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Get away from him you XXXXX!
From the American Papist:
Demonstrating students? Please.
Pope Benedict isn’t even scared of the Alien Queen!
(After this day, I needed a chuckle!)
Pope Benedict is probably safe, but I’m pretty sure that Monsignor is toast.
That sculture has always creeped me out. I don’t know how JPII and BXVI can receive audiences and give talks there without cracking up.
Bizzaro-art.
Comment by RichR — 18 January 2008 @ 6:47 pmthat thing (because sculpture is no the appropiate name for an abbomination)is very spooky. why Pope benedict sold that ugly thing and put a more beautiful painting?
Comment by Cristhian — 18 January 2008 @ 7:19 pmThat isn’t supposed to be an image of Our Lord, is it? It looks more like the Crypt Keeper from “Creepshow”!
Comment by dcs — 18 January 2008 @ 7:23 pmWhy don’t they just dismantle it, move it to the ‘Paul VI Modern Art Gallery’ in the Vatican Museum and then tourists will just bolt past it and the rest of the sub-par junk on the way to the Sistine Chapel.
Comment by Father Anonymous — 18 January 2008 @ 7:35 pmI can’t resist this comment Fr Z…
In my trilogy, there is an inquisition trial in the Paul VI Audience Hall. It happens that one of the first things the new pope in the conclave does is to remove this hideous theilhardian lurch of the primordial sea-muck up and out to a future cosmic who know’s what. SO IMPERSONAL, this sculpture, however “nice”. The new Pope replaces it with azure drapes, in front of which goes the gilded San Damiano cross and the guilded rays of the image of our Lady of Guadalupe… a magnificent sight in an otherwise wierd building.
PS. There are tens times the visits in just a few hours, thanks to your plug for
Comment by Fr Renzo di Lorenzo — 18 January 2008 @ 7:36 pmhttp://renzodilorenzo.wordpress.com/ WDTPRSers RULE!
Yes, take that thing down, melt it, and cast something that is actually beautiful with all that bronze. In it’s place they could put up the large Raphael Transfiguration paintings from the Vatican Museum.
It is truly the most horrific representation of the resurrection that I know of – what’s worse, it is at the Vatican, and in countless pictures with the Holy Father. I have to wonder what the people who have no idea what it is think when they see these pictures. What’s worse they highlight it with freaky colors. The red light they put on it a while back was particularly hellish.
Comment by a Catholic — 18 January 2008 @ 7:42 pmYes, take that thing down (all of it), melt it, and cast something that is actually beautiful with the huge amount of bronze. In it’s place they could put up the large Raphael Transfiguration paintings from the Vatican Museum!
It is truly the most horrific representation of the resurrection that I know of – what’s worse, it is at the Vatican, and in countless pictures with the Holy Father. I have to wonder what the people who have no idea what it is think when they see these pictures. What’s worse they highlight it with freaky colors. The red light they put on it a while back was particularly hellish.
Comment by a Catholic — 18 January 2008 @ 7:46 pmWhat on earth is that?
We have something similar in a chapel nearby. It scares the heck out of the kids and I could never tell them it’s suppose to be the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary since I don’t want them to think She is scary.
Comment by Deborah — 18 January 2008 @ 8:33 pmWhy, Jadis, the purple really suits you. But what on earth are you doing at the Vatican?
Comment by Margaret — 18 January 2008 @ 8:37 pmAnd as if that isn’t bad enough, the rest of the wall sculpture looks like a pile of human skulls….YIKES!! You’d expect to see something like this inside the London Dungeon’s list of freak show attractions, not a Vatican auditorium where people gather to see and hear the Pope. Whose idea was this? Probably the same one who created the equally creepy-looking baptismal font at the Sistine Chapel.
Comment by Rivendell — 18 January 2008 @ 8:56 pmhaha….great analogy Fr. Z.
The “sculpture” does look like something from a sci-fi horror movie.
Comment by Matt Robinson — 18 January 2008 @ 9:02 pmThis is the first time I look this sculpture,
Comment by Derik Castillo — 18 January 2008 @ 9:06 pmand it was difficult to make sense out of it.
Pleae tell me it just looks like devilish wings!
Deborah,
We have a Spectral Floating Jesus over our altar, too. He looks like Darth Vader, IMHO, espcially with the uplighting they always put on these figures. And then we have a shot-out-of-the-cannon stuntmant-Jesus sailing up with his arms out in another chapel that is part of the parish. The Spectral Jesus is the only thing I have ever heard receive negative comments from viistors to our cathedral. Needless to say, we have no crucifix.
ALl these things should be ripped out and reverently burned. They were a horrible idea.
