Jeffrey Miller

RC over at Catholic Light posts:

Fox starts division to boost religious movies. They’re starting with Esther, but I’m really looking forward to a cinematic treatment of the book of Judith.

Judith would be pretty cool. Judith really had Holofernes pegged, or should I say tent pegged. There are a lot of Old Testament books that have received little or no cinematic treatment. I would love to see Tobit done. It has a lot of real cool events that would work well visually. Husband killing Demons, Angels disguised as humans, romantic elements, and blindness curing ointments made out of fish livers. Tobit would be great as long as it wasn’t a two-bit production.

I would also love to see a good treatment of Elijah. Elijah just plain rocks, though he wasn’t exactly very ecumenical. There were no working groups for "Jewish and Baal Together." There are really a lot of great scenes from 1st Kings that could be done and the movie would end on a high note with the flaming chariot exit.

Of course with Fox doing these movies I hope they are not too cheesy. A lot of writers could easily mess things up by trying to project modern attitudes onto Biblical figures. That Moses mini-series last year was a perfect example of how badly this can be done.

What Biblical books would you like to see done?

A Chilean man caught stealing from a Catholic parish church was sentenced to go to mass regularly for one whole year.

Alexis Araneda, 18, will also have to carry out menial chores at the San Antonio de Padua parish, located in the town of Ercilla, 580 kilometers south of Santiago.

The alternative punishment was proposed by authorities, part of changes in Chilean legal rules.

Araneda was sentenced for stealing cylinders of liquefied gas which the church used for heating. He also damaged property in the April robbery, committed as he returned after binge drinking with friends at a party.

A few prayers to St. Dismas would be in order that perhaps next year he will go on his own accord.

MOSUL, Iraq Relatives of an Orthodox priest who was kidnapped and found beheaded three days later said Thursday that his captors had demanded his church condemn the pope’s recent comments about Islam and pay a US$350,000 (€280,000) ransom.

More than 500 people attended a memorial service Thursday for father Amer Iskender in the northern city of Mosul after his decapitated body was found Wednesday evening in an industrial area of the city.

Iskender was a priest at the St. Ephrem Orthodox church in Mosul.

"He was a good man and we all shed tears for him," said Eman Saaur, a 45-year-old schoolteacher who said she attended Iskender’s church regularly. "He was a man of peace."

Relatives, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the unidentified group that seized Iskender on Sunday had demanded a ransom and that his church condemn a statement made by Pope Benedict XVI last month that ignited a wave anger throughout the Muslim world. In a speech at a German university the pope quoted a medieval text that characterized some of the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings as "evil and inhuman," declaring Islam was a religion spread by the sword.

BRIGHTON, MA – Pope Benedict XVI has informed Cardinal Seán O’Malley that Reverend John A. Dooher, Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Dedham and Reverend Robert Hennessey, Pastor of Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, have been named Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of Boston.

Cardinal Seán received this news with gratitude for the Holy Father’s pastoral care of the Archdiocese and has announced that bishop-elect Dooher will be assigned to the South region and bishop-elect Hennessey will be assigned to the Central region of the Archdiocese.

Pope Benedict XVI has also granted Bishop John Boles’ request for retirement – Bishop Boles currently serves as the Auxiliary for the Central region.

The Ordination of the two new Auxiliary Bishops will take place on December 12, 2006 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston; details will be forthcoming. Bishops-elect Dooher and Hennessey will also continue in their current roles at their parishes until replacements are appointed.

Rocco is reporting "Mutiny in the Big Apple."

Long-simmering tensions among a broad cross-section of the archdiocese’s priests broke into the open today with the circulation of an anonymous letter under the authorship of a group calling itself "A Committee of Concerned Clergy for the Archdiocese of New York." Saying that, "At no time has the relationship between the Ordinary and the priests of the Archdiocese been so fractured and seemingly hopeless as it is now," the authors have urged their confreres to lodge "a formal vote of ‘NO Confidence’" (emphases original) in Cardinal Edward M. Egan, who became archbishop in 2000. Using strong language throughout the 950-word missive, the authors allege a widespread finding that Egan’s relationship with his priests has been "defined by dishonesty, deception, disinterest and disregard."

"Sadly, it is evident that this Cardinal is unable to deal with the complexities, problems and challenges of an Archdiocese of the magnitude and diversity of New York. For these reasons and more, the Priests of the Archdiocese of New York must express a vote of NO CONFIDENCE. Such a vote would encourage the Papal Nuncio and the Holy Father to strongly consider accepting the Cardinal’s resignation in April,2007, when he reaches the age of retirement, rather than at a future and uncertain date before his 80th birthday, as can often be the case with retiring Cardinals. The search for a new Archbishop should begin sooner rather than later."

I am not much of a fan of anonymous committees encouraging secretive votes against their bishop.

In other news a press release from Archdiocese of Boston announces.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley will host a press conference tomorrow morning to make a major announcement, sharing key news regarding an important step forward in the continued rebuilding and strengthening of the Church in Boston.

…Please Note: Immediately following Cardinal O’Malley’s press conference, all media are welcome to remain for a photo opportunity and to cover the procession of the sacred relic of the heart of St. John Vianney outside the grounds of St. John’s Seminary – located next to Peterson Hall – to a statue of St. John Vianney and to the entrance of St. John’s Seminary Chapel.