Controversial John Paul statue looks set for makeover

''I don't understand it at all. He looks more like one of those weird creatures from Star Trek." This is one of the more generous comments made about the recently unveiled statue of John Paul II in Rome. The speaker, Sandra Hillhouse, an American tourist, avoids words such as plug-ugly or monstrosity, and she allows that it does actually look like something. She just does not understand it. Many have said worse. So many that the mayor of Rome has been facing pressure to have the statue modified in some way, if not removed. 

The sculptor, Oliviero Rainaldi, a member of the Pontifical Culture Commission, has himself heard the calls, and will respond. He will make changes to his work, alterations to the statue's neck and head. He insists the changes are "minimal", but he has zeroed in on some of the greatest problem areas: L'Osservatore Romano called the head "excessively spherical"; others opt for "bullet-like." The resemblance to John Paul II is there, but barely. By design: ''I wasn't thinking of getting a resemblance but a work that could synthesize, in the posture of the head and body and the draping of the cloak, the way the pope went out into the world,'' Rainaldi says. 

Hopefully the changes will salvage the work. Rainaldi sounds like a good and earnest man of real faith: it would be nice to see his creation redeemed and this controversy brought to a close.

Fides: Vietnam: The government will release 10 thousand prisoners. A Bishop: "One thinks of those who struggle for freedom, Justice, Democracy"

The Vietnamese government will release 10,000 prisoners on independence day, mostly common criminals. Human rights campaigners, political prisoners, and those targeted for their faith will, for the most part, not be released:

Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) - The President of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang, has ordered the release of 10,000 prisoners on the basis of an amnesty, granted annually on the occasion of National Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 2. According to preliminary information, these people were put in prison for common crimes, and no high-ranking dissident politicians are among those who will be released. There are, however, some representatives who belong to ethnic minorities from the central Highlands of Vietnam. In that area there are, the so-called "Montagnard" (mountain people), who are mainly Christians, and have always been repressed and marginalized by the Vietnamese government and fight for religious freedom and respect for human rights.

Among the 10,535 prisoners who will be released, 11 are foreigners, serving sentences for having committed common crimes. The release of prisoners is a custom on the occasion of Independence Day: 17 thousand of them were released last year, 5,000 in 2009.

Mgr. Paul Nguyen Thai Hop, OP, Bishop of Vinh, and Chairman of the Commission "Justice and Peace" of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam, commented to Fides: "The amnesty is a measure that is repeated every year and is often for prisoners held for crimes regarding security and not for people who are in prison for reasons of conscience. We have not yet the official list of people who will be released. What people are asking us to remember, on this occasion, are those who are imprisoned for political and conscience reasons, people who struggle for freedom, rights, justice, democracy. It is, however, good news that some members of ethnic minorities of the Central Highlands are released". The Justice and Peace Commission of Bishops, he concludes, "is following the situation on human rights, peace and justice in Vietnam with great attention, even in comparison with non-Catholic intellectuals and members of the Communist Party".

The Vietnamese Criminal Code applies the penalty of imprisonment to those who criticize the government publicly. The Vietnamese justice has punished Christian representatives and political groups not recognized by the government with long prison sentences. According to the Commission for Human Rights in Vietnam there are at least 258 political prisoners of conscience in the Vietnamese prisons, detained solely for their ideas. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/08/2011)

From the Office of Readings for August 30: Excerpt from The Imitation of Christ

The Truth of the Lord endures for ever

You thunder your judgements upon me, O Lord; you shake all my bones with fear and dread, and my soul becomes severely frightened. I am bewildered when I realise that even the heavens are not pure in your sight.
 
If you discovered iniquity in the angels and did not spare them, what will become of me? The stars fell from heaven, and I, mere dust, what should I expect? Those whose works seemed praiseworthy fell to the depths, and I have seen those who once were fed with the bread of angels take comfort in the husks of swine.
 
There is no holiness where you have withdrawn your hand, O Lord; no profitable wisdom if you cease to rule over it; no helpful strength if you cease to preserve it. If you forsake us, we sink and perish; but if you visit us, we rise up and live again. We are unstable, but you make us firm; we grow cool, but you inflame us.
 
All superficial glory has been swallowed up in the depths of your judgement upon me.
 
What is all flesh in your sight? Can the clay be glorified in opposition to its Maker?
 
How can anyone be stirred by empty talk if his heart is subject in the truth to God?
 
