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Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Pope Francis' Favorite Dystopian Novel
Robert Hugh Benson, center, and his you to have asked Pope Francis to name his favorite book, he would probably have said the Bible. Asked for his favorite novel, however, he might have mentioned a dystopian thriller in which the Antichrist is a senator from Vermont. The Holy Father certainly talked it up during his papacy. 'I was deeply struck when I read it,' he wrote in 'Hope,' his memoir, published in January. He praised the book as 'a prophecy' in one of his earliest papal homilies and recommended it to journalists in 2015: 'I advise you to read it.' The book is 'Lord of the World,' by Robert Hugh Benson (1871-1914), an English priest whose conversion from Anglicanism in 1903 attracted national attention because his late father had been the archbishop of Canterbury. 'I proposed becoming a Roman Catholic,' wrote the son, 'because I believed that Church to be the Church of God.' Hugh, as friends called him, was the youngest of several literary siblings. A pair of brothers, E.F. and A.C. Benson, wrote novels and poetry but today are best known for their ghost stories, including one that Rod Serling adapted for 'The Twilight Zone.' A sister, Margaret Benson, was an Egyptologist. 'Lord of the World' (1907) eclipsed them all. Its title alludes to the tale of Christ's temptation in the desert, described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, in which the devil offers a deal: If Jesus will agree to worship Satan, Jesus will gain 'all the kingdoms of the world.' Jesus refuses, but Benson proposes that much of humanity would accept the terms and conditions, purging God for promises of power. Benson wrote in a preface that 'Lord of the World' was 'a terribly sensational book,' and some of its renown comes from his technological forecasting. Much in the way that Jules Verne imagined submarines and flights to the moon in his 19th-century science-fiction novels, Benson predicted air travel, mass transit, artificial light, heat vents and weapons of mass destruction. His gee-whiz wonders exist alongside typewriters and telegraphs, creating a steampunk aesthetic that 21st-century readers may find pleasing. Yet that isn't why Francis plugged it. In 2013, he said that the opening chapter of the First Book of Maccabees is 'one of the saddest pages in the Bible' because 'a great part of the people of God withdraw from the Lord in favor of worldly proposals.' He then pointed to Benson, arguing that the novelist had portrayed a modern society whose inhabitants made the same mistake: 'He envisioned what would happen.' What Benson envisioned was a communistic Europe that had nationalized its industries and disestablished its churches. In London, St. Paul's Cathedral is rebranded as 'Paul's House,' a meeting hall. Paris's Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre becomes a transport hub for zeppelins. The government shuts down universities, encourages euthanasia and persecutes Christians. Only a few of them remain, including a small number of Catholics who provide the only real resistance to the state's 'dogmatic secularism.' Into this grim environment steps Julian Felsenburgh, a charismatic politician who begins as a senator from Vermont. As he travels to other countries, he grows in popular acclaim and uses his wiles to become a messiah to mobs, the 'President of Europe' and eventually the ruler of just about everything. He is in fact the Antichrist, 'represented as a great carrier of peace,' observed another admirer of the novel—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI—in a 1992 speech that cautioned against global government. In the story, Felsenburgh promises world peace but launches a devastating attack on Rome. Felsenburgh is Benson's Big Brother, even though 'Lord of the World' appeared decades before George Orwell's '1984,' published in 1949. It also predates the other classics of 20th-century dystopian fiction: 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley (1932), 'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury (1953), and 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry (1993). While those novels also describe godless regimes, their stories have little to say about religion. 'Lord of the World,' by contrast, is full of faith, and Francis used it to raise alarms about the dangers of imposing Western secular values on developing nations by forcing them, as a condition of humanitarian aid, to adopt policies involving contraception, same-sex marriage and transgenderism: 'Reading it, you will understand what I mean by 'ideological colonization.' ' 'Lord of the World,' he added in 2023, warns of 'a future in which differences are disappearing and everything is the same, everything is uniform, a single leader of the whole world.' In 'Hope,' he described the book as 'an antidote to teenage progressivism, to that worldly totalitarianism that leads to apostasy.' It spoils nothing to say that the book ends with a scene so apocalyptic that it might be called 'biblical'—and, at least for readers who share Francis' faith, surprisingly hopeful. Mr. Miller is director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
