its power of governing from God, but rather from the multitude, which, thinking itself absolved from all divine sanction, bows only to such laws as it shall have made at its own will.

The supernatural truths of faith having been assailed and cast out as though hostile to reason, the very Author and Redeemer of the human race has been slowly and little by little banished from the universities, the Iyceums and gymnasia - in a word, from every public institution.

In fine, the rewards and punishments of a future and eternal life having been handed over to oblivion, the ardent desire of happiness has been limited to the bounds of the present. Such doctrines as these having been scattered far and wide, so great a license of thought and action having sprung up on all sides, it is no matter for surprise that men of the lowest class, weary of their wretched home or workshop, are eager to attack the homes and fortunes of the rich.

It is no matter for surprise that already there exists no sense of security either in public or private life, and that the human race should have advanced to the very verge of final dissolution."

Welcome to the paradise of those who abandoned our Lord, gave up faith in favor of "reason" and are diligently working for the destruction of his Church. You don't want a part in it? Let them know! It is hard to engage in seemingly meaningless protest-marches or petitions when you are rooted in faith and don't have to get a life running through SanFran half-naked or whining about "equality" and "rights". But if you know how to organize yourselves, if you got the time, the nerve and the balls to suffer in his name, get out there and show them you don't want to play their poisonous games. It's time the people that still got brains AND souls put an end to this farce. Alright, you might want to pray a bit as well ;-)

What can I say?

2007-02-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

From the Herald Tribune:

With sirens wailing and streets blocked off to permit its passage, a convoy of police vehicles sped across Britain and wound through central London on Friday to bring five terrorist suspects to court here from Birmingham.

A sixth suspect, who was not immediately identified by name, was charged with a terrorism offense in Birmingham on Friday evening, the police said.

Nine people were seized nine days ago in a roundup of suspects in Birmingham linked to an alleged conspiracy to capture a British soldier and show images of his execution on the Internet. Three of them have them have been freed without charge.

Of the five who faced terrorism charges in court on Friday, only one, Parviz Khan, 36, was charged specifically with engaging "in conduct to give effect to his intention to kidnap and kill a member of the British Armed Forces." The charge made no direct reference to the Internet.

The other four — Amjad Mahmood, 31, Mohammed Irfan, 30, Zahoor Iqbal, 29 and Hamid Elasmar, 43 — faced charges along with Khan of planning to supply equipment and money in the knowledge that it might be used for an act of terrorism.

Mahmood faced a single, separate charge of failing to disclose information that might have helped prevent an act of terrorism.

The charges were brought under British anti-terrorism laws enacted in 2000 and 2006. The arrest of the nine suspects in Birmingham, Britain's second largest city, stirred worries and anger among Muslims who said they believed the police action and extensive coverage by television and newspapers had further stigmatized Muslims. One of the three men released after the arrests said that Britain had become a police state for Muslims.

Are these guys out of their minds? It was the police action and media coverage that stigmatized Muslims? Then I guess the death threats to Europe and Chrsitians were what put Muslims into the right perspective. Thanks for clearing that up!

"Accipe Galerum Rubrum"

2007-02-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

"Ad laudem omnipotentis Dei et Sanctae Sedis ornamentum, accipe galerum rubrum, insigne singularis dignitatis cardinalatus, per quod designatur quod usque ad mortem et sanguinis effusionem inclusive pro exaltatione sanctae fidei, pace et quiete populi christiani, augmento et statu sacrosanctae romanae Ecclesiae, to intrepidum exhibere debeas, in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti."

Cappa-Canons

2007-01-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Now that's amazing!

The regular canons of Paterno in Sicily did not only have the privilege to wear the Cappa Magna. Once a year, on Holy Friday, they also made a procession through the city with the trains of the cappae trailing behind them. Now that must have been a sight! Needless to say that this custom was quickly abandoned in the 60ies.

Here are some photos (of minor quality, sorry). The first one is a shot of the actul event, the others show the cappae as they are exhibited today in the citie's Church and Castle:

I think...

2007-01-25T12:26:00.000-08:00

... I'm going to be sick.

Tradenfreude!

2007-01-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

How do you call the feeling you get when you hear Latin in Church, when you see a priest with biretta, fiddleback and maniple celebrating a mass, when you see a cardinal in cappa magna, when you hear sacred polyphony, when you think of the possibility of the motu proprio being promulgated any time soon?

That's right, it is...

You are not only allowed to download this jpg and put it on your webpage. I also ask you to encourage everybody you think might be interested to do the same.

Let's be tradenfroh!

Free at last!

2007-01-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

That is the title of the conversion story of Daniel Ali. From the page of Tate Publishing:

"He cites the verses of the Koran by which the Holy Spirit will convict the Muslim of sin, the Muslim's inability to remove it, and thus the Muslim's great need for a savior. The author reveals the Gospel, as it has been ignored and hidden in pages of the Koran. He offers the courageous Muslim a choice between opposing Suras and opposing theologies, found within the Koran. The Holy Spirit is capable of leading the Muslim, repentant, to the feet of Christ. "

Here you can find an essay by Daniel Ali in which he describes his journey from being a Kurdistan Muslim who marries an American Christian, moves to America in 1993, is baptized into the Body of Christ in 1995, goes through countless hours of Bible studies and evengalizing and is finally received into the Catholic Church in 1998. He also mentions the general danger of aggressive "evangelization" by Muslims and talks about his ways of countering that.

Thank you, Daniel! I will pray for you and your work.

Where else but in the Netherlands...

2007-01-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Via Reuters:

I can just hear a little girl ask her mother in the Europe of 2055: "Mom, what does "Christian" mean?" And mom is gonna answer through the veil: "Oh, that was before both of us were born. That was in a Europe screaming in pain because of its sins, begging for moral authorities. Funny thing is: These authorities were already there. But they were ignored. I guess the sins were too tempting after all. Well, what we got instead was Burqas and Minarets."

Lorenz Cardinal Jäger

2007-01-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

Lorenz Jäger (1892-1975) was installed as archbishop of Paderborn in Germany in 1941. He became a cardinal in 1965. On the following photographs you see him during the welcome given by the city of Paderborn after the return of the new cardinal from Rome.

Baroque Catafalques

2007-01-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Three nice etchings of Bishops of the Holy Roman Empire, each one lying on his lectus funeralis:

Franz Christoph Reichsfreiherr von Hutten zum Stolzenberg, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1720 to 1729

Amand von Buseck, Prince-Abbot of Fulda from 1737 to 1756. Fulda was rased to en Episcopal see in 1752 by Pope Benedict XIV.

Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, Archbishop and Elector of Mainz from 1743 to 1763 and Prince-Bishop of Worm from 1956 to 1763.

Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus

2007-01-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Funniest page ever!

2007-01-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

I bet most of you already know "Why won't God heal amputees?". But I just want to assure that everybody out there gets a chance to check out this wonderful and hilarious satire on atheism, so I provide the link and urge you to go there NOW if you don't know it.

I am really grateful and happy that there are some people out there who devote so much of their time and energy to reveal to the world what a sad bunch these "logical and rational scientists and atheists" are. Kudos, dudes!

New Year, Old Pains

2007-01-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I got a nice hate-comment on last year’s “Brokeback Mountain” post from some gay person that obviously was shocked by the fact that there are those of us out here that refuse to let themselves force into mindlessly celebrating this “lifestyle”. So I counter-commented to see if this guy just wanted to let me know or if vanity would drive him back to the scene of the crime to check if there is an answer of mine that deserves some more semantics. Of course the latter was the case and a day later I received an email. The ususal: “You like cappa magna, so you gay. You catholic, so you not allowed to be gay. You twisted inside, so you project self-hate. There are gay priests, so Church bad or (interchangeably) homosexuality good.” You know, the works. Prejudices, intolerance, logic based on enthymemes instead of syllogisms, conclusions that do not follow.

Then via Ken
I read some nice things about our alleged future according to some “thinkers”:

The web magazine Edge asked more than 150 scientists and intellectuals: "What are you optimistic about?"

Philosopher Daniel Denett believes that within 25 years religion will command little of the awe it seems to instill today. The spread of information through the internet and mobile phones will "gently, irresistibly, undermine the mindsets requisite for religious fanaticism and intolerance".

Biologist Richard Dawkins said that physicists would give religion another problem: a theory of everything that would complete Albert Einstein's dream of unifying the fundamental laws of physics. "This final scientific enlightenment will deal an overdue death blow to religion and other juvenile superstitions."

Part of that final theory will be formulated by scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator at Cern in Geneva, which is to be switched on this year. It will smash protons together to help scientists understand what makes up the most fundamental bits of the universe.

I mean, what is this? Are we supposed to sit idly by and pick our nose while sulking spoiled little brats are taking over with their hubris, their self-righteousness, their prejudices, their lack of tolerance (unless it’s the one they want for themselves) and their general misconception of all things immaterial? I know that especially in our times it is easy to blame the Church, Christianity, religion for pretty much anything that went wrong and goes wrong. And, sure, the use of pretty much every scientific discovery for warfare and destruction really encourages turning a blind eye to the problems that science caused, right? And has there ever been a higher body-count than under those regimes that proudly sported the label “atheist”? Of course, as long as those people know that on the one hand they will get their fifteen minutes of fame by just passing on the same old lies (Religion equals violence, fanaticism and intolerance) and that on the other hand looking at some documents (Catechism, Deus Caritas Est, Fides et Ratio, to name but three) might actually force them to think outside of the box, this will not change. Or, as the hate-mailer put it: “This is the end of my correspondence, because you and your poisonous ilk simply aren't worth my time" (I got twenty bucks that say Mister Righteous Indignation will be back after reading this). Right on! Refuse dialogue; threaten alleged homosexuals who are not kissing your feet with “outing” them; give your opponents a bad name in the press by calling them “homophobe” (one of the meanest and greatest tricks of that bunch: turning the disapproval of homosexuality into something that sounds like a disease); bully around; scream down the opposition; use a bit of violence where needed (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, December 1989) and impress the populace with great and colorful parades. Pretty soon the difference to 1930’s Germany will be but a slim one.