If a man is subject to truth, possession of the whole world cannot swell him with pride; nor will he be swayed by the flattery of his admirers, if he has established all his trust in God.
 
For those who do nothing but talk amount to nothing; they fail with their din of words, but ‘the truth of the Lord endures for ever’.

Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ

Saint of the Day, August 30: Saint Jeanne Jugan

St. Jeanne Jugan (1792-1879): As a teenager, Jeanne developed a special love for the aged, particularly poor widows. She went door to door collecting money to care for them. Attracting followers with her work, she founded the Little Sisters of the Poor and served as superior.

Saint Jeanne Jugan

Daily Reading, August 30

1 Thes 5:1-6, 9-11

But of the times and moments, brethren, you need not, that we should write to you; For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall so come, as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, peace and security; then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. For all you are the children of light, and children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do; but let us watch, and be sober.

For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but unto the purchasing of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, [Who died for us; that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with him. For which cause comfort one another; and edify one another, as you also do.

Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

The Lord is my light and my salvation,
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the protector of my life:
of whom shall I be afraid?

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

One thing I have asked of the Lord,
this will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life.
That I may see the delight of the Lord,
and may visit his temple.

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

I believe to see the good things of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Expect the Lord, do manfully,
and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord.

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Lk 4:31-37

And he went down into Capharnaum, a city of Galilee, and there he taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his speech was with power.

And in the synagogue there was a man who had an unclean devil, and he cried out with a loud voice, Saying: Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying: Hold thy peace, and go out of him. And when the devil had thrown him into the midst, he went out of him, and hurt him not at all. And there came fear upon all, and they talked among themselves, saying: What word is this, for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they go out? And the fame of him was published into every place of the country.

Carlos Galhardo: Outras mulheres

Farming their way to Mars: Gardeners and chefs likely to join astronauts on first trip to the Red Planet

I hope we can afford this someday, but it really isn't looking good. From the Daily Mail:

Astronauts on the first manned mission to Mars are likely to number horticultural experts and chefs as well as more traditional ex-military personnel.

Supplying enough food for a round trip to the Red Planet is one of the greatest challenges facing mission planners, experts were told yesterday.

[. . .]

Dr Maya Cooper, from Nasa's Space Food Systems Laboratory in Houston, Texas, said a five-year mission to Mars would require almost 7,000lb of food per person.

[. . .]

'We need new approaches. Right now, we are looking at the possibility of implementing a bio-regenerative system that would involve growing crops in space and possibly shipping some bulk commodities to a Mars habitat as well.

'This scenario involves much more food processing and meal preparation than the current food system developed for the space shuttles and the International Space Station.'

Bio-regenerative systems involve growing 'multi-task' plants that not only provide food but also release oxygen for astronauts to breathe, remove the carbon dioxide they exhale, and even purify water.

Nasa expects to launch its first manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.

Photo: NASA; image of Endeavor crater, Mars

Libya: maid of Colonel Gaddafi's daughter-in-law tortured with boiling water

Nice people.

Photo: CNN; Shweyga Mullah, former maid for Aline Gaddafi.

Typhoon shuts down southern Taiwan

Typhoon Nanmadol roared through Taiwan today, after hammering the Philippines as a category 3 typhoon late last week.  Typhoon Manmadol packed sustained winds of up to 85 mph (137 kph) as it blasted the Philippines, killing 12, injuring 21, and driving 14,000 people into evacuation centers. Although downgraded to a category 1 storm before making landfall in Taiwan, the government took the precaution of evacuating 3,000 residents out of the storms path, and deployed 35,000 soldiers to handle all contingencies. In Taiwan, the weakened Nanmadol carried sustained winds of 60 mph and caused substantial flooding. Next stop: China.

Image: Typhoon Nanmadol over the Phillipines; source: NASA

Le Figaro: Iran distances itself from its Syrian ally

A very, very rough translation:

Emissaries from Tehran have held talks in Europe with the opponents of Bashar al-Assad.

It is bad news for the Syrian regime: Iran, its principle ally in the Middle East, is putting distance between itself and Damascus. Even if, Monday, the Iranian minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Akbar Salehi, rejected any change of regime in Damascus,  many high officials in Iran in the past few days have criticized, in a thinly-veiled way, the policy of "total repression" chosen by President Bashar al-Assad against the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who demand his resignation.  "When there is a problem between the people and their leaders, far from violence, there is an obligation to sit down together as a group to reach a solution," declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, last Wednesday.

