Thursday, July 10, 2025
spot_img

Pot Pourri

Date:

Share post:

spot_imgspot_img

To kiss pope’s hand or not; enter the Catholic culture wars
VATICAN CITY: To kiss the ring on the pope’s hand or not to – that is the question. On Monday, when Pope Francis visited a Catholic shrine in Loreto, he repeatedly withdrew his right hand as a long line of people bowed and tried to kiss the ring on it. The footage went viral and the pope’s refusal quickly entered what are known as the Catholic cultural wars between conservatives and progressives. LifeSiteNews, a conservative Catholic website that often criticises the pope, called the episode “disturbing” in the headline of an article that included a long history of the rings pope’s wear and their significance. Rorate Caeli, a website read by Catholic traditionalists, Tweeted: “Francis, If you don’t want to be the Vicar of Christ, then get out of there!” Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, a supporter of Francis, countered by Tweeting: “He’s making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic. He’s the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor.” “It’s high time kissing bishops’ rings disappears altogether. It’s just ridiculous and has nothing to do with tradition. It’s an import from monarchies. Much of the pomp around bishops should be ditched,” Tweeted Jesuit priest Russell Pollitt. Some Vatican watchers noted that even former Pope Benedict, a hero to nostalgic conservatives, and his predecessor John Paul, did not like having their hands kissed – at least not by long lines of people, for the sake of expediency. (Reuters)

Louvre’s glass pyramid set for interactive performance
PARIS: The courtyard around the Louvre Museum’s famed glass pyramid is to become the stage for a giant interactive performance orchestrated by French visual artist JR as part of celebrations for the structure’s 30th anniversary. An army of volunteers on Tuesday started pasting a colossal 160,000 square feet paper image over the courtyard to prepare for the trompe l’oeil. The image will create the illusion of a larger pyramid emerging from rocks as if it had been discovered by an archaeological excavation. The 70-foot-high glass-and-steel pyramid, designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, now aged 101 has since become a beloved Paris landmark. (Reuters)

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

LoP Gandhi to address key issues concerning farmers, tribals, women during Odisha visit

Bhubaneswar, July 9: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President, Bhakta Charan Das, on Wednesday announced that Congress MP and...

Ravi Shankar Prasad slams opposition over Bihar bandh, alleges pressure tactics on judiciary

New Delhi, July 9: Senior BJP MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a scathing attack...

Punjab Police foil terror plot backed by Pakistan’s ISI

Chandigarh, July 9: Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Wednesday that the state...

16th Agriculture leadership conclave: Argentina reaffirms commitment to agri-cooperation with India

New Delhi, July 9: At the two-day Agriculture Leadership Conclave 2025, Argentina underlined the importance of its deepening...