"The action was taken because he did not agree with the Vatican's request for his resignation"...

I happened to see this news report earlier this evening and actually read it because I also had noticed that the Bollettino the other day didn't name a canon to explain Mons Makaya's removal from office (I know nothing about him or his diocese, alas)--and that is precisely what the Bollettino's text said, too, 'removed'--his deposition, in other words; while not wanting to take the time to figure out quite who or what the "French media" is that the CNA article refers to, I think that this bodes well for the future: if there was any doubt about it, we now have concrete (and not simply theological/theoretical or historical) evidence that the Most Holy Father the Roman Pontiff can depose bishops without having recourse to either section of canon 401 (which, after all, provide for the bishop to request relief from his office) or to any other canon.  Spes contra spem.

Mr Thompson has done the 'Holy Smoke' blog for four years...

Or so, if I've been reading correctly on Twitter, and congratulations to him for what is, apart from the comments (and it didn't used to be this way, according to those who know), a most excellent insightul well-informed commentary on the Church in the UK; ad multos annos.  But my interest in that particular post is aroused because I've just gotten done with the first two series of Torchwood, which is spun off from Dr Who, of which I've seen precisely one episode. Perhaps two or three; but the point is I know only one Doctor and one of the Doctor's companions and have resisted knowing anything about the cultus of the franchise.  I find depictions of imaginary worlds that explicitly exclude the sovereignty of the divine Majesty and grace and the Church thought provoking, and wonder if their creators don't ever reflect on the fact that the same contests of virtue and honor that Religion perfects play out in their scenarios; they create putatively godless men and women but they are the same mankind redeemed by Our Lord. Am glad to know what UNIT is, ha.

One day this week, the Sovereign Pontiff named a new...

Nuncio to Slovenia, appointing him also Apostolic Delegate in Kosovo; this occasioned an explanatory note in the Bollettino (and notice here and elsewhere) clarifying the difference between the mission of a nuncio and that of an apostolic delegate. As an American of a certain age, the distinction didn't raise my eyebrows in the slightest: we, after all, had apostolic delegates for almost a century until the late Pio Cardinal Laghi was made nuncio in the mid-'80s.

"Common sense, like democratic accountability, has gone out of the window"...

Christopher Booker has written for the Telegraph on Sundays for twenty years; ad multos annos!

This is a good place to notice the Police Inspector Blog, written by 'Inspector Gadget'. There are numerous bloggers who criticise the politically motivated nonsense that hobbles police forces both in the UK and US; Gadget's is the one I read regularly.

Mons Celli certainly d i d speak of "aggressive sites and blogs"...

At yesterday's press conference for the presentation of the Holy Father's World Day of Social Communications message, as I see at Zenit in Italian; don't find a version of that press conference transcription at the news agency's English or French sites, but perhaps its just too late in the day for my eyes to work properly.

... Parlando alle agenzie di stampa, Celli ha rimarcato come l'invito papale ad uno stile “rispettoso e discreto” nell'annuncio del Vangelo vale come richiamo anche “per quei siti e blog cattolici aggressivi, che scomunicano e non hanno uno stile cristiano di presenza” tanto che “bisogna vedere fino a che punto questi siti siano veramente cattolici”....

Speaking to the press, Celli remarked on the papal invitation to [a public, Internet] style that is "respectful and sober" in the proclamation of the Gospel, that it also serves as a reminder "for those aggressive sites and blogs which excommunicate and lack a Christian style of presence" that "it's necessary to see in what way these sites are actually Catholic".  Mons Celli goes on to assure us that an instruction on proper Catholic blog etiquette is forthcoming, pft.

Nicole Winfield's AP article includes this passage (as published at WaPo yesterday):

... Benedict didn't name names, but the head of the Vatican's social communications office, Archbishop Claudio Celli, said it was certainly correct to direct the pope's exhortation to some conservative Catholic blogs, YouTube channels and sites which, with some vehemence, criticize bishops, public officials and policies they consider not Catholic enough....

Chiara Santomiero's report at Zenit doesn't pretend to be a transcription verbatim of Mons Celli's remarks, and so I will concede that Miss Winfield's "... policies they consider not Catholic enough..." and her "with some vehemence" may be derived from the Italian that Zenit presents, or from the Italian Zenit didn't include; they comport well enough with Miss Santomiero's Italian to be adjudged not creations of Miss Winfield's prejudice.

