Before I sign off for the holiday I do want to leave you all with a few scattered thoughts.
THE POPE CONTROVERSY CONTINUED
When I first saw the headlines about the Pope and condoms I knew that this was another case of the press running in the wrong direction with a Church story. The secular press is the last place to turn to get accurate stories about the Church, at least where doctrinal issues are concerned. They expect popes to pontificate; to lay down definite laws and airtight regulations that bind the faithfuls' consciences every time they open their mouths. This is one reason why some Vatican officials went batty when John Paul II gave the papal thumbs way up to the The Passion of the Christ by saying "it is as it was." The fear was that people would think that the movie was now a part of the Deposit of Faith, and all 1.1 billion Catholics better get the Special Edition expanded DVD or it's an extra five hundred years in purgatory for them. No, JPII was expressing a personal opinion that the guy he saw the movie with should have had better sense than repeat to the press. We're all free to like or dislike the movie and think that Mel Gibson is a gifted filmmaker who needs to spend some quality time with a head shrinker, and is not the Patron Saint of Tinsel Town.
Part of this mentality has it's roots in the American mind that tends to be somewhat legalistic. So when the Pope came out and made his statements about condoms and prostitutes the press immediately concluded that he was making or changing a rule. It was more that he was applying a basic principle of Catholic ethics to a highly speculative situation. The fictional prostitute in question is so far down the road to perdition that one little piece of latex is not going to save him. The Holy Father was commenting more on the intention behind using the condom than to the value of it's actual use. He's been pretty consistent in stating that condom distribution is not the answer to eliminating AIDS, but rather the humanization of sex. What I found interesting is that some think it was the Church's own press corp that did Benedict the greatest disservice by excerpting that one small section out of a book that covered many other topics. Well, I hope I don't have to come back to this again, because I can see my poor mother squirming at her keyboard having to read about such things.
THE BEATLES ON iTUNES
Last Tuesday, after years of legal wrangling, the Fab Four finally joined the digital age. For the uninitiated, Apple Corp was the record label and conglomerate (an over glorified tax shelter, really) founded by the Beatles in 1968. Even though the band broke up in 1970 the corporate entity lives on and sued Apple Computers for copyright infringement in 1978, and numerous times since, over the computer giant's entry into the music distribution business by way of iTunes. Well, they're all playing nice now, and we're free to get our favorite Beatle tunes in yet another format. Talk show hosts dedicated airtime to it, newspapers had headlines, and there are TV ads about it. While they didn't outsell some current acts, almost a half million albums and 2 million singles in a week ain't bad. Why this continuing fascination with a band that hasn't worked together since Nixon was president? Stay tuned. John Lennon's death anniversary comes up on December 8, and I'll be wrapping up my reflections on him and the Beatles before then.
FT's THOUGHT DREAMS
If you've noticed, I put a link to yet another blog on the top of the page. It leads to a sight containing some of my poetry. I'll only be adding to it every so often, and I won't be publicising or posting it on Facebook. I don't even like reading my own poetry, let alone inflict it on people. But I put it out there for the heck of it, and if you conclude that I need to take a seat next to Mel Gibson at the shrink I won't be offended.
And again, Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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