Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

"Et in Arcadio Ego" The Pope's first encyciclical

category international | arts and media | other press author Wednesday January 25, 2006 14:54author by iosaf

Yippee! Its his first encyclical. the black pope,
mister authoritarian numero uno, papa ratzi,
the german shepherd has published is his
first pamphlet. And its title is "Deus Caritas
Est" = God is Love.

Benedict XVI, obviously aware, that his
career will only be taken seriously if he
regularly offers us something meaty and
intellectual has taken on the concepts of
Love. in all its variations .-

+ Friendly matey chummy love.
* Sexy hot and sweaty Lurve.
# the sort of affection you feel for God for either creating you or not having struck you down yet with a bolt of lightening.

Published in several languages ( English, French, German, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish) at once readers and commentators have already
suggested that something got lost in the
translation.-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1995575,00.html

For as we know, english only has one word for Love. spellt "L-o-v-e", just as in "love
parade". And that technically "lurve" is a funky
piece of slang. But latin and greek have
oodles of words for Love, and Benedict XVI is
actually being quite adventurous in
addressing the greek concept "Eros" which
approximates to our modern phrase "sexed
up and horny".

here's the english text
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html

here's the wikipedia article which will be of interest to all with even a passing concern of what exactly are the Kathurlicks up to, where does "eros" come into "paedophilia" for example, as it will similarly be of interest to those with a background in classics in general or Platonic philosophy in particular.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_Caritas_Est
as Wikìpedia points out :- Ratzi quotes wide and far -
["a line from Virgil's Eclogues, Book X, line 69, "Omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori" ("Love conquers all, and we yield to love"), and the opinion of Friedrich Nietzsche that Christianity has poisoned eros, turning it into a vice. It refers to the conjugal love exhibited in the Song of Songs, and analyses passages from the First Letter of St. John which inspired the title. The second half, based on a report prepared by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, is more practical, considering the charitable activities of the Church as an expression of love, and referring to the Church's three-fold responsibility: proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). A final paragraph is inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy (particularly the last canto of "Paradise", which ends before "the everlasting Light that is God himself, before that Light which at the same time is the love which moves the sun and the other stars")]

which really is quite something. (the quoting of Virgil bit).

I love you too Benedict.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx / @+*.:.

Comments (26 of 26)

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author by baa baa black sheeppublication date Wed Jan 25, 2006 15:01author address author phone

dear pals,
read Virgil.
find someone to love.
love whomever you lurve.
God will love you for that.
If you don't believe in God
believe in Love.

sin é.

if you move your thigh a wee bit I'll explain "et in arcadio ego" to you.
if you move your thigh a wee bit I'll explain "et in arcadio ego" to you.

Related Link: http://classics.mit.edu/Virgil/georgics.html
author by Eamonnpublication date Wed Jan 25, 2006 15:06author address author phone

are always on about pedophiles (sic)

obviously you've never been raped by someone three times your size, or you may not talk so flippantly about it..

author by hmmmmpublication date Wed Jan 25, 2006 15:11author address author phone

or would you move to realise that all forms of human love are learnt by communication and replication. If a victim of child abuse, one still needs to grow to adulthood aware of love and capable of experiencing it and expressing it properly. And part of that is often either supporting victim support groups such as http://www.oneinfour.org/ or normalising references to inappropriate sexual behaviour especially which includes children in wider society. I made no joke when wondering on the placing of "eros" or "caritas" by the RC leadership.

author by Duinepublication date Wed Jan 25, 2006 15:20author address author phone

Is mó binib ná grá atá ag na tráchtaireachtaí thuas.

Bheinn sásta éisteacht le gach treoir i dtaobh aimsiú an ghrá seo.

