Tag: pope francis

Since when does the Pope meet with porn stars?

Crux is running a quickie story headlined Pope meets two American stars: Angelina Jolie and Cardinal Burke; and the picture featured is of the Pope shaking hands with a smiling, decorously attired Jolie, who was in town to promote her film Unbroken. 

Jolie has … said the experience of making the film has reopened her to the idea of the divine, if not any specific religious faith.

…

In a statement, Jolie called the chance to present the film at the Vatican “an honor.”

My general impression of Angelina Jolie is that (a) she grew up in Hollywood, and it’s a miracle she’s even human at this point; (b) she is mixed up about a lot of things, but seems to be trying hard to be a decent human being and a good mother, and seems to want to take advantage of her celebrity to do good, as she sees it; and (b) she sure is pretty.

Of course, the Pope meets with people constantly, every day, all year long, so I didn’t think a little handshake is a story to get worked up over either way.

NOT SO THE INTERNET! NOT SO!  Here’s a thread I saw on Facebook under a link to the Crux story:

 

jolie pope

Yarr. Two points:

1. Can we save the description “porn star” for people who are porn stars?

2. There is actually some precedent for a representative of the Church meeting with sexy ladies. See:

The_Holy_Bible

image source: Kevin Probst [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Because if there’s one thing we learned from the Gospels, it’s that Jesus would never

. . . Oh, never mind.

It’s silly season for Catholics who bash Francis on climate change

If we want a pro-life message to be part of the conversation on environmental policy, then the Pope must speak.

 

Read the rest at the Register.

I’m speaking at the World Meeting of Families!

Good grief, I totally forgot to tell you!ermahgerd

Don’t ask me how, why, or how, but they asked me to give a presentation at one of the break-out sessions of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in 2015. My fellow Catholic Patheosi Diana von Glahn and Greg Popcak will be there, too!

Look, I’m on the list and everything. Uhh, you may have to scroll down a bit, down to page fourteen, during the lunch hour on the last day, which is where they totally feature the crowd-grabbers. You’ll see it says that my topic is “Go Forth: Evangelization and the Global Community.” I think you’ll agree that this title, while certainly guaranteed to attract attention, sucks. I’m pretty sure that that’s not the title I submitted, but then again, I’m pretty sure I left my turkey sandwich on the kitchen counter, and where is it now, eh?

So, youse  guys gotta help me come up with a better title. Remember, it has to do with families and evangelization, and it has to be about something that I can at least pretend to know about for about forty minutes, and the Pope is totally going to be there. Go!

Have you heard the latest about Cardinal Burke?

I haven’t, and I’ve made it a point not to know what’s going on.

Why not? Because it’s not important to me. Me, as a layman with a job and a family and a personal conscience that keeps me busy enough all by itself. And if you were honest, you’d admit that it really isn’t important to you, either — not unless you work directly for Burke, or are his personal friend and will miss him when he moves to sunny Malta, the lucky son of a gun. It only seems important if you are addicted to following all the ins and outs of a 24-hour religious news cycle that has about as much to do with the Gospel as the schematics for the HVAC system at the Metropolitan Opera House has to do with music.

Read the rest at the Register.

At the Register: Why Does Francis Keep Kissing Hands?

Why would he do it? What message is he sending?

PIC prodigal son icon

At the Register: Doctrine doesn’t change over the phone

Ring-ring.
Hello?
Hi, it’s the Pope, and guess what? It’s OPPOSITE DAY!
From Conversations that didn’t, won’t, and wouldn’t happen, vol. 836

At the Register: Great New Children’s Book about the Papacy (updated with link this time!)

Our Holy Father, the Pope:  The Papacy from Saint Peter to the Present would make a very good addition to the library of any Catholic child.  Quick review here. This week or next, I’ll be doing a few more book reviews of some of the excellent children’s books coming out of Ignatius/Magnificat.

At the Register: Mother Church says, “Yes, you may.”

In which I remind us all that baptism is a beginning, not a trophy for winners; and in which I briefly long for an icon depicting Christ the Sneaker-Upper.

I wish I had worked this in, but do yourself a favor and read Max Lindenman’s short little jewel of an essay, “Catholics Do Not Throw People Away.”

At the Register: When it comes to building a community . . .

choose, don’t drift.

Prepare yourself . . .

for a lot of baleful head shaking over this story from Franciscophobes:  Pope’s Sharp Words Make a Wealthy Donor Hesitate.

Because when people say, “Francis has made me interested in the Church again, and I’m thinking of going to Mass for the first time in twenty years!” then that’s proof that his kind of evangelization is shallow and meaningless.  How do we know they’re the real deal?  (After all, when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, and over 3,000 people were baptized that day, we know for sure that every last one those converts understood and were fully prepared to accept every tiny iota of the Gospel with no reservations and with complete and thorough fervor and sincerity.)

People returning to the sacraments? Pff. That’s the last thing we want.  But we’re talking about losing money here, folks.  MONEY. You see?  You see how the corrosive influence of this hateful man is beginning to play out? Francis the Destroyer strikes again!!!!1!!