Not-So-Wise Men

Messer Antonio da Venafra used to say very rightly, "Put six or eight wise men together, and they become so many madmen." The reason is that whenever they disagree on any matter, they would rather argue than resolve it.
Francesco Guicciardini, Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi).

Middle Ages

James Hannam, God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science.

"God's Philosophers tells the unknown story of medieval science. It shows how Copernicus's sun-centred universe, Kepler's optics and Galileo's mechanics all owed their inspiration and much of their detail to medieval antecedents. You will meet fascinating characters and hear their stories, including the tragic love affair of Abelard and Heloise, the burning of the astrologer Cecco D'Ascoli, the family disasters of Jerome Cardan and the trial of Galileo.

God's Philosophers debunks many myths about the Middle Ages. Medieval people did not think the earth was flat, nor did Columbus 'prove' that it is a sphere. Everyone already knew. The Inquisition burnt nobody for their scientific ideas, nor was Copernicus afraid of persecution. No Pope tried to ban human dissection or the number zero. Medieval thinkers were not uncritical slaves to Aristotle. The Middle Ages were an era of invention and rapid technological change. For example, spectacles, the mechanical clock and the windmill were all invented in thirteenth century Europe. Ideas from the Far East, like printing, gunpowder and the compass were taken further by Europeans than the Chinese had imagined possible. Historians now utterly reject the idea that science and religion have been locked in a great conflict throughout history.

God's Philosophers shows how the Church supported but also set boundaries for science in the Middle Ages. Many of the most significant contributors to medieval science became bishops or cardinals. Many people today still believe that heavy objects fall faster than light ones and that vacuums suck. In God's Philosophers, you will not only learn the truth about physics, but also how medieval scholars overturned the false wisdom of ancient Greece to lay the foundations of modern science."

Doing the Job

Some cuts have been justified, there has been over-staffing, "but there are also examples, most obviously in local and regionalism papers, where cuts have reduced the possibility of reporters doing their jobs and ended the papers' ability to act as watchdogs.

"Justice in some courts is no longer being seen to be done. Police forces, having already erected a defensive PR screen to keep the press at bay, now find that there is little journalistic probing to worry about.

"Crime is covered, forming a disproportionate part of local paper editorial agendas, but only in the most superficial way, as a series of fear-inducing sensationalist events, lacking in any analysis. These are routinely spoon-fed to reporters down the phone."

[Roy Greenslade]

UN Circus

The United Nations General Assembly: The greatest show on Earth, starring Barack Obama, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Muammar Gaddafi.

Verification vs Assertion

This is fact-based news, sometimes called the "news of verification" as opposed to the "news of assertion" that is mostly on display these days in prime time on cable news channels and in blogs.

Traditional journalists have long believed that this form of fact-based accountability news is the essential food supply of democracy and that without enough of this healthy nourishment, democracy will weaken, sicken, or even fail.

(Alex S Jones, Losing the News: The Future of the News That Feeds Democracy)

Big Ben (Remix)

"Go and repair my house, which you see is falling down!"

Priests rebellious to authority and magisterium, bishops incapable to govern, cardinals opposing the Vatican . . .

Now it's undoubtedly clear that the only salvation for the Catholic Church comes from Pope Benedict XVI.

He, and only he, can repair the house.

With words like these,

The particular identity of priests and laity must be seen in the light of the essential difference between priestly ministry and the 'common priesthood.' Hence it is important to avoid the secularisation of clergy and the 'clericalisation' of the laity. In this perspective, the lay faithful must undertake to give expression in real life - also through political commitment - to the Christian view of anthropology and the social doctrine of the Church. While priests must distance themselves from politics in order to favour the unity and communion of all the faithful, thus becoming a point of reference for everyone.

Hurrah!

Bohos with Italian Salsa

Scapigliatura, Milan's version of Paris's artistic Bohême.

Like the bohemians, the Scapigliati were against the church, the establishment, the bourgeoisie and tradition, and in favor of individualism, hedonism, sexual freedom, drunkenness and general degeneracy. [NYT]

Golf Applied to Life

Drive for show, putt for dough.

Morality, Corruption and Italy

'The object of this work is to defend the morality of the Catholic Church from the charges brought against it in the 127th chapter of "The History of the Italian Republics during the Middle Ages," published by Sismondi.

The attempt is there made to prove that the alleged corruption of Italy was partly derived from this system of morality. I am convinced that this system is the only holy and reasonable one, and that corruption arises from not knowing it, from disobeying it, or from misunderstanding it, and that it is impossible to find one valid argument against it.'

(Alessandro Manzoni, Observations on Catholic Morality, 1819)

[Full text]

Big Mistake

"Today the Church has made a big mistake, turning the clock back 500 years with guitars and popular songs. I don't like it at all. Gregorian Chant is a vital and important tradition of the Church and to waste this by having guys mix religious words with profane, Western songs is hugely grave, hugely grave."