Maith thú, a Bheinidicht XVI.

author by shamrockpublication date Wed Jan 25, 2006 15:28author address author phone

held by the RC church on "social movements" or as Ratzinger has referred to it this time "one of the church's threefold responsibilities" :- "ministry of charity (diakonia)". It is this very factor, the millenial comittment to charity that has allowed the RC church to glide effortlessly through tyranny after tyranny. It is this the factor that allows them to see socialists subsumed in fascist regimes, and the reason they are so powerful in South America. They have the "social centre thing" wrapped up. Which do we wish? a society where an institution of power takes credit for feeding some of the poor or a society where the state accepts its responsibility to do so? Until the state accepts "diakonia" as an obligation of its existence, as the very reason we subscribe it so much power of our lives, then the Church will not diminish in any true or lasting sense.

author by virgil / iosafpublication date Thu Jan 26, 2006 11:59author address author phone

The reaction across the world's commercial media to the encyciclical has been mixed.
In states where the influence of the RC church is considerable (Ireland, Spain) attention has been focussed on the "erotic" meditation, in other states where the influence of the RC church is less significant (France, Germany) the focus has been on the meditation and assertion that the RC church holds the primary right to direct charitable interests and social care, and the equally important assertion that the directly linked responsiblity of the state is to guarantee justice.

But of course, most readers of the European commercial press don't give a monkeys, and its even open to question if their correspondents even read the text in its entirety, and if they did, that they understood the subtelty of the quotations.

So, knowing that the astute and erudite reader of indymedia ireland has the link to the Vatican page above, and also in the full knowledge that the experienced reader of imc ireland knows how to use the search engine on the left of the screen, and furthermore how to cut and paste terms which challenge the faculties into a larger meta-search engine such as Google and "look up" these matters on wikipedia, I'll finish my contribution to this matter with a brief recap of Ratzinger's last public address before he became pope.

On the 18th of April, Ratzinger spoke to the cardinals of conclave ahead of their election process in a closed and sealed Sistine chapel. It was widely regarded as his "mission statement" though some might argue it technically broke the rules for election of the supreme pontiff by approaching a "candidates manifesto".

He told the cardinals that their "struggle" was and would be to combat :- ["Marxism to free-market liberalism to even libertarianism (*"libertine-ism" (this one cuased translation difficulty & was almost understood as "libertarianism" but I faxed the Vatican and asked them, and a nun cleared it up for me, it was "being a 24/7 horny monster sex god/ess" that got up his nose not being a "libertarian socialist"), collectivism to radical individualism, atheism to vague religious mysticism, agnosticism to syncretism and so forth."]

Now you'll probably find your political or social beliefs on that list. But relax he as much condemned Mc Dowell as a liberal free market capitalist as he did you for being a member of a collective who go a bit mystic on Friday nights and don't really feel sure of whether or not God exists.

That his first encyclical in no uncertain terms rely heavily on quotation of both classical and post classical writers (Virgil and Dante) ought be seen as his first attempt "ex officio" to formulate a position on "synchretism".

With the exception of Marxism, the inter-exchange of the other streams of opinion, free-market liberalism : libertarianism / "libertine-ism" : collectivism : radical individualism, atheism : mysticism, agnosticism : syncretism has helped occidental philosophy as represented by artists and scientists bring European societies out of feudalism and through authoriarian states.

It is very much worth considering at this time, that the RC church has never proved itself to be a friend to democracy or democratic values. And not surprisingly, therefore it has supported and worked with dictatorships throughout Europe and the Americas even into living and painful memory.

The idea of the "democratic state" began with the syncretism, condemned by Joseph Ratzinger on April 18th when still a cardinal and now used by him to in oblique references in this encyclical , it developed through that "libertarianism" condemned by him to give the world three republics in France, the USA and Haiti. The most continuous state democracies in the world, may be thought by some to be Switzerland, the USA or the UK. All three gave birth to their political systems in conflict with the RC church and under its condemnation.
The "orthodoxy" of the RC tradition of all the popes "pius" and all the popes "paul" is the one Ratzinger and his "party" support and perpetually invoke. It is not one of democratic values. It is not one of "freedom" or "liberty" in any of the senses of the word be they - marxist, neo-liberal, free-market, libertarian, feminist, autonomous, or synchretic.
Now we as a planet face a 50/50 chance of surviving the next century. And an orthodoxy that supports dictatorship will not help us and commits the most gravest error of denying free will as the gift of mankind, and raising the "priesthood" to the sole arbitrator of the message of the christ. So he quoted Virgil on love, in the knowledge perhaps that catholics would be ignorant of the true nature of Virgil or the morality represented by his writings _at the exact same time as the Christ_ and then set the template for his organisations idea of states in the XXI century. So we might finish by wondering.... has he used his influence to guarantee states of law? states of justice? the proper and peaceful settlement of conflict and war?

