The Pope doesn't wear Prada...

... says The Manolo, who found it at Times on Line:

According to Vatican sources the Pope's shoes are made by a cobbler from Novara called Adriano Stefanelli, who makes them from calf or kid for the winter and nappa leather for the summer. Papal shoe repairs are carried out by Antonio Arellano, a Peruvian shoemaker in the Borgo, the medieval quarter next to St Peter's. The article, on "Ratzinger's Liturgical Vestments", was written by Juan Manuel de Prada, the noted Spanish writer and author of The Tempest, who is not related to the fashion company. De Prada said that the image of the German-born Pope as concerned with "frivolity" was at odds with the truth, which was that he was a "simple and sober" man. Suggestions to the contrary were "stupid and banal".

And here I thought Shakespeare wrote The Tempest.

In one of life's coincidences, Novara is the town I was referring to when I wrote this post four years ago.
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I'm still on vacation so instead of the WSj's 5 best books links, please buy Steve's cookbook:

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Not Prada, and definitely not Papal, today's shoes, perfect for the beach:

Pope Benedict's speech at the UN

Late last evening I was discussing with a friend Pope Benedict's speech at the UN.

She, a practicing Catholic, was ver moved by his words.

I, a lapsed Catholic, was not.

And here's the reason why:

I firmly believe that the Declaration of Independence is a moral document because for the first time in the history of mankind a document stated,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Right, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

At the UN, Pope Benedict's position was that human rights derive from a "sense of justice built primarily upon solidarity":

Experience shows that legality often prevails over justice when the insistence upon rights makes them appear as the exclusive result of legislative enactments or normative decisions taken by the various agencies of those in power. When presented purely in terms of legality, rights risk becoming weak propositions divorced from the ethical and rational dimension which is their foundation and their goal. The Universal Declaration, rather, has reinforced the conviction that respect for human rights is principally rooted in unchanging justice, on which the binding force of international proclamations is also based. This aspect is often overlooked when the attempt is made to deprive rights of their true function in the name of a narrowly utilitarian perspective. Since rights and the resulting duties follow naturally from human interaction, it is easy to forget that they are the fruit of a commonly held sense of justice built primarily upon solidarity among the members of society, and hence valid at all times and for all peoples. This intuition was expressed as early as the fifth century by Augustine of Hippo, one of the masters of our intellectual heritage. He taught that the saying: Do not do to others what you would not want done to you "cannot in any way vary according to the different understandings that have arisen in the world" (De Doctrina Christiana, III, 14). Human rights, then, must be respected as an expression of justice, and not merely because they are enforceable through the will of the legislators.

Unfortunately a "sense of justice built primarily upon solidarity" is exactly what generates the mentality where the UN Human Rights Council, and the UN World Conferences Against Racism, continue to condemn Israel and the US.



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Now the Huffington Post presumes to dictate doctrine to the Pope

Pope Should Start "Spiritual Renewal" with Bisexual God because, according to Robert McElvaine,

the Church's positions on them are not based on the teachings of Jesus

If one goes by McElvaine's article, the teachings of the Church are based on the teachings of a a few gnostic "gospels" and a Puerto Rican guy named Heh-SOOS who sells ice cream in Old San Juan, for all he cares.

I know, I know, one shouldn't lapse into sarcasm when reading such crap. Clearly I should see a doctor for a refill of Sarcasma. And pray to Saint Jerome, patron saint of bloggers.

Fortunately for the rest of us, Professor Bainbridge takes up the challenge and gives a well reasoned response:

In order to make that claim, of course, McElvaine has to make a move that puts him outside the mainstream of historical Christianity; namely, he has to argue that the Gospels do not fairly represent the teaching of Jesus. Otherwise, he stumbles over the recorded references to Christ referring to God as "Father." If McElvaine wants to rewrite the Bible, as Thomas jefferson did, he is free to do so. At that point, however, he ceases to be part of what can fairly be called the Christian faith. Instead, he's off in some Gnostic heresy.

Prof. Bainbridge links to Matthew Berke's 1996 essay, which reminds us that

There can be little doubt that, for Judaism, divine parenthood is better symbolized by fatherhood than motherhood, or at least that fatherhood is far less problematic than motherhood. In Genesis, God - like a father - generates outside of Himself. In the creation myth of feminine deities, however, everything emerges from the womb of the Mother God, conveying a sense that the world is an emanation or extension of the divine, and therefore divinized, as in pantheism. But at the very center of Jewish monotheism is the denial of a divinized nature: Nature is good, because God has made it so, but nature is not divine, and human beings are not made of godstuff.

On a side issue, McElvaine presumes to know better, as do others who strive to diminish the importance of men in society. We all need a father, and whether McElvaine, feminist theory, or Heh-SOOS the ice cream vendor like it or not, only a man can be a father. Failing to recognize so has terrible consequences for all.

Following the HuffPo's article, Catholics have stormed their doors and are demanding the beheading of those who insult God.

Oh, wait, maybe not...

The Anchoress is doing an excellent job of covering/commenting on the Pope's visit. Click on the photo for the BBC's story on the Pope's arrival.


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Papal bitterness, Rezkorama update

From IBD, via Beth

Obama's Marxist Underpinnings. Is it any wonder he said what he said?

Before you get all upset over that statement, go read I Guess Adding One And One Is Now Forbidden, where Gaius quotes from the New Republic, that arm of the Vast Right Wing Consipiracy and Military Industrial Complex all in one.

The Chicago Sun Times continues to report on the Auchi-Rezko ties to Obama: Obama on Auchi in his own words and that April 2004 party came up during the Rezko trial. Rezko Witness Leaves New Questions about Obama Real Estate Deal Unanswered. Much more at Rezkorama.

