The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: RedTail on April 21, 2008, 01:36:56 PM
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Cat Lovers Appreciate Soul Mate in Vatican
By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: April 21, 2008
NewYorkTimes.com
EXCERPT:
Their names are Shadow, Butch, Misty, Rusty, Sparky, Sunshine, Esther, Marty and Spunky. They are cats, some former strays, some tiger-striped. But to Jan Fredericks of Wayne, N.J., they are family, they are God’s creatures and deserving of compassion.
And in Pope Benedict XVI, Ms. Fredericks, the chairwoman of the fledgling American branch of Catholic Concern for Animals, believes that she has found a kindred spirit: Along with an enormous entourage and a message of peace, the Pope brought with him to the United States a lifelong love of cats.
Benedict’s kindness toward the strays of Rome is already the stuff of Vatican legend. His house in Germany, its garden guarded by a cat statue, was filled with cats when Benedict lived there full time before he was posted to the Vatican in 1982.
The Rest of the Story (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/us/nationalspecial2/21cats.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=cat+benedict&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)
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Benedict : Pope, Defender of the Faith, Cat Person.
I think Mr. Solich is moonlighting as pope.
*Red*
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Oh my.
This should endear the Pope to the primitives; he likes cats.
But unlike the primitives, the Pope doesn't mistreat them.
I'm not sure how the tradition evolved--and it pre-dates St. Francis of Assissi--but a "blessing of the animals" is an ancient one, meant to remind all that we are indebted to those who keep us alive (usually farm animals).
In more modern times, say, about the middle of the 19th century, the tradition started, probably in France, of similarly blessing pets such as dogs and cats.
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Cats and Dogs are companion animals...they should be guarded by us. Glad to see the Pope is an animal lover.
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Oh my.
This should endear the Pope to the primitives; he likes cats.
But unlike the primitives, the Pope doesn't mistreat them.
I'm not sure how the tradition evolved--and it pre-dates St. Francis of Assissi--but a "blessing of the animals" is an ancient one, meant to remind all that we are indebted to those who keep us alive (usually farm animals).
In more modern times, say, about the middle of the 19th century, the tradition started, probably in France, of similarly blessing pets such as dogs and cats.
Just admit Pope is your day job, Mr. Solich.
you just hang out with us mortals because it's fun. :-)
*Red*