Tag: Catholic Church

The McBournie Minute: Candidates for the next pope

Take this job and shove it. Pope Benedict XVI didn’t exactly quote Johnny Paycheck, but that’s the gist of it. The pope is resigning from his job, one that you typically only leave when they carry you out in a casket. But, citing ill health, the soon-to-be former Pope Benedict announced he was stepping down, which is apparently something you can do. It’s like being on the U.S. Supreme Court, only with fewer pro-lifers protesting outside your building.

The world hasn’t seen the resignation of a pope since Gregory XII in 1415, but that was under completely different circumstances. At that time, there were three different claimants to the papal hat, and three different sets of cardinals that elected them. Gregory’s resignation helped to end the Western Schism, which is likely also the name of a band that opened for Radiohead. This time, the pope, 85, just wants to live out the rest of his days without all the robes.

Benedict’s resignation means that we will have a new pope by Easter. Who will be the next pope? Continue reading The McBournie Minute: Candidates for the next pope

Another reason to properly label things

I’ll readily admit that I’m anal retentive when it comes to organization and labeling. You probably wouldn’t know it if you came by my place as it is kind of slobby, but I have a system! There’s a place for everything and everything has its place. You wouldn’t believe how organized my phone’s address book is, I’ve got sub-folders for chronological organization for my bills in accordion folders and there is no randomization for my dvd collection whatsoever.

Obviously, that’s not so much the case for Father Martin McVeigh of Ireland, who accidentally showed hardcore gay porn to parents at a presentation after plugging a USB stick into a port. Stupid new-fangled technology.

I want to know how long it’ll take the Westboro Baptist Church to make it out there and protest the man. Or would they already be doing that since he’s Catholic?

A not-so-Super Sunday

Why, hello there, reader. Big plans for the weekend? Well, before you let the crazy train leave suburban station, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of.

First, the U.S. House of Representatives would prefer it if you didn’t spend your welfare check on strippers. They passed a bill that “would bar welfare recipients from spending their benefits in strip clubs and casinos,” saying that kind of behavior is better paid through Republican donor parties.

And if that wasn’t weird enough, guess who’s going after child sex trafficking? No, the Catholic Church. (I know, right?) A team of nuns have alerted over 200 hotels in the Indianapolis area so they’ll know what child sex looks like for the Super Bowl. Nobody’s sure why the Super Bowl would be a banner day for pederasty — maybe because nothing sets the mood like the Puppy Bowl — but, it looks like we’re gonna have to settle for nachos and beer this year.

Shroud of trailin’ sold separately

Jesus comes in many forms and flavors: buddy, raptor, animated, internet and historically accurate (aka, black, aka, real) are just some of the ways he appears. However, there might be a new one arising (in three days, of course)-trailer park.

A valuable relic, a small piece of wood said to be a part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, was stolen from a Boston church. Investigators looked high, and investigators looked low, but nary a splinter could be found. Until a tip was given. Police then went to Vermont to find the relic. Where did they find it?

In a trailer park. Possibly right beside a bottle as well. And a rusting air conditioner window unit.

Richard Duncan, a partner in the burglary, called Vermont state police from a trailer park about the item as he was arguing with an accomplice about it. Said partner, Earl Frost, returned the piece of wood to the barracks, but has now, for all intents and purposes, disappeared, contrary to the desires of the police.

Just how valuable was this object?

Church officials estimated the relic’s street value at between $2,300 and $3,800, but said the item is “priceless” to the church.

Of course it was.

This can only end in fantastic tears

We hesitate to to give any credence or credibility to Fox News, mainly because we don’t actually think they qualify as “news.” Why? Well, a news channel should probably give news, rather than just using scare tactics and fear-mongering.

The latest bit of news regarding the channel doesn’t exactly fix their image any.

Greg Gutfeld, host of Red Eye (the late night show on the channel), wants to open up a gay bar. Right beside the mosque that’s being built near Ground Zero. Oh, and the gay bar would cater to Islamic men. That’s not asking for trouble at all.

Of course, there’s no basis that this could actually happen, so don’t be surprised if this turns into non-news. We can only propose this: on the other side of the Islamic themed gay bar, a gay bar that caters to people of the Catholic denomination should be opened as well. Because after all, one good turn deserves another.

Rise, my cake

Chancellor Palpatine Emperor Palpatine Pope Benedict XVI recently turned a whopping 83 years old. At his birthday party, he was given a large cake and had “Happy Birthday” sung to him in English. Because, you know, the Catholic Church has never had issues with small children and Benedict has never had any possible ties to the German Nazi party or movement. Never.

We can only assume that each candle (all 83 of them) had a tip that resembled a Pope hat. Because that makes us smile.

In other food related news, a hub-bub has been stirred up regarding the irony of KFC’s recent healthy focus campaign for the Susan G. Komen foundation and their release of the Double Down. And yet, there’s another hub-bub that they might want to focus on also. Oh, and SHAMELESS PLUG IS SHAMELESS

Certainly beats the hose alternative

As part of our ongoing coverage of how cool the Catholic Church is, we turn now to the Church waging war against H1N1. Sure, you might think that holy water can kill the flu simply because it’s blessed by priests, but that’s not necessarily the case, apparently.

An Italian inventor has created a holy water dispenser that requires no touching at all, which makes the transmission of H1N1 much less likely. Wave your hands underneath it and holy water comes out. In case you’re wondering, yes, that is the same technology you have seen in public restrooms for the past decade or  so.

Hey, it took these guys centuries to apologize for calling Galileo a heretic. Ten years behind is nothing to them.

‘V’ actually stands for ‘Vatican’

The Catholic Church is looking into the possibility of life on other planets and how it could impact their understanding of God.

Pope Benedict XVI must have just read Chariots of Fire or something, because this isn’t really a new concept. While very little about aliens is mentioned in the Bible, this could help explain some of the more supernatural happenings. Perhaps instead of looking for angels, we should be looking for evidence of Biblical alien abductions.

As for the probings, well you can just investigate that one on your own.

God is on our side?

As a Catholic, this is scary to think about, but the evidence is there just the same: the pope is in league with the animals!

At a speech in Prague, Pope Benedict XVI had a spider crawling on him. It crawled all the way up the Holy Father’s robe and even on to his neck. Allegedly, the pope brushed the spider off, but it was seen riding on his robe as he left a historic church where the speech was made.

Just remember, all you Christians who believe that we shouldn’t hurt animals: God gave us dominion over the animals, and the only reason we’re here and not in Paradise in the first place is because of a snake (well, and a gullible woman).

God can’t beat swine flu

H1N1 (swine) flu is coming for you. It’s not just a lame rhyme, it’s a message the Catholic Church in Italy wants you to know. That’s why they aren’t letting people kiss a vial of blood from Saint Gennaro at Naples’ annual festival this month.

You know, because kissing a vial of a dead person’s blood that thousands of other people have kissed would be completely safe otherwise.