Interesting post scriptum to the scenario in New York: One ACT-UP member screamed at Cardinal O’Connor “You bigot, you are killing us!” because the Cardinal did not approve of the use and distribution of condoms. Gay logic: Its not the sexually transmitted virus but the Church that kills. Or am I to infer that people who trample the host underfoot, disturb a Catholic mass and preach homosexuality are on the other hand so Catholic that they will not be able to use a condom, just because O’Connor said so? Bigot? Look who’s talking!

But back to the scientists: Can you imagine the sad sight of these kids sitting in their ivory tower at Cern/Geneva, waiting for God to say “Yeah, you got me all figured out. I don’t exist.”?

I think the 20th century has shown us enough of the horrors of atheist humanism, materialism and moral-free scientific progress. You guys want more of the same, you go ahead. And if God slaps you on the fingers again, I don’t might you come back crying as long as you don’t mind me saying “Told you so!”

Back again!

2007-01-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year To Everybody!

I hope you had a nice break and some good and relaxing times with whoever is most important to you (right after Christ, I mean). Have fun working on your new year's resolutions and - if you want - join Ken and me and some others praying for the conversion of the Muslims.

Ciao,
Leo

Bye for now!

2006-12-22T02:51:00.000-08:00

There will be no posting during the next 2 or 3 weeks.

But of course I wont leave without giving you a small Christmas-present first. So here are some more pictures from my "a blast from the past"-collection.

This is François-Antoine de Méan, the last prince-bishop of Liege in Belgium. After having been installed in September 1792, he already had to flee his town in February 1793, when the revolutionary army took Liege. De Méan returned one month later, when the Austrians occupied Liege and installed the old government. But in July 1794 the Austrians are driven out of the city again, de Méan is left without protection and leaves Liege. The end of the reign of the prince-bishops in Liege also meant the ruin of the beautiful and huge cathedral, which was savagely torn apart by the revolutionaries over the course of many years.

Another familiar face. This is Louis René Édouard, cardinal de Rohan of "the affair of the necklace" fame. OMG! Has anybody seen that movie with Hillary Swank in which Jonathan Pryce plays the cardinal? And we wonder why people nowadays do not know anything about their Church anymore unless it is grotesquely biased pseudo-historical "sex and crime"-stuff! Disgusting.

As for the last four prelates, I have no idea who they are.

That's it for the next weeks. I wish you all a merry Christmas and all the blessings of the infant Jesus. See you again in 2007!

Leo

Here it is! (4 of 4)

2006-12-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

From “Costume of Prelates of the Catholic Church according to Roman Etiquette” by John Abel Nainfa:

Cappa Magna

8. Use

The Bishop must be vested in the cappa magna when he goes to the cathedral on feast days; and, where the cathedral is canonically constituted, having a chapter, the Bishop vested in cappa magna has a strict right to be escorted by the chapter as a body, and to have as assistants two canons. If he does not wear the cappa magna, he has no right to these honors. When vested with the mozzetta, he takes his seat in the first stall of the choirs; but when he wears the cappa magna, he sits upon his throne.

The hood of the cappa magna is used to protect the head from cold when the Prelate assists at Matins - a rare occurrence in our days - and, as a sign of mourning, when he goes to church, the last three days of Holy Week. When giving his blessing from the throne, the Bishop covers his head with his biretta, or with the hood of the cappa, as a sign of authority. Another occasion, on which the hood of the cappa is used, is when the Prelate wears a pontifical hat, as this hat is not worn directly over the head, but over the hood of the cappa magna,

In Rome, at Papal “chapels” held in the Apostolic Palace, Cardinals wear the unfolded cappa magna; Archbishops, Bishops, the Prelates di fiochetti, Protonotaries Apostolic, The Votantes and Referees of the Signature, The Auditors of the Rota, The Clerks of the Reverend Chamber Apostolic and the Ministers of the papal chapel wear over the rochet the curtailed cappa magna. Visiting Archbishops and Bishops are however allowed to wear the mantelletta, for the reason that they usually lack the cappa required for the occasion. At such ceremonies, the Prelates di mantellone appear in the special red cappa - crocia - described in the preceding chapter. As Cardinals are privileged to let down the train of the cappa magna in presence of the Pope, they have a train-bearer, whose duty it is not only to carry the train of the Cardinal’s cappa, but also to hold his biretta, his breviary, papers, etc., when necessary. A Cardinal never wears his biretta in the presence of the Pope, so the train-bearer holds it all the time at Papal “chapels”. Those who wear the folded cappa at Papal “chapels” never let down its train, except on Good Friday at the adoration of the Cross; and, when these Prelates perform some liturgical function at the “chapel”, they do not wear the cappa, but put on the cotta over the rochet; Bishops, who serve the Mass of the Pope, or receive Holy Communion from his hand on Holy Thursday, observe the same rule.

9. Cappa of Canons

Canons, who wear by privilege the cappa magna, are not entitled to wear the Episcopal cappa. It is understood that the cappa conceded to Canons is the folded one; and they are never allowed to let down the train, except for the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday, as was mentioned for the Prelates attending Papal “chapels”; and, as regards the occasions on which to wear the cappa, they are expected to follow faithfully the terms of the indult. The cappa, with an ermine cape, is a winter garment, as was said; therefore, Canons should not wear it in summer, but should substitute the cotta for the cappa over the rochet, unless they have received the very explicit privilege of using a summer cappa, that is the same style of cappa with a cape lined of silk instead of fur, in which case they wear the cape of fur in winter and the cape of silk in summer. Moreover, as the cappa is a choir ornament and not a liturgical garment, if a Canon has to perform ecclesiastical functions, or to administer some sacrament, he should leave aside his cappa and wear instead the cotta over the rochet.

Here it is! (3 of 4)

2006-12-19T03:28:00.000-08:00

From “Costume of Prelates of the Catholic Church according to Roman Etiquette” by John Abel Nainfa:

Cappa Magna

4. The Pope

The Pope’s cappa magna is not white, as some may believe, but red. He wears it only when attending the Matins of Christmas, the Office of the Dead, and the Tenebrae. On Christmas night, his cappa magna is of red velvet, and of red serge for funeral services and Tenebrae

5. Cardinals

Cardinals wear a silk cappa magna during the entire year, except on Good Friday, when they should wear a cappa of woolen material. A Cardinal’s cappa magna, red at ordinary times, is purple during the penitential season, on days of mourning, and when attending funeral services. In Rome, Cardinals wear the red cappa magna in their titles and when attending the papal “chapels”, held in the Pontifical Palace. Should the Papal chapel be held outside of the Pontifical Palace, etiquette would require the Cardinals wear the purple cappa magna; but for this, as for many other points of Roman ceremonial, the Cardinals who are to attend a solemn function receive detailed instructions beforehand form the pontifical Master of Ceremonies. When at Rome, Cardinals have a special train-bearer belonging to the “Confraternity of Train-Bearers”.

6. Bishops

The ceremonial of Bishops contains full information on the use of the cappa magna by Bishops. The Episcopal cappa magna is exclusively made of woolen material and always purple, even in penitential season (ut sint [Cappae] … laneae et violaceae et non alterius coloris). No custom authorizes the use of a silken cappa magna by a Bishop.

7. Religious Prelates

Cardinals and Bishops belonging to Religious Orders are not allowed the use of a red or purple cappa magna. Their Cappae, made of woolen material, are of the same color as the outer part of the order habit. The cape is sometimes of ermine, namely, when the lining of the prelatial dress is white; but as a rule, it is made of other furs, matching the color of the Cappae, as those of the vicunia, otter, northern cat, or Russian blue fox. For these furs, silk of the same color is substituted in the summer.

Abbots who have the privilege of wearing the cappa magna ought to follow the same rules, unless the papal concession includes special regulations.
Bishops belonging to Religious Congregations or the Orders of Clerics Regular may wear the same cappa magna as secular Prelates; but the cappa magna of a Cardinal belonging to the same Congregation or Orders must not be made of silk, like that of a secular Cardinal, since that matter is forbidden to Religious; his cappa magna, while conforming to that of the secular Cardinals as to colors, must be made of woolen material like a Bishop’s.

Here it is! (2 of 4)

2006-12-18T02:53:00.000-08:00

From “Costume of Prelates of the Catholic Church according to Roman Etiquette” by John Abel Nainfa:

Cappa Magna

3. Different Kinds

There are two styles of cappa magna, the one fully displayed, the other curtailed and folded.

The former - the one above described - is the cappa which we are accustomed to see worn by a bishop in his diocese. This cappa is a sign of jurisdiction and authority; therefore, it is worn by the Pope and Cardinals everywhere; by a Metropolitan Archbishop, in his province; by a Bishop, in his diocese. When the Prelate is sitting, the vestment is fully unfolded and gracefully draped around him, “covering the whole person”. Whenever the prelate walks, the train of the cappa must be carried by a train-bearer.

