Category Archives: pope

The fruit – and peel – of love

Posted on July 15, 2008 by Charles Lambert

From today’s Guardian: Young Catholics attending World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney may find themselves swamped with offers of free condoms after a court overturned legislation giving police the power to arrest anyone who “annoys” pilgrims. Annoyed? I’m sure the … Continue reading →

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Vulgarity

Posted on July 15, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Remember Giuliano ‘Tubs’ Ferrara? Obese man wobbling naked along a beach to rescue foetuses? Ex-communist, turned foot-servant/mouthpiece/toe-rag to Craxi (corrupt ex-PM, dead in luxurious Tunisian exile on the run from justice), then Berlusconi (currently rewriting the Italian judiciary system to … Continue reading →

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James on pontiff

Posted on January 30, 2008 by Charles Lambert

In his LRB review of the first two volumes of Henry James’s collected letters (The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1855-72: Volumes I and II edited by Pierre Walker and Greg Zacharias,) Colm Toibin quotes from a letter James sent … Continue reading →

Posted in henry james, politics, pope, power | 1 Comment

Dear Editor

Posted on January 17, 2008 by Charles Lambert

I thought I’d write to La Repubblica to point out that the rest of the world (pace the horrified wailing of the Italian media) is actually not that interested in Ratzinger’s failure to show at la Sapienza. On the assumption … Continue reading →

Posted in freedom of speech, pope, ratzinger | 4 Comments

Papal bull part two

Posted on January 15, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Well, would you believe it? Ratzinger’s decided that his presence at La Sapienza would be ‘inopportune’. It’s hardly the first time his cowardice desire to avoid conflict has overruled his spiritual, and political, responsibilities. Less than a month ago, he … Continue reading →

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Blair babble

Posted on January 13, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Confirmation that Tony Blair has decided to run Europe while waiting for Eggs Benedict to meet his maker (and I’d love to be there when that happens, assuming it ever does) and free up the Vatican CEO slot came yesterday, … Continue reading →

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Pontification

Posted on January 11, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Ratzinger’s campaign against Italy’s newly-formed Partito Democratico (PD) continues apace. Not content with planting his emotionally warped moles (read, self-mortifying Paola Binetti and the other so-called Teodems – though what they understand of theology or democracy is anybody’s guess) into … Continue reading →

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Blair-faced devotion

Posted on January 2, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Well, Tony won’t be answering his elders and betters back any longer, I imagine, now that he’s finally thrown his mendacious lot in with Vatican Inc. It’s only a stone’s throw, by helicopter, to Tuscany, after all, and presumably he’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in blair, pope, vatican | 4 Comments

Combs, poodles, sunglasses, white silk scarves

Posted on December 16, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Franco Zeffirelli, ageing film director, thinks the Pope needs a makeover, according to a short but sadly riveting piece in today’s Independent. Apparently, Eggs Benedict is too cold and too showy. Unlike cuddly, downbeat Franco. Borges described the Malvinas war … Continue reading →

Posted in pope, vatican, zeffirelli | 2 Comments

Pope duck

Posted on October 26, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Tempted? If making your own holy water (just immerse pope duck in bath!) doesn’t grab you, try some of the other goodies Miss Poppy has in stock. (The Handzoff anti-masturbation cream looks like a real bargain.) Go on! You won’t … Continue reading →

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