The picture on CNN’s website this morning catches our attention. Here we find writer Helena Cavendish de Moura asking:
(CNN) — What is beauty? What role does it have in spirituality? Is it in the eye of the beholder?
For instance:
Vatican officials have lashed out against what they see as a diversion from dictates on how to build a church according to Catholic liturgy.
These laws, however, have been subject to interpretation.
The Diocese of Turin, for instance, defends its decision to stand by Botta’s design, claiming it adheres to Catholic dogma on aesthetics. The seven-tower church with skylights is a symbolic play on the use of natural light in ritual and divinity. The industrial-looking church complex blends in with the area associated with Turin’s working class. To the common eye, these towers may seem more like giant chimneys, a reference to the industrial, working-class area.
Photographing inside this monumental building is a different story. Liturgical tradition is referenced, but only slightly. Di Martino photographs the pixelated image of the Holy Face, a "half-cross" by the altar, every element illuminated by natural light. A possible allusion that God is omnipresent in the digital age?
Personally, I liked them all except for photograph number 6, the Church St. Clement in Milan. See CNN’s Photo Gallery.
Oh, and I’m not sure I like this interpretation (picture #1) of the face of the shroud which has Jesus seemingly looking away to one side. Or is it my imagination.
IMO, at 73 years of age, none of the churches shown really look like churches on the outside. However what is important is what takes place on the inside. If I lived nearby and attended one as my Parish Church, my opinion might be different. As for the photo with Christs facial image, I interpret it as Christs head facing forward.