Also don't miss Obama’s Terrorist Ties.

(h/t Larwyn)



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Resurrection and Baptism

Happy Easter to all friends and visitors of this blog.

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On this holy day, Pope Benedict makes a highly significant and symbollic gesture:

At an Easter vigil mass in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday night the Pope baptized Magdi Allam, 55, a Muslim-born convert who is one of Italy's most outspoken journalists.

Allam, a fierce critic of Islamic extremism and a strong supporter of Israel, is protected by a police escort because of threats he has received.

WELL-KEPT SECRET

His conversion to Christianity was a well-kept secret, disclosed by the Vatican in a statement less than an hour before the Easter eve service started on Saturday night.

"For the Catholic Church, each person who asks to receive baptism after a deep personal search, a fully free choice and adequate preparation, has a right to receive it," it said.

Allam defended the pope in 2006 when the pontiff made a speech in Regensburg, Germany, that many Muslims perceived as depicting Islam as a violent faith.

The Vatican statement announcing Allam was joining Catholicism said all newcomers were "equally important before God's love and welcome in the community of the Church".

Allam, who has been living in Italy for 35 years, has said he was never a very devout Muslim. Still, his conversion to Christianity came as a surprise.

"What amazes me is the high profile the Vatican has given this conversion," Yaha Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community, told Reuters.

Gateway Pundit links to the photos

As this article reminds us,

The role of Christian theology is not to reconcile the diversity of 'creeds,' to find in Islam 'Christian seeds' and 'biblical seeds,' to engage in dialogue, but to proclaim the Christian message

The Pope has reaffirmed this role.
(h/t The Baron)

UPDATE
Muslim Converted by Pope Says
Life in More Danger

ROME - An outspoken muslim author and critic of Islamic fundamentalism who converted to Christianity at the hands of Pope Benedict said on Sunday he realised he was in greater danger but he has no regrets.

"I realise what I am going up against but I will confront my fate with my head high, with my back straight and the interior strength of one who is certain about his faith", said Magdi Allam.
...
Writing in Sunday's edition of the leading Corriere della Sera, the newspaper of which he is a deputy director, Allam said: "... the root of evil is innate in an Islam that is physiologically violent and historically conflictual". Allam, who is a strong supporter of Israel and who an Israeli newspaper once called a "Muslim Zionist," has lived under police protection following threats against him, particularly after he criticised Iran's position on Israel.

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This week's WSJ's Five Best Books, selected by Gabriel Schoenfeld:


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This week's shoes: the very pretty Geox Sarah sandal, perfect for showing off a pedicure . . . once the temperatures allow it:

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Pat has the Easter Carnival of the Insanities





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Well, boo friggin' hoo

Jawa Report has the bin Laden audio tape, and "he" is ranting about the Pope.

The Pope?

Yes

Then came the publishing of these drawings, which came in the framework of a new Crusade, in which the Pope of the Vatican has played a large, lengthy role. And all of that is confirmation on your part of the continuation of the war, as well as testing the Muslims and their religion...

Or, as Jawa reminds us,

When did the Pope reference the violence that ensued after the Muhammed cartoons? September 12, 2006.

You can read the whole translation at Jawa, but for the time being I'm wondering if Fidel and Osama are playing canasta together right now.



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Maybe Sarko has been getting my spam, and should the Pope get a makeover?

Sarkozy Takes His Love Life Public

For some reason love's been knocking at my spam door, and got through the filter:
Five of these: "Love Chat - someone that will take your breath away could be here"
Three of these: "Seeking Marriage Tired of dating? Read this."
A couple of these: "You have a secret admirer"
More: "You have an online crush". The crush doesn't seem to want to give up; after I deleted those as spam, some more came telling me that "Unread crush - 1 message waiting."
And then there's: "Ortho Evra Information Did you use the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch?"

In other EU news, Zeffirelli offers Pope a makeover

Franco Zeffirelli, the Italian film, stage and opera director, has said Pope Benedict XVI needs a makeover of his "cold" image and "showy" clothes.

Zeffirelli told La Stampa newspaper that the Pope communicated in a cold way that was little suited to what was happening around him.

These are not times for high tailoring in papal vestments, he said.

He contrasted the relaxed attitude of the late Pope John Paul II to his official attire with that of Benedict.

Lacking his predecessor's charisma, Pope Benedict has taken to wearing some eye-stopping outfits in public, such as a red velvet cape trimmed with ermine, not worn in public since the death of John XXIII in 1963.

Even when he favors all-white, I for one like the ermine cape. It's so... Papal.

Pope Benedict shows a well-turned ankle


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The Pope speaks out on global warming

Last year Pope Benedict caused a big flap by stating NOT TO ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH REASON IS CONTRARY TO GOD'S NATUREa concept that is thousands of years old, and which the doctors of the Church, most prominently Saint Augustine and Saint Theresa of Avila, have highlighted in their writings.

This week the Pope speaks out on reason, again:

Pope Benedict XVI

has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology.

The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement.Particularly,

The 80-year-old Pope said the world needed to care for the environment but not to the point where the welfare of animals and plants was given a greater priority than that of mankind.

Meanwhile, the big pooh-bahs at Bali are saying it's 'Crunch time' for climate change. How's 100,000 tons of CO2 for Global Warming adding to the crunch, one asks?

No wonder Skeptical Scientists Urge World To ‘Have the Courage to Do Nothing’ At UN

"Climate change is a non problem. The right answer to a non problem is to have the courage to do nothing," Monckton told participants.

"The UN conference is a complete waste of our time and your money and we should no longer pay the slightest attention to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,)" Monckton added.

Amen to that.


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