26-04-2025
- General
Pope Francis remembered at his funeral as 'pope among the people' who aimed to 'build bridges'
At his funeral, Pope Francis was remembered and venerated as a pontiff with "strength and serenity" who modeled his pontificate on St. Francis of Assisi. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, delivered the homily in front of some 200,000 mourners in St. Peter's Square. Here are the remarks translated into English: In this majestic Saint Peter's Square, where Pope Francis celebrated the Eucharist so many times and presided over great gatherings over the past twelve years, we are gathered with sad hearts in prayer around his mortal remains. Yet, we are sustained by the certainty of faith, which assures us that human existence does not end in the tomb, but in the Father's house, in a life of happiness that will know no end. On behalf of the College of Cardinals, I cordially thank all of you for your presence. With deep emotion, I extend respectful greetings and heartfelt thanks to the Heads of State, Heads of Government and Official Delegations who have come from many countries to express their affection, veneration and esteem for our late Holy Father. The outpouring of affection that we have witnessed in recent days following his passing from this earth into eternity tells us how much the profound pontificate of Pope Francis touched minds and hearts. The final image we have of him, which will remain etched in our memory, is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica. He then came down to this Square to greet the large crowd gathered for the Easter Mass while riding in the open-top Popemobile. With our prayers, we now entrust the soul of our beloved Pontiff to God, that he may grant him eternal happiness in the bright and glorious gaze of his immense love. We are enlightened and guided by the passage of the Gospel, in which the very voice of Christ resounded, asking the first of the Apostles: 'Peter, do you love me more than these?' Peter's answer was prompt and sincere: 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!' Jesus then entrusted him with the great mission: 'Feed my sheep.' This will be the constant task of Peter and his successors, a service of love in the footsteps of Christ, our Master and Lord, who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many' (Mk 10:45). Despite his frailty and suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of self-giving until the last day of his earthly life. He followed in the footsteps of his Lord, the Good Shepherd, who loved his sheep to the point of giving his life for them. And he did so with strength and serenity, close to his flock, the Church of God, mindful of the words of Jesus quoted by the Apostle Paul: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' (Acts 20:35). When Cardinal Bergoglio was elected by the Conclave on 13 March 2013 to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, he already had many years of experience in religious life in the Society of Jesus and, above all, was enriched by twenty-one years of pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, first as Auxiliary, then as Coadjutor and, above all, as Archbishop. The decision to take the name Francis immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and style on which he wanted to base his pontificate, seeking inspiration from the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi. He maintained his temperament and form of pastoral leadership, and through his resolute personality, immediately made his mark on the governance of the Church. He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalized, the least among us. He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church. With his characteristic vocabulary and language, rich in images and metaphors, he always sought to shed light on the problems of our time with the wisdom of the Gospel. He did so by offering a response guided by the light of faith and encouraging us to live as Christians amid the challenges and contradictions in recent years, which he loved to describe as an 'epochal change.' He had great spontaneity and an informal way of addressing everyone, even those far from the Church. Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today's challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time of globalization. He gave of himself by comforting and encouraging us with a message capable of reaching people's hearts in a direct and immediate way. His charisma of welcome and listening, combined with a manner of behavior in keeping with today's sensitivities, touched hearts and sought to reawaken moral and spiritual sensibilities. Evangelization was the guiding principle of his pontificate. With a clear missionary vision, he spread the joy of the Gospel, which was the title of his first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium. It is a joy that fills the hearts of all those who entrust themselves to God with confidence and hope. The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open. He often used the image of the Church as a 'field hospital' after