The train-bearer is supposed to be a cleric; he may be a seminarian, a member of the Prelate’s household or even an altar boy, not a “page” in fancy costume, and there should be only one. The Pope having only one train-bearer, no other prelate is entitled to have more. The dress of the train-bearer varies according to the different occasions on which he performs his duties. When accompanying a Cardinal to the papal “chapel”, he vests in a purple cassock of silk, with trimmings and buttons of black velvet; he wears a purple silk cincture and a purple collaro; over the cassock, he puts, on the crocia, a surtout of peculiar shape, made of purple cloth or sage, lined and trimmed with purple silk. When the Pope officiates, the Cardinals vests in the sacred vestments of their order - cope for Cardinal-Bishops, chasuble for Cardinal-Priests and dalmatic for Cardinal-Deacons; the train-bearers then put on a cotta over the crocia, and throw on their shoulders the vimpa, a long humeral veil of light silk with which they hold the Cardinals’ mitres. When a Cardinal officiates outside of the papal “chapels”, his train-bearer does not wear the crocia, but the cotta over his purple cassock; and, when the Cardinal assists in cappa magna at a ceremony, the train-bearer wears over his purple cassock the ferraiolo of black silk. The train-bearer of the diocesan Bishop does not wear the crocia, which is a garment used only at papal “chapels”; but he wears the purple cassock with the black ferraiolo when the Bishop is vested in cappa magna, and the cotta over the purple cassock when the Bishop is dressed in his pontificals. In no case should he wear gloves or a biretta.

The other cappa, curtailed and folded, is worn by bishops and certain Prelates di mantelletta when attending the papal “chapels”, and also by canons, to whom it is conceded by a special indult of the Pope.

The cape of this cappa is similar to that of the other; but the vestment itself is so curtailed that it is reduced to a wide plaited band hanging on the back and ending in a short train. This train, however, is never let down, for the flowing train is a mark of jurisdiction; it is lifted up, twisted and tied with a purple ribbon, with which it is suspended from the left side of the cape. Thus twisted and tied up, this train symbolizes a restricted jurisdiction, or absence of jurisdiction.

Formerly there was no difference between those two styles of cappa; this is why the regulation laid down for the use of the one applies also to the other.

Here it is! (1 of 4)

2006-12-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

From “Costume of Prelates of the Catholic Church according to Roman Etiquette” by John Abel Nainfa:

Cappa Magna

1. Origin of the name

“Cappa Magna” literally means a large cope or cape. The word “Cappa” is a term of low Latinity, said to be derived from “capere” (quia capit totum hominem - “because it covers the whole person”), and was originally used by ecclesiastical writers to denote the pluviale or cope, as appears from Durandus and Honorius.

There is no English word translating “cappa”. The only proper word would be “cope” and, as a matter of fact, “cope” was derived from “cappa”; but since this word is reversed, in ecclesiastical terminology, for the liturgical vestment, which the rubrics call “pluviale”, it is necessary to have recourse to the foreign term “cappa”.

2. Description
The cappa magna is a large mantle with a long train. It is entirely closed, with the exception of a vertical opening about ten inches long over the breast, and complemented with a furred cape closed in front, slightly open at the back, and fastened at the back of the neck with a hook. To the cape a hood is attached, the use of which is determined by the ceremonial of bishops. When not in use, this hood is caught up on the right shoulder and fastened there by a row of buttons and silk loops.

Formerly, the entire garment was lined with fur in order to protect the wearer from the cold; about the thirteenth century, hoods assumed a cape form by being allowed to fall back over the shoulders, whereby the fur lining became outermost, and it may be stated as a general principle that whatever fur appears on a Prelate’s dress is supposed to be the winter lining. In the summer, therefore, when fur is not used, the portion of the Prelate’s dress, which in winter is adorned with fur, must show, instead of the fur, the regular summer lining of silk.

Such is the case for the cappa magna. Although, for several centuries, the body of this garment has had no lining, still the fur is supposed to be the winter lining of the cape; therefore the fur cape must be substituted, in summer, by a similar cape of silk of the same material and color as the lining of the mozzetta or mantelletta which the Prelate wears on festival days.

The outside of the cape, visible to the eye, being the lining (whether fur or silk), it follows that the other side, which is concealed, must be made of the same material and color as the body of the cappa magna.

Some tailors cut slits at the side of the cappa magna to pass the arms; but this should not be done; the cappa magna is an entirely closed garment with no other opening than the vertical slit in front. When the prelate stands or walks, he holds the fore part of the cappa lifted over his arms; when seated or kneeling, he lets it down and is thus entirely covered with the cappa (capit totum hominem); he may however pass his hands through the opening in front, if necessary. This, it musts be admitted, is not very convenient if the Prelate wishes to read his breviary; but a Prelate presiding over a ceremony is not supposed to read his private office.

It must have been quite stormy in Malines...

2006-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

... on that day in March 1926, when Jozef Ernest van Roey was installed as archbishop of Malines.

Here you see van Roey in procession next to Clemente Micara, who was then nuntio in Belgium and later became a cardinal.

This double-shot already shows that it must have been a windy day. Check out the tassles going all wild.

Finally, the whole cappa is out of control. These are the moments, that seperate the caudatarii from the trainbearers.

How's about some color?

2006-12-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yep, thaaaaaat's right. I got some more cappa magna photos in color. Have fun!

This unidentified prelate's chaplain is friendly enough to present the capello in full splendor.

Andras Rohracher, prince-archbishop of Salzburg, Primas Germaniae. The prince-archbishops of Salzburg have the privilege to wear cardinalatial red.

Emile Cardinal Leger, archbishop of montreal. Of course, the photo was taken before this prince of the Church stepped down from his archiepiscopal seat to become a missionary in Africa. Sorry for the dots and cracks, the picture is from the cover of an old magazine.

Double treat! Julius Kardinal Döpfner, archbishop of Munich (back) and Corrado Bafile, German nuncio (front).

That's all, folks!

That's the funniest thing I've read in a long time

2006-12-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

From the webpage of the Berean Christadelphians comes this gem, which I found in a section entitled "Cornerstones - A collection of writings by our pioneer brethren". These "pioneer brethren" are also referred to in the sentence "Our movement is today--and by the grace of God will continue to be until Christ returns--an accurate reflection of those divine principles brought to light by the dedicated work of our pioneer brethren."

So, why not take a look at these divine principles?

From the essay Decline and Fall of the Papacy, written in April 1851:

"I return to the main point, and reiterate my affirmation that the Papacy is in its last agonies."

A-hah!

"All real Protestants would rather accept the Koran for their guide than the degrading traditions of the Romish church for a Mohammedan is at least a worshipper of God, whereas the servile disciple of Romanism crawls at the feet of the most contemptible personages, living or dead."

O-hoh!

"A Papist is an individual of the past, the remnant of a species professedly extinct, save in those isolated specimens which have been left to excite our wonder and astonishment at the depth of degradation to which humanity can be made to descend."

Can you feel the love?

Man, did I have a laugh!

The archbishop emeritus of Esztergom-Budapest

2006-12-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

László Cardinal Paskai celebrating the Requiem Mass (shouldn't the cappa magna be violet then?) for the Hungarian martyrs killed by the Soviets in 1956. Thanks to A. for sending the photo and for also pointing out that it looks like the cappa has just been thrown over a habito piano.

War on Christmas?

2006-12-12T02:48:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again...

"Happy season of Sparkle!"
"Don't impose your faith on me and get that nativity scene outta town!"
"It is just a pagan feast hijacked by the Church anyways!"

Do these sound familiar? Well, they should.

Behind all the hysteria about a secular society trying to turn Christmas into far less than it actually is, there lies the justified concern about a secular society turning religion into something that does not exist outside your private walls anymore. Yeah, you are right. Outside YOUR private walls.

Woe to the priest who during mass dares to denounce homosexuality. If he happens to have someone sitting in the pews who is still clinging to the narcissistic, subjective, "the church has to conform to the world"-credo he will very likely be reported to the police (but first to the press, of course).

Woe to the soccer player who dares to make the sign of the cross while facing the fans of the away-team.

Woe to the airport worker who wears a little crucifix on a chain around her neck.

Does anybody really want to say that societies, in which 11-year old girls fall from their chairs in schools because they OD'd on some drug, in which 13-year old girls dress like hookers, in which 15 year old boys argue about the best ways to make a woman "come", in which again 13-year old girls feel "left out" because they did not have sex yet, in which "swinging" is seen as normal and "healthy", in which kids carry guns, in which education hardly takes place anymore, in which abortion, homosexuality, fornication and divorce are common practice...

... Does anybody really want to say that societies, which offer people so many means of self-destruction and destruction of others, do not need the hope of the Advent season and the light of Christ's Gospel brought to the people by the Church and her priests?

These people are drowning in their bad conscience and personally I think that every attempt to shut out the voice of the Church in reality is at least as much a cry for help as an attempt to make the unwanted and harsh truth heard.

So what to do? Pray. Pray. Pray. Never stop. And never be silent when you have to speak up. For Christ. For your faith. For your Church. For patience with the sinner, but against tolerance of sin and against the conformity of truth to the "life-experience of the people".

