Saturday, May 31, 2008

I love it!

An article from insidecatholic.com about the "Lost Art of Catholic Drinking" (which also has some fine things to say about Protestant drinking):
    "... Here we encounter Catholic drinking. Catholic drinking is that third way, the way to engage in an ancient activity enjoyed by everyone from peasants to emperors to Jesus Himself. And again, it is not just about quantity. In fact, I think the chief element is conviviality. When friends get together for a drink, it may be to celebrate, or it may be to mourn. But it should always be to enjoy one another's company. (Yes, there is a time and place for a solitary beer, but that is the exception.)...

Bishops of Gent/Belgium

Antonius Stillemans (1889-1916)


Emilius Joannes Seghers (1917-1927


Honoré-Jozef Coppieters (1927-1947).

The last portrait also answers any questions you might have had about my new header-picture.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Best of "color cappae"

As announced, here is the first "spill-over" from the old "Far Sight", a collection of color-images showing prelates in cappa magna. There are also some previously unposted pictures:




From top to bottom: Santiago Luis Cardinal Copello, archbishop of Buenos Aires; Ildebrando Cardinal Antoniutti and Paul-Emile Cardinal Leger, archbishop of Montreal all during the same occasion, somewhere in Canada, I believe.



Two archbishops of Salzburg, Austria: The first one is Friedrich Johannes Jacob Cölestin Cardinal Fürst zu Schwarzenberg, archbishop from 1835 to 1850. The second one is Andras Rohracher, archbishop from 1943 to 1969. The archbishops of Salzburg have the privilege to wear cardinalatial red.



Two archbishops of Vienna: First Theodor Cardinal Innitzer, archbishop from 1932 to 1955, then Franz Cardinal König, archbishop from 1956 to 1985 (retired).


Albert Gregory Cardinal Meyer, archbishop of Chicago from 1958 to 1965.


Eugène Gabriel Gervais Laurent Cardinal Tisserant


Jusztinián Györg Cardinal Serédi, archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary from 1928 to 1945. He did not die, as the date might suggest, during the war, but shortly afterwards. It is said that his heart broke and his will failed after he saw his diocese and country in ruins.


Juan Gualberto Cardinal Guevara, archbishop of Lima, Peru from 1945 to 1954.


Francis Cardinal Spellman (with autograph!), archbishop of New York from 1939 to 1967.


Pope Pius XII with Ignace Gabriel Cardinal Tappouni, patriarch of Antiochia from 1929 to 1968.


Bl. Andrea Carlo Cardinal Ferrari, archbishop of Milan from 1894 to 1921.

Charles-Antoine Cardinal de la Roche-Aymon


Born in 1697 in Mainsat, France
Appointed Bishop of Tarbes in 1729
Appointed Archbishop of Toulouse in 1740
Appointed Archbishop of Narbonne in 1752
Appointed Archbishop of Reims in 1762
Created Cardinal in 1771
Died in 1777

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

One motive, three versions






Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627 - 1704) was a bishop of Meaux, France, from 1681 - 1704. He was a well-read theologian and a renowned orator and preacher. Next to that he also was a politician at the court of Louis XIV. Bossuet advocated political absolutism and argued that government was divine and that kings received their power from God. Bossuet had his share of quarrels. He found himself dragged into a fight between Louis XIV and the pope, disputed with men like Leibnitz, Simon and Malebranche and tried to re-unite the Huguenots with the Catholic Church. Bossuet also had a somewhat odious argue-o-rama with ex-pupil and co-bishop Fenelon about the love of God, which was enventually brought to an end by a decision of the Inquisition in favor of Bossuet.

Monday, May 26, 2008

L M A O !

August Cardinal Hlond

He lived from 1881 to 1948. He became Archbishop of Poznan and Gniezno and primate in Poland in 1926. He was made Cardinal in 1927 and Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw in 1946.


Hlond is a somewhat controversial figure due to an ambiguous pastoral letter from 1936 in which he warned against hating the Jews but also allowed for boycotting Jewish business.


