c. 2006 Religion News Service
Pope Marks 500th Birthday of St. Peter’s Basilica
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Monday (April 17) paid tribute to the inception of St. Peter’s Basilica, which will mark its 500th anniversary on Tuesday (April 18).
Benedict said that the basilica’s first stone was laid on April 18, 1506, by Pope Julius II. Julius is remembered as the Catholic Church’s “warrior pope” for extending the territory of the papal states throughout central Italy. He commissioned the massive basilica to reflect the power the church wielded over Renaissance Europe.
Although work on the basilica was initiated under Julius, numerous popes inherited the ambitious project, which finally reached completion in 1626.
“With gratitude I recall the supreme pontiffs that wanted this extraordinary work on the tomb of the Apostle Peter,” Benedict said at an audience. “With admiration I recall the artists that contributed their genius to its construction and decoration.”
Initiated by the architect Bramante, the basilica ended up attracting some of the biggest names in Renaissance architecture, including Michelangelo, who designed the building’s distinctive wedding cake-like dome.
The basilica still ranks as the largest church in Christendom at more than 160,000 square feet. It is nearly double the size of its closest rival, the Cathedral of Milan, and has the capacity to seat more than 60,000 people.
The basilica is believed to mark the site where St. Peter _ considered the first pope _ was buried. Prior to its construction, a smaller basilica, dating back to the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine, marked the site.
_ Stacy Meichtry
Archbishop of Canterbury Rails Against `The Da Vinci Code’
LONDON (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says society’s cynical fascination with conspiracy theories such as those suggested in “The Da Vinci Code” is aimed at undermining the truth of Christianity.
In his Easter Sunday (April 17) sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, Williams cited Dan Brown’s novel, which already has sold more than 40 million copies, and the newly released Coptic text of an alleged “Gospel of Judas” as “the stuff of our imagination these days.”
These implications of conspiracies and cover-ups, he said, leave biblical texts treated “as if they were unconvincing press releases from some official source whose intention is to conceal the real story.”
It is almost as if “we would prefer to believe something like this (`The Da Vinci Code’) instead of the prosaic reality,” said Williams, the de facto head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Regardless of what cynics choose to believe, Williams said the Bible “is not the authorized code of a society managed by priests and preachers for their private purposes, but the set of human words through which the call of God is still uniquely immediate to human beings today.”
An underlying theme of “The Da Vinci Code” is that the church through the centuries has sought to protect its power by suppressing the truth about Christ _ that he married Mary Magdalene and they had a child, and that their descendants became kings of France. This bloodline, Brown’s novel says, was the true Holy Grail.
“The Gospel of Judas” that has been publicized by National Geographic purports to be a papyrus document that originated more than two centuries after the death of Christ. It depicts history’s most infamous traitor as a benevolent figure helping Jesus to save mankind.
“We are instantly fascinated by the suggestion of conspiracies and cover-ups,” Williams said. “This has become so much the stuff of our imagination these days that it is only natural, it seems to expect it when we turn to ancient texts, especially biblical texts.”
“Anything that looks like the official version is automatically suspect,” Williams said. “Someone is trying to stop you finding out what `really’ happened, because what really happened could upset or challenge the power of officialdom.”
_ Al Webb
Opus Dei Apologizes for Cartoons that Showed Muhammad in Hell
ROME (RNS) The conservative Roman Catholic organization Opus Dei has apologized for the publication of a cartoon depicting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in hell in a magazine operated by members of the group.
Published in the March issue of the Italian monthly Studi Cattolici, the cartoon depicts a scene inspired by Dante’s Inferno, in which the prophet appears in hell with his body sliced in half.
“Making a joke about Dante putting Mohammed (sp) in hell is a serious error,” Opus Dei spokesman Manuel Sanchez Hurtado said in a statement released Saturday (April 15).
Studi Cattolici, or “Catholic Studies,” is directed by Cesare Cavalleri, an Opus Dei “numerary,” a rank given to members who live in Opus Dei centers and give their salary to the organization. The magazine is also printed by the publishing house that has exclusive rights in Italy for the works of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei.
In his statement, Hurtado said Opus Dei was “not responsible” for editorial decisions made by Studi Cattolici. He said an apology was necessary, however, in light of recent violence over the publication of similar cartoons by a Danish newspaper.
He also expressed concern that the presence of Opus Dei members on the magazine’s staff had created “confusion.” Opus Dei routinely distances itself from the activities of its members, claiming that the organization seeks to “sanctify” professional life rather than supervise it. The organization also refuses to disclose the names of its members, leading many of its critics to accuse the group of secrecy.
The group figures heavily in the novel “The Da Vinci Code,” which depicts the group as a conspiratorial force within Roman Catholicism.
In his statement, Hurtado cited the book as an example of disrespect for religion, akin to the Muhammad cartoons.
“The cartoon’s publication is further framed by the current debate in many countries regarding the false and unjust depiction of the Christian faith in The Da Vinci Code,” he said. “The issue at stake here is how to make compatible freedom of expression, a free market and respect for religious beliefs.”
_ Stacy Meichtry
Gay Parents Make Presence Known at White House Easter Egg Roll
WASHINGTON (RNS) About 100 families headed by gay and lesbian parents made their presence known at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll Monday (April 17), as anti-gay protesters picketed outside.
The families headed by gays wore rainbow-colored leis draped around their necks.
“This isn’t about argument or protest,” said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, which organized the families and also invited bisexual and transgender parents to take part. “We want them to be seen participating at a great American tradition.”
The 128-year-old White House event, with an estimated attendance exceeding 10,000 this year, opened with a welcoming speech by First Lady Laura Bush. On a wet and chilly day, President Bush blew a whistle to start festivities that included live entertainment, costumed characters and Easter egg hunting, dyeing and rolling. As for the presence of homosexual parents, Laura Bush’s office released a statement last week saying all families were welcome.
Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said the families’ unified appearance amounted to a “political movement” and could dampen the event. A few of the families at the Egg Roll Monday expressed similar concerns.
“I’m trying to be fairly tolerant,” said Alan Peterson, at the event with his wife Beth and his children, Daniel and Emily. “If it’s a loving family unit, I shouldn’t object. But I’m not a big fan of the lifestyle, and I prefer not to have my nose rubbed in it.”
Participant Jill Gravetz argued that the presence of gays was not a big deal.
“Who cares? Families are families,” she said.
Outside the White House, a small handful of protesters, self-proclaimed Bible believers, held up signs that read “Homo Sex Is Sin” and “Gay Genes Are a Fairy Tale.”
Dominic Russoli, one of the gay parents participating with his partner Rolf and his 6-year-old son Cyrus in the Egg Roll, said the anti-gay protests are a part of “what makes America great.”
“They have every right to voice their opinion … ” Russoli said, adding, “We’re here to have a nice day. We’re like every American family. We pay taxes and take our kids to school.”
Jeff Lutes, executive director of the gay rights organization Soulforce, said that the presence of the protesters would not dissuade the cause,
“We are just as committed to families as those who oppose us,” Lutes said.
_ Piet Levy
Quote of the Day: the Rev. Gayle Carlton Felton, Baptism Expert
(RNS) “Something real is happening in a baptism. For mainline liturgical churches, the actor here is God, claiming that child for his own. It doesn’t matter if the child remembers it. God does.”
_ The Rev. Gayle Carlton Felton, author of the “This Gift of Water,” the United Methodist Church’s statement on baptism theology and practice. She was quoted by USA Today.
KRE/MO/JL END RNS
