Church sues Hollywood

News24.com brings us the story that the Church in Brazil is apparently to sue Columbia Pictures for unauthorised use of images of the Christ the Redeemer statue in the movie 2012.

The full story:

Rio de Janeiro - Brazil's Catholic Church is suing Hollywood for using unauthorised images of Rio's famous giant Christ statue in its disaster movie blockbuster 2012, a lawyer involved in the case told AFP on Wednesday.

Rio de Janeiro's archdiocese is demanding unspecified damages and interest from Columbia Pictures for showing the iconic landmark being destroyed in a worldwide apocalypse in a film that came out last year, the archdiocese's attorney, Claudine Dutra, said.
The archdiocese manages copyright issues related to the 40m-high statue erected in 1931, which overlooks Rio with its arms outstretched.
Under Brazilian law, copyright resides in the author of a work until his death, and then is passed on to his heirs or estate or successor entity for another 70 years.
The Christ the Redeemer statue was created by Paul Landowski, a French artist of Polish descent, on commission from the Rio archdiocese and erected in 1931.
Landowski died in 1961, meaning the archdiocese holds copyright until 2032, when the sculpture becomes part of the public domain.
'Shocked and offended'
In practice, Dutra said, the archdiocese allows use of images of the statue "in 99% of cases."
But it turned down Columbia Pictures' request to show the statue being destroyed by a giant wave.
"The archdiocese refused the use of the religious symbol during pre-production of the movie, but Columbia Pictures did not respect the prohibition," she said.
Dutra added that "many faithful have said they are shocked and offended by the images of the destruction of this sanctuary that the archdiocese wanted to preserve".
"We want Columbia Pictures to publicly declare that it did not intend to cause offence."
Negotiations have been going on since December, a month after the film came out, to settle the lawsuit.
"We are at the start of negotiations and don't know the amount of damages we are looking at. That will depend on an expert's evaluation," Dutra said.
The statue is Brazil's most visited tourist monument, with 1.8 million visitors a year.
It is one of the best-known modern landmarks in the world, along with Paris's Eiffel Tower, Washington's White House and Sydney's Opera House.

St Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

 

23 February is the memorial of St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and Martyr.

The Breviary says about him: Polycarp was a disciple of the apostles and bishop of Smyrna, as well as a friend of St Ignatius of Antioch. He went to Rome to confer with Pope Anicetus about the celebration of Easter. He suffered martyrdom about the year 155 by being burnt to death in the city stadium.

St Jerzy Popiełuszko

In Decemeber I mentioned that sainthood was on the way for Fr Jerzy Popiełuszko.

Now comes the news that Fr Jerzy will be beatified on 6 June.

Good news story for a change!

There is a quite remarkable story on theblogprof blog.

Here's a story that has received a total unwavering media blackout. A woman was going in to have an abortion at a local butcher shop in Duluth, and was confronted by two pro-life protesters that urged her not to kill her baby. The woman was so angry that she brandished a knife and held it to one of the pro-life protester's throat. She was of course arrested for aggravated assault. That much the MSM may tell you, but it is the epilogue that caused an raised eyebrow. In court, the woman plead guilty to assault, but also, with tears streaming down her face, thanks the pro-life protester for saving her baby's life!

Have a look at the whole story here, it really is quite something.

h/t: Creative Minority Report

The See of St Peter the Apostle

The 22nd of February is the feast of the See of St Peter.

According to the note in the Breviary: "The feast of the See of Saint Peter has been kept at Rome on this day from the fourth century as a symbol of the unity of the church founded on the Apostle Saint Peter."

The Lord said to Peter: "To you I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16: 18-19)

Web genie

You've got to try this. How it works I've no idea but it works.

Akinator, the Web Genius

Three out of three for me:

Australian Anglicans take up the Holy Father's offer!

The Telegraph is reporting here that Forward in Faith Australia, the traditionalist Anglican grouping for Australia has voted in favour of returning home.

