The Seventh Age

I just found out about a new site called Blogshare that lets you trade shares in blogs. I didn't even know we were listed there until I came across it.

We are still a penny stock of sorts, with a share price of $2.61, but we have an attractive P/E of 0.93 so if you are looking for somewhere to stash your retirement savings you may want to consider us.

I suppose we will have to start having conference calls, provide quarterly guidance, and comply with the infamous Sarbanes-Oxley Act. At any rate: here is the chart for you stock traders who are interested:

An interesting article in today's New York Times explores the relationship between car buying and one's political affiliation:

Among their findings: buyers of American cars tend to be Republican - except, for some reason, those who buy Pontiacs, who tend to be Democrats. Foreign-brand compact cars are usually bought by Democrats - but not Mini Coopers, which are bought by almost equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. And Volvos may not actually represent quite what you think.

Hat Tip: Derik Mantel for the heads up.

As we prepare for a major transition in the Church, conferences like this one at the University of St. Thomas on April 8th and 9th are especially vital.

Among the notable speakers are John Finnis and James Gordley. This blogger will be there with bells on. Hope to see you there. If you see me, say hi. I'd be pleased to meet any of the five non-related people who read our blog.

An old PBS Frontline interview with the Washington Post's Roberto Suro on Pope John Paul II ended with the following quote, quite prophetic in its own right:

--

I think the pope has to be a prophetic figure, somebody who changed humanity. What he offered, what he suggested, the road laid out, if followed, would have transformed humanity in a spiritual sense. He was calling at the end of the twentieth century for a spiritual life to become the center of man's humanity, for all men, and certainly for all Catholics and all Christians to rediscover spirituality as the guiding force in their lives. If he had accomplished that, he would have been a millennial figure, not the man of the century. Somebody who produced much grander changes than that.

Instead he is a historical figure, he's somebody who lives within the period of time, who had a message that had impact, that changed events, that changed lives, but did not nearly reach the dimensions that were the ambitions that its author set out.

At the end of the day, when you look at this extraordinary life and you see all that he's accomplished, all the lives he's touched, the nations whose history he's changed, the way he's become such a powerful figure in our culture, in all of modern culture--among believers and not--taking all of that into account, you're left with one very disturbing and difficult question. On the one hand, the Pope can seem this lonely, pessimistic figure--a man who only sees the dark side of modernity, a man obsessed with the evils of the twentieth century, a man convinced that humankind has lost its way. A man so dark, so despairing, that he loses his audiences. That would make him a tragic figure, certainly.

On the other hand, you have to ask, is he a prophet? Did he come here with a message? Did he see something that many of us are missing? In that case, the tragedy is ours.

--

You can read the entire interview here.

Hat Tip: Rod Dreher at The Corner

Don't know much about the papal transition process? An excellent, four-part overview, appeared in today's New York Times.

I wonder how long they've had this piece on file, ready to go?

For those of you in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, read on. For those of you in other parts of the world, we'll see you there in spirit!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jennifer Maas
255 Syndicate St. S.
St. Paul, MN 55105
Phone: 651-699-5009

Vigil for the Pope TONIGHT at the Cathedral of St. Paul

Saint Paul, MN - April 2, 2005 - In light of the pope's declining health, there will be a vigil of prayer for Pope John Paul II tonight at the Cathedral of St. Paul. All are welcome to attend.

The schedule of the evening is as follows:

7:00 P.M. Regularly scheduled Mass of Anticipation

8:00 P.M. Cathedral remains open for silent prayer for the pope

9:00 P.M. Communal prayer and reflections

10:00 P.M. Cathedral closes. Candle light vigil on the main steps of the Cathedral with the recitation of the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary.

Come for all or a portion of the event, and please pass this information along to anyone else who may be interested.

The Cathedral is located at 239 Selby Ave. in St. Paul. For driving directions visit the Cathedral web site at www.cathedralsaintpaul.org

For more information call Jennifer @ 651-699-5009

###

May His soul, and those of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Reuters story

If you are wondering who might succeed John Paul II, MSNBC has a nice listing of possible successors. While I hate to speculate, I would be shocked if the next Supreme Pontiff did not come from this list. However, as is tradition, go in to the conclave a pope, come out a cardinal. Do ignore the liberal/conservative labels that MSNBC attaches to the various cardinals, they are grossly inaccurate.

That being said, my reading of the tea leaves seems to point to an older, theologically conservative Latin American. However, there are a number of candidates who fit that description, so basically, it is an academic exercise.