Gear up at Gricigliano

2006-11-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

Since September Mgr. Wach and gang are in choir habit. They are sporting a black mantelletta with blue lining, a blue mozzetta and around their neck the "Cross of St. Francis Sales". The mozzettas of the superiors are silk, the mozzetta of the Superior General is watered-silk, as you can see on the photo. This leads directly to the question: How long before the super-special privilege will be taken (erm, granted) and the blue watered-silk cappa magna is allowed to come out and play?

BTW: Anybody else notices, how the bishops and cardinals coming to Gricigliano don't seem to be wearing the cappa anymore? What's going on?

Beat this!

2006-11-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

I raise you a Wojtyla in watered silk. Supposedly this photo was taken in 1978 (obviously before Oct. 16th). I don't know the occasion, because the caption is in Russian and mine is kind of non-existent. Still: Karol Kardinal Wojtyla does look good in the cappa magna, doesn't he?

Update: It always helps to know people who REALLY know their stuff. A faithful reader send me this information: I doubt it's 78. Look, the bishop in the background (Wladyslaw Rubin, later prefect of the Oriental Congregation) is in a mantelletta with a pectoral cross over top. Not allowed after 69. Also, the bishop in the grecca is Cassarolli. He was the perpetual envoy to E. Europe. I suspect it was taken between 67 and 68, likely 67, shortley after he had been made cardinal.

Thanks A.!

Because I have been such a lazy boy...

2006-10-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

... I decided to publish my second photo-post in one day. This time it is from my "Sepia"-collection. Have fun.

Some bishop from Spain with the typical and somewhat cumbersome cappa of this country.

Here is an elegant one from Spain. I think it's the archbishop of Granada. No cappa, but check out the fifteenthousand medals and the lace collar.

Cardinal Gibbons

Cardinal Farley

Cardinal Piffl from Vienna/Austria: "If you touch my cappa I kaiserschmarrn your face!"

It's been a while...

2006-10-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

... but I am still runnig this blog. I had a very relaxing summer, hence the lack of posts. I don't even know if anybody still bothers to look for updates of my blog. Ah well, there might be a few of you who do. So for all the friends of the Cappa Magna, here is a Special with photos of Fernando Cardinal Quiroga Palacios from Spain. He was born in 1900, ordained bishop of Mondonedo in 1946, ordained archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in 1949 and made a cardinal in 1953. He died in 1971.

As bishop of Mondonedo

As archbishop of Santiago

As cardinal. Mantellettas are a rare find nowadays, too, so I thought I might as well add this picture. Plus, the Cardinal seems to have been quite the aristocratic type, non?

Yup...,

... he definately was that type!

And that's what the birds saw

jus' fer laffs

2006-07-21T04:55:00.000-07:00

Found this in the mail:

Good Evening,

My name is Mr. Doug Kaku, a banker here in Ghana. I write you this proposal in good faith as a brother, believing that you will not betray me regarding the information I am about to reveal to you. In 2002 a Crude Oil dealer Late Mr. MICHAEL SCHMIDT, made a (Fixed deposit) for 36 calendar months, valued at US$14,600,000.00 (Fourteen Million, Six hundred Thousand US Dollars) with my bank. I was his account officer before I rose to the position of manager. The maturity date for this deposit contract was 20th of August 2005. I have tried my possible best to locate Mr. Michael to notify him about this, but all my efforts proved abortive. I later discovered that Mr. Michael, his wife and only daughter were among the victims of bomb blast during the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, he has no other living relatives to inherit this fund.

Now, a new Financial Law, which takes effect in two month's time, stipulates that any bank account more than $5,000,000.00 [Five Million US Dollars] will be investigated and the bank shall produce the account owner for clearance. This is a Government measure to check money laundering. If I do not find a way to move this money out of the country immediately, in two month's time, it might be reverted to Government treasury because the bank management cannot provide Mr. Michael since he is now late. I am seeking your co-operation to present you as the next of kin to the account since you are a foreigner, so that my bank head quarters will release the funds to you. It is only a foreigner can claim the funds in the account. There is no risk involved, the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. Let me know how much percent you will take, so that both parties will be satisfied. Contact me as soon as you receive this message for further details.

Please, treat as top secret, I am the only person having this information.

Not anymore, dude!

Regards,
Doug Kaku

Honestly, don't you sometimes wish these stories were true?

more cape less words

2006-07-21T04:37:00.000-07:00

Alright, here are some highlights from my “Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest”- / “Rocco Palmo hates my guts”-collection.

Church Queens? Ah, the fear, the Fear!

Alfons Cardinal Stickler

Pietro Cardinal Pallazini

Luigi Cardinal Poggi

You're welcome!

Leo

One thing I never really understood

2006-06-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Hi gang.

I'm up to my eyebrows in studies but I am going to take the time anyway to present a couple of photographs and a question: Whenever I read something about the cappa magna, it always says that it is made of watered silk for cardinals and of wool for bishops. So why is it that ever so often I see pictures of bishops wearing a cappa that is definately not made of wool but of silk (not that I mind)? "Ma abbiamo il privilegio!" Does it boil down to that? Or does anybody know anything I should know?

Whatever: Here are the pics. Enjoy!

1.) I know, this photo lacks quality. But the "silkness" of the cappa magna of Loras T. Lane, sixth Bishop of Rockford is so obvious, that I just wanted to share this.

2.) Bishop O'Dea of Seattle, before it became an archdiocese. "Wool? Come five steps closer and say that again!". I love that army of tiny trainbearers.

3.) Bishop Shaugnessy, also of the still un-arched diocese of Seattle, probably sporting the cappa of his predecessor without the ermine.

4.) Sorry, bad quality again. But this shot just had to be shown, because Bishop Walsh of Newark is wearing cappa and cassock made of silk. According to the source this was even before Newark became an Archdiocese in 1937.

5.) "Silken cappa and silken cassock? I can do that!" thinks Bishop Stangl (right) of Würzburg, while walking next to Archbishop Schneider of Bamberg. The Archbishop is wearing a watered-silk cappa, but only a woolen cassock.

6.) Bishop Stangl again, this time in color.

Well, that's it for my "Bishops in silk"-special. Tell me what you think, tell me what you know. And please: If you have any nice Cappa-Magna-photographs do mail them along. I am always looking for new material and if for some reason you don't want to see the pictures published just say so. They will end up in my collection and nobody will ever see them but me.

Alright, enough begging. Have a nice day.

Spelly-Special

2006-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have the time to properly maintain this blog right now.

But I understand that the Cappe Magne have to keep on billowing, rustling and flowing and I have some fine photographs of Francis Cardinal Spellman that one or two of you out there might appreciate. Enjoy!

1.) With a bishop that I cant identifiy (A., got an idea?)

2.) With Clemente Cardinal Micara

3.) "Yum! Sapphire!"

4.) With Josef Cardinal Frings, archbishop of Cologne

5.) With Cardinals Guevara (Lima, center) and Vasconcelos-Motta (Sao Paolo, right)

6.) With (from left) Cardinals Mooney (Detroit), Stritch (Chicago) and McIntyre (Los Angeles) and the Apostolic Delegate to the United States, Archbishop Amleto Cicognani

7.) With (from left) Cardinals Stritch (Chicago), Glennon (St. Louis. Yikes! Trousers!) and Mooney (Detroit)

8.) With a bishop

9.) With Clemente Cardinal Micara, again

10.) "I said kiss, not smell!"

I need some help here!

2006-03-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

Wow!

This is my third post in one day. I must be getting sick.

I found this photograph and I don't know what to make of it: A bishop dressed in cappa magna, wearing a mitre, a crozier and a stole. I have never seen this before. So, please, tell me: What's going on here?

This is so sad

2006-03-13T00:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, get this: I sort of browsed through the "Webshots" page the other day and found something very, very... well... I don't even know how to call it. See for yourself:

This guy, who calls himself "cultureboy" created an album with the title "Gay Culture in Catholicism". This alone is worth a million laughs. After recovering from the "gay culture"-shock I had the following vision of cardinals and bishops sitting around in Rome, dressed in sackcloth, looking dull and bored, until suddenly one little prelate jumped up and said:

"That's it! Let's dress like those strange people who march through Rome once a year! What do they call it again? Ah, yes: "Pompa die plateae Christophori"

"But...," objected a skinny old cardinal. "You know that they are... erm... homosexuals?"

"Awww, come on!" insisted the tiny fellow. "Don't be so negative and boring! These guys have been doing this for centuries. I mean, they developed a culture. We can learn from them. Just look at us! Christ has been dead for centuries now and we didn't attract a single soul to his Church. Surely there must be something wrong with our style. Come on! Please?"

"I don't know..." The old cardinal slowly shook his head.

"I want a pointy jewelled hat!" A young bishop with a goat-like beard reaised his hand.

"See?" The tiny prelate jumped up and down with exitement.

"I want silk!" sighed a fat cardinal and closed his eyes. "Lots of silk!"

"Furs!"

"Lace!"

"Brocade!"

More and more hands were raised.

"Oh well," said the old cardinal. "Let's go and ask His Holiness then, shall we?"

As they left the room, the young bishop walked up to the little cardinal. "Did you know that most of those homosexuals have the name Gaius?"

"No. Why?"

"I don't know. It just seems strange."

"So we'll all be "Gaii" soon?" grinned the tiny prelate.

Okay, I got carried away here. What I really wanted to share with you are some of the photos and captions this "cultureboy" posted on the Webshots page (errors his):

A Bishop first thing in the morning.
Ready to face the starving millions of children who can't afford a pice of bread.