«Quisque suos patimer manes» = «Each man is liable for his own peculiar destiny»

Virgil.

author by Paddy Savage - Consistent life ethic(inc.animals)publication date Mon Feb 27, 2006 23:59author email achorusline19 at hotmail dot comauthor address author phone

Hasnt anyone ever heard of the sermon on the mount(the beatitutes),apparemtly it seems,a lot of christians havent,or they seem to forget that Jesus was tempted in the desert by "satan"(the world,or wordliness)when he was offered power,wealth and status,the very essence,or elements of what a "supreme" member of the church seems to sum up to me to be,THE POPE,and each new pope has a huge expensive ring made for him,also,and if asked for sources i will give them,a bit tired now,its known that over 300 people sleep rough around the areas or walls of the Vatican city,while inside these "Christians" live in mansions and luxury,isnt that a shining example of a vow of poverty(sarcasm) and charity?? I mean,are they politicians or representatives of Christ,who is the prince of peace,who went against a corrupt Empire(the Roman empire)and also a corrupt socio economic system(when he freaked in the market place) and against a corrupt religious hierarchy(early Judaism)no im not an anti-semite,and what do we have now??A new Roman empire,the Vatican!!And no im not a member of the "Free Presbyterian Church",who calls the vatican and Catholicism the "Whore of Babylon"(the great city mentioned in the bible in Revelations)which is very clear to me is Washington,ill forever be a NON ROMAN Catholic,i really couldnt be further from the stereotype of an Orthodox Catholic,i mean im queer,vegan,pro life,anti war,anti capital punishment,anti state,i even recieve communion in Anglican churches to piss Mainstream Catholics off,and have also been told im "desecrating my body bue to the piercings in my face and the tattoos' behind my ears in the confessional,which i usually get asked to exit as im not really confessing my "sins" but rather confessing the truths of the corruption that is ripe in elements of the church,great laugh!!please people look up Liberation Theology on Wikepedia and also Oscar Romero to see the good that exists in Catholicism or feel free to call me deluded,NO POPE AND NO QUEEN!!All spiritual paths lead to the same place!! "If only protestants would exemplify the sermon on the mount,and if only Catholics tried to keep up with St. Francis of Assisi",thats a quote from one of the great early founders of the Catholic worker movement. Ignore Ratzinger,and Bush,anyone who claims to be a christian and kills or goes to war is deluded! "Our struggle is not against the flesh and the blood,but against the authorities,the principalities and the rulers of darkness in this world"Ephessians 6:12. Love and light,Homo Paddy.xx

author by yippee!!!!publication date Sat Mar 25, 2006 01:39author address author phone

note the man of the age, papi ratzi, the german shepherd, black pope, has chosen 11.
not 10 and not 9.
Amongst the lucky men to get the little red hat are :- joseph Zen of hong kong.
He got the red hat, for being ok-ish with the red commies in Beijing & having the first name "Joe" and the last name "Zen" which is as oriental as Opus Dei get.
But not amongst them was Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald. he didn't get a new ring for being too chumy with the muslims.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1176456,0....html

+

its all bollox.
now you can put down that money changing gear and get the fuck out.-

author by popedudeeastermsgpublication date Fri Apr 14, 2006 04:40author address author phone

“Lord, we have lost our sense of sin. Today a slick campaign of propaganda is spreading an inane apologia of evil, a senseless cult of Satan, a mindless desire for transgression, a dishonest and frivolous freedom, exalting impulsiveness, immorality and selfishness as if they were new heights of sophistication.”

At the Fourth Station, where Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrene to carry the cross, Pope Benedict and his followers will pray: “Lord Jesus, our affluence is making us less human, our entertainment has become a drug, a source of alienation, and our society’s incessant, tedious message is an invitation to die of selfishness.”

One of the strongest meditations warns against the attack on the family. “Today we seem to be witnessing a kind of anti-Genesis, a counter-plan, a diabolical pride aimed at eliminating the family.”

