Fancy people got together in LaLa land last night to talk about themselves and worship weird little golden idols.
In other words, it was Oscar night. Seth MacFarlane did make one religious-y joke.
“It’s Sunday, everybody’s dressed up,” he told the glittering crowd. “This is like church, only with more people praying.”
Yes, but to whom did they pray? I didn’t hear one winner thank God, though “Life of Pi” director Ang Lee did mention “movie god.”
In other movie news, the NYT catches up to the theological debate on “Zero Dark Thirty” and its implicit acceptance of torture.
Claire Hoffman profiles director David Lynch, and tries to find out whether he really believes Transcendental Meditation can save the world.
Pope Benedict XVI bestowed his final Sunday blessing in St. Peter’s Square, saying that God had called him to prayer and meditation but that he would not “abandon” the church.
Benedict apparently asked Fidel Castro for advice before stepping down, Reuters reports.
The Vatican criticized the publication of “unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories” about a gay Vatican network forcing Benedict’s hand.
Four priests accused a Scottish cardinal of inappropriate sexual behavior during the 1980s. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who had recently said that the church should allow married clergy, resigned immediately and will not attend the conclave to elect the next pope.
Papal politics is rough, huh?
Benedict changed the rules to allow for an earlier conclave, and Chinese Catholics are hoping for a restart on Sino-Vatican relations.
The Vatican says the next pope will be free to use the @Pontifex Twitter account, and a new website urges Catholics to “adopt a cardinal” before the conclave.
I wonder how many will adopt Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, a cultural omnivore beloved by Benedict who’s getting a lot of papal buzz.
Speaking of buzz, Tim Tebow hasn’t gotten this much since coming to New York. Unfortunately for him, evangelicals like Al Mohler Jr. say he fumbled a great opportunity.
Scholars gathered at Georgetown U. and tried to reclaim a dirty word: secularism.
Fifty-eight new Mormon missions have been created since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lowered the age of mission eligibility.
Singers on Idol-like programs in some countries have a bigger worry than withering criticism from washed-up judges: Death threats from religious extremists.
And here I thought TMZ catching Cardinal Wuerl was bad.
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Yr hmbl aggrgtr,
Daniel Burke
(Oscar image courtesy of Shutterstock.)