It must be noted, however that Hlond clearly and frequently condemned the Nazi persecution of the Jews and all actions that would hurt Jews materially and physically.



When the war came to Poland, the Catholic Church was almost completely annihilated: Priests were shot and deported to concentration camps, bishops were deposed, sacraments were forbidden, monasteries were suppressed, cathedrals were closed or devastated. The Primate's palace in Poznan was completely ruined: The liturgical objects of devotion were destroyed; decorations were torn down; furniture was broken; textiles, wine and paintings were carried off; records and books were burned. Hlond went into exile from 1941 to 1944, was arrested by the Germans in France but freed by the allies. When he came back to Poland, the country and his diocese were in rubbles.


The Cardinal was criticized for forcing German officeholders to resign their church posts in 1945 in favor of Poles. It's easy to point the finger and say Hlond should have behaved more Christian. But this man must have been in shock after the War. So - considering all the atrocities committed by the Germans in Poland - I only blame him half.


Sunday, May 25, 2008

Armand Gaston Maximilien Cardinal Prince de Rohan


Born in 1674 in Paris
Consecrated Bishop of Strasbourg in 1704
Created Cardinal in 1712
Made Grand Aumônier de France in 1713
Died in 1749 in Paris

He was the first of four men from the famous Rohan-family who successively became bishops of Strasbourg and ruled the diocese from the beginning of the 18th century until the French Revolution. Most norotious is of course the "Cardinal Collier", Louis René Édouard Cardinal Prince de Rohan-Guéméné.

What a load of hogwash

Excerpts from a story about one Carla van Raay on a webpage that calls itself "Catholica Australia":
    "Though once a nun in the Order of The Faithful Companions of Jesus today she isn't even a Catholic. After you have digested what we have to offer today though I doubt that anyone will be left in any doubt that this lady is a spiritual seeker. In so many ways her exit from Catholicism is very understandable given what she went through."

    "Her website today in fact is emblazoned with the title "Returning to Sexual Innocence". But Sexual Innocence is not to be confused with Sexual Naivety or Goody-Two-Shoes behaviours regarding sex. Neither is it the sort of "Catholic Sex" that seems to have characterised the Bethel Experience where it "runs off the rails" in another direction by trying to remain faithful to the screwed up understanding of human sexuality that is the enduring legacy of Cardinal Ottaviani and Humanae Vitae."
Hush!

Wait!

It gets better!

The same website also features a lengthy manuscript of one Tom Lee with the title: "The Invention of Christianity". I'll spare you details revealing the style of the book which seems to be solely build on singular experiences and personal preference ("Some priests I've met..."; "Most protestant friends...", "For me it was heartening when..." and so on). You will have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to read a mildly interesting sentence, when it says about the author:
    "He does not claim to be a professional theologian, nor an historian."
To illustrate, let me quote what he has to say about sex (Oops! Sex again! Now look who's not preoccupied at all):
    "Sex is treated as a necessary evil, and humans can only do it for reproduction, like animals. I can agree with the late Irish comedian Dave Allen: 'Those who don't play the game shouldn't make the rules'."
So the game is called "Sex" and not "Salvation"? Thanks for clearing that up.

"Catholica" Australia? Have you no shame? At long f***ing last: HAVE YOU NO SHAME?

Bishop Edward P. Allen


A photo from his silver anniversary, Mobile, May 10th 1992.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Presenting the Crozier

Francis Cardinal Spellman and Archbishop James Mcintyre, Los Angeles, 1948


Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate to the United States and Archbishop James O'Hara, Philadelphia, 1953


Joseph Elmer Cardinal Ritter and Bishop Charles Herman Helmsing, Kansas-City, 1962

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Pectoral Crosses

I like my pectoral crosses baroque and blingy and I present you some of the most beautiful I've seen so far:


This very lovely and ornate piece belonged to the Elector Clemens August of Cologne (1700 - 1761, made Elector in 1723). The cross was manufactured in Vienna around the year 1740. I think that the archbishops of Cologne still use it on very solemn occasions.


