Forgotten to recycle any newspapers or tin cans recently? Feeling guilty because you neglected to carbon offset your flight to somewhere, anywhere, outside England this summer?

The Roman Catholic Church is at hand with a new line in “green confessions” to help eco-sinners to find forgiveness.

Dom Anthony Sutch, the Benedictine monk who resigned as head of Downside School to become a parish priest in Suffolk, will be at the county’s Waveney Greenpeace festival this weekend to hear eco-confessions in what is thought to be the first dedicated confessional booth of its kind.

Vested in a green chasuble-style garment made from recycled curtains, and in a booth constructed of recycled doors, he will hear the sins of of those who have not recycled the things they ought to have done and who have consumed the things they ought not to have done.

…“I’ve had one or two comments about abuse of the confessional. One or two people have said, ‘Father, is this quite right?’ Luckily, more people see it as an excellent idea.

Some days a parodist can get quite depressed. If I had wrote a parody that had included "Vested in a green chasuble-style garment made from recycled curtains, and in a booth constructed of recycled doors" people might have had a quick laugh but it wouldn’t seem all that plausible. Good parody makes you wonder if something might be a real story. The problem is too many real stories make you wonder if it might be a parody.

Only one or two people have questioned this as an abuse?

Canon 964
+1. The proper place to hear sacramental confessions is a church or
an oratory. +2. The conference of bishops is to issue norms
concerning the confessional, seeing to it that confessionals with a
fixed grille between penitent and the faithful who wish to make use of
them may do so freely. +3. Confessions are not to be heard outside
the confessional without (nisi) a just cause.

You also have to wonder what kind of penances he would give? Say three Hail Al Gore’s? Though you could admit to clubbing a seal and he couldn’t tell anybody because of the seal of confession. Much is always made of what is called Catholic guilt (use to be called a conscience), but this seems like something tailor made for liberal guilt. Though this is not surprising that they would apply confession in the matter since they already have indulgences for your carbon footprint called a carbon offset.

I think though that this is a serious abuse of the sacrament to have a theme to confess on. As important as true stewardship is of what God has given us the solutions given by so many environmentalists are often junk science or just plain ineffective.

The Blake Prize entry titled "Bearded Orientals: Making the Empire Cross" by artist Priscilla Bracks is exhibited in Sydney August 30, 2007. The "double vision" print, which depicts both Jesus Christ and Osama bin Laden, in a Christ-like pose, depending on which side.

I saw this story this morning and then some more information at Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex where the articles explains her motive.

When you observe these two people, Osama Bin Ladin and Jesus, their ethics could not be more different. But they were both pursued by two of the world’s most powerful armies – the US and the Roman armies. Jesus is clearly defined by history, but I am interested in how history will treat the image of Osama.

This work has quite an open text so people are likely to read the image in many different ways. Some have mentioned they see it as a juxtaposition of good and evil, whilst others are interested in its comment on how iconic figures are created.

Well I think it would be more correct to say that Jesus pursued the Roman army (as he pursues all of us) and not that he was pursued by them. Though members of the Roman army did pursue Jesus at times such as the Centurion with great faith who requested that his slave be healed or the other Centurion that at Jesus’ death said "Surely He was the Son of God." This artist though has totally missed the fact that the Roman army as a whole had little to do with Jesus nor any other army.

One thing about this painting though is that it does show a truth despite the artist’s intention. We should see Christ in everybody, especially our enemies when it is the hardest and most difficult to discern. Bin Laden’s actions in no real way reflect Jesus and any parallels are of the reverse type. But Bin Laden like all of us is is created in the image of God. Unfortunately for Bin Laden his message is "Spread the Koran always and if necessary use bombs." It is quite difficult to pray for our enemies and is almost impossible in the case of this terrorist if we can’t discern Christ’s image in him by at least recognizing that Jesus actively wants him to be saved.

Australian artist, Priscilla Bracks, insisted that her Jesus- bin Laden “art”, was not meant to offend but a medium in which to promote discussions and to ask questions about how we think about our world and what is accepted and what is not accepted.

Well you just know that the "promote discussion" excuse would be offered and shelray says it well.

As children, how many of us didn’t enjoy any opportunity to provoke or take a jab those who we did not agree with nor like? I wonder how the crowd who supports her “art”work would be just as supportive if, in the name of promoting discussion and questions, she morphed Margarett Sanger/Planned Parenthood with Hitler or Stalin?

Paul Cat at Alive and Young is a resident of New Orleans and writes about how much still needs to be done and the swarms of politicians now swarming there with empty promises. As usual we only get the news that fits a narrative and since the lack of progress can’t be blamed on FEMA and the Federal government as much anymore we will not see stories on New Orleans and the rest of the areas severely damaged by New Orleans. I heard Raymond Arroyo, a former resident of New Orleans, the other day on the Laura Ingraham show talk about the current condition and how despite massive amounts of money little is being done towards a future hurricane.