The Creation Spirituality Lineage Calling All Social and Environmental Activists, Mystic Explorers, Justice Makers, Cosmic Thinkers, Earth Keepers Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox |
Pope
Francis Cleans House, Expelling Cardinal Burke from His Vatican Apartment 12/07/2023 |
Kudos to Pope Francis, for expelling Cardinal Burke from his lace-based luxurious apartment in the Vatican confines. |
That apartment received special attention from French journalist Frederic Martel in his eye-opening book, In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy. Left alone in the apartment while awaiting an interview with Burke, the author describes the anteroom as “a
vast place that will stay in my memory for ever...a kind of huge drawing room, at once classical, luxurious and Spartan.” Wandering about the apartment, Martel found “dreadful religious statues,” “ornamental art of elderly dandies” and “the cardinal’s famous red hat” — that was less a hat than “a headdress!” |
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Photographs on the walls reveal: …. the diva cardinal; the dandy cardinal; the drama-queen cardinal. They must be seen to be believed. Looking at them, you start imagining the Vatican in a different light. Laughing at Burke is almost too easy! |
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| The bathroom, “the place where he performs his ablutions,” resembles a deluxe spa resort heated like a sauna. One finds “luxury soaps, with the subtle perfumes” arranged in Japanese style, toilet paper “set in a protective cover that guarantees its immaculate purity.” |
In the corridor are dozens of bottles of high-class champagne. Inside numerous boxes were the “cardinal’s headdresses, his fake fur coats and his red trapezoid outfits. I feel as if I’m behind the scenes of Fellini’s film Roma when they’re preparing the extravagant ecclesiastical fashion parade.” |
Regaled in his outfits from another era, “in his cappa magna he becomes a giant—he looks like a Viking bride!” His red train reaches a length of 12 meters. He wears one big red hat with tassels, abandoned by most prelates since 1965, “even if, at the age of almost seventy, it makes him look like a vindictive old woman.” |
A topper that’s over the top: What a cardinal’s hat used to look like, on display at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York. Photo by Brian Mason on Flickr. |
Pope Francis confronted Burke several times about his outfits, telling him the cappa magna is inappropriate: “the carnival is over!”* To be continued. |
* Frederic Martel, In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy, pp. 22-53.
See Matthew Fox, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can be Saved. And Fox, A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality and the Transformation of Christianity. And Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors To Awaken the Sacred Masculine. Banner image: Priestly Ordinations with His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory, Saint Louis, Missouri. Photo by Phil Roussin on Flickr. |
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Queries for Contemplation Do you sense that “the carnival is over” for certain powerful prelates in institutional religion? What does one learn from these efforts to
confront privilege among the religious hierarchy? |
Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Matthew’s weekly video reflection now appears each Monday — watch for it! |
The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved
The Pope’s War offers a provocative look at three decades of corruption in the
Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic Christianity.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.
“In the gripping The Pope’s War, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering look at the layers of corruption in the Catholic Church, holding moral truth against power.” — Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II |
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A New Reformation: Creation Spirituality & The Transformation of Christianity
A modern-day
theologian’s call for the radical transformation of Christianity that will allow us to move once again from the hollow trappings of organized religion to genuine spirituality. A New Reformation echoes the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther in 1517 and offers a new vision of Christianity that values the Earth, honors the feminine, and respects science and deep ecumenism.
“This is a deep and forceful book….With
prophetic insight, Matthew Fox reveals what has corrupted religion in the West and the therapy for its healing.” ~Bruce Chilton, author of Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography |
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The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes,
ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature, to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men
they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical, cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet.
"This delicious book for children of all ages celebrates joy as the essential truth of reality." - Andrew Harvey, Author of The Hope and Radical Regeneration "I absolutely LOVED reading this beautiful, creative, stirring story—a charming, whimsical, powerful, parable." - Robert Holden, Author of Happiness NOW! and Higher Purpose
Receive a 20% discount when you buy this and one other book from Matthew Fox’s store! Use
Promo Code 20% at checkout.
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________________________________________________________________ UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
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JUNE 9-14, 2024
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Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest ” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat.Thursday, January 18, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he lectures on “What the Mystics Tell Us About Dying “ at the Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, “Emerging Spiritualities: Death and Bereavement Across the Spiritual Spectrum,” Saturday, January 20, 9:00am – 5:00pm PT Register HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he discusses his book “The Lotus & The Rose” in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Thursday, February 15, 4:00-6:00 pm PT Register HERE |
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Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Hunger for Wholeness: What is Wholeness in the Midst of Crisis with Matthew Fox (Part 1) In the midst of increased violence between Israel and Palestine, Ilia
Delio and theologian Matthew Fox discuss the state of the world today and how to have courage in Part 1 of their conversation. Ilia and Matt discuss his mentor, Marie Dominique Chenu, the influence of liberation theology on social justice in the church today, and what can still be learned.
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