There is a moving meditation for the Eighth Station, where Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, describing the “River of tears shed by mothers, mothers of the crucified, mothers of murderers, mothers of drug addicts, mothers of terrorists, mothers of rapists, mothers of psychopaths, but mothers all the same”.

The Pope will also confront the question of evil in the world in a meditation that asks: “Where is Jesus in the agony of our own time, in the division of our world into belts of prosperity and belts of poverty . . . in one room they are concerned about obesity, in the other, they are begging for charity?”

Related Link: http://drudgereport.com
author by +publication date Wed May 10, 2006 17:52author address author phone

for many good reasons. He's a "joseph" and "zen" is really dinky. But the People's Republic of China were unhappy with ony having a RC cardinal based in HongKong, and have been doing their best to push their own man as "RC cardinal for Beijing". Joseph Ratzinger is very upset, he really has his hands full these days, there's the summer season shopping for one thing, accessories, shorts, deciding which sun cream to promote, and then of course who could forget? the condom. As we know millions of people have committed the mortal sin and thus gone to hell for using condoms. Rumour has it, it may soon be ok to use condoms, (if you're married, and one of you have AIDS). This of course will cause many problems, lots of dead relatives will have to be moved in the official records from "hell" to "purgatory".
& as if these headaches weren't enough, the Red Chinese who have only just moved to recongising the Holy See as a state and opening up the first phone lines, exchanging the first diplomatic cartoons, sending samples of fabric etc., are now demanding to have a look in on their Cardinal's appointment.

No! niet! non! nihil obstat! says our man Joe.
that wouldn't be democratic. .

a Beijing RC priest does his thing.
a Beijing RC priest does his thing.

author by pat cpublication date Wed May 10, 2006 18:14author address author phone

and today in the papers you will read that the Anglican Communion has rejected the RC doctrines of Immaculate Conception and Assumption (i was always taught to never make assumptions). they point out that there is no scriptural back up for these beliefs. mary last appears in the bible in book 1 of the acts of the apostles (a cameo). they also take a sideswipe against Papal Infallibility. again no scriptural basis. how could a pope, a mere man decide that future men would be infallible?

author by iosafpublication date Fri Jul 21, 2006 23:31author address author phone

Curiously yes and no :- Labor needs no translation from the Latin - it remains with us perhaps more faithfully in the US english spelling. But for the moment note that Benedict XVI is not stuck up the Les Combes mountains, in Valle d’Aosta writing "Opus domini".
I've gone through his cleverness with ye many times before - he's up to something - let me remind you that he attempted to boost the "social responsibility" pillar of the RC churches in his last encyclical laying out a vision more of "community love & getting people off the street, out of their cardboard boxes or tents and into a soup station" than sweaty sticky lurve.

Thus his text on "work" will no doubt touch on his vision of the "workers place" rather than the technological advances of previous Opus Dei businessmen and their global propagation of mops.
(c/f http://indymedia.ie/article/77333#comment159981 ) source - http://www.korazym.org/news1.asp?Id=18458

I'll write an article when the encyclical is published and tell you all about it & how it will effect trade union relations "down your way". Meanwhile - the black pope has condemned Israel's actions on Lebanon which is for the moment "more important"?

But be prepared for Ratzinger to pronounce on what jobs a kathurlick may nor may not do.
I've hinted at what that will be, & indeed how it will cover Ireland's biotech prowess - (c/f http://indymedia.ie/article/77046?&condense_comments=fa...57677 ) you will see how this mirrors Bush's first use of Presidential Veto as well - if you're bothered reading the forthcoming article. Or just consult your local P.P.

author by Chris Murray - The Unmanageablespublication date Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:39author address author phone



Snippets:

The Irish Times of yesterday has a bishop asking Catholic's to use Christian Discernment when
choosing one's 'Sunday Papers'. They will be wanting to imprimatur the media next.

The 'Voice' states that God is male, which is rather strange, because depending on the breadth of your reading , the whole sexual organ thing doesn't come into the trans-human, trans-personal aspect of divine. (be it projected values or divine geometry)

The lie to the Maleness of God , which is the cause of subjugation and womb fear within the less developed churches (western) and propagates the white supremacist cult of elitism which informs failed civilisation began or was extended into modernist debate by amongst others: CS Lewis.

