OH, PLEASE!

From PhillyBurbs.com:

Episcopal Church leaders have asked for the resignation of a Pennsylvania bishop accused of covering up sexual abuse by his brother more than 30 years ago.

The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church said in a resolution late Tuesday, issued after a meeting in Arizona, that it was asking the Rev. Charles Bennison Jr. to step down as Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

"We have come to the conclusion that Bishop Bennison's capacity to exercise the ministry of pastoral oversight is irretrievably damaged," the statement said. "Therefore, we exhort Charles, our brother in Christ, in the strongest possible terms, to tender his immediate and unconditional resignation as the Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania."

Spokeswoman Anne Rudig said the church had not gotten a response from Bennison, who released a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

"Resigning my position as Bishop of Pennsylvania will not ease (the victim's) pain or remove the sting of the abusive relationship," he said in the statement. "Instead, I hope that the suffering I have endured during the past three years has strengthened me and will enable me to work for reconciliation within the Diocese." (My emphasis)

The suffering that Bishop Bennison has endured is as nothing compared to the suffering of the person whose abuse by the bishop's brother was covered up by the bishop. The president of the Standing Committee of the diocese, the Rev. Glenn Matis, expressed his wish that the bishop resign. How will Bennison's hanging on in the face of the request by his fellow bishops and members of the diocese for him to step down lead to reconcilation within the diocese?

Charles Bennison has said he was being railroaded by other church officials who were trying to cover up their own involvement in his brother's case, and that some had been trying to oust him due to differences in theology and the handling of church finances.

Oh, please, spare us the martyr, Bishop Bennison.

TWO CLERIHEWS FOR YOU

For the blog Faith and Theology, Kim Fabricious offers a series of clerihews "...for those of you who have trouble reading poetry (or would like to be able to talk about poets without reading them...." Below are two teasers. For the rest, you'll you'll need to visit the blog. It's only right.

W. H. Auden
Sure liked his Gordon’s;
Of course the intoxicated sod
Was also drunk on God.

Wendell Berry
Is very, very
Farmy.
And some would say barmy.

No, I didn't know what a clerihew was before now.

Thanks to Ann V.

UPDATE: I intended to include a link to the definition of a clerihew in my original post, but I neglected to do so. Sorry. The link is there now.

"EAU LA LA!"

From the New York Times:

In the latest in a series of unusual efforts to make Paris green, the city is now offering residents free sparkling water to try to wean Parisians not from red wine, but from overconsumption of plastic bottles.
....

“We chill the water between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius,” said Philippe Burguière, the spokesman for Eau de Paris, “and then we inject carbon dioxide into regular tap water to make the bubbles thin and tasty.” Those temperatures translate to 42.8 to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The new water fountain is part of an operation “aimed at promoting tap water in a country where we invest a lot to preserve its quality,” Mr. Burguière added.

The fountain is connected to the public water system and uses six taps to provide both sparkling and flat water.

The idea was conceived in Italy and grew very popular there, Mr. Burguière said.

Italians, who are known as the world’s biggest consumers of sparkling water, have installed 215 fountains of the same type in the country’s northern regions.

Sounds like a great, green idea to me. Leave it to the Italians to teach the French a thing or two.

Did you know that an Italian taught the French how to cook? Back in the day when Catherine de Medici, of Florence, married Prince Henry of France, who later became King Henry II, she took her cook with her. The cook proceeded to show the French how it's done.

Of course, there are spoilers who say that the story is not true. Well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

But I digress. The Italian and now the French practice of giving away water, even water with a sparkle, is wonderful. The sellers of bottled water may not agree, but, hey guys! you have to do your part, too, in going green - for the common good, you know.

The title of the post is from the headline of the story in the Times-Picayune newspaper, but I cannot find an online link.

KITCHEN TIPS - MARTHA AND MAXINE

Martha says: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Maxine says: Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for god's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it anyway!



Martha says: To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Maxine says: Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix.
Keeps in the pantry for a decade.



Martha says: Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Maxine says: That kind of unnecessary crap isn't in the Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions.



Martha says: Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Maxine says: IF the lime is from your third margarita!



Martha says: Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Maxine says: Leftover Wine, Martha?????? HELLO!!!!!!!

Thanks to Doug.

FAREWELL TO SCOTTY

Scotty and his dear friend Mocha

Lisa at My Manner of Life lost her beloved Scotty, her friend and companion of 19 years. Pray for Lisa and Mocha.