On the other hand, the business about "conservative Catholic blogs" and "[criticism] of bishops, public officials and policies they consider not Catholic enough" I'm not giving credence to until I see the Italian text from which those versions were made. I find it odd that the French, Spanish, and Italian sites I look at haven't made any noise about Mons Celli's 'conservative blogs', 'YouTube' remarks, if they were in fact made quite as advertised.  But perhaps Mons Celli spoke also in English? perhaps we shall see.

Update on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 21:10 by Marc

John Thavis at Catholic News Service writes, in his report mentioning Mons Celli's 'press availability':

... Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, was asked in a briefing with reporters whether the pope's words reflected concern over an aggressive and derisive approach found on some Catholic sites and blogs.

"The risk is there, there is no doubt," the archbishop said. He added that his council was working on a document that would offer, among other things, some reference points about the appropriate tone and behavior for church-related Internet sites....

Nothing there about "conservative blogs" or "YouTube channels". Don't know why I didn't think to go to CNS earlier; so much dross, so often.

Update on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 15:32 by Marc

A wonderful post at Opinionated Catholic, which also notices what I am guessing is anti-'conservative Catholic' padding added to Nicole Winfield's AP article on Mons Celli's press conference at the presentation of the Most Holy Father's WDSC message. It remains possible of course that she is accurately citing and then paraphrasing the prelate's actual assertions.

"What are we going to do about the lawyers?"

An amusing and occasionally percipient column by Boris Johnson; he's writing about the relationship between the Internet and thoughtful politicking and journalism et cetera, in the aftermath of Tucson. Politicians are becoming aware that it's not just the professional chatterers they need to be wary of:

... And now, at last, the journalists are getting something like the same treatment; and of course, as a politician who loves writing, I must tremble before the wrath of pheasantplucker [an anonymous commenter--MP], but I also rejoice at the change that has taken place. A broadcast has been turned into a dialogue. When we write our pieces, thousands of eyes are scanning them for errors of fact and taste – and now our critics cannot only harrumph and curse us. They can tell the world – in seconds – where they think we have gone wrong. We are not just writing columns, we are writing wiki-columns, and if we sometimes get beaten up, we also have the satisfaction of gaining the odd grunt of agreement. 

Politicians are being held to account by journalists; journalists are being held to account by their readers – and it cannot be long, the internet being what it is, before the wind of popular scrutiny blows through all the bourgeois professions. What are we going to do about the lawyers?

I wish I knew an appropriate lawyer joke. @Londiniensis g a.

Seymour Hirsch has had a long career as a journalist...

Although it's quite true that I don't pay much attention to his work; evidently, he is concerned that too many Knights of Malta and members of Opus Dei machinate in the Pentagon. Or something. Anyway, I do believe that there is a war ongoing between a number of civilisations or cultures that significantly features the US and 'Islamic jihad', so if folks at the Joint Chiefs want to participate that is perfectly fine by me.

One tries, out of politeness, not to notice the nonsense that goes on...

In professedly Christian communities outside the Catholic Church-- we have a significant number of our own imperfections and scandals, in case anyone might need to be reminded-- but this really takes a prize if it is even semi-substantially true: is the Church of England making a new rite of baptism that omits baptism itself? I doubt it. Surely not. Impossible.

'Little Hugo' in the Daily Mail yesterday...

Makes me want to move to Cartagena permanently; perhaps retirement beckons. Found the link at Verum Serum. I expect that if Venezuela were a shade or two lighter in her skin color that certain persons wouldn't be quite so upset; maybe not. "That soap is so horrible!"  Chepe Fortuna is well represented on YouTube; the opening trailer (I think that's what it is) is here; embedding is disabled. 

Read Professor Anderson on Simon Jenkins's article in the Guardian...