CS Lewis Wrote on the Four Loves: and the EROS chapter is pretty striking.

His conclusions fed into the whole gung ho masculinist philosophy that dominates theological thought.

No one of the loves is 'perfect' unless it is governed by the divine,( which is masculinist.

Not 'Tranpersonal/transgendered/impersonal/volitional but male.

Then we have the sexing of the church and the dangers of inversion : the Bridegroom mythos.

The theological excuses for opposition to women priests are simply:

The twelve were male.

This contortion began in the first century AD and continues to now.

The actual teachings of Christ were liberationist and anarchistic.

(Love the Et in Arcadia Ego pic)

author by Butt Ugly Harridanpublication date Sat Jul 22, 2006 20:54author address author phone

But their frocks are gorgeous, darling!

Homo Paddy is my kind of catholic - Homo Paddy for Pope!

Ratzinger will bring the RC church to its knees if not completely destroy it. The requirement for celibacy was doing a pretty good job without him and the teachings about women will continue to cost the church millions of supporters. If ever there was a group of repressed homosexuals, the RC priesthood is surely one. Many male-only elites have that particular problem at heart. Repressed homosexuality has been responsible for a significant proportion of the oppression of women: from Oxbridge dons to Freemasons, guys who needed to be out there celebrating their true sexuality were socially oppressed into hiding their orientation in secret societies, exclusive male-only clubs and a warped resentment of the female to whom they did not want but were nevertheless obliged to respond 'appropriately'.

Along with heterosexual men they were and are still too frequently terrified of all that powerful stuff that goes on between our legs (all that blood, uugghhh) and even more so of the powerful stuff that goes on in our minds. By virtue merely of being dick owners ALL men have had all the power with which to suppress and deny all women. I'm sick of male nationalists, and freedom fighters of every shade venting their spleen about e.g. Brtish on Irish injustice and every other sort of injustice while they sit by and do nothing about the violent/economic/social injustice on women they see every day of their lives. They are almost all of them contributing to it one way or another themselves. The truth is most men dont give a fuck about the oppression of women and the full extent of what we are coping with. The RC church is not alone in this.

And so it goes on, even among people who congratulate themselves on how enlightened they are. 'But you are not exactly like us' they scream, 'you don't know the things we do'; 'you dont understand how we think' - as if they were the 'norm' and we are eternally the 'outsiders' - not at liberty to take hold of the status quo and say NO!!!! this is how it really is - now fuck off and get used to it!! And so we are excluded. And above all women must be a 'nice girls' too - the unthreatening, deferential variety. Many 'ladies' have found that 'being a nice person' has helped them to get by unhindered, it seems: the smiling, patient, listening and waiting variety that Ratzinger has just been eulogising is exactly what is wanted - even by so-called informed, right-on anarchist men. The type of lady who, happily for her, sees only nice things in the men around her and are gald to rush forward and shit on and back-stab other women when they challenge male elites, thereby earning themselves unqualified admiration and approval from the guys. Sad creatures. But the same sad creatures are happy enough to exploit the benefits that accrue to them from the determination of other womens' efforts. Well enjoy it, 'ladies' - have some freedom courtesy of us ugly harridans.

RC doctrine where women and homosexuality is concerned is not a doctrine of love. It's a doctrine of fear and loathing - self-loathing a lot of the time. How about a hit and run group of unmanageables that can turn up at masses anywhere in the country and pose these question, loudly and proudly:

Where are the women priests?
Why do these men imagine they have any insights to offer women about their lives?
Why are so many of them denying their homosexuality?
Why doesnt the RC Church abolish the evil that is celibacy?
Why doesnt the Catholic church liquidise and distribute its vast wealth?