(Ennio Morricone, "the god of film soundtracks")

[ZENIT]

His Duty

Giovanni Papini, The Letters of Pope Celestine VI to All Mankind, translated from the Italian by Loretta Murnane:

My brothers,
my sons,
I CAN be silent no longer. Already I have waited too long. The infinite sorrow of the world curdles and ferments in my paternal heart and bids me give voice to its utterance. If he who is the representative of Christ on earth does not speak, who then shall speak?

I hear murmurings, whispers, arguments, cries, ravings, but nowhere do I hear one word that issues from the pure light of the spirit, that flows from the warm blood of the heart.

Already I have waited too long. I blush that I have delayed until today. The weight of old age, the burden of anxiety, the little delays from too great a human caution, the obstacles of that reason which in Apocalyptic times is patent stupidity in the eyes of God, the fear of being misunderstood these are not enough to condone my procrastination.

I have suffered, and am suffering; I have been in anguish, and I am in anguish because of the passions of men. My nights are sleepless, my days have forgotten hunger, my lips no longer know how to smile. In the silence of my palace, I have listened, trembling, to the sighs, groans, convulsive sobbings, outcries, shrieks, and even the blasphemies of all the wretched, tormented souls persecuted and dying in all the lands and on all the seas. But of what avail are my daily, solitary tears to the lacerated, the amputated, the despoiled, the poisoned, the bereft?

Humanity is confounded, confused, almost upside down, and entombed. And, however unworthy, should the viceroy of Him who shed His blood for the salvation of men remain silent? I am nothing now but a meager instrument of bone covered by scant flesh and withered skin; I have no other patrimony than a bleeding heart; no other weapon than my shepherd's staff, and my voice that is weakened by the years and by anguish. But I must speak; it is my duty, and I will speak.

[Full text]

The Index

450 years ago, the first Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("Index of Forbidden Books"), published during the reign of Pope Paul IV in 1559.

'If It Bleeds, It Leads'

10 Ugly truths about modern journalism [10,000 Words]

1. The stories that are published are the stories that sell
The reason you're more likely to read about a shooting spree than a library opening is because with dwindling resources, broadcasters and print publications must devote their time to stories that will grab the most attention. Hyperlocal sites like EveryBlock have stepped up to fill the void, but the phrase "if it bleeds, it leads" has never been truer.

2. Many stories are not copy edited
In the age of layoffs and buyouts, many of the first people to go in the newsroom are the copy editors, the people ensure that published stories are accurate and well-written. Without copy editors, many stories, especially those that appear online, are being published without first being checked for spelling and grammar. These errors are becoming even more frequent and are a mark of credibility against the news outlet.

3. Many stories come from wire services
Years ago, newspapers were brimming with stories written by staff reporters about national and international issues. As these reporters are being downsized, more of the national stories that appear in the local paper are written by wire services like Reuters and the Associated Press, meaning a lack of diverse voices covering any given issue.

4. Some journalists are driven by awards
The great majority of journalists gravitate to the profession to spread the news to as many people as possible and enlighten the communities they cover. There are also some journalists who write stories not for readers, but with the intent of winning big name awards like Pulitzers and Emmys. Though they may not openly admit it, some stories are written to gain the adoration of other journalists rather than to empower readers.

5. Journalists are biased
There is no such thing as unbiased...it is humanly impossible. While journalists often strive to make sure their stories are as unbiased as possible, many cover particular subjects or issues because they feel particularly strong about them.

6. Some journalists use Wikipedia
Although the use of Wikipedia is frowned upon in many newsrooms because of its perceived unreliability, many reporters do use the wiki as a source and unverified facts that appear on the site sometimes make their way into news stories. Such was the case with the obituary of French composer Maurice Jarre. Many newspapers published a quote found on his Wikipedia page that was never uttered by Jarre himself, but was added to the page by a then 22-year-old university student.

7. There is no big conspiracy
Not so much an ugly truth, but a truth some refuse to accept. There are a growing number of critics who decry the media for collectively and intentionally pushing either the liberal or conservative agenda (which agenda depends on who you ask). The truth is such a coordinated effort does not exist and most publications are made up of individual journalists with a wide of variety of interests and (you guessed it) political leanings.

8. Many journalists have side projects
In the golden age of journalism, reporters could dedicate themselves exclusively to their work in the newsroom when there was no fear of being sudden layoffs. But when a pink slip could come at a moment's notice and paychecks are becoming increasingly smaller, many more journalists are writing books, creating blogs, consulting, and anything that can build their personal brand or bring in a few extra dollars.

9. Entertainment stories rule
When journalists lament the "death" of journalism, they are often referring to the big investigative pieces that expose politicians and bring to light previously uncovered issues. The reality is, the most popular stories on news sites are often not investigative pieces, but entertainment stories and celebrity news. Paris Hilton can often drive more traffic than the president.

10. No one has the answers
Everyone is looking for the savior of journalism and the solution to the industry's problems. Social networking, paywalls, restructuring and micropayments have all been suggested as the key to saving journalism, but anyone who says they have a definite answer is delusional or misinformed. Together we will try to do everything to ensure journalism's future, but what exactly that magic solution is remains to be seen.