The Clergy Network for the Elimination of World Poverty.
Designer Vestments for the discerning man.

A Hard Day's Night.
After a gruelling day of rallies against world poverty and petition signing, the weary bishops and their mates settle in for a good DVD

As I said: This is so sad! On the one hand one could feel relieved, thinking that utter crap like this might be one of the bigger challenges the Church has to face in the future. On the other hand it is scary, because there are lots of people out there who will fall for this garbage just because it gives them another excuse. I mean, who would really be willing and able to take a sober look at reality, after decades of emotions taking over reason?

Can you hear the boo-hoo-ing? "Could anybody please at least for one second think of all the starving little children all over the world?"

Well, certainly not the Church. She has taken the next step long ago. She acts. Welcome to the real world.

Photos of the Month (03/2006)

2006-03-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

Guess what: I will present four photos now that do not show a Cappa Magna (gasp!).

But: You still get the train... Okay, the train-ette.

I always thought that if the Church really wanted to give those "Jesus didn't do this and that"-people their money's worth, she should strongly consider to bring back the prelate's cassocks with the small trains in the back.

You were able to attach the train to the back of the cassock with a hook so it was extendible when needed. Of course I love these mini-trains, but I always thought it looked kind of strange to see them carried by a "caudatarius minor", walking 10 centimeters behind a mitred bishop. Just let them trail on the ground, guys! Sure, they will take up dust and dirt this way, but this is about making an effort in beauty and festivity for Christ, not about not getting your hands or trains dirty.

Here are the photos:

"But where's the train?" Exactly! It's somewhere between who I think is Giovanni Panico, apostolic delegate to Australia, and the half-hidden kid in black right behind him. If you look at the shadow's direction, you can sort of imagine it.

Aaaah! Thaaaaat's better! Here you can actually see something. As I said: It looks strange when the train gets carried.

Cardinal Farley with mantelletta and a cheeky mini-train peeping around the corner

This guy looks a little young for a cardinal. He probably is a model, wearing what I hereby solemnly proclaim the "Prelate Gear Supreme (if you don't count the Cappa Magna)". Ah, it is such fun to imagine the steaming moral indignation of the "Destroy what you don't understand"-Church-Queen-haters ("Church-Queen" is TM by somebody else, I am merely quoting).

Did you know that... (3)

2006-02-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

... only on three occasions would a cardinal wearing the cappa magna have walked with the train trailing behind him on the ground?

You did? Aww, too bad.

Well, for those who didn't know:

1.) Giving obeisance to a newly elect pope:

An unidentified cardinal on his way to kneel before Paul VI.

2.) Receiving the galero at the public concistory:

Another unidentifird cardinal receiving his galero from an unidentified Pope (Oh man, the quality of my photos used to be a bit better, didn't it?)

3.) Taking possession of his titular church. Sorry, no photo here, but I'd love to see one. So if anybody out there has anything, please do mail it!

Those were the days...

2006-02-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

I love Wile E. Coyote. And I hate the Roadrunner. When I was a kid, I did so hope for Wile to at last get the arrogant speedster. Of course, it never happened.

What I liked at least as much as the coyote were the ACME-products. If you are a bit of a nostalgic like me, then you might appreciate this page: "The Original Illustrated Catalogue of ACME-Products". Tons and tons of "Bird Seed" and "Hair Grower" and "Earthquake pills" and so on.

Check it out!

til the cows come home...

2006-02-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Hello to everybody!

A couple of weeks ago the first posters announcing "I segreti di Brokeback Mountain" appeared in Rome. I didn't know anything about the movie. So when I saw the posters I thought "Wow! Whatever that secret is, those two young shoegazers in the photo make it look like it is a 70ies problem-movie about men that either have alcohol problems or are way too much in touch with their feminine side. Hahaha! Man, really! This looks like someone was stupid enough to make a movie about gay cowboys!"

Well, as everybody knows, by now I ate those words big time. Back then it was different. While the bus rumbled down the Corso di Francia I thought about it and suddelny a movie about gay cowboys seemed like the next logical step. I mean, we had movies showing us either the harsh side or the fun side of being gay from almost every corner of the world, depicting men from every social niche imaginable. So sooner or later there had to come a day when the topic of being gay was thoroughly exhausted.

Or so you'd think.

Of course, the promoters of the gay agenda can't allow a season of movies or TV-series to pass without at least one male interior designer or one female soccer-trainer to pop up and explain to everybody how hard it was a a child and how fun it is now, after the coming out and the breaking free from all conventions and the society finally learning to accept homosexuality. Live was hell back then, life is heaven now. Life is nothing but a big cliche. So gays and lesbians were and are always present. And just when you hoped and they feared that they ran out of plots, here come the Okay-Corral-Sisters. Time probably wasn't ripe for "Alien - The closet years" or "Cro Magnon Decadence" yet. But just you wait!

I heard that the movie was really good. I also heard that it was really crappy. I am not the kind to go and see for myself to justify my opinion. Because no matter how good the movie is, it will still be bad.

It's that time of the year again...

2006-01-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, you guessed it!

Exams are drawing near. I am living on coffee, cigarettes and carbohydrates (meaning pasta, but I wanted it to look cool with the alliteration). So I keep my nose in the books (on the monitor, that is) and do not really have any time to spare for "The Far Sight".

Ah, well...

Alright, here is one:

Giovanni Battista Dellepiane, nuncio to Austria from 1949 to 1961, meeting the Viennese cathedral chapter. Those Monsignori were entitled to a Cappa of violet wool with ermine. Nice, innit?

Take care!

Pimp my pope!

2006-01-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

The weird ones over at Palmar de Troya/Spain thought that having their own pope and building their own cathedral asked for some proper vestments to go with it. I haven't got the foggiest where they raised the money to build their golden temple and buy a Disneyland's worth of robes and bling. Rumor has it that some old aristocratic widows - still in post-civil-war-shock and charmed by the idea that the late pope Gregory XVII declared Franco a saint - gave all their wealth to the "One Holy Catholic Apostolic and Palmarian Church". Check it out:

1.) Da pope entering da cathedral. What I'd really like to know is how far the photographer had to zoom in to get that shot without getting in the way of whoever knows how many more bishops were carrying the train.

2.) "Who da man?" - "You da man!"

3.) Andy Warhol?

4.) "Stupid chauffeur! Driving my 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454 right against that tree! Now I have to travel all slow and shaky."

5.) Don't get me wrong! I love rose-colored vestments. But this looks more like Barbara Cartland's adaption of "The shoes of the fisherman". My favorite one is the tiny satin-guy to the left. And check this out...

6.) ... rose-colored opera-gloves (on the guy to the right)!

7.) And since color-themes are so much fun: Here's blue!

The only sad thing is that there was not one photo of one of the palmarian cardinals in cappa magna. Can you imagine 500 yards of scarlet watered-silk?

Photos of the Month (01/2006)

2006-01-07T06:55:00.000-08:00

Alright!

In order to make up for my horrible lazyness I present a couple of those hard-to-find colour photos of the Cappa Magna.

1.) Valerio Cardinal Valeri, crowning the statue of Our Lady of the Cape, Queen of the Holy Rosary, in Quebec in the Marian year of 1954.

2.) Lorenz Cardinal Jäger from Paderborn/Germany on the day of his return from Rome. He was created a cardinal on January 15th 1965 and I think he was the last German cardinal who had the pleasure of wearing the cappa.

3.) A terrific shot of Eugene Cardinal Tisserant, taken on occasion of the 800-year celebrities in the Austrian pilgrimage town of Mariazell.

4.) That's a fun shot. Somebody obviously liked this photograph of Laurean Cardinal Rugambwa (the first African elevated to that honor) so much, that he or she (how do you like my inclusive language? Très PC, non?) colorized it.

5.) And the first price of the Alec-Guinness-lookalike-contest goes to...: Joseph Cardinal Wendel from Munich/Germany, pictured here with a cardinalatial cappello.

I am you!

2006-01-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

This is scary:

In its recent issue, Newsweek reports that the figures for internet identity thefts are likely to go through the roof very soon. Last year the identity thieves already made more money than the illegal drug trade. They are so rich now that they entertain their own R&D departments for more efficient software. Keylogging also seems to become more and more popular.

I suddenly have second thoughts about getting that credit card, especially since Newsweek's advice is: "Keep your firewalls up and you fingers crossed."

All of a sudden "Stand and deliver!" sounds so honest and human.

First things first...

2006-01-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I returned to Rome a couple of hours ago from a wonderful visit to the homefront. I have been a bad boy. I did not post and hence the two and a half readers that visit my page frequently might feel betrayed.

Well, I am back.

Imagine now a huge bucket full of good wishes for a solid health, for mental balance and for God's Blessing for the new year and take out as much as you see fit.

The rules stay the same: No hysterical mega-posting in order to keep the crowd hooked. Check back every now and then and you might find some nice photos, more or less interesting news and more or less agreeable laments and/or cheering.

All yours,
Leo

"He's gay!" OR Give us back our words!

2005-12-15T00:22:00.000-08:00

Dear readers!

I am sorry that this is turning into a test for your patience. I hope you will not lose interest in this side (if you ever had any, that is), just because studying takes a lot of my time and energy right now and posting has been somewhat light in recent weeks.