Right in the middle of the sermon would be good. Anyone up for that?

author by RCpublication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 18:45author address author phone

Is it just the Catholic Church you hate or
dare you apply the same (low) level of analysis to say,
Islam or Judaism?
I thought not.

author by nihil obstatpublication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 18:50author address author phone

Now will we do cataechetics?
Thankfully Ireland no longer has a RC party & thus RC's of good conscience are free to vote for whomever their conscience allows. Come on! bring it on!!! let's do theology - you're the first mormon we've had in Nenagh since the Eucharistic congress. Have you chat with Sean? Dog latin here we come!

author by RCpublication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 19:05author address author phone

How could anyone stand up to you when this, according to your name, is your first comment?
Maybe you have your fair share of mor(m)ons in Nenagh?
But don't presume to teach your granny how to suck eggs.
Now, how about a critique of Judaism? I won't hold my breath.

author by gurgle iosafpublication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 19:18author address author phone

rather than either Torah or Maimonedes.

The article above & its author's comments (easy to distinguish) asked people to consider "diakonia" the third thread of Benedict XVI's first encyclical's extrapolation of RC doctrinal interpretation and the function of justice and social welfare in states.
Of course you'd have to read it all first to start getting heavy and discussing iotas. But you want to do Judaism instead?
Very sensible.
As I said I'd prefer to start with "secular principles" then work back to discussing Torah or the authenticity of the book of Judit.
http://www.daatemet.org.il/
If you want to start with aleph and parse the "bereshit bara" first line of Torah with me & then go through all the little hats to zionism and zzzz- cool. It's not winning you votes.

There are maps in our archives which explain socio-economic disparity in Ireland to you. It is one of the most disparate states in the world. Your wealth distribution went through neither "diakonia" nor "state".

author by Not RCpublication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 19:26author address author phone

and think about it-

My first problem with RC as a pseud/anon is that a religion is not a badge one wears with
pride in order to classify themselves- cos thats where all the wars come from.

Which begs the question when did the pope last preach tolerance and Love?

not the sweaty eros type of thing which in RC equates to the hole in the
bed sheet on the wedding night and the women worn out with the child-bearing
clause. but real tolerance?

Just a question.
We are Irish you know.
There are one billion Catholics subject to a dogmatic infallible central
control nexus of an unvoted spiritual leader in this world.

and one size does not fit all.

how many Irish Catholics accept the doctrine of infallibilty being accorded to
evolutionary principles of the woman's place (on the bed sheet in missionary
position number 1)
How many Catholics have their partners on contraception cos the mortgage
is too high and they cannot afford a child?

How many catholics in ireland as at the maternity hospital door if "it's a
boy or a child"

How many Irish catholics actually accept the teachings of the church in relation
to the supremacy of the male?

Afterall we have white supremacists going out with their bibles to bring
faith to the moslem countries whilst rejecting their beautiful cultures
and bastardising their poetry and children for Oil.

How many western political leaders are cultish in their bible fetish
yet destroy everything around them in order to perpetuate the lie of
dogmatic and literal interpretation of the great religions?

take the mote from yer eye....

author by Mathew the evangelist (former accountant & pharasee - didn't make PD selection ) publication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 19:49author address author phone

But we've still lots of disparity.

what did we do wrong?

a mid 2005 map of poverty in Ireland. The really red bits aren't going Commie. But they're not getting enough church charity or state assistence. God help their young.
a mid 2005 map of poverty in Ireland. The really red bits aren't going Commie. But they're not getting enough church charity or state assistence. God help their young.

author by RCpublication date Mon Apr 30, 2007 20:49author address author phone

Thanks Iosaf , you have made my point for me. Your so-called critique of Judaism is no such thing
and reads a lot differently to your rant against the leader of the Catholic Church.
If you wish to be taken seriously might I suggest that you either treat all religions with respect or find a different topic.
Reference to "the black pope, mister authoritarian numero uno, papa ratzi" and to "Kathurlicks" only serves to paint you as a bigot.
We have enough of those thank you!

author by iosafpublication date Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:33author address author phone

the pope has issued his second encyclical Spe Salvi
which I've just enjoyed giving a quick scan through here http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclic....html
Oh well, Ratzi is going on about "hope". He manages to get corinthians in, psalms 23&144, a novel quotation from Kant, & a pretty liberal translation of Augustine. Jayzhus he's the man. (but obviously not the Chav man - who is the man as well but unto different men). If you were hard done for a decent scrabble night, you'd be best on the phone to Armagh, honestly, ask for a visit from Benedict XVI.