0 God, you created all that is, and you love all that you have made: we come to you this day in grief and with thanksgiving. We grieve the death of Lisa's beloved Scotty, who has been her companion on the way, and we thank you for the gift of his presence with her as an effective sign of the richness of your creation and of the generosity of your love; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer from Animal Chaplains.

DOXY BLAMES ME

Doxy in the comments:

Wormwood's Doxy said...

Mimi--I started writing and couldn't stop. So I turned my comment into my first blog post in 3+ months.

You have only yourself to blame... ;-)

Pax,
Doxy

After a long hiatus, Doxy writes on her blog concerning the election of the Rev. Dan Martins as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield and says that I was her inspiration. But hang on! She disagrees with me! That's not how it's supposed to work.

Nevertheless, Doxy writes an excellent post. Although she doesn't post often, when she does, her blog is always worth reading. Check out her latest at Wormwood's Doxy.

OH NOOO!!! GOP = GAY OLD PARTY?

From Candace Chellew-Hodge at Religious Dispatches:

Republicans really must have believed they had this whole gay issue settled once and for all—then along come voters, and prominent Republicans, showing support for gay rights and even coming out. That’s left some hard-line religiously conservative Republicans confused and angry.

Witness the vehemence of such conservatives as WorldNetDaily founder Joseph Farah who took on Christopher Barron, the co-founder and chairman of the gay Republican group GOProud, at the Take Back America conference over the weekend in Miami. (You’ll remember, this is the conference Ann Coulter was disinvited from because she agreed to speak at GoProud’s “Homocon” event.)


Barron argued that gay people can be true conservatives, listing his organization’s support for conservative causes like “tax cuts, repealing health-care reform, social-security reform, and a neo-conservative defense for the Global War on Terror.” To Barron, one’s sexual orientation has nothing to do with whether one can be conservative or not.

Barron's statement is Republican heresy! Purge, purge, purge!

...the “conservative movement” is filled with gays and lesbians like Ken Mehlman, who led the Republican National Committee, and author and radio host Tammy Bruce. Gay and lesbian people, closeted or not, have long been a part of the “conservative movement.” What Farah does not like is that right now, these people are speaking up. They are no longer being silent about who they are - not just as conservatives, but as human beings.

I believe that the author is correct. I have it on excellent authority, from someone who could get Karl Rove on the phone, that the Bush White House staff was riddled with teh gays.

I confess that I find it difficult to understand how LGTB persons can support the Republican agenda, considering the bigotry which has been and is directed against them, but chacun à son goût. Having said that, I admit that the Democratic Party has not always been, nor is it now, a shining light of inclusivness.

Many have speculated on the death of the religious right—and it always seems to survive predictions of its demise—but a new Associated Press poll released this week echoes an earlier CNN poll showing majority support for same-sex marriage (52 percent to 46 percent). The poll also shows 58 percent say gays and lesbians should “be entitled to the same government benefits as married couples of the opposite sex.” Only 38 percent opposed.

In my territory, the religious right is not moribund, but rather, they rule, far beyond what their numbers warrant. Their voices scream loud and long, and the parties and the politicians not only listen, but, all too often, march to the beat of their drummers, more's the pity.

Thanks to Cathy for the link.

PLEASE PRAY FOR LISA AND SCOTTY

Lisa at My Manner of Life is preparing to say good-bye to Scotty, pictured above, in better days. Scotty went to live with Lisa as a kitten, and they have been together for 19 years, nearly her entire adult life.

Saying Goodbye to Scotty

In the name of God the Father,
who created you and all the animals,
in the name of Jesus the Son,
who spoke of you in parables and stories,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
in whom every creature lives, moves, and has their being,
go now in peace, dear friend.

May you find rest near refreshing waters,
may you lie in cool, green pastures,
and may you warm yourself under the sun that never sets.

You have been my constant companion,
my shadow and confidante,
my comfort and playmate.
You filled my days with life and brought me endless joy.
For this I give thanks to God who gave you to me.

Now return to your Maker who eagerly waits for you
as you waited for me at the end of each day.

In the Father’s arms, let there be no more pain.
Let there be no more suffering.
Let there be only light as it was on the day God created you.

For our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer by Diana Macalintal from San José Diocese.