Something strange happened the other day at the Ange. I talked to one of the guys about a NACer we both know. This NAC-man is quite a jolly fellow. He is always smiling and the smile doesn't look fake or learned. It is the kind of smile that makes at least me want to smile along all the time. Next to that he likes to laugh, too and is generally vivid, funny and kind.

So I said: "Yeah, he's gay!"

"Oh, man!" came the answer. "I had a strange feeling about him. I just didn't know it was THAT!"

"What?"

"That he's gay!"

"Yes, gay," I replied. "Not homosexual."

"But it's the same! Wait a second... Oh my gosh! You meant gay as in the original meaning of the word?"

And exactly at that moment lightning struck.

Imagine, if you will, the following: There is a wealthy, fat, opulent French aristocrat, riding in his magnificent carriage across the lands that have been in the posession of his family for centuries. He passes a field on which some of his subjects are working. They recognize him and bow to him, he waves back at them and smiles. He is their lord, but he is a friendly one. And he is a little careless, because everything is as it has always been, and - of course - everything will forever be, as it is. But then the carriage is stopped, the nobleman is dragged out, stripped to the undergarments of all his finery and wealth and thrown into the dirt of the road. He picks himself up and, still in shock, stumbles back to his chateau, only to find it plundered and devastated. He walks into town to look for help and there he is laughed at and mistreated and it is only with the help of some well-meaning soldiers, that he is able to escape the mob and flee from his country. Years later people in London pass a beggar standing at a street corner. "Poor wretched fellow," some of them murmur. "Not so," thinks the former aristocrat. "I used to be much more than what you see now. You should have seen me a decade ago. You should have known me as I was."

I am sorry for the dramatization, but isn't that what has happened to some words of our language?

There is a word, a conventual sign, a small harmless three-letter-word that for a very long time (officially recorded first in the 12th century) meant "full of joy or mirth". Then this word fell into the hands of revolutionaries, was stripped of almost everything it owned and was then released into a world that suddenly wasn't the world it had known for so long. Now people look at "gay" and think "Oh well, yeah, homosexual." But "gay" thinks: "Not so. I used to be much more than what you see now. You should have seen me decades or centuries ago. You should have known me as I was."

I want my words back. How about you?

Pictures are nice..

2005-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

...but how would you like some historical footage showing the cappa magna?

The first place to go would be the British Pathe section of the ITN archive. Just type "cardinal" or "cardinals" into the search box and hit "go". You'll get a list of historical movies that you can watch online. And if you click the tab that says "stills" you can do the same searches and get a still from every second of every movie!

The page of the Italian Insituto Luce also offers a variety of very nice historical films.

And for those of you who always wanted to see a cappa magna in motion and color, I found this particular gem: A page of the Clare Library/Ireland that offers some footage. Check out the "Obsequies of Archbishop Fogarty" or the "Cardinals Visit 2".

Have fun!

Keep awake!

2005-11-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

I came across some posts in different blogs as well as some articles in online newspapers, which all sort of hinted towards the same problem. It is a problem well known and lots of much smarter men that me already thought about it and commented on it. I still want to bring it up.

Lets start with a post I found on Throne and Altar. The author describes the terror that overcame him while visiting a Novus Ordo Mass. Everything was there, from versus populum, a fat lady placing the Eucharist in a Tabernacle situated on a minor side altar, the same lady handing out the Eucharist while the priest took a brake, "fellowship" and "community" galore up to body-snatching (That's what we call the practice of grabbing the Eucharist with your fingers).
Next, take a look at Traditio's gallery of Novus Ordo Masses and their comments on that. I can't say I agree with their blatant slander of the "Newchurch" (as they call it) and the "Novus Ordo Mess" (as they call it). I just wanted to point toward the existence of the page and of the masses photographed and described.
Next, read the short article "Surplice for requirement" on the Sydney Morning Herald's page.
Next, take into consideration the existence of such groups as the Traditio or Voice of the Faithful (TM).

What am I trying to say? I don't really know. I just get a very uneasy feeling when I think about the different forces affecting the Church from different directions. Especially since there appears to be a lot of acid, ignorance, self-righteousness, anger and stubbornness, "I told you so" and "It's my way or the highway" involved. On the one hand, liturgical dance experiments and "come as you are"-masses seem to point towards a virulent mental imbalance among the catholic clergy. On the other hand, the harsh and vitriolic condemnations of these practices leave a lot to be desired as well.

True, there's not much room to maneuver when it comes to the truth. On the other hand, there's not much room to maneuver when you are cornered, either.

Common sense demands that you think about the contents of whatever you say before you say it. So how smart is it to "Keep the Faith but Change the Church (TM)", as VOTF (TM) demands? What sort of progress is to be gained by the assumption, that wearing a cappa magna is merely "Dressing up" as well as "a sign of the clerical culture being fostered, establishing a priestly class that is 'other', drawing a line between priests and people", as "onlinecatholics.com.au" comment on cardinal Pell wearing the nice long red thing. What common ground is left, when you call the Novus Ordo Mass unCatholic, sacrilegious, irreverent, scandalous, blasphemous, idolatrous, and conclusively invalid, as "Traditio" does? How are priests and laypeople supposed to unite in a way most profitable for the church, when on the one hand laypeople with hardly any theological substance comment on everything priestly (although they probably never would go to a dentist that didn't study medicine), while priests run around in jeans and shirts and therefore do not even offer the laity a chance to recognize them as priests and on the other hand defenders of the tridentine rite often regard anybody connected to anything post-VCII as some kind of satanic agent, who is infiltrating the last remains of true Catholicism.

What are we? Are we Christ's people on Earth, giving their best and trying everything to make the Church one again in order to allow more people to bathe in the only light there is? Or are wee street ruffians, constantly looking for lesser beings to hiss at or asses to kick?

In the light of this Sunday's gospel I think it is not only our duty to keep awake. Speaking from a strict slave point of view I am of the opinion that it will be most beneficial for us if there is peace in the house before the master comes home and if the house is clean, beautiful and literally smells of great hope and joyful expectation. I might be a bit over-optimistic here, but I hope to live to see the day, when the laity and the priests from both sides swallow their pride and join hands to make the Church open, great and beautiful again.

Okay, now that you have read all this and still didn't fall asleep or run away, here is a little reward: A nice shot of Jusztinián Cardinal Serédi, archbishop of Esztergom and primate of Hungary from 1927 to 1945. I mean, after all, this is still "The Far Sight", right? (Thanks to Athanasius for the information!)

Photos of the Month (11/2005)

2005-11-19T05:21:00.000-08:00

There haven't been any photographs on this page for quite some time. I thought it might be a nice idea to combine the presentation of nice cappa-shots with a little information under a collective topic. The first attempt at this will be a gallery of Viennese Cardinal-Archbishops. Have fun!

1.) Joseph Otmar von Rauscher

Rauscher was born in Vienna in 1797. Destined for a civil service career he decided to become a priest after being both inspired and impressed by Klemens Maria Hofbauer. Ordained a priest in 1823, he became bishop of Seckau in 1849. He assumed an important role in the Austrian bishops conference and played a vital role in the process that lead to the imperial decree of 1850 thet freed the church from the Josephine reforms and granted her the highest possible freedom. He became archbishop of Vienna in 1853. He was one of the main architects of the concordate of 1855 which assured that Austria pretty much remained a Catholic state. Elevated to the cardinalate in 1855 (Title church: Santa Maria della Vittoria), he had to watch how his life's work slowly fell apart as first Hungary (1861), then Styria (1868) and finally the whole of Austria (1870) first modified and then totally liquidated the concordate. He died in Vienna in 1875.

2.) Fran Xaver Nagl

Born in Vienna in 1855 and ordained a priest in 1878, he was a professor in St. Poelten (1883), cout-curate in Vienna (1885), rector of the Anima in Rome(1889) and bishop of Triest-Capo d'Istira (1902-1909) before he was installed as archbishop of Vienna in August 1911 and elevated to the cardinalalte three months later. He build a new seminary in Vienna and was generally very interested in the spirituial welfare of Vienna as a major city. The climax of his years was the Eucharistic world-congress in Vienna in the September of 1912, which became a huge manifestation of Austrian Catholicism. Nagl became seriously ill at the end of 1912 and died in February 1913.

3.) Friedrich Gustav Piffl

Piffl was born in 1864. He entered the augustinian canonry of Klosterneuburg near Vienna in 1883 and was elected provost of that house in 1907. He became archbishop of Vienna in 1913 and cardinal in 1914. Piffl waas an outstanding personality who on the one hand had all the skills in leadership required to lead a diocese like Vienna after the collapse of the monarchy in 1918 and on the other hand was so modest, friendly and generous and so very close to the people and all of the clergy that he was labelled "Volksbischof" (bishop pf the people) in more than one source. Mainly because of his work the church and the Christian politicians in Austria were able to regroup and combine forces in the days of re-orientataion in 1918. When Piffl died in 1932, the church in Austria had gained new momentum and strength.

