Habeant papam - they have a new pope

Our sources at the (other) Holy Office transmitted us the otherwise classified information that the new Pope chose his name in sign of appreciation and reverence for a historical character which inspired him in his youth. Some are talking about a certain Saint Francis of Assisi, but this is obviously a ploy intended to distract from finding the true source. It stands to reason that a Jesuit like the ex-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio wouldn't even begin to think about using the name of the founder of a competing religious order! And if that isn't enough, we are proud to present a copy of the top secret first sketch of the poster announcing the election of the new Pope, drafted on the very table where the pope elect sat during the conclave. It gives  certain subtle hints as to his secret muse, but we'll leave to you, dear reader, the pleasure to discover them:

Doomsday Calendar

I've taken a little time to put together dates when the end of the world should have taken place, and here's the result. This way you'll never again have to wonder whether the world has already ended on a given day, and when!

(Click on the entries to see details, and use top left arrows and drop-down menu to switch months, or top right link to switch layout.)

 

UPDATE:
The calendar is, and will remain, a work in progress.

You can access it directly at bit.ly/doomsdays-html (opens in new browser window/tab).

Users of Google calendar can add it as an third-party calendar by entering the Calendar ID "caveatlector.eu_ltah6dpenkivhhvf710bveio14@group.calendar.google.com" in the text input field marked "Add a coworker's calendar" under "Other calendars" in the side menu of their calendar page on Google:

To import/add the calendar to a calendar management application (e.g., Outlook or the Lightning extension for Thunderbird), please use the following addresses:

http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/caveatlector.eu_ltah6dpenkivhhvf710bveio14%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
(iCal format)

or

http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/caveatlector.eu_ltah6dpenkivhhvf710bveio14%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic
(XML format)

If you would like to embed the calendar on a page on your website or blog, please use the HTML code:

<iframe src="https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?title=Doomsdays%20Calendar%3A%20So%20you'll%20know%20each%20day%20when%20the%20world%20ended&showCalendars=0&height=600&wkst=2&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&src=caveatlector.eu_ltah6dpenkivhhvf710bveio14%40group.calendar.google.com&color=%23182C57&ctz=Europe%2FRome" style=" border-width:0 " width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

for an 800x600 embedded calendar, or:

<iframe src="https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?title=Doomsdays%20Calendar%3A%20So%20you'll%20know%20each%20day%20when%20the%20world%20ended&showCalendars=0&height=480&wkst=2&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&src=caveatlector.eu_ltah6dpenkivhhvf710bveio14%40group.calendar.google.com&color=%23182C57&ctz=Europe%2FRome" style=" border-width:0 " width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

for an 640x480 pixels calendar.

The Wealth of the Romanian Orthodox Church

Original Romanian title: Averea bisericii



An inquiry into the wealth and privileges of the Romanian Orthodox Church, aired March 30, 2011, by TVR1, the first channel of the Romanian national television, presented by Cornel Mihalache.

The show consisted of a filmed report and commentaries made by the presenter and his four guests:

• Remus Cernea, president of the Romanian Humanist Association;
• Mirela Corlățan, journalist, writing for the Evenimentul Zilei daily newspaper;
• Father Alexandru Moțoc, General Church Inspector at the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchy;
• Sorin Frunză, director of the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs.

NOTE: Subtitles are available in both English and Romanian. Just click the "CC" button if they don't show automatically or if they show in the wrong language.

The material is, as far as I know, one of the very few filmed in Romania during the last decade or so, where the Romanian Orthodox Church is treated anything but great reverence and depicted as anything but the savior of our whole society. Even more notably, it was aired on the national television, which is notoriously subservient to the Church.

The church, on the other hand, even though it enjoys victimizing itself, is nowhere near being a victim of circumstances or church-haters or whatever, as it so often claims. On the contrary, not only is there no clear separation of Church and State in Romania, but the Church is being funded by the state, as well as given numerous privileges — some by law and in plain sight, some not quite. What’s shown in the 70 minutes, the total duration of all five parts, is only the tip of the iceberg.

I have created a playlist with all five parts of the show, as follows, which you can access at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B9A316F9BC929581 or http://bit.ly/church-wealth-playlist

Also, here are the five individual parts:

• Part 1 - http://youtu.be/SMGz7yVasWo
• Part 2 - http://youtu.be/-UHP9XcDoMw
• Part 3 - http://youtu.be/2Z2BUh9ZPDA
• Part 4 - http://youtu.be/1ABVebz3XSM
• Part 5 - http://youtu.be/mGpo7_lIz4I

If you need the subtitles files, you can download them in .SRT format on my blog, CaveatLector.eu
(Of course, you're welcome to visit the blog even if you're not looking for the subtitling.)

Last but not least, many thanks to the Youtube user EkemTV, who recorded and initially uploaded the show, and to Lucian a.k.a. Vilo13 who brought it to my attention.

The Trouble with the Pope by Peter Tatchell

From the programme's synopsis:

Human Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell scrutinises the beliefs and policies of Pope Benedict XVI, airing shortly before the Pontiff's state visit to Britain.
Tatchell looks at how many of his proclamations and decisions are in conflict with the values of modern day Britain and western societies. Tatchell examines the impact that Benedict XVI's pronouncements have had on both the developing and western world, with filming in the Philippines, Italy, Germany and the UK.
He questions the Pope's policies on a range of issues including his opposition to contraception, condom use and embryonic stem cell research as well as the Pontiff's handling of the child sex abuse scandal.
The film examines the Pope's plans for the beatification of Cardinal Newman, a 19th-century theologian and writer who lived for nearly 30 years with a fellow priest, and the controversial readmission to the church of Holocaust denier Bishop Richard Williamson.
Interviewing both critics and supporters of the Pope, many of them Catholics, Tatchell explores Benedict's personal, religious and political journey since the 1930s, from liberal to conservative theologian.

The programme's page on the Channel four website: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-trouble-with-the-pope
The programme can of course be watched on its Channel 4 webpage, but it's accessible only from certain locations (the UK, I presume).

Part 1 -- Intro


Part 2 -- Child Rape Cover-Up


Part 3 -- Holocaust Denial


Part 4 -- Stem Cell Research


Part 5 -- Contraceptives, Poverty, Women