How about virtual votives with jogging armband? E-candles are only 99 cents. Are we losing something?
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I was disappointed when in my various local parishes the burning candles were replaced with electric lights inside the traditional red glass. When you deposited money the light went on.
There were sound, practical reasons for that – I guess. Bulbs last longer than candles but when Rene (my wife) and I toured France, we burned candles for our parents at Notre Dame and Mount St. Michel. Frankly, electric light bulbs just don’t cut it. Although, on he other side of the “coin” there is the problem that occasionally the candles do cause fires.
To bring it a little closer to home though, I am not entirely happy with he idea of the Church partnering with Apple for a Shroud App. Also, if you have ever seen one, the pictures of the higher definition pictures of the Shroud taken a few years ago all have a copyright notice for the Archdiocese of Turin.
Now that really bothers me. About as much when I read that Pope Benedict was copyrighting his encyclicals.
Whatever happened to simony: “buying or selling of something spiritual or closely connected with the spiritual. More widely, it is any contract of this kind forbidden by divine or ecclesiastical law. The name is taken from Simon Magus (Acts 8:18), who endeavoured to buy from the Apostles the power of conferring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Encyclopedia Britannica )
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I believe Pope Benedict copyrighted his encyclicals to protect them from being exploited by others, rather than desiring to exploit them himself. I’m less bothered by that than the Apple Shroud App and high-def pics being copyrighted. But translations of the Bible are copyrighted too so perhaps it is no real suprise. I do know that the true believer shares freely the Good News — why wouldn’t we?
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There are few things I’ll cop to being ‘passionate’ about, but this is one. Any future investigation with direct access to the Shroud should commit in advance to releasing all its data — including high-resolution photos — under a Creative Commons or similar license. I can understand the need to protect the image against inappropriate commercial use. That can be accomplished through CC. Everyone else — students, researchers, skeptics, the faithful alike — should have the broadest possible access. Culturally, technologically, politically, it’s better to share willingly than try to restrict access. Control is an expensive, losing battle anyway, so why not be free and open?
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John, You are doing some very good work when it comes to Shroud studies, but your questioning of the Church’s attempts to raise funds or protect copyright is largely unfounded:
– The Vatican has been facing a deficit for a number of years, which began when Archbishop John Marcinkus was in charge of the IOR and got involved with the wrong people. The banker who got him involved apologised and defended him publicly. Marcinkus then went to work in the slums in Chicago. Pope Francis is slowly doing some cleaning up and who is looking after this is the German magnate Ernst von Freyberg: http://www.news.va/en/news/interview-with-ior-president-ernst-von-freyberg
– The Church did not have enough money to pay the costs of Pope Benedict’s state visit to the UK and the government paid half of the costs. Around half of the rest came from Catholic millionaires in Europe
– The arrangements made for the visit of Pope Francis to Rio did not function because of the rain. The archdiocese there is selling property to pay the bills and these are high
– The Church depends on donations to help cut costs. HP donated US$ 500,000 worth of computer equipment, an American millionaire paid the costs for the new building where the cardinals who come for a conclave can lodge…
– There are Orthodox priests who rely on Catholic charities to help Syrian refugees, both Christian and Muslim, who have left Syria. Where are the sheiks, with the billions coming from petrodollars they have invested in foreign banks?
– There are many Catholic hospitals in Third World Countries, where people from any religion, unable to pay for private health plans, seek help. The millionaires from the non-Christian dominant religions in these places are not to be seen
One can go on and on….
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All of which is as it should be (and ever has been). Am I the only one who wishes the true meaning of ‘charity’ could be reclaimed? The (C|c)hurch is meant to be a community, not a kingdom in its own right. I think we’re all better served by a Church that is *not* self-sustaining, but relies on Catholics and others to dig deep and/or roll up their sleeves and do some good.
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no church has given more then the catholic church….let us keep our relics
How about virtual votives with jogging armband? E-candles are only 99 cents. Are we losing something?