a battle in which many were wounded; a Church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart; a Church capable of bending down to every person, regardless of their beliefs or condition, and healing their wounds. His gestures and exhortations in favor of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant. It is significant that Pope Francis' first journey was to Lampedusa, an island that symbolizes the tragedy of emigration, with thousands of people drowning at sea. In the same vein was his trip to Lesbos, together with the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Athens, as well as the celebration of a Mass on the border between Mexico and the United States during his journey to Mexico. Of his 47 arduous Apostolic Journeys, the one to Iraq in 2021, defying every risk, will remain particularly memorable. That difficult Apostolic Journey was a balm on the open wounds of the Iraqi people, who had suffered so much from the inhuman actions of ISIS. It was also an important trip for interreligious dialogue, another significant dimension of his pastoral work. With his 2024 Apostolic Journey to four countries in Asia-Oceania, the Pope reached 'the most peripheral periphery of the world.' Pope Francis always placed the Gospel of mercy at the centre, repeatedly emphasizing that God never tires of forgiving us. He always forgives, whatever the situation might be of the person who asks for forgiveness and returns to the right path. He called for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in order to highlight that mercy is 'the heart of the Gospel.' Mercy and the joy of the Gospel are two key words for Pope Francis. In contrast to what he called 'the culture of waste,' he spoke of the culture of encounter and solidarity. The theme of fraternity ran through his entire pontificate with vibrant tones. In his Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, he wanted to revive a worldwide aspiration to fraternity, because we are all children of the same Father who is in heaven. He often forcefully reminded us that we all belong to the same human family. In 2019, during his trip to the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis signed A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, recalling the common fatherhood of God. Addressing men and women throughout the world, in his Encyclical Letter Laudato si' he drew attention to our duties and shared responsibility for our common home, stating, 'No one is saved alone.' Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions. War, he said, results in the death of people and the destruction of homes, hospitals and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before: it is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone. 'Build bridges, not walls' was an exhortation he repeated many times, and his service of faith as Successor of the Apostle Peter always was linked to the service of humanity in all its dimensions. Spiritually united with all of Christianity, we are here in large numbers to pray for Pope Francis, that God may welcome him into the immensity of his love. Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, 'Do not forget to pray for me.' Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this Basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man shot dead near Clarence Street Church of God is Seaford's second homicide this year
A 32-year-old man, who police said was shot by "an unknown number" of people in Seaford on Tuesday evening, has died, marking the city's second homicide so far this year. The Seaford man's identity is being withheld until his family is notified, Delaware State Police said. Police were sent out to Clarence Street, between Thomas and Chandler streets, for a report of a shooting about 5:50 p.m. Tuesday. This is the same block as the Clarence Street Church of God. Arriving officers found a wounded man suffering from gunshot wounds. The first responders began life-saving efforts until he was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police. Shootings tracker View Delaware Online/The News Journal's database of shootings in Delaware since 2017. While the killing occurred in Seaford city limits, police there have asked the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit to investigate. Police said their preliminary investigation indicates the man "was shot by an unknown number of suspects." Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this case to contact investigators at (302) 741-2729. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333. This is Seaford's second homicide in as many months. Schweitzer Dessin, 23, was fatally shot on March 12 after court records indicate he was caught in the crossfire of two shooters fighting over a dice game. Three others were injured in the shooting. More: Seaford homicide victim shot 5 times likely caught in dice game crossfire: Court docs A 23-year-old man has been charged in last month's shooting. Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@ This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Seaford man dies after being shot by 'unknown number' of people
The Guardian