4.) Theodor Innitzer

Born in 1875, Innitzer grew up in a poor family. After leaving school he had to work in textile factories to assure the survival of the family. With the support of a local dean he was able to enter the college, then the seminary and the university. He was ordained a priest in 1902. After a short period of pastoral work he returned to the seminary, where he was vice-rector and later rector. Because Innitzer was not only interested in science but also in social and political matters, chancellor Schober called him into his cabinet and made him minister of social administration. He became archbishop of Vienna in September 1932 and cardinal in March 1933. After the end of the Austrian state and the violent "Anschluß" in 1938, Innitzer assumed a somewhat naive role. He paid the Führer a courtesy visit and signed, together with other Austrian bishops, a document written by Gauleiter Bürckel, in which the Austrian episcopacy advises the population to vote for the "Anschluß" in the referendum waiting to be held. Reality soon caught up with the cardinal. In October 1938 Innitzer gave a homily in the cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna, where he told the listeners, that there is only one "führer": Christ. The Nazis took this as an insult to the Hitler. After the mass the cardinal repeated the speech outside of his episcopal palace. Hundreds of catholic youths were there, cheering and applauding. Again, this upset the Nazis and they sent some Hitler-youth shock troops, who were supposed to rough up the crowd and make them go home. The situation escalated so badly, that finally the Nazis stormed the episcopal palace, in which the cardinal and some other priests hid. The Hitler-youth sacked and devastated all rooms. What they didn’t steal, they smashed to pieces or tore apart. The cardinal was able to escape through an underground tunnel system into the cathedral, but one of his curates was thrown out of the window. If you scroll back up to the portrait of caridnal Nagl, you can see some slashes in the canvas. They were inflicted by daggers during the devastation of the palace. Shortly after this event the Catholic press and Catholic societies were forbidden. In 1940 Innitzer erected a bureau in the archiepiscopal palace, officially called "welfare organization for non-arian catholics". This organization saved the lives of many jews. Despite all that Innitzer remained a controversial figure due to his naive behavior in the early phase of the Nazi occupation. Even today his life and work are being discussed in numerous publications.

5.) Cardinal König

He was born in 1905 and died in 2004. Archbishop of Vienna from 1956 until 1985. In the 1970s he worked, together with Austrian Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, towards a reconciliation between socialism and the Catholic Church. Within the Church, he was mainly concerned with questions of ecumenism. Nice photo, though.

I might be totally wrong here...

2005-11-13T05:41:00.000-08:00

... but while in Germany a couple of weeks ago, I overheard a discussion of some people in a cafe about the rapid success of the HI-virus in Africa and the vital role of the Catholic Church concerning the issue. The point on which everybody seemed to agree was something that might be summed up as: "Yeah, it's obvious that everybody in Africa has aids, because the Church says nobody should use condoms."

I didn't really pay attention to what every individual had to contribute to the discussion afterwards. I paid my coffee and walked home. The phrase with the condoms though still sort of ligered around in my head. And then it struck me. "Wait a minute!" I thought. "On the one hand you have Catholics that are willing to follow the Church's teaching and demands as far as to the point where they endanger their lives directly. 'We are not supposed to use condoms, but we still want to have sex. So let's just do it without'. On the other hand you have the same Church teaching the same people that they should not have sex outside of marriage and not if it doesn't serve reproduction. Following this teaching, the people would not risk their lives but would only have to learn to control their desire. Why would these people listen to the Church in the first case and not in the latter?" So something doesn't quite make sense there, does it?

"But it is ruthless to not allow condoms, when you know what evil might result in it," I hear some on the people in the cafe cry. Right. Because everybody knows that the HI-virus is transmitted by absent rubber skins, not by sexual intercourse.

"But," some might argue. "They are human beings after all. So they just have to have sex every now and then." Well, they also have to stay alive. So, have I missed the re-definition of "man" from "rational animal" to "lust-controlled shag-robot", or what is going on?

Just wondering...

If this doesn't scare you ...

2005-11-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

... then nothing will.

I know it is a long read, but check out Theodore Dalrymple's article The Barbarians at the Gates of Paris in the City Journal. It was published in the Autumn of 2002! Take a look at Paris today and tell me that we don't need to pray for Europe and Christianity.

What else will it take to finally open the eyes of the preachers of multiculturalism, "tolerance" (read: indifference, if not apathy), liberalism etc.?

Rome wasn't build in a day...

2005-11-01T23:47:00.000-08:00

... and I am afraid it might take more than 24 hours to at least get an idea of what this city is about. So forgive my laziness during the past weeks, I just wasn't able to turn my feelings and thoughts into words.

I took some very extensive walks through the city. This created pizza-size blisters on my spoiled feet, because they are used to asphalt, not copplestone. I neglected the "2500 years and still rocking"-monuments so far and concentrated more on the churches and palazzi. I have always been very interested in the Eternal City and spent a lot of time reading books about its history (only from the 1st to the 18th century, though). When I dig my way through the hordes of Europe-travelling baseball caps, that by their inaccurate and sloppy grasping of this peacefully pulsating beauty degrade it to a mere cold historical corpse. Or when I almost trip over salesman from every imaginable country and ethical/cultural background, who are offering fake Louis Vitton, Ray Ben or Rolex or not so fake plastic crap on the streets. Or when I enter a church where I see electronic candles burning in front of one side-altar, while in front of another an indescribably horrid peace of clay resembling some Biblical scene is presented as the visible proof of the connection between church and art. When any of this happens, I sometimes get the strange feeling, that there exists an invisible second population in Rome. Prelates, coachmen, artists, beggars, courtesans, Swiss chocolate manufacturers, German writers, muggers and sbirri, who all press themselves against the walls, intimidated and confused and ask 'What have you done to our city, and why don't you just give it back to us?'

Ah well, you have to take what you get, I suppose.

The Angelicum is a nice place. Most of the students are men from the USA or sisters from Africa. Studying might actually proove to be less hard than I feared, which is good, because I want to keep this short and sweet. Being as old and grey as I am, you don't want to waste any time on your way to becoming a priest.

An interesting thing I found out the other day is, that if you do not want the sometimes fairly surly romans to give you any grief, it is best to leave a first impression that says 'I want this and that and I am willing to kick butt if I don't get it right here and right now!'. That makes most of the cab-drivers and shopkeepers think you are a kindred spirit and so they will treat you with some respect, if not kindness.

As for the Roman traffic: It is not an urban myth, it is everything you ever heard about it and more. Let me put it this way: Never in my entire life have I NOT been run over by a car so many times. It amazes me every day, that I am not up to my hip in smashed cars, pulverized motorbikes and strangely twisted corpses while I walk through Rome.

That's it for now. If you got any tips (restaurants, antique book stores, the best coffee in town etc.), let me know!

Canons in Cappa

2005-10-17T02:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice article (in Italian, though) about canons in Paterno/Sicily, who had the right to wear the cappa magna. Every year on Good Friday they would have a procession through the streets of the town during which the trains of the Cappae would just trail on the ground behind the canons. Toghether with the matching zucchetto, stockings and buckled shoes this must have been some sight. And if I get it right (with my limited Italian and the not always reliable help of the Google Language Tool), the author of the article laments the disappearance of this old and beautiful custom.

Here's a funny one:

2005-10-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

A little episode about a mishap of Josef Cardinal Frings, Cologne:

It was at the end of a solemn pontifical mass in the Cologne cathedral. Cardinal Frings, already vested in cappa magna, got up from his throne and took one little step too much. He tripped over some part of his robes, fell, managed to turn in flight so he wouldn't land to harshly and then rolled down the altar stairs, wrapping himself up in the train of his cappa magna. There was a moment of total and complete silence, as the Cardinal was lying in the isle before the altar, tightly wrapped up in scarlet watered silk from neck to feet. I don’t know how many people would have liked to crack a joke or burst out laughing, but, as the man who was Frings’ caudatarius on that day told me, nobody even took a breath. And nobody moved. So in the end the Cardinal himself had to ask the amazed bystanders to snap out of it, to move their be-hinds, to unwrap him and to help him up.

That probably was the day when Frings decided to become more modern and liberal.

Did you know that... (2)

2005-10-11T00:04:00.000-07:00

… the Cappa Magna originally was a horse blanket?

When cardinals rode on horses or – in the early middle ages – on mules (Matthew, 21), they protected the animals against the cold by having their capes made wider, so not only the men, but also the mules were covered. I don’t exactly know when horses started to become 30 feet long, though. Nah, just kidding. The lengthening of the Cappa is, of course, due to the Church’s ability to see something good and make it better.

Here is an excerpt from the “Stanza di Eliodoro” by Raphael. It shows Leo the Great confronting Attila. The confrontation ended with the retreat of the Huns after, with the assistance of God (and of the saints Peter and Paul, which we see above the Pope), Leo convinced Attila that no good would come out of attacking and sacking the defenseless city. If we take a look at Greece, we can only imagine what would have happened to Rome, had the Huns indeed attacked and devastated it.

The face of the Pope is a portrait of Leo X, successor of Julius II, Raphael’s original patron.
Behind the Pope you can see two cardinals on horseback. Their capes are covering the horses as well. There you have an early form of the Cappa Magna. During the time of Leo X. long trains were already in use, though.

Gone to Rome...

2005-10-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

sorry for not posting lately, but I went to Rome to start my studies and things are kind of busy right now. I know the internet is a very fast medium and most of you guys probably already think I'm dead. Well I'm not and I will be posting stuff soon. So don't give up! Come back in a couple of days/weeks and get the the newest, the freshest, the hippest directly from Rome (no, not from the Loggia, sorry).

Photos of the Month (09/2005, part 2)

2005-09-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

A blast from the past….

Here are four men from a time when you really could call a cardinal a prince of the church without inviting the wrath of the usual suspects (or the prelate himself, for that matter). They prove that in the fine arts there is no such thing as over-dramatization and that a Cappa Magna makes any man, who is allowed to wear it, look impressive, no matter if he is old or young, corpulent or slim, standing or sitting.

