Cardinal Dulles and the Holy Father

I hadn't seen this anywhere until today, from Intentional Disciples":

The Pope is going to make a personal visit to Cardinal Avery Dulles in his bedroom while in Dunwoody seminary. It was not on his schedule. Cardinal Dulles is too ill to attend any of the events but no one deserves a private visit more.

Sherry also links to the text of Cardinal Dulles' final McGinley Lecture which he delivered recently.
(via Christ Our Hope, which was kind enough to also link here, and which I have side-barred.)

An Internship Gets Out of Hand

Gregory Levey gets in over his head as an intern for the Israeli Consulate at the United Nations:

On an excruciatingly slow August day in New York City, a resolution was coming up for consideration, apparently, at the U.N. General Assembly. ... "You should go," one of my superiors said to me. "It won't be a big deal. Just take notes." ... I went to the meeting hall and took my seat at Israel's place... Although I didn't recognize him, the Italian representative greeted me and shook my hand. Then he leaned in and said, "So you know, the vote is definitely going to happen today after all."

Check out what happens next...

His book (the above is from a Salon excerpt) defintely looks like an interesting read.

More on the Youth Rally

From For God, For Country and For Yale:

The hosts were drawn from TV personalities and news broadcasters. They either were completely unfunny or unaware. A news anchor from a local TV station turned to the priests and seminarians in the front and asked them on the main microphone if they were going to vote for Obama or Hillary. She was promptly booed by the entire crowd. Suddenly flustered, she tried to laugh it off by saying she respected the separation of Church and State. She was then booed once more by the entire crowd.

He's also been sidebarred.

Not really news

Via the New York Times, Gothamist picks up on the fact that Cardinal Egan may depart soon. It's just Canon Law folks, there's nothing secret about it.

Can. 401 §1. A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances.

Tweaking the Paleo-cons

Richard John Neuhaus tweaks the noses of those who would call him a Neo-con.

Permit me a brief word on the several events. The first was not on the official program. It was the news conference on the plane coming over. The first question, not surprisingly, was about the sex abuse crisis. Benedict’s response might be described in other contexts as a preemptive strike. [Emphasis mine.]

Was Maureen Dowd really being clever?

That seems unlikely.

Joseph Bottum notes that Obama's friend is really a professor of education, which is something less than a professor of English. (I prefer my Ayers A.J. actually.)

(direct link to original Dowd column)

I must say I've been enjoying reading Bill Kristol in the Times.

The Cheese Shop

My favorite cheese shop in Manhattan isn't a shop at all... it's this tent at the Tucker Square Greenmarket. The folks who sell there are from the Bobolink Dairy. Tucker Square is named for Richard Tucker. He was a cantor and Metropolitan Opera singer. (And I bet he didn't wave his arm in the air...)

Pope's Visit to New York City

I was lucky to get tickets for the Youth Rally at St. Joseph's Seminary when Pope Benedict visited the city. I took the 1 train up to the end of the line and then the 1 and 7 buses out to Dunwoodie. I walked up Seminary Ave... arriving in the opposite direction from most everyone else who arrived via group buses that stopped at Yonkers Racetrack and then shuttle buses taking them up the hill. This puzzled the police on guard duty, who asked me how I got there...

Seminary Ave. was the Pope's motorcade route, I believe, and yellow ribbons (the Vatican color) were on the trees. So was this hand lettered welcome sign.

I watched most of the events from the top of the hill. This gave me a great view, but it meant I couldn't really hear. Luckily the Pope's great speech was posted online. I followed along on my phone. The wonders of modern technology. I was compensated, also, by being somewhat in the shade. Many of the folks down below got sunburned.

At the end the Pope came up and drove right in front of where I was standing, only about fifteen feet away. This picture was as he drove further on. An exciting (but tiring day.)

Confraternity of St. Peter

I've sent in my membership application for the Confraternity of St. Peter, run by the FSSP.

They also have a cool page just for English-speaking members.

And they have lapel pins... like any excellent organization.

Papal Politics

Excerpt from the Joint Communiqué of President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI
(my emphasis)

The Holy Father and the President devoted considerable time in their discussions to the Middle East, in particular resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict in line with the vision of two states living side-by-side in peace and security, their mutual support for the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon, and their common concern for the situation in Iraq and particularly the precarious state of Christian communities there and elsewhere in the region. The Holy Father and the President expressed hope for an end to violence and for a prompt and comprehensive solution to the crises which afflict the region.

This is probably one of the places in the world the Pope can have the most impact by something other than simple suasion, given the Maronite power in Lebanon. It's interesting to see him flex his muscle there.

Grace Leigh's Blog Is Excellent

Visit it here and it's been added to the sidebar.

Report: Cardinal Levada for New York

So says Kreuz.net, but that seems very unlikely.

For one thing at 71 isn't he too old?

Hayes was 51. Spellman was 49. Cooke was 47. O'Connor was 64. Egan was 68. Though that's not too many data points and they do seem to be trending a bit older. But Spellman and Hayes were both dead by 71.

(via)

The Man Who Saved Winchester Cathedral

He worked underwater six hours a day for five years to shore up the structure's foundation.

(via)

McCain's Loyalty

Slate reprints the touching story of John McCain's loyalty to his friend Morris Udall, even when nearly everyone else had fallen away.

Late, but worth it

The Fall 2007 issue of Modern Age has arrived in what is now the spring of 2008. It was worth the wait though.

The issue, presumably the last of the 50th anniversary issues is bursting with interesting articles. The theme of the issue is "Conservative Reflections on Neglected Questions and Ignored Problems".

So far I've read with interest James Kurth on "The Tragic Death of the Hapsburg Empire" and Catesby Leigh on "Building More Value into the World We Build". The latter, describing conservative approaches to architecture, was an excellent complement to Dino Marcantonio's recent lecture on traditional Catholic architecture.