Breaking with tradition Pope Francis declines Palace

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

"He is experimenting with this type of living arrangement, which is simple," but allows him "to live in community with others," both the permanent residents -- priests and bishops who work at the Vatican -- as well as guests coming to the Vatican for meetings and conferences, Father Lombardi said March 26.

Read the rest here.

Supreme Court hears arguments on gay marriage

A cautious and conflicted Supreme Court on Tuesday took up for the first time a detailed examination of same-sex marriage, and wondered openly about whether it was time for the court to render a judgment.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, considered to be the pivotal vote on the issue, said the court was in “uncharted waters.” He questioned whether it should have accepted the case, which concerns California’s constitutional amendment, approved by voters, that restricts marriage to heterosexual couples.

Read the rest here.

Unitarians Debate Polyamory

The joke about Unitarians is that they’re where you go when you don’t know where to go. Theirs is the religion of last resort for the intermarried, the ambivalent, the folks who want a faith community without too many rules. It is perhaps no surprise that the Unitarian Universalist Association is one of the fastest-growing denominations in the country, ballooning 15 percent over the past decade, when other established churches were shrinking. Politically progressive to its core, it draws from the pool of people who might otherwise be “nones” – unaffiliated with any church at all.

But within the ranks of the UUA over the past few years, there has been some quiet unrest concerning a small but activist group that vociferously supports polyamory. That is to say “the practice of loving and relating intimately to more than one other person at a time,” according to a mission statement by Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness (UUPA). The UUPA “encourages spiritual wholeness regarding polyamory,” including the right of polyamorous people to have their unions blessed by a minister.

Read the rest here.

I can't believe the UUs are ahead of the Piskies on this one, though only by a nose. But then again the UUs are really just uber-Low Church Episcopalians. In any case I thought this was such a great story to stumble across on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Sunday of Orthodoxy

Memory Eternal

It is with sadness that I learned of the recent passing of Frank Thornton, better known to millions of fans as Capt. Peacock from the British television comedy series "Are you being served?" One of the last surviving members of the cast he reposed Saturday at the age of 92.

Matins and Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts

From the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Forgiveness Sunday at Optina Monastery

Oooops - Innocent Man Freed After 23 Years in Prison

A man who spent more than two decades behind bars for the cold-blooded slaying of a Brooklyn rabbi was released Thursday into the arms of his weeping relatives after a reinvestigation by prosecutors cast serious doubt on evidence used to convict him.

"Sir, you are free to go," a judge told a smiling, white-haired David Ranta moments after prosecutors announced they supported tossing out the 1991 conviction.

Ranta's pregnant daughter — a 2-year-old when he was jailed — sisters and other supporters burst into applause and swarmed him as he walked out of the courtroom. His parents had died while he was in prison.

Read the rest here.

Yep. We definitely need to bring back the electric chair.

The Conservative Argument Against DOMA

“[U]nder the Constitution, the regulation and control of marital and family relationships are reserved to the States.”
-Sherrer v. Sherrer (1948)

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is an exception to the rule that a law’s title is as uninformative about the law’s purpose as the titles of Marx Brothers movies (“Duck Soup,” “Horse Feathers,” “Animal Crackers”) are about those movies’ contents. DOMA’s purpose is precisely what its title says. Which is why many conservatives and liberals should be uneasy Wednesday when the Supreme Court hears arguments about its constitutionality.

Conservatives who supported DOMA should, after 17years’ reflection, want the act overturned because its purpose is constitutionally improper. Liberals who want the act struck down should be discomfited by the reason the court should give when doing this.

Read the rest here.

Is this the worst allergy season ever?

In a trend that may make your eyes water just thinking about it, seasonal allergy experts are confirming that 2013 allergies are going to start sooner -- and last longer -- in most parts of the country. 

Read the rest here.
I don't know about ever, but I've been pretty miserable for the last few weeks, and yes, on both coasts. Spring... the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming the grass is greening... blech. You can have it.

Court: Law barring monks from making coffins is unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that monks at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington should be allowed to sell handmade caskets from their monastery, despite opposition from Louisiana's funeral home directors who claimed a sole right to sell caskets in the state. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision to strike down a state law limiting casket sales to licensed members of the funeral industry.

The decision marks a victory for the Benedictine monastery, which has struggled for several years for the right to sell simple, wooden caskets built by monks in a woodshop to fund their medical and education needs. In 2007, the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors ordered the abbey to cease sales after a funeral home owner filed a formal complaint.

Read the rest here.

Cyprus scrambles to avert meltdown

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus considered nationalizing pension funds and ordered banks to stay shut till next week to avert financial chaos after it rejected the terms of a European Union bailout and turned to Russia for aid.

Crisis talks among the political leadership in Nicosia are set to resume on Thursday after late-night meetings to discuss a "Plan B" broke up on Wednesday without result.

EU officials voiced frustration but little sympathy for an ambitious but now bust banking system that extended itself well beyond the island; Russia, whose citizens have billions to lose in those Cypriot banks, called the EU a "bull in a china shop".

