Here is an interesting story from The Australian sent by kind reader:
THE Pope has decided he will not wear the vestments specially designed for World Youth Day and billed as "chic clergy couture" on the WYD website.
The "earthy-red" coloured vestments feature the Southern Cross constellation on the front and an indigenous feature titled "Marjorie’s Bird" on the back. [So, they offered the Pope the bird.]
The snub [why must it be called a snub?] may be the first of many in the clash of cultures between the liturgically and theologically conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the exuberance of the youth day. [Note the false conflict. How do "conservative" and "exuberance" conflict? The writer is clearly confused.]
Held over six days in Sydney in July, the day has a strong youth festival element, including music, performing arts, visual art exhibitions, debate, [?] film, community gatherings, street performers, workshops and a vocations expo. But Tracey Rowland, author of a recently published book about the Pope titled Ratzinger’s Faith, said Benedict was totally opposed to what he called "utility" music in the liturgy. [What is going on here. The idea of "utility music", or music having a utilitarian function in liturgy is contrary the the nature of liturgical action and active participation in the deepest sense. Sacred music cannot be seen as merely "useful", as in useful to get people sing, get people involved. Sacred music is really prayer. It is pars integrans, an integral and integrating part of liturgy. It is liturgy. When you have the correct view of active participation as being first and foremost interior receptivity to what is being offered by the Actor of the sacred action, your choices in sacred music follow suit. For this reason, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually we don’t see – rather hear – changes in the direction of the Sistine Chapel choir.]
The Pope believes applause in church "was completely liturgically wrong", Dr Rowland said. [He won’t be rigid about this, because of his experience of Italy. But this is essentially true. He would not favor it. But he would never put things in such brutal terms as the writer did.]Dr Rowland said she had not seen the WYD vestments, but the Pope would think it was very important that any symbols featured on the clothing were "explicitly and unequivocally Christian". [Gosh! imagine that as being a criterion for sacred vestments intend for Holy Mass to be worn by the Vicar of Christ. Let’s get some perspective!]
WYD spokesman Jim Hanna said he had not heard of any difficulties arising from the Pope’s conservative preferences. "I have seen no evidence of controversy brewing about the liturgy," he said.
"We are in regular contact with the bishops’ conferences in most of the main countries – we check the numbers they give us all the time," he said. "What they’re telling us at the moment is that the number of 125,000 is about right."
Also, I suspect that if anyone was the point man for the rejection, it was Mons. Guido Marini.
