Friday, February 18, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
BLESSED GIOVANNI (John) DA FIESOLE (b Fiesole 1395, d Rome 1455), Dominican brother, Renaissance painter, Patron of Christian artists
The world knows him best as Fra Angelico, one of the most prolific and universally admired of painters. He was born in the picturesque town of Fiesole that overlooks Florence and took up painting as a boy. He joined the Dominicans when he was 20, taking the name Fra Giovanni, then came to be known as Fra Angelico, perhaps a tribute to both his own personal qualities and the devotional quality of his works. Michelangelo once said of him, “One has to believe that this good monk has visited paradise and been allowed to choose his models there.” He also served in leadership positions within the Dominican Order. At one point Pope Eugenius approached him about serving as archbishop of Florence. Fra Angelico declined, preferring a simpler life. In formally beatifying him in 1982, Pope John Paul II also declared him the Patron of Catholic Artists, saying: "Fra Angelico was reported to say 'He who does Christ's work must stay with Christ always'. This motto earned him the epithet 'Beato Angelico', because of the perfect integrity of his life and the almost divine beauty of the images he painted, to a superlative extent those of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fra Angelico is buried in the Dominican Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome.
Readings for today's Mass: www.usccb.org/nab/readings/021811.shtml
OR today.
The main papal story is the audience with Russian President Medvedev. And to commemorate this year's anniversary of the 1929 Lateran pacts, the embassy of Italy to the Holy See is displaying two masterworks, Santa Lucia, a 14th-century painting by the Maestro della Osservanza of Siena (photo above), and a Holy Trinity painted by Lorenzo Lotto in 1523, from a church in Bergamo. Page 1 international news includes an update of the various uprisings in the Arab world, the crisis for high-tech industries of the West by China's restriction of its 'rare earth' exports (a group of chemical ores almost exclusively found in China alone, which are necessary to all high-tech manufacture); and the growing food crisis for three million Haitians.
PAPAL EVENTS TODAY
The Holy Father met with
- Six bishops from the Philippines (central region, Group 4) on ad limina visit. Individual meetings.
Later, he addressed the entire delegation. Address in English.
- Cardinal William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (weekly meeting).
The Vatican released more details relating to the beatification rites of John Paul II on May 1, as well as a notice from the Pontifical Household warning pilgrims against tour operators charging anything for the chance to attend the Beatification Mass. As always, the Vatican pointed out, everyone is free to come to the public events at the Vatican, and even the tickets issued by the Pontifical Household are given out free of charge [but are not really necessary].
The Vatican also announced the presentation of the Holy Father's JESUS OF NAZARETH, Vol. 2, at the Vatican Press Office on March 10, The Presentors will be led by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
Bertone and Berlusconi will both
attend anniversary celebration
of the Lateran pacts tonight
ROME, Feb. 18 (AP) – An annual celebration of the 1929 treaty that governs relations between Italy and the Vatican is taking an awkward turn, with Premier Silvio Berlusconi, engulfed in a prostitution scandal, due to mingle with the Vatican's No 2. official.
Berlusconi has come under criticism from the Catholic church as the scandal centering on his alleged encounters with a 17-year-old Moroccan girl have been unveiled.
The 74-year-old leader was recently indicted on charges he paid for sex with the girl, and then abused his influence to cover it up. Berlusconi denies the charges.
Berlusconi and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, will lead respective delegations at the ceremony Friday to mark the anniversary of the Lateran Pacts.
So what's the big deal? Media sanctimony is so annoying and absurd! Berlusconi, though indicted, is considered under the law to be innocent until proven guilty. And the Church does not judge individuals. There would be no meetings possible among anyone if the Church refused to meet with sinners, since all men are sinners, including representatives of the Church themselves!
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 18/02/2011 14:52]