Read the rest here.

Pope Francis Visits Downton Abbey

When Pope Francis was elected, we didn't know much about him. When Pope Benedict was elected Pope, we knew exactly who he was. Pope Benedict had scores of published books and he had a been a visible and known prelate at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Benedict was in many ways the right hand man of John Paul II and we knew what to expect.

Pope Francis is entirely unknown to most of us. As a result, most folks have had to rely on only one source of information for the past week or so: photographs. Hence, most of the controversy over Pope Francis has boiled over "what is the Pope wearing or not wearing?"

As I was thinking about this, I realized that Pope Francis's wardrobe and customs have created as much excitement as a Downton Abbey episode! Black shoes on a Pope? What would the Dowager Countess say? My goodness!

For those that have never seen Downton Abbey, it's essentially a BBC drama centered on the "scandals" of an English Earl and his family as they wrestle with wearing black tie at dinner instead of white tie and whether noble blood necessitates a valet to help one dress. Other profound controversies include whether the Irish son-in-law should wear a morning suit, and which servant gets to wear the livery of a footman. As you can tell, it is an epic mini-series of deep philosophical distinctions...

An amusing read with a sound point. Read the rest here.

For Sale

Sometimes I think the internet is one giant garage sale. But the prices can be a little steep. A random look at things for sale found two of possible interest to reactionaries like me...

One 1929 Cadillac Fleetwood Transformable Limousine, possibly the last of its design. Asking price $250,000. Oh yeah it was also the official limo and parade car for President Herbert Hoover.
See here for the listing and more photos. Home Jeeves!

One 12th century Bavarian castle complete with moat. It's been renovated to make it quite liveable while retaining much of its medieval and military ambiance. Asking price $7.4 million. See here for details and more photos.

"Sovereign Man" movement is no longer just white racists

The nuts are now equal opportunity.

Like many people excited about a new home, Lamont Butler invited friends over to check his out. He had a lot to show them. The Bethesda mansion is among the largest in the region and featured floors of imported marble, 12 bedroom suites, six kitchens and a history of playing host to political gatherings, including ones during which Bill Clinton and Al Gore helped plant trees out back.

But the personable 28-year-old, known to wear a red fez, didn’t own the mansion; he had simply slipped inside and claimed it. Taking part in an odd and perplexing phenomenon popping up in cities across the country, Butler said the Bethesda mansion belonged to him because he is a Moorish American National. He’d drawn up paperwork that he said proved it all, with references to a 1787 peace treaty and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Read the rest here.

European Central Bank Gives Ultimatum to Cyprus

BERLIN — Cyprus on Thursday received a stark ultimatum from the European Central Bank: The tiny island nation must find $7.5 billion to bolster its failing banks by Monday or see them collapse.

The announcement that the European Central Bank would withdraw emergency funding from Cyprus’s teetering banks if no bailout is in place by Monday gave urgency to the country’s scramble to find cash. It came as European leaders warned in the strongest terms yet Thursday that if Cyprus’s banks fail, problems could quickly spread to the other 16 nations that share the euro currency.

Read the rest here.

The Fast Has Begun

Apologies to all. I had intended, and clearly forgot, to post a note on Sunday to the effect that there would be little or no blogging during the first three days of Lent. I ask forgiveness from anyone whom I may have offended or otherwise injured through any action thought or words, especially on this blog. Please forgive me. I wish you all a blessed fast.

A Blessed Feast of St. Patrick (and Cheesefare) to All

White in Philly; A Candid Discussion of Race

My younger son goes to Temple, where he’s a sophomore. This year he’s living in an apartment with two friends at 19th and Diamond, just a few blocks from campus. It’s a dangerous neighborhood. Whenever I go see Nick, I get antsy and wonder what I was thinking, allowing him to rent there.

One day, before I pick him up for lunch, I stop to talk to a cop who’s parked a block away from Nick’s apartment.

“Is he already enrolled for classes?” the cop says when I point out where my son lives.

Read the rest here.

Cyprus plans to confiscate up to 10% of bank deposits

It is a bad day to have your money deposited in a bank in the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. And it may just mean some bad days ahead for the rest of us.

Early Saturday, the nation reached an agreement with international lenders for bailout help. Part of the agreement: Bank depositors with more than 100,000 euros ($131,000) in their accounts will take a 9.9 percent haircut. Even those with less in savings will see their accounts reduced by 6.75 percent. That’s right: Anyone with money in a Cypriot bank will have significantly less money when the banks open for business Tuesday than they did on Friday. Cypriots have reacted with this perfectly rational reaction: lining up at ATM machines to try to get as much money out in the form of cash before the money they have in their accounts is reduced.

Read the rest here.

I think this is a colossal mistake. People are very logically going to conclude that if this can happen in Cyprus why not in another debt strapped country? It could precipitate a run on banks in every Euro Zone country that has major debt problems. If I lived in Greece Italy Spain or Portugal I would be waiting at my bank on Monday morning to yank every Euro and then convert half to gold and silver coins and bury them in the backyard.