A pectoral cross belonging to the archbishops of Palermo/Sicily. Since it has sapphires, it was probably made for a cardinal, which would put its date of manufacturing sometime after 1839, when Ferdinando Maria Pignatelli, archbishop of Palermo, was created cardinal. There were two cardinals from Palermo before that year, but Domenico Pignatelli di Belmonte only was a cardinal for half a year (August 1802 - February 1803) before he died, and Gaetano Maria Trigona e Parisi, created cardinal in 1834, died before receiving the red hat and the title.


Can't say much about this beauty, apart from that it was made for one of the prince-bishops of Bressanone (Bolzano) and therefore was made before 1802, when the prince-bishopric was secularized.


This stunning piece was a gift of Empress Maria Theresia to the prince-abbot Martin II. Gerbert of St. Blasien, Germany, who reigned from 1764 to 1793. I love the eagle!


Since amethysts are my favorite stones, this is one of my all-time favorite pectoral-crosses. It belonged to the monastery of St. Blasien as well, but I am not sure about its history.


As for this beauty: I have no clue. Maybe a reader might help?

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

From the consistory of 1959

From back to front: William Theodore Cardinal Heard, Dean of the Sacred Roman Rota (with hood over head); Francesco Cardinal Morano, secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature (getting his cappa arranged); Albert Gregory Cardinal Meyer, archbishop of Chicago (laying face down); Aloisius Joseph Cardinal Muench, archbishop (personal title) and bishop of Fargo (kneeling) and Gustavo Cardinal Testa, titular archbishop of Amasea (just entering the picture)


William Theodore Cardinal Heard (back) and Francesco Cardinal Morano


Laying prostrate


Gustavo Cardinal Testa (left) and Aloisius Joseph Cardinal Muench getting up

See you there!

From the "National Catholic Register":
    "Corpus Christi is celebrated in Rome (and most of the Church) on Thursday, May 22. Pope Benedict will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St John Lateran at 7 p.m., to be followed by a Eucharistic procession to St. Mary Major basilica in Rome."

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Étienne-René Cardinal Potier de Gesvres


Born in 1697 in Paris
Ordained to the priesthood in 1725
Consecrated bishop of Beauvais in 1728
Created cardinal priest in 1756
Received the title of S. Agnesi fuori le mura in 1758
Died in 1774 in Paris

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Michael Balthasar von Christallnigg


Prince-Provost of the Augustinian Stift (abbey) of Berchtesgaden, Germany, from 1752 to 1768

Sad

The glory that was Spain...



... versus the sickness that is Spain

Friday, May 16, 2008

Archbishop José Moreno y Mazón


Born 1825 in Malaga
Bishop of Cuenca, Ecuador from 1877
Appointed Patriarch of the West-Indies in 1881
Appointed Archbishop of Granada, Spain in 1885
Died in 1905

To get things started...

... first two nice pictures in good old "Far Sight" tradition.

The country is France, their Eminences are (from top), Ferdinand-François-Auguste Cardinal Donnet (1795 - 1882), archbishop of Bordeaux and François-Virgile Dubillard (1845 - 1914), archbishop of Chambéry.




Salve

Welcome to "the far sight 2.0"!

I had to choose between giving up "The Far Sight" or finally taking blogging a bit more serious. I decided to do the latter. This means that posting will be much more frequent than in the past. I will gradually shovel the larger part of my pictures from books, newspapers, the internet and from my private collection onto "the far sight 2.0". I might insert a bit of history and every now and then a bit of reflection or just plain blabber.

"The Far Sight" will remain online for the time being, but I will not add content to it. If there are some photos you always wanted to download but didn't, now would be a good time to do so, because I don't know for how long the old blog will be around. I'll definitely post a two week warning before it vanishes for good.

Have fun,
Leo