UK blogger and one of the frontrunners for the Archdiocese of Westminster, Fr. Timothy Finigan, provided some perspicacious comments about the Holy Father’s choice of beverages, correctly pointing out that His Holiness likes Fanta. (I can confirm this, btw… I have seen him drink it with my own eyes, though years ago).
What I didn’t realize is that when Father provided us with some good real ale after Candlemass the other day, there was another choice as well!
He must have switched them when I wasn’t looking.
Loading ...
Orange Fanta, indeed! I saw then-Cardinal Ratzinger several times at Armando’s, just off Borgo Pio, in his favorite corner, often with Msgr. Ganswein, eating pasta and drinking Fanta. He was always extremely cordial and genuine. I miss Armando’s very much and was sorry they closed shortly after Pope Benedict’s election. Their cannelloni was excellent!
I think you must be mistaken Father. “Real Ale” means that which is conditioned in the container from which it is dispensed. That means that it contains live yeast in the cask or bottle. We also talk about it being “cask conditioned” or “bottle conditioned”. I’m sure that you can get cask conditioned Bishops Finger in pubs near where you are, but I’m also sure that the bottled version which we can get here in Preston is not bottle conditioned and I should be very surprised indeed to find any live yeast in Fr. Finnigan’s beer. The pint you had looked pretty dead to me.
I notice that on the brewer’s website they say:
To which I can only respond “they go to all that trouble and then they pasteurise it to death!”
Of course, I might be wrong. If any readers have any information to the contrary I should be interested to hear from them.
So, Simon Platt, I’m guessing that you would know the answer to this question, which I pose again in anticipation of the coming anniversary (it’s not that far off!) . . .
Cheers!
I thought he drank Orangina.
BTW, Fr Nichols is a convert.
Father Z: If you ever find yourself in the upstate of South Carolina, look me up and I will treat you to some very fine homebrew!
I was recently having lunch with a friend of mine in the seminary who I had not seen or communicated with in several years. We chatted at length about Catholic topics; then I mentioned that, in a change to more secular issues, I had begun brewing my own beer. He paused, then commented that he wasn’t sure that that was such a secular pursuit at all! :-)
Cheers!
Father. You’re fantastic. When are you coming to Franciscan University of Steubenville? We have TLM now, and we need someone who can celebrate it properly. Want a job?
I usually give up pop (soda for those in foreign climes) for Lent. Perhaps this year I should alter my sacrifice a bit and only drink Fanta, as an expression of my “almost-fanatical devotion to the Holy Father” (to quote Cardinal Ximenez).
Tying this posting together with the hijacked portion of this thread, perhaps some people should consider drinking The Chosen Beer for Lent.
I feel cool now because when I was in Rome I drank Fanta quite excessively. He digs beer, cats, classical music, sweet liturgy and now fanta… Pope Benedict couldn’t get much cooler.
It makes sense HH would drink Fanta: it is an original German invention (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanta)!
When I was growing up, the rhyme we chanted while drinking Fanta was “Fanta: non è buona ma è tanta!” (“Fanta: it’s not good but there’s lots of it”).
Since the priest in the picture is pulling a glass of draught beer, may we say that he is “pulling the bishop’s finger”?