I was disappointed when in my various local parishes the burning candles were replaced with electric lights inside the traditional red glass. When you deposited money the light went on.
There were sound, practical reasons for that – I guess. Bulbs last longer than candles but when Rene (my wife) and I toured France, we burned candles for our parents at Notre Dame and Mount St. Michel. Frankly, electric light bulbs just don’t cut it. Although, on he other side of the “coin” there is the problem that occasionally the candles do cause fires.
To bring it a little closer to home though, I am not entirely happy with he idea of the Church partnering with Apple for a Shroud App. Also, if you have ever seen one, the pictures of the higher definition pictures of the Shroud taken a few years ago all have a copyright notice for the Archdiocese of Turin.
Now that really bothers me. About as much when I read that Pope Benedict was copyrighting his encyclicals.
Whatever happened to simony: “buying or selling of something spiritual or closely connected with the spiritual. More widely, it is any contract of this kind forbidden by divine or ecclesiastical law. The name is taken from Simon Magus (Acts 8:18), who endeavoured to buy from the Apostles the power of conferring the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Encyclopedia Britannica )
I believe Pope Benedict copyrighted his encyclicals to protect them from being exploited by others, rather than desiring to exploit them himself. I’m less bothered by that than the Apple Shroud App and high-def pics being copyrighted. But translations of the Bible are copyrighted too so perhaps it is no real suprise. I do know that the true believer shares freely the Good News — why wouldn’t we?
There are few things I’ll cop to being ‘passionate’ about, but this is one. Any future investigation with direct access to the Shroud should commit in advance to releasing all its data — including high-resolution photos — under a Creative Commons or similar license. I can understand the need to protect the image against inappropriate commercial use. That can be accomplished through CC. Everyone else — students, researchers, skeptics, the faithful alike — should have the broadest possible access. Culturally, technologically, politically, it’s better to share willingly than try to restrict access. Control is an expensive, losing battle anyway, so why not be free and open?
John, You are doing some very good work when it comes to Shroud studies, but your questioning of the Church’s attempts to raise funds or protect copyright is largely unfounded:
– The Vatican has been facing a deficit for a number of years, which began when Archbishop John Marcinkus was in charge of the IOR and got involved with the wrong people. The banker who got him involved apologised and defended him publicly. Marcinkus then went to work in the slums in Chicago. Pope Francis is slowly doing some cleaning up and who is looking after this is the German magnate Ernst von Freyberg:
http://www.news.va/en/news/interview-with-ior-president-ernst-von-freyberg
– The Church did not have enough money to pay the costs of Pope Benedict’s state visit to the UK and the government paid half of the costs. Around half of the rest came from Catholic millionaires in Europe
– The arrangements made for the visit of Pope Francis to Rio did not function because of the rain. The archdiocese there is selling property to pay the bills and these are high
– The Church depends on donations to help cut costs. HP donated US$ 500,000 worth of computer equipment, an American millionaire paid the costs for the new building where the cardinals who come for a conclave can lodge…
– There are Orthodox priests who rely on Catholic charities to help Syrian refugees, both Christian and Muslim, who have left Syria. Where are the sheiks, with the billions coming from petrodollars they have invested in foreign banks?
– There are many Catholic hospitals in Third World Countries, where people from any religion, unable to pay for private health plans, seek help. The millionaires from the non-Christian dominant religions in these places are not to be seen
One can go on and on….
All of which is as it should be (and ever has been). Am I the only one who wishes the true meaning of ‘charity’ could be reclaimed? The (C|c)hurch is meant to be a community, not a kingdom in its own right. I think we’re all better served by a Church that is *not* self-sustaining, but relies on Catholics and others to dig deep and/or roll up their sleeves and do some good.
no church has given more then the catholic church….let us keep our relics
That’s right, but it is not recognised.
Further to # 3, we now have an update:
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/01/07/pope-francis-pledges-almost-5-million-to-help-pay-world-youth-day-debt/
The donations amounted to peanuts in comparison with the debts.