Damascus is accused by the international community of abuses of force, in the hope of quelling the revolt, which have caused more than 2,200 deaths in the last six months.  "One side should not kill the other," added  the Iranian chief of state, who appealed to "the people and the Syrian government" to  "meet together to reach an agreement." Saturday, Ali Akbar Salehi added that Damascus should respond "rapidly" to the "legitimate demands of the people."

Hezbollah appeals for calm

The principle ally of Iran in the Arab world, Syria is its "window" on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, via Hezbollah of Lebanon. But the Iranian regime is pragmatic. After having logistically aided the Syrian security forces in their repression of the "revolutionaries", Tehran has concluded that, by refusing reforms, Assad has scuttled himself.  According to our information, Iranian officials have met with representatives of the Syrian opposition in a European capital. These emissaries want to know more about  the leaders of this opposition, driven underground the last forty years by the Baath, the ruling party of Syria. They seek to determine as well the strength of Islamists at the oppositions core, the relationships that a new Syrian leadership will form with their ally Hezbollah, and if a compromise with the regime is still possible.

In Beirut, the Shi'ite party has also sought to enter into contact with the Syrian opposition. Friday, their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, appeared distinctly less enthusiastic in the support hitherto given Assad- support which has brought about about an erosion of favor in Arab opinion towards the Shi'ite militia. These approaches made to the opposition constitute a clear message to the Syrian elite. On several occasions, Iran has encouraged them to institute the reforms that would allow them to stay in power. But the Syrian leadership has remained deaf to these appeals. Now time is running out: the Syrian demonstrators and the leaders of the opposition inside the country refuse at this point to accept any compromises. Realistically, these same opponents are not ready, at this juncture, to turn their backs on Iran. "We are rebalancing our relationship with Iran, but we will not adopt an anti-Iranian policy," we were told recently by one of the key figures of the opposition.

"Syria is an important link in the resistance (against Israel, ed.) in the Middle East, and certain parties want to eliminate this link," asserts the Iranian Foreign Minister, in an allusion to the United States and France, who have called for the departure of Assad. It is through Syrian territory that the majority of Iranian arms destined for Hezbollah are conveyed. But today, the Shi'ite militia dreads that a new regime in Damascus will sever this umbilical cord. The impromptu visit on Thursday to Tehran by the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad al-Thani, was intended to encourage the Iranians to distance themselves from Damascus, and to reassure Hezbollah in particular on the outlines of a future Syrian leadership.  Doha enjoys cordial relations with Iran and Hezbollah. Disappointed by its longstanding ally Syria, Qatar now leads the Arab revolt against Damascus, which has just ignored a diplomatic entreaty from the Arab League to Syria.

Read the article in the original French here.

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sees his support crumbling.

L’Osservatore Romano: Full text of Pope Benedict XVI's Sunday Angelus address

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In today's Gospel Jesus explains to his disciples that he must “go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Mt 16:21).

Everything seems to have been turned upside down in the disciples' hearts! How could “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16) suffer and be killed? The Apostle Peter rebels, he refuses to accept this route, he begins to rebuke the Teacher and says to him: “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (v. 22). The divergence between the Father's loving plan — which even went as far as the gift of the Only-Begotten Son on the cross to save humanity — and the disciples' expectations, wishes and projects stands out clearly. And today too this contrast is repeated: when the fulfilment of one's life is geared solely to social success and to physical and financial well-being, one no longer reasons according to God but according to men (v. 23)

Thinking as the world thinks is setting God aside, not accepting his plan of love, preventing him, as it were, from doing his wise will. For this reason Jesus says some particularly harsh words to Peter: “Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me” (ibid.). The Lord interprets “this 'following' him [walking behind him] on the way of the Cross from an essentially anthropological standpoint: it is the indispensable way for man to 'lose his life', without which it is impossible for him to find it...” (Jesus of Nazareth, English edition, New York, p. 287).

Just as he invited the disciples, Jesus also addresses an invitation to us: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24). A Christian follows the Lord when he accepts lovingly his own cross, which in the world's eyes seems a defeat and a “loss of life” (cf. vv. 25-26), knowing that he is not carrying it alone but with Jesus, sharing his same journey of self-giving.