The knight going on about the horrors of American partisan excess, Tucson and how the US requires new laws! to quell the monstrous outbreaks of violence, more or less-- the Anderson post is here-- and thought, 'silly Brit' before going on my way; I read Professor Anderson (whose insight into problems of international law, the ius ad bellum, ius in bello and so forth is welcome, and he has an openness to the Church that most of the writers at Volokh Conspiracy don't share) with appreciation but don't spend much time in comments threads.  Then Alex Massie's criticism of the Jenkins essay appeared at the Spectator and reminded me of the business. "It's not entirely clear what Jenkins is trying to say...." 

There's heresy, and then there's heresy...

And the second sort is what Heresy Corner specialises at, I think; this 'We haven't a Clue' post is very amusing.  @dolphinmaria et @SplinterSunrise g a.

I just don't understand why the Guardian yet again...

Has the 'undercover agent who infiltrated the enviro-lunatics' covens and by the way had sex with some of them' at the top of its pages; isn't a major part of that entire worldview that people should go rutting about when they like? and with whom? and damn the consequences? their programmatic adherence to the cause of the Magna Mater runs up against their programmatic adherece to the cause of libertinage; pft, a bit of fun for some readers, I guess.

Update on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 11:45 by Marc

The good Inspector is yawning, I think.

Had half suspected that the State Department would retreat...

From its purported abandonment of the terms 'mother' and 'father'; MercatorNet's Vincenzina Santoro posted earlier about the diplomatic bureaucrats' volte-face.  As Miss Santoro points out, it is a partial retreat mandated by Mrs Clinton, no doubt for reasons of political advantange; 'mother or parent one' and 'father or parent two' indeed. Pft.

Certainly not a question that will make foundations tremble but...

If I'm parsing the Italian properly, a commenter, Francesco73, at Dr Rodari's site has pointed out that the area of the chapel of St Sebastian in the Vatican Basilica, soon to house the venerable mortal remains of Blessed Pope John Paul II, is closed to the public for the use, as a vestiarium, of priests concelebrating at important Masses: Innocent XI has not protested the practice but in the new circumstances....

A terrible tragedy Saturday, and such nonsense afterward in the media...

That one is tempted to simply decline henceforward to pay any attention whatsoever to the hastening dissolution of what remains of our civilisation; still, that isn't a legitimate option for Christians living in the world, is it.  I hope that Mr Obama's address was as comforting and reassuring as some usually reliable commentators have indicated that it was; for the rest, Mrs Elizabeth Scalia (in a more general way, on the press and Mrs Palin) and Mr John Steele Gordon (on the specific case of that fellow Paul Krugman at the Times) capture my sentiments anent this business. Requiescant in pace.

Was reminded why I stopped reading Michael Sean Winters...

By a post today at Creative Minority Report. I think, however, that I had neglected to add his name to my list of plague-bringing writers over there to the left and shall go correct that omission now.  

The "Gaudium et spes priests"...

Are troubled in their consciences; the Liturgical Pimpernel pointed out this essay earlier. Heavens: the clerical gentleman even tut tuts at Paul VI. Where is the man's bishop?

Saw this video being used by Professor Althouse...

To illustrate a point in her more or less sensible critique of the Ezra '100 Year Old Text Too Difficult To Understand' Klein nonsense; seemed appropriate also today when certain influential Anglicans made their peace with the Roman Church.

St Sylvester Night arrests were up by 25% in France but...

We'll have to wait until later in the month for the annual totals to discover whether there was a similar increase of car burnings because M Brice Hortefeux, the interior minister, doesn't want anyone to try to make a contest out of topping last year's total. But nor does he want it thought that he is "hiding or covering up" any unpleasant realities.... 

Update on Sunday, January 2, 2011 at 10:38 by Marc

There is this report in Le Figaro today; "... it wasn't as peaceful a night as M le Ministre thought...".  The fact is, of course, that I haven't played the sociologist and searched out the crime statistics for e.g. New York, Palermo, London and Los Angeles--so far as I know as a matter of certain fact Paris may be, comparatively speaking, an island paradise. But I doubt it.

"I had the eerie feeling that I was peering into a domestic future"...

Thus Linda Greenhouse in the Times yesterday on the European Court of Human Rights decision that recognised the legitimacy of Ireland's abortion law; she is speculating about the fifty or so abortion law regimes in this country when Roe is finally overturned one way or the other.  Spes contra spem, Mrs Greenhouse.