+Pell's Poker Face! or the Bishop's Gambit?

So there... HE wasn't bluffing folks! Or was he?

Vatican Press!!

A very poor translation. I'm sorry Warden, but it was released in Italian not Latin.

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation, on grounds of age, by His. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re to positions of Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and called to succeed in the same positions Em. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec so far.

That ought finally put an end to the Sydney speculations... but it was nice to dream!

SS Peter and Paul - Art Wars

Oh Pelagius is that the best you can manage?

Sts Peter & Paul - Art Wars

It's been a while folks...

''in principle support'' for gay adoption...

... from the NSW Premier and Miss WYD 1991. And all because "Jesus sat with the sinners and the saints".



We wonder what Cardinal Pell will have to say. Is this an issue to remind Catholic politicians of the consequences in the life of the church?

One Man's Boonham is Anothers Bernini Claims +Pell...

Coo-ee pilgrims... Mother Mirabilis here again!

All talk in The Cloister this past weekend has been about the new statues further cluttering the sanctuary of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. The discussions reminded me of a wonderful article from Zenit around this time last year.

Elizabeth Lev writes...

In 1661, the greatest of the Baroque artists, GianLorenzo Bernini, turned his considerable talents to the subject of Mary Magdalene. His was a papal commission, a gift of Pope Alexander VII for the cathedral of his hometown of Siena. Bernini, 63 years old at the time, was personally absorbed with the idea of repentance. He attended Mass daily and practiced the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. With this kind of spiritual preparation, Bernini was more than up to this task.


His Mary Magdalene has little of the earthy solidity of either Caravaggio or Guido Reni. In the hands of this master sculptor, Mary has become an elongated figure. Stripped of ornament and costly fabrics, her body twists and turns, drawing the eye upward like the serpentine flames of a votive candle. She stands upon her jar of ointment, but her face turns toward the heavens, and her hands are fervently clasped in prayer. Her deeply pleated robe falls from her like a discarded shroud, as her highly polished body seems to blend into the light pouring in from the overhead windows. Bernini's Magdalene has reached the end of her earthy struggles and becomes a beacon to Paradise for the rest of us.

The Australian quotes Cardinal Pell as thinking Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral's two new sculptures "are worthy of Bernini" but in light of Lev's observations of Bernini one could be forgiven for reserving judgment...

Perhaps all this talk of Rome and the Domus Australia project has the Cardinal's mind lofting to notions of papal commissions butif history tells us anything, God love him... it tells us that while he may not know art, he knows what he likes!

Student Pranks

A Pilgrim emailed in today claiming that St Mary's Cathedral up in Sydney had fallen victim to a common student prank. Somebody has apparently stolen some garden ornaments and placed them in St Mary's Cathedral.

Et Tu, Brute?

Freshly squeezed lemonade...

Can somebody explain why our beloved Warden requested Br Pelagius be sent a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade at this late hour?

The note reads...

Dear Mother

Please deliver forthwith with my compliments a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade to that commie Pelagius!

The Warden

What's that all about?

In a rather curious twist to the events playing out in the Diocese of the Big Drain, Bishop Michael Malone has used an ABC interview to call on Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson to clarify what he knew about paedophile priest Denis McAlinden.

The ABC News report is alleging that the then Fr Wilson and his superiors were part of a "conspiracy of silence" or an alleged "cover-up" in relation to the alleged crimes of the late priest, who was since defrocked.

In a statement to the ABC, Archbishop Wilson said he had no involvement apart from taking the statements from the two sisters involved, and that priest's criminal behaviour "was only confirmed" for him when he took these two statements in October 1995.

But in a case of spurious finger pointing the bishop told the ABC "I think certainly there was enough known about his predilections, but whether sufficient was known to act on them is a point that needs to be clarified by Philip Wilson seriously,".

Talk about friendly fire... and the President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference no less!

Behind the Veil

.....wait, wait, here's the latest suggestion from our friends: Oullet to Bishops, Pell to New Evangelization, and Schola to.....

+Pell Still Playing His Cards Close...

In answer to those enquiring minds, The Cloister have been enjoying a little break this past fortnight; some were even fortunate enough to be visiting in other warmer climes.

In our absence it seems La Ciguena de la Torre lost his nerve and is now claiming that Cardinal Pell has declined to accept the post of Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, reportedly due to age and ill-health. Healthy enough it seems to administer Sydney, and refuse our octogenarian Holy Father!

But with reports from Sydney that the Cardinal has been busy clearing the desk, the stage seems set for a September announcement - or not!

It got some in The Cloister to humming this classic tune made famous by Kenny Rogers...

And speaking of things veiled...

... we understand in the Cloister that something may be soon announced - now that that Irish rumour has been dealt with.

The Veiled Secrets of Cathnews

As I was browsing the net on my iPad at breakfast (well that is wishful thinking but still). I wandered over to Cathnews' "blog." Imagine my suprise when I discovered that Michael Kelly had attached a photo of three women, one in a mantilla- that's right- a mantilla!

Shame on you Michael Kelly. How dare you promote these symbols of pre Vatican II dictatorial patriarchy. To quote your own words, behind such a garb "...lies an equally malevolent image of God as the ruthless, inflexible and cane wielding school master."

Shame.