think not what the pope doesn't do for you, but rather what a papal visit could do for ye.
+

author by Peccavipublication date Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:23author address author phone

Thanks for that link. I'll print out the first few paragraphs and see what it's like; then maybe print out a few more paragraphs. I imagine the Pope writes more logical and elegant prose than some of the Leaving Cert semilits on this thread.

author by C Murraypublication date Sat Dec 01, 2007 13:32author address author phone

The full title of the gouache image is:-

'Of making Many Books There is No End and Much Study is a Weariness of the Flesh'

The Encyclical pre-supposes a level of education unobtainable by many and references
that may encourage people to read and study a lot, it is quite long.Thus I only scanned it,
its amazing that we have had such education in Ireland- largely through the State School
system too- unfortunately the current government is wholly dedicated to educating
children to the 'knowledge ecomomy' thus make access to this type of document the
preserve of elitist private academies. O well , money talks..

The Image is by Leonard Baskin, an amazing Jewish artist, who amongst other things
illustrated Ted Hughes Poetry books and scuplted 'Lazarus' (mentioned in the text
of the Encyclical) and in the poetry of Nagy- a woman from Budapest. Baskin and Nagy
encourage wide reading and education through image without ring-fencing into
philospohical tenets- thats why many books are made, hence the illustration.

Knowledge and education should not be in the preserve of those who choose to impart
it solely on the basis of cash or what is perceived as privilege, it creates an elite grounded
in predijuice.

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82471

Of Making Many Books There is No End
Of Making Many Books There is No End

author by Peccavipublication date Sat Dec 01, 2007 22:51author address author phone

I must agree with a point made in that last post - the limitations of education in Irish secondary schools. We are taught how to pass exams (and we don't all achieve that limited objective). The Irish schooling curriculum and teaching ethos is so superficial compared with the Abitur course in Germany and the Bac in France.

No wonder that some people who try to read Ratzinger's latest treatise are going to find themselves a bit flummoxed.

I hope somebody will post an article on Irish diminished intellectuality and start a needed new thread. We've got to discuss the quality of Irish school education rather than stay at the level of government spending and teachers' pay.

author by C Murraypublication date Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:34author address author phone

Ok, The illustration is Leonard Baskin: 'Wisdom Lights Up a Person's face'. There are some things
that can be bought- such as a good traditional elite RC education. I know that having come through
the state sector , however , good provision of education to all regardless of creed, race is
rare. Though some of the more progressive RC schools did so and had college access
programmes and scholarship funds.

Secondary was not always free, it was private during my parents generation. one had access
to books the other did not and did her basic leaving at forty. The other took the whole
private education thing completely for granted and did not understand a thirst for knowledge and
books regardless of income. The current Minister seems dedicated to the provision of
private schools for the tax band class and only reduced departmental funding to their development
this semester.The state school system is run down and tech orientated. Teachers have multiple
programmes and rights to impart but the idea of inculcating research and archive methodologies
and library use is not encouraged. I put the issues on two other threads:

'The Ann Madden Retrospective'.
'Those Critical Underspends in Health and Education.'

This years budget according to releases by Martin is R+D based.

Small children have net and I.T access, computer games and I.T learning but libraries
are under-funded and largely ignored.This means access to the book 'equipment' and
developing ability to research through learning is left behind in the production of a
knowledge economy based education. The issue is also discussed on the lisbon treaty
thread with regard to both John Bruton and Dick Roche's allusions to R+D and
knowledge economy. The apprenticeship schemes (City and Guilds) are run down,
the engineering sector cannot get suitable candidates and some kids really don't
want or desire the I.T. opening out the education system with access
to all would be imperative.

must re-read the papal encyclical- but how are people to just 'get it' if education is not
about learning but keeping learning away from all but a few, who would continue
institutional distance and political argument from the many. etc.

also the new medical courses are coming with 12,500 pa fees which reduces the
ability of ordinary kids to access the medical schools. I was waved off to a school library
age 14 cos I annoyed the RE teacher so much, this openness to learning on an
individual basis is something that should be developed?

Baskin
Baskin


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