The Servant of God Paul vi wrote: “In a mysterious way, Christ himself accepts death... on the cross, in order to eradicate from man's heart the sins of self-sufficiency and to manifest to the Father a complete filial obedience” (Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete in Domino, 9 May 1975). By willingly accepting death, Jesus carries the cross of all human beings and becomes a source of salvation for the whole of humanity.

St Cyril of Jerusalem commented: “The glory of the Cross led those who were blind through ignorance into light, loosed all who were held fast by sin and brought redemption to the whole world of mankind” (Catechesis Illuminandorum XIII,1: de Christo crucifixo et sepulto: pg 33, 772 b).
Dear friends, Let us entrust our prayers to the Virgin Mary and also to St Augustine whose Memorial is today, so that each one of us may be able to follow the Lord on the way of the cross and let ourselves be transformed by divine grace, renewing — as St Paul says in the liturgy today — our minds so that we “may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom 12:2).

After the Angelus the Pope said:

Dear Friends,

I am glad to address a cordial greeting to Bishop Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of this Diocese of Albano, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his priestly Ordination; and I extend it, for the same anniversary, to Archbishop Bruno Musarò who I recently appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Cuba, and to Bishop Filippo Santoro of Petropolis, Brazil, as well as to 17 priests who are present here today. May the Lord fill you with graces, dear confreres.

I welcome the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at this Angelus prayer, including those of Mary Mother of the Poor Foundation and young people from South Africa. I also greet the new students of the Pontifical North American College. Dear Seminarians, do not be afraid to take up the challenge in today’s Gospel to give your lives completely to Christ. Indeed, may all of us be generous in our commitment to him, carrying our cross with faith and courage. May God bless all of you!

I wish you all a good Sunday. Thank you for your enthusiasm! Have a good Sunday!

Vatican Radio: Pope Benedict XVI: Be transformed by God's grace

Pope Benedict XVI, commenting on Sunday’s Gospel during his Angelus message, invited all people to surrender to the Lord, and allow themselves to be transformed by grace, and to renew their way of thinking.

Speaking to thousands of pilgrims in the courtyard of the Papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father said when the goal of a person’s life is aimed at social success and personal well-being, the person is no longer thinking with God, but with man.

The Pope explained the Christian follows the Lord when he accepts his cross with love, knowing Jesus is sharing in his journey of self-giving.

After the Angelus, Pope Benedict greeted the new seminarians at Rome’s North American College.

“Dear Seminarians, do not be afraid to take up the challenge in today’s Gospel to give your lives completely to Christ,” he said. “Indeed, may all of us be generous in our commitment to him, carrying our cross with faith and courage.”

Lybia: Rebels prepare for final push into Sirte

Rebels are knocking on the door of Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's last major stronghold in Libya, having moved to within 30 kilometers from the east and 100 kilometers from the west. The converging forces are negotiating with tribal leaders in Sirte to bring about the town's peaceful surrender. If this cannot be accomplished, the last, bloody battle for full control of Libya is in the offing.  

Nato bombers have struck the town, where rebel leaders now believe Gaddafi himself to be hiding, repeatedly.  His wife and three of his children, meanwhile, have fled to safety in Algeria. 

Over the weekend, rebel leaders rejected feelers from loyalist representatives to include Gaddafi in a transitional government. The National Transitional Council is not in a forgiving mood: 50,000 political prisoners are reported "missing" in Libya, and every day new evidence of mass executions of rebel forces and supporters is uncovered. Fears of rebel reprisals are increasing in this heated climate: fears that are well founded, as clear evidence of the executions of loyalist forces by NTC troops has come to light in recent days.

A town square in Sirte, Lybia, potential scene of the final battle for control of Libya.

Al-Qaeda branch claims responsibility for Algeria bombing

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility Sunday for a Friday suicide attack on an Algerian officers academy which killed eighteen. The Cherchell Military Academy is viewed by the group as a highly symbolic target associated with the prestige of the Algerian government.

Aftermath of attack on the Cherchell Military Academy, Algeria.

Somalis walk for days as famine pushes war-racked nation deeper into abyss

World attention has waned, but still their plight continues: the poor and malnourished are walking days- some as long as a month- through territory known for its chaotic violence in order to escape the famine in Somalia. The Washington Post has an evocative article chronicling their courage and endurance.

Photo: HON; starving cattle in Somalia.