OK, fine. Keep an eye on these four, along with my darkhorse pick:

1. Claudio Hummes, Brazil
2. Godfried Danneels, Belgium
3. Joseph Ratzinger, Germany
4. Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Columbia

Darkhorse: Wilfred Fox Napier, South Africa

Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol has written a nice reflection in remembrance of the Holy Father. Additionally, the Standard has a number of articles on the Pope written by George Weigel that can be accessed here.

Karol Wojtyla, pray for us.

Here.

For those of you in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, read on. For those of you in other parts of the world, we'll see you there in spirit!

Candelight Vigil For Pope at Cathedral Steps Next 9 Nights

Saint Paul, MN - April 3, 2005 - In honor of the life of Pope John Paul II, there will be a candelight vigil on the main steps of the Cathedral of St. Paul each night at 10:00 P.M. to observe the nine days of mourning. The vigils will be held from April 3rd, 2005 until April 11th, 2005. All are welcome to attend. Candles will be provided.

The vigils will consist of the recitation of the rosary, readings from the works of Pope John Paul II, the recitation of Compline, the night prayer of the Church, and chanting of the Salve Regina.

The hours for the Catheral have also been extended, and it will remain open each night for prayer until the vigils start at 10:00 P.M.

Come for all or a portion of these events, and please pass this information along to anyone else who may be interested.

The Cathedral is located at 239 Selby Ave. in St. Paul. For driving directions visit the Cathedral web site at www.cathedralsaintpaul.org

For more information call Jennifer @ 651-699-5009

###

The U.S. Bishops seem to be on top of things with the death of Pope John Paul II. They have several resources available on the web including overviews of the Papal transition process, and information on the College of Cardinals.

They also have several documents on those he canonized, beatified, his travels, major writings, a gallery of hi-resolution photos, and a biography of his life.

Their servers seem to be running a bit slow, presumably due to heavy traffic, but if you are patient you should be able to get through.

See this article in the Financial Times if you want to find out a little more of the buzz surrounding the Latin American candidates for the papacy. Of course, the more this scenario gets talked up, the more we'll be in for a surprise.

Add Ivan Dias of India to my list of darkhorse candidates.

It turns out that Judge Bill Pryor is a member of this "extremist" organization called the Federalist Society.

Ooohh. Shiver.

You can read the full article below:

A new poll released today by Zogby noted that when phrased this way:

"If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water?"

79 percent said yes, they should receive food and water, only 9 percent said no. Another 43 percent (to 39 percent) said that when someone has no health care directive, the law should err on the side of life.

So much for backlash against Republicans on the Schiavo case. Unfortunately, the media has spinned and framed this issue. This new poll will be all of the more reason for them to continue to distort facts.

Once again, ideology is the tie that blinds.

Pat Buchanan

Family Research Council

Concerned Women for America

Americans United for Life

Charles Krauthammer

and finally, George Weigel in the WSJ.

OK, fun play on famous children's song I play at home for my little guy...

But in all seriousness, Fordham Law School professor Amy Uelmen has a beautiful reflection of being one of the "sunflowers" that has arisen from the World Youth Day phenomenon, especially the 1993 edition in Denver. Here is a sample:

"One could be ambivalent about the World Youth Day format—fearing that huge and emotional gatherings with a “superstar” figure can easily fizz out in the flatness of ordinary life, and so they may not lend themselves to a deep appreciation of the cultural message that the Church has to deliver.  But what hits you when you read the impressions of these young people is the long-lasting and incredibly profound influence that John Paul II has had on their spiritual lives—how these have been genuine occasions for them to understand, as one put it, “how important we are to the Church and how important we are to him.”  “He managed to leave footprints of God's Love everywhere in the world and even on my heart.” 

As someone whose life has been profoundly affected by this man, I think I can join Amy in great hope that what JPII has sown will be harvested for a long time -- and that is really good news.

So says Paul Kengor in an interesting article in NRO that links Fatima, communism, and JPII into a very compelling narrative. It is enough to excite any divine conspiracy theorist, or maybe just someone who believes God is a providential actor in human history.

Make sure to check out the article by George Weigel on the Holy Father in today's WSJ.

He also did a great interview with ZENIT. The interview is pasted below:

Code: ZE05040321

Date: 2005-04-03

George Weigel on John Paul II's Impact

"A Man Who Believed That Jesus Christ Is the Answer"

NEW YORK, APRIL 3, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The world may have yet to appreciate John Paul II for being the "greatest Christian witness" of the 20th century, says papal biographer George Weigel.

