Comments
RE: Radiohead: Together in the Alone
Thanks for the kind words, Paul! It was fun writing the piece if only because it gave me the chance to revisit the Radiohead catalogue. I wasn't aware Yorke had borrowed from Dante, but the source doesn't surprise me. (Do you remember the passage, by any chance?) I vaguely recall Yorke citing the Tibetan Book of the Dead as an influence on Amnesiac's lyrics in general, if not Pyramid Song specifically, but Dante makes a lot of sense to me -- especially since the album at times sounds like a fiery descent to hell (Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors, for example). Thanks for the heads-up!
RE: What the Presidential Election Reveals About the American Soul
I've come to the party a tad late here, but just wanted to add my two bits. A friend of mine (now a priest) cited Albacete as one of the primary forces behind his conversion. Referring to Albacete, he told me that "to deny Christ would be to deny this man."
In some ways that's the logical extension of Hertzberg's comment that he didn't believe in God, but he believed in Albacete. The Msgr's "Good enough" retort is classic, of course, but I think my friend's insight was more profound than Hertzberg's: we encounter Christ in our relationships with others. To deny Christ would be to deny Albacete, and to deny Albacete is to deny his sense of the world, which is joyfully infused by Christ's message.
RE: America: Encounter the Pope
Thanks, Harold! I really appreciate it. You can be sure that I'll be praying for all my fellow spies, as well.
RE: The Pope's Birthday Party
I didn't catch sight of Maher, but there was definitely a small but vocal contingent of demonstrators. I have footage of one poor fellow with a megaphone detailing why Catholics aren't real Christians while sort of aimlessly wandering around an empty patch of grass with nobody listening except for me. Wrong venue, I guess.
RE: America: Encounter the Pope
Ah, thanks mom! Don't worry, the weather's pretty warm out here and I have the sunburn to prove it. (I know, I know, I should've worn sunscreen...)
RobertsDavid -- I haven't heard mention of that, though he's obviously not shirking the scandals in the press. The pope is accused of 'empty words' by his detractors, but I don't see why a meeting with victims wouldn't prompt an accusation of 'empty gestures' from the same detractors.
If he did meet with them, or some, or even one, would it help with the healing process? I obviously couldn't say. Remember when JPII met with his would-be assassin one-on-one and forgave him? This would almost be like the opposite -- a personal plea for forgiveness by the pope on behalf of the Church.
I really don't know how he should handle it, and that makes reason #2,485 on my long list of reasons why I wouldn't want to be pope. It's a tough job.
RE: Close to Benedict at the Basilica
I feel for ya, Panther. Hopefully my coverage will help give you a sense of what it's like to be there, and as RobertsDavid pointed out it's all over the TV! But it's a great honor to be present at the events and participate with everyone giving high-spirited witness to the faith.