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Possibility of Tenderness by Jason Allen-Paisant review
Go these days to any independent bookshop or art gallery or zine fair, and you may find yourself asking: where are the humans? Title after title is devoted to clay and stone, trees and flowers, the riverine and the botanical, gardens and allotments. Some volumes are philosophical, others urgent calls for climate justice. They share a vocabulary: care, tending, grounding, rootedness, nourishment, regeneration. Nature, however battered, is held up as an antidote to morbid modernity, its alienations, its amnesia. The Possibility of Tenderness is also about nature, its setting Coffee Grove in the May Day Mountains of Jamaica. During Jason Allen-Paisant's early childhood there, it had no electricity or piped water. Neither beach idyll nor Trenchtown ghetto, its personality was shaped in large part by 'grung' – the local name for small plots cultivated by peasant farmers. Apples, guava, mangoes: here, for all the sweat and toil, was succulence. And memories of feeling connected – to the ground, to the past, to kinfolk. 'In 'soil',' Jennifer Kabat has written, 'I hear other words: soul and social.' Education was Allen-Paisant's passport. He moved away – to the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Later Oxford. He didn't shed his past entirely, though: a study of Martiniquais poet Aimé Césaire was subtitled Thinking With Spirits; a volume of his own poems was called Thinking With Trees. Returning to Jamaica from Leeds where he lives, his new book attempts to think with Coffee Grove. This involves deep time: it emerged from the ocean, a bed of limestone, more than 15m years ago. Slavery, understood in environmental terms, sculpts and embeds itself in the landscape, too. If there's a dominant figure it's Keturah, the author's grandmother, who converted to the Church of God, married a man much older than her and, when their relationship fell apart, moved to the Grove with her young daughter. She was upright, a 'de facto administrator for the village, a sort of mayor'. She looked after Allen-Paisant when he was young, carrying him up the hill to the Mount Pleasant postal agency she ran. It was a modest shack, but to the knee-high boy it seemed much more solid and grand than that. His grown-up self, back to plant his own daughters' umbilical cords in the earth, wants to know and tell us more about her. He talks to locals, goes on mini-treks with herbalist Rastas, pores over old maps in local archives. No clear story emerges. In its absence are riffs – on the difference between a vision and a dream, the ubiquity of tombs, the frequency with which hillside people speak about the dead, what he claims is the absence of the term 'forest' in the local vernacular. Walking especially fascinates him as it allows him to smell and to hear the countryside with an almost tactile acuteness. He even remembers how his grandmother, like many who lived in the Grove, 'would walk with one arm gripping the other behind her back'. By his own telling, Allen-Paisant hasn't spent a lot of time in Jamaica in recent decades. One of the things about grung life that he now responds to – its smallness, so different from industrial-scale agriculture – is what led him to leave in the first place. It would take longer than the few weeks he's able to spend in Coffee Grove to be able to offer more than skin-deep insights into its present state For a poet his prose can be surprisingly slack. (A house has 'a kind of aliveness'; subterranean stories exert 'a special kind of fascination' on him). It combines wellness-platform peppiness (endless swooning about 'beauty' and 'joy') with lurches into grandiosity (trying to evoke the time that has passed since slavery, he declares, 'I am reminded of some lines I wrote in a prose poem'). A fondness for lectern-isms leads to silly overstatements such as 'Europeans have all sorts of marble structures, columns, statues, monuments, temples to the glory of their history'. Allen-Paisant's heart is in the right place, and there are passages that prickle and sing, but The Possibility of Tenderness is too self-conscious, groomed and full of box-ticking invocations of grace/embodiment/connection to fully realise that possibility. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The Possibility of Tenderness: A Jamaican memoir of plants and dreams is published by Hutchinson Heinemann (£18.99). To support the Guardian and the Observer order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Youth group holding cleanup at Panorama Park
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Sunday, March 9, a group of youth volunteers from the Church of God is hosting a cleanup event at Panorama Park. The group is part of ASEZ STAR, an international organization of middle and high school student volunteers from the Church of God. The event is part of the organization's 'Green World' campaign, which includes efforts in environmental conservation to protect ecosystems threatened by climate change and pollution. The event will take place at Panorama Park off of Jet Wing Drive and East Fountain Boulevard on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