In this interview with ZENIT, Weigel, a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, in Washington, D.C., and author of "Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II," put the life of the Pontiff, who died Saturday, in perspective.

Q: What did John Paul II do for the prominence of the Church in world affairs?

Weigel: The papacy has long claimed a universal "reach." John Paul II gave this claim real meaning by becoming a kind of one-man moral reference point for the entire world. And in doing so, he reminded the world that "world affairs" are always under the scrutiny of moral judgment.

Contrary to what the foreign policy realists teach, international politics is not an "amoral" arena; nothing human is outside the boundaries of moral reason -- even politics among nations. I doubt that the world has quite caught on yet, but that's what John Paul II insisted upon.

Q: What were his greatest achievements in the field of geopolitics? social doctrine? theology? ecclesiology?

Weigel: John Paul II's pivotal role in the collapse of European communism -- igniting a revolution of conscience that eventually produce the non-violent political revolution of 1989 -- was a tremendous achievement.

But we shouldn't forget the Pope's role in helping settled the Beagle Channel dispute between Argentina and Chile --which threatened to break out into a hot war; nor should we forget his role in helping prepare the way for democracy in Latin America, and his support for democratic transitions in the Philippines and South Korea.

John Paul's defense of the universality of human rights in his 1995 U.N. address was also a very important contribution at a time when the idea of "universal human rights" was being denied or ridiculed by postmodernists, Islamists, the world's remaining communists, and East Asian authoritarians.

In social doctrine, "Centesimus Annus," the Pope's 1991 encyclical, gave Catholic social doctrine a new empirical sensitivity, particularly with regard to economic questions.

Some social-action Catholics had long held out the possibility of building a "third way" that was neither socialist nor capitalist; "Centesimus Annus" recognized that a market-centered economy, properly regulated by law, was in fact this "third way." Although, again, I'm not sure that the believers in a mythical "third way" have accepted the point.

The "theology of the body" seems to me to have been John Paul II's most creative theological accomplishment, although there is a tremendous amount of rich theological material for the Church to digest in John Paul's encyclicals, apostolic letters, postsynodal exhortations and audience addresses.

His theology of divine mercy, for example, remains to be thoroughly explored, as does his Marian theology and his teaching that the "Marian profile" in the Church -- discipleship -- is the most fundamental reality of the Church, even more constitutive of the Church than its "Petrine" profile, its structure as an authoritative community.

As for ecclesiology, I think it's important that John Paul "re-balanced" the Church at a time when national conferences of bishops might have become virtually autonomous "synods" on an Orthodox model. This, of course, is the precise opposite of what the Pope's critics have charged for more than 20 years.

This will be an extraordinary event: 2 to 4 million attendees including just about every major world leader, as well as 2 billion TV viewers. There are 1.2 billion Catholics and 1.9 billion Christians total in the world (including Catholics of course), so this man has had an extraordinary impact beyond his own flock.

Since I keep getting asked, I thought I would provide a little justification for my list of papabile.

Here is an email I just zipped off to a friend:

As far as my papal prognostications, it is a fool's error to speculate. That being said, I just don't know how they come out not picking a Latin American. There are so many good Latin American cardinals, and that is the center of gravity in the Catholic world. My top two possibilities are Claudio Hummes of Sao Paulo and Dario Castrillon Hoyos of Columbia. The former is a pastor who will foster evangelization, speak to economic injustice and stem the tide of Protestantism in Latin America. He is a Franciscan and very friendly with Opus Dei. Hoyos will kill two birds with one stone by being a Latin American, but at the same time a very conservative Vatican player who will clean house and crack down on abuses that were left to run wild under JPII.

If the cardinals are concerned primarily with devolution (which really means nothing more than letting local bishops conferences have free hand with liberal reforms such as ugly liturgies and condoms), then Godfried Danneels of Belgium will win. This would be a significant victory for the northern European and liberal American cardinals. It is possible but less likely.

If the cardinals are unsure of themselves and where the church should go, and feel they need a strong voice to speak to Islam and biotech/culture of death, then they will choose Joseph Ratzinger as both a transitional figure and a man who can clean house while maintaining a credible moral voice in this dark time. Ratzinger will either be pope or will be the "kingmaker."

If the cardinals are really feeling ambitious, they could pick one of my two darkhorse candidates: Wilfred Fox Napier or Ivan Dias of India. Those would be very stunning selections and demonstrate that the Church has very strong self-confidence and seeks to do some heavy evangelization in Africa and Asia. I'm not sure we are there yet.