Baghdad suicide bomber kills 29 in attack on Sunni mosque

A man strolled into the middle of gathered worshippers in Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque yesterday, disguised as a beggar, before detonating a bomb, killing 29. The imam of the Umm al-Qura mosque, Sheik Ahmed Abdul Gafur al-Samarraie, who was speaking at the time, is known for his sermons denouncing violent extremism. Sheik al-Samarraie, although only a few feet from the bomber at the moment of detonation, was unharmed. The Iraqi government has blamed al-Qaeda for the attack; no one has claimed responsibility at this time. The fear of the government is that such an attack will reignite sectarian tensions; the hope of those who planned this attack might have been the same, although the urge to silence a voice of moderation such as Sheik al-Samarraie cannot be ruled out. Adding to the tension in Iraq, firebrand Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for mass demonstrations following Ramadan to protest the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Sadr charges the Maliki government with doing too little to improve public services in Iraq.

Umm al-Qura Mosque in Baghdad, site of Sunday's suicide bombing; source: Wikipedia

AsiaNews: Japan's new prime minister is finance minister Yoshihiko Noda

The  majority Democratic Party of Japan has selected Yoshihiko Noda, currently finance minister, to replace Naoto Kan as its leader. This ensures that Noda will be selected prime minister of the country by the full Diet shortly. Kan resigned as PM recently after seeing his approval ratings battered by an ineffective response to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the nuclear crisis that resulted. Noda is Japan's sixth prime minister since 2006. Best wishes to Prime Minister Noda who faces a deeply dissatisfied nation reluctant to extend him a honeymoon:

The first comments from political and financial experts in the Land of the Rising Sun are marked by scepticism. A recent editorial in the Tokyo Shimbun says that the Kan administration had led the nation "into a sort of dead end", but with his resignation and the formation of a new government, "hopes, frankly, are no greater".

Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda

AsiaNews: Catholic activists and students to be put on trial in Vietnam very soon

Five Catholic activists are scheduled to be tried shortly on charges of belonging to a banned US based Vietnamese group, the Vietnam Reform Party (Viet Tan), and of "working to overthrow the people’s administration through non-violence."

Half a million Vietnamese Catholics marched through the streets of Hanoi on July 20 to protest against harassment and police violence. The government has since intensified a crackdown on the Christian community, jailing several, including the Catholic journalist and blogger Paulus le Son, who has been detained since August 3 on similar charges, and Catholic priest Fr. Nguyen Van Ly,  jailed since July 25.

Fr Le Ngoc Thanh, spokesman for the Redemptorists of Vietnam, has slammed the government’s oppressive practices, calling on the authorities to release unconditionally the jailed Catholics.

Looking at the ‘Risen Christ’, the clergyman told AsiaNews, “We are raising our voice against the violations of the law by the police, which is arresting and jailing people,” and “turning a peaceful nation into a place where kidnapping and terrorism happen everywhere”.

Fr. Nguyen Van Ly

AsiaNews: Karnataka, 4 Christians arrested over "door to door" forced conversions

Four Christians in Karnataka state, India, were beaten and then arrested on the charge of proselytizing door to door. The Christians had been visiting Dalit families and poor Hindus for a month, bringing them reading material, praying with them, and instructing them in the faith. Some residents report being insulted by the Christians when they refused to give them a hearing.

The Dalits, AsiaNews informs,

are Hinduism's "untouchables," relegated by the high-caste to an almost permanent underclass status. The caste system, though illegal in India, remains in force socially. Dalits are not allowed to enter upper-caste houses, fields, or temples. They cannot draw water from village wells or wear shoes while passing upper-caste areas".

"Many of them - continues the president of the GCIC - are empowered by the liberative message of the Gospels and this is staunchly opposed by the Hindus, hence they will use even fabricated charges to arrest anyone who announces to them the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ". 

Jog Falls in Karnataka, India, the highest plunge waterfalls in India.

Hurricane Irene Reporter Gets Covered In Raw Sewage

The perfect metaphor for our media: covered in crap and they don't even know it.

From the Daily Mail:

When a local television reporter became covered in a mysterious foam while reporting on the hurricane he said, 'it doesn't taste great'.

But what he did not know that he was actually being immersed in the remnants of raw sewage.

[. . .]

'It doesn't taste great', said the reporter who called it 'organic material'.

[. . .]

The foam is thought to be the effect of raw sewage pouring into the ocean during the storm.

Organic material, indeed.