O God, we ask that you be powerfully present with Lisa during this difficult time as parting with Scotty draws near. Give her comfort, consolation, and your peace that passes understanding to keep her mind and heart in Christ Jesus. Amen.

REPUBLICANS IN MONTANA - MAKE HOMOSEXUALITY ILLEGAL

From Yahoo News:

At a time when gays have been gaining victories across the country, the Republican Party in Montana still wants to make homosexuality illegal.

The party adopted an official platform in June that keeps a long-held position in support of making homosexual acts illegal, a policy adopted after the Montana Supreme Court struck down such laws in 1997.

The fact that it's still the official party policy more than 12 years later, despite a tidal shift in public attitudes since then and the party's own pledge of support for individual freedoms, has exasperated some GOP members.

"I looked at that and said, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" state Sen. John Brueggeman, R-Polson, said last week. "Should it get taken out? Absolutely. Does anybody think we should be arresting homosexual people? If you take that stand, you really probably shouldn't be in the Republican Party."

Sen. Brueggeman, the folks who voted on the Republican Party platform in June are your people. The Party spawned groups like the Tea Partiers, and now the kids are out of control. Good luck with getting the policies out of the Republican Party platform. You may have a fight on your hands. You reap what you sow.

Thanks to Cathy for the link.

DOIN' THE VATICAN SPIN...

...after doin' the Lambeth Walk.

From the AP:

The Vatican declared Pope Benedict XVI's four-day visit to Britain a "great success" Sunday, saying the pontiff was able to reach out to a nation wary of his message and angry at his church's sex abuse scandal.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the important thing wasn't so much the turnout — crowds were much smaller than when Pope John Paul II visited in 1982 — but that Benedict's warning about the dangers of an increasingly secularized society had been received "with profound interest" from Britons as a whole.

But how does the Rev. Lombardi know that Britons, as a whole, received the pope's message "with profound interest"? What is the evidence?

And if the crowds had broken previous records, I wonder if the turnout would then have taken on greater significance.

Prime Minister David Cameron, in his farewell speech before Benedict's departure ceremony, said the pope had "challenged the whole country to sit up and think, and that can only be a good thing."

At the same time, he seemed to take issue with Benedict's contention that secularization was taking hold more and more in Britain.

Ah, Prime Minister, if people sit up and think, it's possible that their opinions of both you and the pope might go into decline.

"Faith is part of the fabric of our country. It always has been and it always will be," Cameron said shortly before the pope left on a flight from Birmingham Airport. Benedict arrived back in Rome late Sunday night.

That was certainly evident on Sunday, as Benedict beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman before tens of thousands of faithful who paid 25 pounds ($39) to attend. This trip marked the first time pilgrims had been asked by their church to pay to see the pope.

Still a bargain, indeed! Only £25 to witness the pope send a deceased Englishman halfway to sainthood. Only one miracle to go and Blessed John Henry Newman bags the honorific of St. John Henry Newman and is assigned a place in the Roman Catholic Church calendar of saints.

Saturday saw one of the biggest anti-pope protest of Benedict's five-year papacy as some 10,000 people marched against him through central London, opposed to his policies on homosexuality and contraception and disgusted by the clerical sex abuse scandal.

You can't win 'em all.

Sunday marked the first time Benedict celebrated a beatification. Under his own rules, popes don't beatify, only canonize.

You make 'em, you break 'em.

And a good time was had by all, albeit at great cost to the treasury of the United Kingdom.

And the pope is safely ensconced back in his tiny state, the Vatican.

♫ Lambeth you've never seen,
The skies ain't blue, the grass ain't green.
It hasn't got the Mayfair touch,
But that don't matter very much.
We play the Lambeth way,
Not like you but a bit more gay
And when we have a bit of fun
Oh, Boy.

Anytime you're Lambeth way
Any evening, any day,
You'll find us all doin' the Lambeth walk.

Ev'ry little Lambeth gal
With her little Lambeth pal,
You'll find 'em all doin' the Lambeth walk.

Ev'rything's free and easy,
Do as you darn well pleasey,
Why don't you make your way there,
Go there, stay there,

Once you get down Lambeth way,
Ev'ry evening, ev'ry day,
You'll find yourself doin' the Lambeth walk.♫

More lyrics: LyricsFreak

Watch the video here.

H/T to MadPriest at Of Course I Could Be Wrong, who had the link to the article first, for which I give him full credit. He urged us not to argue with the Vatican's conclusions, but I did anyway.