Tuesday 27 May 2014

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

This image is beautiful. It sends out a clear signal - and I believe it is an authentic gesture - more authentic than your average authentic gesture - that the Pope can carry and does carry a black bag. I don't know about you but I respect anyone who carries a bag. Yet, I do wonder whether this black bag lark is a little 'outdated'.

The Supreme Pontiff, in making a clear gesture that he is one of the ordinary folk who walk on a red carpet, need not use a black, leather bag. The red carpet, obviously, isn't anything fancy for Pope Francis himself, but symbolises the Blood of Christ that trailed through the street in that land made Holy by His Life, Death and Resurrection. For the Pope to give a sign of Our Lord's Passion and Death, as well as the blood of the martyrs is just beautiful. Beautiful.

So much more versatile


Why a black bag though? Why not something like a Sainsbury's bag, or a 'bag for life' Sainbury's bag at that, or the Italian equivalent. This would send a clear and uncontrived signal out to the masses that the Pope is a man of the people, just like Nigel Farage and other figures who wish to send a clear signal that they are men of the people. Perhaps if His Holiness visits the United Kingdom, he could be photographed having an authentic pint of ale with Nigel, even if Nigel can be a little bit 'traditional' in his sense of Britishness.

Another beautiful image this, of the Vicar of Christ humbling himself by reversing the protocol of what happens when you meet the Pope.

If a Catholic met the Pope, by virtue of the authority and office he holds, a Catholic would kiss the papal ring and show deference to the Vicar of Christ, a profound and tangible link with his Lord, but this protocol is astonishingly sent into reversal when meeting a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Yet it need not be a Jewish Holocaust survivor, for it could, indeed, be a priest advocating homosexual unions and their attending acts. Obviously, if you think there is anything a little odd about such behaviour, you are either a Jew-hating, Holocaust-denying anti-Semite or a homosexual-hating, sexual freedom denying, oppressor of gays and a homophobe. Take your pick!

Such overtures and authentic gestures of authentic spontaneity are so beautiful and remind us that the Pope is humble and wonderful, different to his predecessors and vastly more charitable to everyone.

Here is another picture of a Pontiff sending out a clear and uncontrived message to the Church of his unswerving support for the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate who are about to have some serious charity visited upon them by those acting on behalf of the Pope. So important that Pontiffs are seen to be in support of those ignored by authorities and persecuted for their fidelity to Christ and His Saints.

Why is he hanging out with these types? Bishop Athansius Schneider
I did say a Pontiff. It is so important that Pontiffs are seen to support causes not taken up by the politicians. It is important that Pontiffs lend their support to people who are powerless in the face of the mighty, like Latin Mass-attending Catholics. 

We certainly have a charismatic Pope and this event promises to be something else. Charismatic events can be so spontaneous that people in attendance have we known to combust.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Diabolical disorientation.

Anonymous said...

There is a bishop-elect in England who carries his alb in a supermarket plastic bag.

Long-Skirts said...

It's all studied negligence.

Pope Reminds Jews They Crucified Christ

"If we deny him, he will also deny us." 2 Ti 2:12

http://tinyurl.com/my6dzz4

H/T St. Corbinian’s Bear

The Bones said...

AND I crucified Him too

Humbler Yet said...

I think it shows real humility that the Pope wasn't shown waiting at the carousel waiting for his luggage from the hold and pushing the trolley with his spare cassocks and liturgical stuff through immigration.
I was a bit disappointed he wasn't seen paying his hotel bill this time, maybe he stayed with friends.

Православный физик said...

LOL hilarious...everyone knows real humility involves staying at a motel, and not kneeling for Jesus

Anonymous said...

Cleverly written and tragically the truth ...

We have the first "business-man" Pope who bows to, and kisses the hands of people who hate the Church ...

Come on this is not normal...

And as for the interview on the plane coming home - what can be said is that this stuff is all deliberate and calculated ..

Would someone like to convince me that it is not so?

Thank you Mr.Bones - you have a fine wit at the service of Our Lord and this is a comforting place to visit...

Barbara

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

Perhaps he has a black bag because he's so blue about not just being Jorge anymore. Or because it matches the black shoes. If he had the tartan wheelie he'd need tartan shoes and might end up looking a bit baycityrollerish, which wouldn't ruffle many Catholic feathers these days - he could form a band with sissy chrissie from Italy, and they could go on tour with that rock-priest he likes so much. Maybe they could get the rap priest in on it and they could get those gaga-dominicans to get jiggy widdit.

p.s. what is the neo-catholic fascination with crazy protestants contorting themselves in hysteria at big bacchic-like gatherings?

hilda frampton said...

Funny how satire and criticsm of Francis is ok on this blog but wasn't towards his predecessor Francis? I'm only saying!

Anonymous said...

Satire is only called for where Church leaders are not behaving as they ought, causing scandal and distress.

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

i agree with Lynda. Benedict XVI simply never lent himself to the world and frivolities like frankie does, and does in a way that calls into question the point of a pope. Benedict did wear a Santa hat one Christmas that looked really cute, but Benedict would never have told people in the Church to 'make a mess'. Catholics know the Papal Office is part of the Rock, and that to deny God established this office is a sin. but a passing anti-papal pope, who seems to have no respect their own office, evince no fear of God, and spend way too much time trashing the faithful, is hardly a person one would want to follow and fawn over.

Anonymous said...

Benedict took the Office seriously but never himself
Francis takes himself very seriously but not the Office.

Childermass said...

That Santa hat, a traditional papal hat called a camauro. In his interview book with Peter Seewald, Benedict said he only wore it because it was sitting there and it was cold out. He said he never wore it again after it got all the media attention!

Imagine, a pope not wanting to draw attention to himself. So prideful, unlike our Francis the Humblest Ever!

tro said...

Is the real lesson of the pontificate of Bishop Francis that, unless it contravenes something 'ex cathedra', we're free, more or less, to believe and to do what we like?

Conscience, etc, etc.

Anonymous said...


"Pope reminds Jews that elite council of their forbearers in 1931 apologized for the unfair trial of Jesus. Saying it was a black mark on the history of the Jewish people."

Jacobi said...

The Pope is not a man of the people. He is the Vicar of Christ, the Keeper of the Keys.

herefore, in meeting a priest advocating homosexual unions and acts, the proper response for the Holy Father would be to slap a notice of excommunication and anathema on his forehead.

In meeting a Latin Mass attending Catholic the response should be top buy him a beer and congratulate him on his sound Catholic instinct and intuition.

ps Does that bag fit into the standard cabin baggage frames, I wonder?

Childermass said...

He'll need that bigger bag to carry extra tongues to that big "charismatic renewal" gathering he's going to at Rome's football stadium this Sunday.

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