austraLasia 1501
ZEN-IT! We missed him...so far!
(This item is NOT a candidate for 'towards #1500'!)
ROME: 23rd March 2006 -- "The world seen from Rome". At this precise moment Rome has chosen a spring thunder-cum-hailstorm as comment on the consistory, so it's difficult even seeing the screen in my office let alone Rome and the world. The fond hope was to bring you a real live interview with Cardinal Zen, but he's been more like the scarlet pimpernel than a red-hatted cardinal these last two days at the Pisana. We may have to be content with imagining some lines like "Your eminence, does your Chancery Office use Microsoft or Linux?", to which he replies "Well, we were waiting for Stained Glass Windows to be released, but since then, Red Hat has come out and, well ...!". The mind boggles - POP3 for POPE and control-delete-F for the Holy Office!
But seriously, the Consistory began this morning for its day of reflection and prayer. We would be unlikely to glimpse 'our' cardinal again for a while as the meeting is expected to stretch into the late evening. They are gathered in the New Synod Hall above the Nervi Auditorium built by Paul VI and hence more commonly known as the Paul VI Auditorium. Cardinal Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, greeted the assembled group and the Pope by likening the moment to a gathering in the Cenacle. The Pope then offered some reflections of his own. It seems all topics are open but neither the precise agenda nor any minutes of such a meeting are or will be available for the unwashed and hatless like ourselves.
Tomorrow's main ceremony and Saturday's Ring Mass are meant to be outside in St. Peter's Square, but the rustles and vagaries of spring may put paid to such plans. Watered silk looks nice on a zucchetto until it's actually wet.
Cardinal Zen's motto - Ipsi cura est - comes from the longer Latin phrase omnem sollicitudinem vestram proicientes in Eum, quoniam Ipsi cura est de vobisor, 'throw all your concerns on him for He cares for you'. The coat of arms is colourful - even for a Bishop it had its fair share of red on it: two large red pillars from Don Bosco's dream (Eucharist and Mary HC), a tiny boat with the red cross on the sail, blue waters of HK harbour with the city skyline in the background and a large yellow anchor across the lot, all topped by another cross and a purple galero. At least one further question in the interview that hasn't happened would be whether the galero too will now be red. If you wish to see this colourful coat of arms, you will find it on Bosconet homepage, right at the bottom (you'll need to scroll).
GLOSSARY
scarlet pimple: shadowy figure out of English fiction, kind of precursor to superman in a way: no one quite knew when he was around and might go into action.
zucchetto: the little skull cap bishops and cardinals wear.
galero: the large red hat with long tassles. They don't actually wear them - but one is put on the bier at the funeral mass.
_____________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
ZEN-IT! We missed him...so far!
(This item is NOT a candidate for 'towards #1500'!)
ROME: 23rd March 2006 -- "The world seen from Rome". At this precise moment Rome has chosen a spring thunder-cum-hailstorm as comment on the consistory, so it's difficult even seeing the screen in my office let alone Rome and the world. The fond hope was to bring you a real live interview with Cardinal Zen, but he's been more like the scarlet pimpernel than a red-hatted cardinal these last two days at the Pisana. We may have to be content with imagining some lines like "Your eminence, does your Chancery Office use Microsoft or Linux?", to which he replies "Well, we were waiting for Stained Glass Windows to be released, but since then, Red Hat has come out and, well ...!". The mind boggles - POP3 for POPE and control-delete-F for the Holy Office!
But seriously, the Consistory began this morning for its day of reflection and prayer. We would be unlikely to glimpse 'our' cardinal again for a while as the meeting is expected to stretch into the late evening. They are gathered in the New Synod Hall above the Nervi Auditorium built by Paul VI and hence more commonly known as the Paul VI Auditorium. Cardinal Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, greeted the assembled group and the Pope by likening the moment to a gathering in the Cenacle. The Pope then offered some reflections of his own. It seems all topics are open but neither the precise agenda nor any minutes of such a meeting are or will be available for the unwashed and hatless like ourselves.
Tomorrow's main ceremony and Saturday's Ring Mass are meant to be outside in St. Peter's Square, but the rustles and vagaries of spring may put paid to such plans. Watered silk looks nice on a zucchetto until it's actually wet.
Cardinal Zen's motto - Ipsi cura est - comes from the longer Latin phrase omnem sollicitudinem vestram proicientes in Eum, quoniam Ipsi cura est de vobisor, 'throw all your concerns on him for He cares for you'. The coat of arms is colourful - even for a Bishop it had its fair share of red on it: two large red pillars from Don Bosco's dream (Eucharist and Mary HC), a tiny boat with the red cross on the sail, blue waters of HK harbour with the city skyline in the background and a large yellow anchor across the lot, all topped by another cross and a purple galero. At least one further question in the interview that hasn't happened would be whether the galero too will now be red. If you wish to see this colourful coat of arms, you will find it on Bosconet homepage, right at the bottom (you'll need to scroll).
GLOSSARY
scarlet pimple: shadowy figure out of English fiction, kind of precursor to superman in a way: no one quite knew when he was around and might go into action.
zucchetto: the little skull cap bishops and cardinals wear.
galero: the large red hat with long tassles. They don't actually wear them - but one is put on the bier at the funeral mass.
_____________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