Comment by EDG — 18 January 2008 @ 9:35 pmThe metal would make a lovely bell…
Comment by pistor — 18 January 2008 @ 10:19 pmLooks like the ‘Cloverfield’ premiere was held in the Vatican afterall—I mean, that must surely be the monster?
Comment by Carlos — 18 January 2008 @ 10:57 pmFather Z:
Comment by tara — 18 January 2008 @ 11:34 pmThat sculpture is horrible. Going to Rome with my Parish this November—when I walked into the Audience Hall I became instantly ill—I did have a migraine—but the “art” was so “busy” it made so nauseous. Going to the restrooms downstairs—after vomiting a bit, I tried several times to return to the Hall—I couldn’t, every time I walked in the room the “art” made me physically ill. My daughter, who was with us, took some pictures and when returning home—everytime I show them my head spins and waves of nausea roll over me—they need to burn the thing!
It’s good to hear it said once again, while I’m sure almost everybody thinks it when looking at pictures from the Paul VI Hall – horrendous. But I’m afraid, it’s there to stay until they build a new hall, hopefully soon, since even now it’s often not large enough.
But what I really don’t understand – why do they have to make it even more horrible with that weird lighting? It’s not the first time they do that either. Is there no one with some taste?
Comment by Berolinensis — 19 January 2008 @ 3:27 amThessalonians 2:2 has already come to pass.
What else do you expect from Freemasons like Benedict and his four predecessors including Paul VI who has incurred the wrath of Almighty God.
[Fr. Z replies: “Weirdo.”]
Comment by paddy the papist — 19 January 2008 @ 5:13 amStatue of the Antichrist person arising? It is really creepy and not Christian Art at all. If would not mind if the people of Rome would burn down that Paul VI hall. Including this kind of degenerate art.
Comment by Alexander — 19 January 2008 @ 6:47 amOne of the more monstrous mementos of Paul VIs reign (apart from the Novus Ordo…ooops, only joking!). The idea was to hold conclaves in this Hall. What a nightmare.
Comment by Habemus Papam — 19 January 2008 @ 8:23 amBeing the nameless mosignor accompanying the Pope is like being the nameless ensign on a Captain Kirk away team. We all know how this ends. 2 beam down, but only 1 beams up.
Comment by LCB — 19 January 2008 @ 8:39 amLCB:
This nameless monsignor is actually Msgr. Georg Gänswein, so not that nameless really.
Comment by Berolinensis — 19 January 2008 @ 9:08 amYes this seems a very strange piece of work . . . . it reminds me of
the “Pastoral Staff” if thats what its called, thats caried by the Pope. . .
is there any real reason the Pope uses these things?? But anyway thank God
for Pope Benedict!
-Kieran
Comment by Pope — 19 January 2008 @ 11:18 amI say we should refer to that hideous thing as the “Borg Queen”.
Oh, and Fr. Z, I would worry about Paddy the Papist. He’s not going to convince too many intelligent folks of his theory if he can’t even conjugate a verb correctly. It should be “his four predecessors including Paul VI who HAVE incurred the wrath of Almighty God.” There’s that whole verb-subject agreement thing…
Comment by Ian — 19 January 2008 @ 12:45 pmI say we should refer to that hideous thing as the “Borg Queen”.
Oh, and Fr. Z, I would worry about Paddy the Papist. He is not going to convince too many intelligent folks of his theory if he does not conjugate his verbs correctly. It should be “his four predecessors including Paul VI who HAVE incurred the wrath of Almighty God.” There’s that whole verb-subject agreement thing…
Comment by Ian — 19 January 2008 @ 12:47 pmWow, having never seen that before, my first reaction was to be reminded of the movie “The Haunting” in which creepy bronze reliefs come to life and attack the cast.
LCB: You probably could refer to the Cardinal a “red shirt.”
Comment by Melody — 19 January 2008 @ 2:44 pmhttp://i17.tinypic.com/7wf5o5w.jpg
Comment by Vincenzo — 19 January 2008 @ 3:25 pmGreat! Now I’m going to have nightmares!
(Love the blog by the way)
Comment by Fred — 20 January 2008 @ 9:16 amFr Anonymus said something that made me laugh: “Why don’t they just dismantle it, move it to the ‘Paul VI Modern Art Gallery’ in the Vatican Museum and then tourists will just bolt past it and the rest of the sub-par junk on the way to the Sistine Chapel.” – it is so true! The comment reminds me my own way to Sistine Chapel while visiting Vatican Museum – there were so plenty interesting things in Pinacoteca before we reached modern art gallery of Paul VI, and all tourist suddenly just started galloping through this ugly but long gallery, nobody looked at all the dreadfulness kept there. It was remarkable and even now makes me smile.
Comment by Jay — 21 January 2008 @ 4:34 pm