Come Holy Spirit!

As the Holy Father has left us, it is worth reflecting on his witness and message to this great country. He extolled the virtues of America, especially the principles of its founding, but was critical of the excesses of materialism and its promotion of the Culture of Death.

The Holy Father's understanding of America was put succinctly in his address to Clinton-era ambassador to the Vatican Lindy Boggs on the occasion of her appointment. It was largely seen as a rebuke to the Clinton administration's international abortion promotion.

If you have never read it, do yourself a favor and take in this masterpiece of political philosophy by our late pontiff.

HarperCollins announced today that they will publish a forthcoming book by George Weigel chronicling the last years of JP II's pontificate, as well as profile the conclave that will elect the next pope. Additionally, Weigel will profile this new pontiff and comment upon what it will mean for the future of the Church.

Additionally, the Ratzinger Fan Club blog "Against the Grain has a list of 20 or so recent articles by Weigel, Avery Dulles, RJ Neuhaus and Michael Novak on John Paul II. A great resource.

Do read the following article that appeared in the Arizona Republic about one of the anonymous Terri Schiavos that live silently among us.

In the London Guardian newspaper:

"Thoughtful atheists ought to be able to recognise that, whatever one's tastes in these areas, the Pope was on to something - that abortion et al, in separating the "two meanings" of sex and leaving us free to indulge in one while ignoring the other, have severed us almost entirely and possibly irreparably from traditional impulses, such as societal survival. John Paul II championed the "splendour of truth" not because he was rigid and inflexible, but because he understood the alternative was a dead end in every sense."

Also, a neat op-ed in the New York Times about what JP II has meant to Poland.

So says Thomas Cahill in today's New York Times.

This article borders on the absurd in its falsifications, inaccuracies, and distortions. It is a harbinger of what is to come on Friday afternoon, after the funeral for the Holy Father is completed and his body is interred in the crypt of St. Peter's.

Then, we will have to listen to a rendition of John Shelby Spong's "The Church Must Change or Die." For all of their supposed global perspective, secular media and liberal Catholic commentators think the concerns of brie and chardonnay liberals and lukewarm Christians (of whatever denomination) and American ones at that, should have the ultimate say in the direction of the Church. Of course, because they are so brilliant! Once again, with this aging boomer generation, it is all about them and what they want.

As many commentators have noted, in discussions about particular church teachings and whether they should change, no mention is made of Jesus, the Bible, or Sacred Tradition. What is correct is what the majority of American liberals and lukewarm Christians believe it to be, and those out of touch leaders should listen up. Since when has "being in touch" been an important element of Christianity? Why hasn't anyone noticed that the most "relevant" churches to the concerns of the liberal media and their condom-crazed friends are dying out, physically and spiritually. Has anyone not made the connection? Or perhaps, that is the point. Maybe when the Church buys into secularist dogma, it will make itself irrelevant, and then can be ignored.

Unfortunately for them, John Paul II has reinvigorated a Church that cannot be ignored. And once the good feelings die down because of popular sentiment, it will be open season on his legacy as a new pontiff is chosen.

Brace yourself.

This interesting site allows you to get acquainted with the College of Cardinals -- their bios, theological orientations, outlook, etc.-- and then rank them and see where your rankings stack up against others.

A time waster, but an interesting one.

The G-Man says why the "splendor of truth" defies "right" or "left."

Fr. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, discusses the basics of the economic thought of John Paul II.

For an article that emphasizes the heavy anti-modernism of the late Holy Father, check out this article from www.chiesa.

Both of these accounts are hardly the definitive commentary on John Paul II's political and economic outlooks, but are certainly important launchpads for the conversation. This is just the beginning of what will be a lengthy debate in years to come. And unfortunately, he is no longer around to ask.

A fascinating article from www.chiesa's Sandro Magister on why the legacy of John Paul II, digested and filtered through the thought of Cardinal Ratzinger, may guide the Church in the third millennium.

This article is another indicator of why I think der PanzerKardinal will throw a lot of weight around at the conclave.

The Weekly Standard chronicles the mainstream media and intelligence community's refusal to admit the KGB was behind the assassination attempt of John Paul II.

This despite last week's news of files from the East German Stasi (KGB affilliate) that spoke of the plot in detail, its Soviet genesis, and the coordination of the assassination between the Stasi and the Bulgarian secret police.

Do note that whenever the pope's assassination attempt is mentioned, the media is quick to point out that the Soviet connection was never proven. Now, they no longer have that excuse, but persist in perpetuating the myth.

