Pope Rat lays one down on Judas, who is dead and thus unable to defend himself effectively.
"The money was more important than communion with Jesus, more important than God and his love," he told a congregation in the Basilica of St John Lateran. The Pope said the renegade apostle's lies had cast him into a hopeless, downward spiral. "He became hardened, incapable of conversion, of the trusting return of the prodigal son, and threw away his ruined life." Vittorio Messori, who wrote a book with the Pope, said the pontiff's approach was "the strictest interpretation of the mystery of the betrayal". Even his predecessor, John Paul II, had seen some hope for Judas in his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, published in 1994.
As any decent theologian knows, the abandonment of hope is a definitively anti-Christian act, and specifically condemned by prophets from the Old Testament to the church next door. Da pope better watch his back.
Slightly OT: Anyone looking for cheap, vicarious religious thrills
(and aren't they the best kind?) should rent the movie Dogma and show it in a room full of Catholic theologians. When I showed it to Carinthia (doctorate in theology, Trinity College Dublin) she watched the first act with amusement, pointing out obscure transgressions and citing relevant passages from the Old Testament, but when it came to the central theme of the movie, she leapt out of her armchair, cocktail flying. Pointing at the screen as they once must have pointed at Hester Prynne, she postively bellowed.
"The Plenary Indulgence! That goddam Plenary Indulgence! I knew it was nothing but trouble! NOTHING but trouble."
She then went on to slander, in baroque and glorious terms, the pope who came up with the stupid scheme and every band of roving cardinals who'd ever supported it. By name. Quite impressive. Even though I had spent a pretty penny on the brandy for that Sidecar, it was still worth it. Nothing like watching people 
get all riled up over obscure metaphysical references. I am reminded of a letter to Miss Manners; she was asked what she would have done at a dinner party given by the writer…it seems that several people got into heated discussion of whether or not the existence of angels depended upon the existence of God, to which Miss Manners, ever sensible, replied, "Where was this dinner party and why was Miss Manners not invited? She always ends up sitting between people who live to discuss the price they got for their condos, or the price they paid for their cars."
Word.
The truly great stories have always inspired creative reinterpretation and re-telling in a variety of media; the Easter story is no exception.
From paintings by Caravaggio and Bacon to the literal re-enactments that take over the Philippines every year, to the singin’, dancin’ disciples in Godspell, to the current Gitmo-referencing Manchester production, the story of the death of Jesus has been interpreted in virtually every art form known to humanity. Even Blogging!
At a reported cost of over ten thousand dollars, this American (well, what else could he be?) minister has recreated not only the life of Jesus, but much of the Bible in Lego.
For Easter we have the Last Supper, the Arrest of Jesus, the Trial, the Crucifixion (what an odd word to know how to spell. I mean, how often do you use it, eh? And yet I bet you know how to spell it?), the Empty Tomb, and the Final Appearance. These are only details, you’ve gotta go to the source for the real deal. Simon Peter has that hot Miami Vice stubble thing going on, as well as some major Austin Powers chest hair. Hawt.
As anyone who’s ever compared different biblical translations can attest (or is that “witness“?) the picture you get from the whole is substantially different from the picture you get from the snippets.
God is indeed in the details, but he’s also the original Big Picture Guy!
They say that in order to succeed in any field it is critical to have mentors. More established, experienced practitioners who've been down all the false trails and worked out the kinks, they provide a guideline and touchstone to the newbies. As a gossipiste I have Perez Hilton to look up to, and I have learned a great deal.
Swag rules, baby!
So, both because I know this is a great event that many of my readers will be interested in, AND because James Sherrett offered me a bribe, the raincoaster blog presents:
BC Book & Magazine Week (BCBMW) is a collective project that the Association of Book Publishers of BC (ABPBC) and the BC Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP) coordinate annually. This weeklong literary celebration was founded in January 1999 as BC Book Week. In 2001 the event expanded to include the provinces magazine industry in continued celebration of British Columbia's literary arts scene.
This year, BC Book & Magazine Week will run from Saturday, April 22 to 29, 2006, with events hosted throughout the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan. BCBMW's purpose is to instill in British Columbians the importance of the local publishing industry and its contributors, writers, photographers and illustrators; it contributes not only to literacy, but to the province's culture and identity as well.
The week re-establishes British Columbia's valuable and dynamic role in the Canadian publishing industry and is an excellent opportunity for the ABPBC and BCAMP to promote and support their members: the publishers of BC books and magazines, and those who make the industry successful – the readers and writers.
As a result of the buzz created by the media, the roster of writers and the fantastic events put on each year, British Columbians are becoming increasingly aware of this annual event that celebrates the richness of BC books and magazines.
Now, the serious poop here is in the blog. If you're a literatus looking for a good time (and who among us is not?) check it out regularly, because it lists all the most bibliotastic book launches, parties, contests, etc within reach of downtown Vancouver. And most of them are free, us not being the type to walk around loaded down with cashola. More of said hot poop on the Upcoming.org listing.
See you there?
I'm not big on the Peeps, myself, but Americans love them. They must contain some chemical that counteracts the PCBs in their beer or sumpin'. Anyway, here is a kind of Peep designed to tempt even me. How can anyone resist? It would be futile.
BC Book and Magazine Week
raincoaster 