Cool Tees

[10,000 Words]

Spiritual Heart of Europe

The 1100th anniversary of the French Benedictine abbey of Cluny, founded in 909/910. [CNA, ZENIT]

St. Berno and twelve monks founded Cluny in the woods of Burgundy, and the result was the most powerful monastic family that had so far existed in the Church.

(Thomas Merton, The Waters of Siloe)

Self-Demolition

The Church is in a disturbed period of self-criticism, or what would be better called self-demolition. It is an acute and complicated upheaval which nobody would have expected after the Council. It is almost as if the Church were attacking herself. (Pope Paul VI, Speech to the Lombard College in Rome, December 7, 1968)

"Esteemed brothers, in the decades following the Second Vatican Council, some interpreted the openness not as a demand flowing from the missionary ardor of the Heart of Christ, but as a step toward secularization, perceiving there certain strong Christian values, such as equality, liberty, solidarity. They showed themselves ready to make concessions and discover areas of cooperation. We witnessed the interventions of some ecclesiastical officials in ethical debates, which responded to the expectations of public opinion, but which failed to speak of certain essential truths of the faith, such as sin, grace, theological life and the last things. Without realizing it, many ecclesial communities fell into self-secularization. Hoping to charm those who were not joining, they saw many of their members leave, cheated and disillusioned. When our contemporaries come to us, they want to see something that they do not see elsewhere, namely, joy and the hope that springs from the fact that we are with the Risen Lord.

"At present there is a new generation born in this secularized ecclesial environment who, instead of looking for openness and consensus, see how the gap between society and the positions of the magisterium of the Church, especially in the ethical field, is ever greater. In this desert lacking God, the new generation feels a great thirst for transcendence."

(Pope Benedict XVI, ZENIT)

Antagonism

'A more common opinion is that the crisis in the Church is due to a failure to adapt to a progressing modern civilization and that the crisis should be overcome by an opening or, in the expression of John XXIII, an aggiornamento of the spirit of religion, bringing it into harmony with the spirit of the age.

It should be remembered in this regard that the Church penetrates the world from its very nature as its leaven, and it can be seen historically to have influenced every facet of the world's life: did it not prescribe even such things as calendars and food? So great did this influence become that the Church was accused of encroaching on temporal matters to the point where a purging or removal of its influence was allegedly needed. The fact is, that the Church's adaptation to its circumstances in the world is a law of its being, established by a God who Himself condescended to become man, and it is also a law of history, shown by the Church's continually increasing or decreasing influence on the world's affairs.

This adaptation, however, which pertains to the very nature of the Church, does not consist in the Church's conforming itself to the world: Nolite conformari huic saeculo, but rather in adjusting its own contradiction of the world to various historical circumstances; changing that inevitable contrariety without setting it aside. Thus, when confronted with paganism, Christianity displayed an opposing excellence of its own, overcoming polytheism, idolatry, the slavery of the senses and the lust for fame and power by raising the whole of earthly life to a theotropic goal never even imagined by the ancients. Nevertheless, in giving expression to their antagonism to the world, Christians lived in the world as beings having an earthly purpose. In the Letter to Diognetus they appear as indistinguishable from pagans in all the ordinary practices of life.

Analogously, when confronted by the barbarians the Church did not adopt barbarism, but clad herself in civilization; in the thirteenth century when confronted with violence and greed she took on the spirit of meekness and poverty in the great Franciscan movement; she did not adopt renascent Aristotelianism but forcefully rejected the doctrines of the mortality of the soul, the eternity of the world, the creativity of the creature and the denial of Providence, thus opposing all the essential errors of the Gentiles. Given the fact that these are the principal tenets of Aristotelianism, scholasticism could be called a dearistotelianizing Aristotelianism. Tommaso Campanella sees an allegorical allusion to this process in the cutting of the hair and nails of the fair woman taken prisoner. Later still, the Church did not adapt to Lutheran subjectivism by subjectivizing Scripture and religion in general, but by reforming, that is, formulating anew, her own principle of authority. Lastly, in the nineteenth century storms of rationalism and scientism, she did not adjust by watering or narrowing down the deposit of faith but by condemning the principle of the independence of reason. When the subjectivist impulse reappeared in Modernism, the Church did not accept it either but blocked it and reproved it.

One can therefore conclude to a general rule that while Catholicism's antagonism to the world is unchanging, the forms of the antagonism change when the state of the world requires a change in that opposition to be declared and maintained on particular points of belief or in particular historical circumstances. Thus the Church exalts poverty when the world (and the Church herself) worships riches, mortification of the flesh when the world follows the enticements of the three appetites, reason when the world turns to illogicality and sentimentalism, faith when the world is swollen with the pride of knowledge.

The contemporary Church, by contrast, is on the lookout for "points of convergence between the Church's thinking and the mentality characteristic of our time."'

(Romano Amerio, Iota Unum: A Study of Changes in the Catholic Church in the Twentieth Century)

Yeah

"It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it."

(Faith No More, We Care A Lot)

Big Ben

The editor of the Italian bishops' daily Avvenire, Dino Boffo, has resigned following newspaper revelations about his private life.

The Church of Benedict XVI earns points in "moral authority" category.