Ideology: the tie that blinds.

The latest commentary is up from the Coalition for Darfur.

One of our bloggers discovered that Save the Children was actually engaged in "reproductive health" measures. To solve this problem, the coalition provided a link to Catholic Relief Services where you can donate to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis overtaking Sudan.

Thanks!

While we often berate the MSM here at the Seventh Age, they do a pretty good job on occasion. Take for example the Pope's Will. While several Catholic outlets have reported excerpts of it, CNN has the full translation.

Who will follow in the footsteps of John Paul II? Here are the latest odds. Organized crime tends to do their homework. It will be interesting to see how in tune they are with the Holy Spirit.

With gas prices inching up again, and no end in sight due to China's growing appetite for fossil, law makers are toying with the idea of extending daylight savings time. The idea made it out of the House Energy and Commerce Committe and may soon be making its way to a clock near you.

To those that said voting for George W. Bush made no difference to the pro-life cause, I offer this vignette from the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:

FRIDAY FAX

April 8, 2005
Volume 8, Number 16

US Stands Firm Against Abortion at UN Population Conference

A number of prolife interventions made this week at the 38th Session of
the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) have been repelling the
steady advance of the abortion rights agenda. The United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) and pro-abortion lobby groups have exerted
pressure for the Conference to establish universal access to "sexual and
reproductive health services," a term these groups often interpret as
including abortion. However, the United States has requested a
clarification to ensure that such phrases will not be used to promote
abortion.

The Commission is meeting to evaluate progress towards the goals set
out in the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development
(ICPD) agreed to at Cairo. The Cairo outcome document states that "In no
case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning" but also
contains the terms "reproductive rights" and "reproductive health," and
these terms have been used by the UN in the past to promote abortion.

The United States has asked that the Cairo document be reaffirmed only
"with the understanding that nothing therein creates an international
right to abortion." The US made a similar request last month at the
Commission on the Status of Women regarding the outcome documents of the
1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. The current US proposal has not
provoked the same firestorm among the proabortion lobby as last month's
request. The US language continues to be negotiated and a positive outcome
could emerge on Friday.

On Wednesday, Nicaragua stated that "we recognize that there is no
language in the [Cairo] documents that can be interpreted as promoting
abortion," and said that it "reiterates on this occasion the reservations
that were expressed in relation to the terms 'sexual and reproductive
health,' 'sexual rights,' 'sexual and reproductive health services,' and
other similar wording and it is intended once more that these do not
include abortion."

The theme of this year's CPD session is HIV/AIDS, development and
poverty, and Kofi Annan's office, UNFPA and abortion advocates such as
Planned Parenthood International have been arguing for access to abortion
as necessary in the fight against AIDS. The European Union on Monday
expressed support for this link, stating that "the fight against HIV/AIDS
cannot succeed without universal access to quality reproductive health
services."

The session has also exposed a strategy to insert the right to abortion
into the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Among its proponents, Ghana
stated that "We fully support the inclusion of a target on 'universal
access to reproductive health by 2015' in MDG five."

The Hill reports that Rick Santorum has told conservative activists that Sen. Bill Frist will trigger the nuclear option, overriding a senate filibuster so that President Bush's judicial nominees can be confirmed.

Interestingly, many business leaders (and the senators beholden to them) are wavering because it may slow down their legislative agenda (of tax breaks and pork barrell spending). Business always hates controversy and conflict. We'll see who really holds the puppett strings of the GOP.

A very important under-the-radar political event has been happening over the past few weeks here in Minnesota. Republican leaders have proposed a state constitutional amendment preserving marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Amidst all of the hoopla over the death of the Holy Father and the conclave, we must remain vigilant about the issues here at home. Much of the significant political work on this issue will take place in the next couple of weeks. Phone your state senators and demand that they vote on this bill so that it can go on the ballot this year.

For the latest news on the amendment, go here, here, and here.

Frankly, reading or listening to George Weigel talk about Pope John Paul II never gets old. I have posted a lot of interviews with our good friend George over the past few days, but each one seems to offer some new insight, a fresh kernel of wisdom about our late Pontiff.

Here is the latest, conducted by Fr. Raymond de Souza in the National Catholic Register:

This story in the International Herald Tribune is yet another moving story of Karol Wojtyla.

Hat Tip: Letters From Babylon

A very special tribute to our late Holy Father appeared in today's Star Tribune op-ed pages. =)

Via the Coalition for Darfur.