God bless the Pope of Christian Unity.

Source: Wikipedia

Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent

Today marks the start of Lent, the period of preparation and spiritual renewal leading up to Easter and the joy of the resurrection. As you giving anything up or taking anything additional on?

As the priest says when marking your forehead with the ashes today: "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." (Mark 1:15)

The concluding prayer from the morning prayer for today is very appropriate. It says:

Support us Lord, as with this Lenten fast
we begin our Christian warfare,
so that in doing battle against the spirit of evil
we may be armed with the weapon of self-denial.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son
who live and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit
God forever and ever.

Lent with the Jesuits

This looks like a very promising blog for Lent.

Imagine, Jesuits doing what Jesuits are supposed to do!

Check it out here: Lenten Reflections

Hitler and the Pope

St Scholastica

10 February is the memorial of St Scholastica. The breviary says about her:

The sister of St Benedict,  born at Norcia in Umbria about the year 480. Together with her brother she consecrated herself to God, and she followed Benedict to Monte Casino, where she died about the year 547.

Archbishop of York and Anglicanorum Coetibus

Dr John Sentamu has some dodgy ideas about Anglicanorum coetibus. See Damian Thompson's story by clicking here.

++ York has some dodgy tastes in vestments too!

 

Against abortion? Please raise your hand

h/t: Danielle Bean at National Catholic Register

Patronal feast day

Today is one of the two patronal feast days of our parish church, Our Lady of the Annunciation and the Martyrs of Japan.

St Paul Miki and his 25 companions were martyred, by crucifixion, in Nagasaki on 5 February 1597.  Of the 26, six were European Franciscan missionaries, three (including St Paul Miki) were Japanese Jesuits and the remaining 17 were Japanese laymen. Three were children, or at least young boys.

The Japanese Martyrs were added to the General Calendar in 1969.

Fingerprints at Mass

From Reuters comes an unusual story.

Priest checks fingerprints for mass attendance

WARSAW

Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:46am EST

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish priest has installed an electronic reader in his church for schoolchildren to leave their fingerprints in order to monitor their attendance at mass, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily said on Friday.

The pupils will mark their fingerprints every time they go to church over three years and if they attend 200 masses they will be freed from the obligation of having to pass an exam prior to their confirmation, the paper said.
The pupils in the southern town of Gryfow Slaski told the daily they liked the idea and also the priest, Grzegorz Sowa, who invented it.
"This is comfortable. We don't have to stand in a line to get the priest's signature (confirming our presence at the mass) in our confirmation notebooks," said one pupil, who gave her name as Karolina.
Poland is perhaps the most devoutly Roman Catholic country in Europe today and churches are regularly packed on Sundays.

Not very inclusive is it?

We couldn't possibly do something like this in England. That's why our churches are full and Polish churches empty.

Oh, wait ...

Friendly warning for ageing hippies

Catholic politicians and scandal

What is it with politicians who like to describe themselves as Catholics?

Is there even one who is prepared to be anything other than the cause of scandal?

Catholic Culture brings us the news that Stephen Hughes, a freeloading waster at the European parliament, has "offered public criticism" of the Holy Father's comments about Harriet Harman's immoral Equality Bill.

Do you think there is any chance that Mr Hughes' bishop, + Seamus Cunningham, of Hexham and Newcastle, might return from the ad limina visit with enough orthodoxy to enquire of Mr Hughes why he sees fit to cause such grave scandal to the Church?

New English translation?

That the bones you have crushed may thrill blog has a lovely piece on the Heretics Catholics for a Changing Church new (dreamland) translation of the Mass.

It's a must read but here is a brief taster:

Controversial aspects of the new translation include the replacement of the phrase 'God our Father' with 'Daddy', 'Lord' with 'O Lordy, Lordy' and 'we ask this through Christ our Lord' with 'for Chrissakes'.

Have a look, it's a hoot!