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It is not easy being
the new Pontiff.
Benedict XVI, whose
chose the moniker
"Benedict" because the
last namesake did not
last long in the
fisherman's seat, life
is now under the
microscope. How do you
follow Pope John Paul
II, rock star?
Impossible. Matters
not helped when
newspaper headlines
around Europe scream
about the dark past,
when Young Bennie was
a member of the Nazi
Youth.
"White Smoke, Black
Past," screams the
headline from Israel's
Yediot Aharonot.
England’s Guardian
was not less
salutary: "From
Hitler Youth to the
Vatican." The London
Sunday Times is not to
be outdone: "Papal
Hopeful Is a Former
Hitler Youth."
Not to be left behind,
Italy's La
Repubblica omits
history and focuses on
the new Pope's
conservative
credentials: "A
Warrior to Challenge
Modernity." France's
leftie Liberation
sported an editorial
headline with the
simple:
"Intransigence."
Then Dutch daily,
Algemeen Dagblad,
finds it in their
so-called heart to
blurt out on its front
page as soon as Pope
is selected: "From
Hitler Youth to Holy
See." [Note: These
headlines from the New
York Times]
If high-flying
airplanes and Holy
Fathers are not your
ticket, then perhaps
sex and politics are.
When Czech Prime
Minister Stanislav
Gross resigned, it was
a sad ending to a
scandal-plagued
administration. The
thirty something Gross
came as fresh air, but
things soon became
swampy.
When, as the Prague
Post [bold]
reported that Gross
and his wife may have
been doing business
with a brothel owner,
things got ugly. The
brothel madame, a
40-year-old divorcee
who thinks of herself
as "man" and is proud
to have three kids
from three different
fathers, staunchly
defended her ties to
the Grosses. From the
Velvet Revolution to,
well, just velvet in
just a few years.
Pope Benedict may have
to pay the Czech
Republic a visit!
Is the new Airbus 380
an oversized flying
dagger, or something
more pristine and
beautiful? Largest
airplane in the world,
this, seating 555
passengers. That's a
lot of pretzels to
serve. Yet, what a
glorious achievement
for European know-how.
Italy’s La
Repubblica proudly
had on its front
page: "Airbus A-380,
the baptism with a
flight of four
hours." France’s
Le Monde was
equally effusive on
its front pages:
"A380 landed without
encumbers in
Toulouse."
New Popes, spanking
new jumbo airplanes -
what to make of all
these "new things?"
Well, before we get to
euphoric at the
beginning of summer,
we only need to turn
to politics to get us
down. Silvio
Berlusconi, Premier of
Italy, was forced to
form a new government
and brought to an end
four years of stable
Italian rule. Despite
a new face lift and
added hair, the
permanently tanned S.B.
could not stave off
the wolves and finally
gave in to reality.
What is next? Having
to buff his own
shoes?! Ah, sweet
nobles oblige.
May 2006 Europress
April 2006 Europress
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2005 Europress
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