Andre-Hercule Cardinal Fleury (France, 1653-1742), chaplain of Louis XIV, tutor of the young Louis XV, prime-minister of France from 1723 (never officially assumed that title), one of the most influential spirits in French politics during his time.

Armand-Gaston-Maximilien Cardinal de Rohan de Soubise (France, 1674-1749), prince-bishop of Straßburg, builder of the magnificent „Palais de Rohan“, grand-uncle of the famous and notorious „Cardinal Collier“.

Alberico Cardinal Archinto (Italy, 1698-1758); nuncio in Florence and Dresden, secretary of state and vice-chancellor of Benedict XIV

Adam Ignacy Cardinal Komorowski (Poland, 1699-1759), primate of Poland, defended the Polish Church against powers in the state that questioned her juridical competence.

Does this seem weird?

2005-09-26T00:29:00.000-07:00

While riding my dad’s car through Düsseldorf during my last visit to Germany, I heard a song on the radio. It was called “Falsche Freunde” (false friends). It was a “German Hip-Hop” kind of tune and the lyrics were all about friends that keep bumming smokes without ever having cigarettes to return the favor, friends that talk bad about your new haircut behind your back although they told you they like it, friends that like your new girlfriend a little more than they should. You get the idea.

And then suddenly there was this one line: “Falsche Freunde, die die falschen Parteien wählen.” (False friends that vote for the wrong parties). First I just smiled and thought it was sort of clever to have a line like that in a song that was published two weeks before the election in Germany.

Then I thought again and it suddenly struck me: How can a party be wrong? If you live in a democracy, then any party up for election has been examined thoroughly and you can be sure that whatever their program is, it is not anti-constitutional. This means you can only have other parties, but not wrong parties. So what are we talking about here? Is it just a bunch of guys that wrote a text that isn’t very well thought-out? Or is it a song written in order to make you believe that you can only vote for this or that party without being considered totally backwards, totally antisocial or totally un-PC?

Or does this run deeper? Is it possible that all these people that always say that democracy is the best form of government aren’t so sure of this at all and wish that those parties that do not share their opinion of how a state has to be run weren’t up for election at all? And if this is the case, what does it tell us about the understanding of democracy that these people have?

My ten favorite arguments against the Cappa Magna...

2005-09-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

...and the explanation why I love them so much

10.: It is medieval
If you consider that historically/culturally the middle ages ended in the early/mid 16th century (at the latest) and the cappa magna as we know it today was introduced in 1464 and never officially abolished afterwards, 30 feet of scarlet watered silk are as medieval as a Corpus Christi Procession.

9.: It is expensive
So are the computers that certain people use to operate blogs in which they ridicule friendly, generous and Catholic Bishops and Cardinals, who were caught wearing the Cappa Magna. So the “sell the unnecessary stuff and donate the money to some good cause”-mantras only seem to hit home so much, don’t they, guys? At least Pell or Burke don’t insult people with gruesomely ignorant weblogs. Then again, they don’t have to. They got a life and probably way more attention than they want sometimes.

8.: It is unbiblical
I don’t think I even have to comment on that, do I?

7.: It is pure splendor
Exactly!

6.: It is self-aggrandizing
And it is therefore in stark contrast to the aforementioned self-righteous snipers who with childish slander and blatant sarcasm unjustly judge those they don’t understand, and consider themselves the self-anointed future of pure and clean Catholic Christianity.

5.: It is out of touch with the people
Yep. I had the opportunity to witness the “Out-of-Touchness” of Cardinal Pell in Germany. Man, was I mad when I saw the smiles on the faces of the Juventutem youngsters, as they greeted the Cardinal, who was leaving the church in his Cappa Magna. And what does this arrogant, haughty prince of the church do? He dares to shake hands and exchange some pleasant and humorous words with these kids. Booh! Shame on you, George!

4.: It is ridiculous
When in a teenager’s autograph-book someone writes “beauty is only in the eye of the beholder” everyone is down on their knees, shedding tears because of so much insight and truth. When men who are at peace with their faith, men who do not have to go down into the cellar if they want to laugh, men who do not have to take a poll before they decide what to wear, when those men demonstrate their love for Christ and his Church by adding a little more style and beauty, and this expression of joy is seen as ridiculous, then the defect is supposed to be with the wearer of the garment? Yeah, right! And even if you argue (as I would) that it is not beauty, but only preference, that is in the eye of the beholder: Well, if you’d rather prefer no Cappa, don’t use one and don’t go to a place where one is used.

3.: Is is a sign of triumphalism
If you believe that this feeling of triumph is in no way related to what happened 2000 years ago but only means: “Hey, I can dress way nicer and occupy way more space than you losers!” the problem, again, seems to be pretty much on your side.

2.: It is for fussy youngsters that cannot stop living in a past they didn’t even know
The fussy youngsters that seemed to have quite enjoyed Cardinal Pell entering the Church in the Cappa Magna also were the kids who knew the Latin Vespers by heart, who sang with loud and beautiful voices, who behaved with utter dignity and who were altogether a totally pleasant crowd to be with. In my lifetime I have spent way too much time with people who will gladly use any argument against what they think is too much splendor or too much pride or just too much. The only memories I have of those people are bitter faces, a lack of a sense of humor and an ostentatious holier-than-thou attitude. So, please, give me fussy anytime. These kids know what they are doing and why they are doing it.

1.: It is effeminate/unmanly/queer
Of course this has to be #1! In an age where art refuses to depict reality, and where pure beauty is seen as evil, where else would you go, if you see an elderly, maybe even overweight and rosy-cheeked man wearing lace and watered silk? Back into your closet? Rather not. Someone might find you there while you are not officially protesting against all things presumably gay. So cock the gun and fire away. As long as you do not find yourself at the receiving end of the prejudice, you’re fine. And as long as you point the finger and keep on yelling, you might escape the uneasy silence that will force you to think about the real reasons behind the uncomfortable feeling you get, whenever you see a prelate in Cappa Magna.

This is only a warm up. I will describe my experiences with the “Pro-Cappa” and the “Con-Cappa” crowds in a slightly longer essay later. Those of you who already feel sick: Better stay away. It won’t get more pleasant. Those of you who want more: Stay tuned! Those of you who grumble ‘Who is this a-hole and why does he think anybody is interested in his two cents?’: I don’t have the foggiest.

Photos of the Month (09/2005)

2005-09-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

I don’t know who these guys are. The photos are sort of an attic-find. Whoever took them is long dead and whoever owned them afterwards didn’t have a clue as to the who and where. But I just love the birds-eye-view of the Cappa Magna, so I thought I should share these snapshots with you.

Did you know that... (1)

2005-09-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

… the Cappa Magna is never worn together with gloves?

“Wait a minute!” I hear some of you say. “I have seen photographs of cardinals or bishops in Cappa Magna processing through a crowd of people, blessing them with hands in gloves!” I know, I have seen pictures like that myself. The rule isn’t very strict and I don’t think anybody will really pay attention to it, especially nowadays, when the Cappa Magna is hardly used anymore and liturgical errors are more than common. The correct form though would be to omit the gloves when you are wearing the Cappa.

Bishop Josef Stangl of the diocese of Würzburg in Germany. He was bishop from 1957 until 1979. He is wearing a nice Cappa Magna of purple silk, which is strange, since bishops were supposed to wear purple wool. But as I have heard from a indeed well informed "Vaticanist" there is about a million privileges still active even today in the Catholic Church, so why not purple silk for a bishop? And Stangl does look good, except for the gloves. They are nice, too, but they are just no supposed to be worn with the Cappa. So even before Vatican II liturgical regulations obviously weren't obeyed that strictly.

A happy Cardinal Tettamanzi during his time as Archbishop of Genova. In his Genova years Tettamanzi liked to use the Cappa Magna every now and then. And he even does so without gloves.

So why another catholic blog?

2005-09-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

During my recent visits on several blogger-pages I found a growing interest in the either beloved or hated Rolls-Royce of the non-liturgical vestments of the Catholic Church: The Cappa Magna.

Since I am a sucker for superfluous beauty and do in no way consider the Cappa Magna to be ridiculous or unmanly or a waste of space and money or a relict of times gone by or whatever argument-du-jour tries to speak against its use, I decided to open up this blog as

a) a point of information about the Cappa Magna (I am by no means an expert but I found out interesting little details and read funny little stories that I might post during the next weeks)

b) a safe haven for everybody who wants to talk about how much and why he or she likes the Cappa Magna

c) a photo series in which I will present some of the nicer pictures of my vast collection of Cappa Magna-photographs

Although the Cappa Magna and related stuff might be the focus in the early stages of this blog, it does not mean that I will not find other topics to write about. Since in the future I might write about pretty much everything that is on my mind, it is likely that I will incur the anger of some readers. If I do, feel free to drop a comment. If you do so, please keep this in mind: I really do appreciate ostentatious display of semantics and edoocayshun, but pleasepleaseplease, while you are at it, try to add a little information, too. There’s nothing more boring and annoying than a critic who tries to flame folks with his style and panache and then forgets to say something. Oh, by the way: If you want to write a comment, telling me how swell I am, that’s cool, too.

I will not write daily just to make people think I have something to say. I will write when there is something to write about.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for: “My ten favorite arguments against the Cappa Magna (and the explanation why I love them so much)”