A sign of the times

I just read that a French TV concern has canceled their broadcast of the Holy Father’s Midnight Christmas Mass.

Sign of the times!

Just the other day, the Holy Father spoke with the workers at the Centro Televisivo Vaticano about the importance of using these tools of mass communication to present valuable things to the world.

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15 Comments

  1. I was hoping that perhaps with the new French president, while certainly not a model Catholic, at least very sympathetic to Catholicism and a very different breed from the socialist and anti-religious that run rampant in European politics, along with, or rather especially with the recent visit of the Holy Father to France, that the anti-religion that dominates Europe and especially France might perhaps begin to change. I still pray that this is true, and in the end the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, not even in France. But this is sad news indeed. I am asking St. Rita to pray for a change of heart for the TV station. I urge others to do the same.

  2. RANCHER says:

    Probably won’t be long until Obama’s implementation of the “fairness doctrine” (NOT!!) results in such programming being banned by U S outlets as well. Suppression of the truths of the Catholic Church is certainly part of the agenda.

    Related to the suppression of the Church it appears that under Obama’s “rule” ( a term used by his spokesperson by the way) additional tax dollars will be spent on a “bailout” for the abortion industry. I am weighing the consequences of refusing to pay a portion of my federal income tax on the grounds that the expenditure of that portion of my taxes is for things which violate my religious beliefs. Wonder what the reaction would be if at least the 40 someting percent of Catholics who voted pro life collectively did the same thing?????

  3. Geoffrey says:

    NBC has broadcast Midnight Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica for years. I am suprised, but very glad. I wonder why they do it? Better than running reruns?

    Perhaps EWTN is available in France?

  4. Martin says:

    I believe that the NBC broadcast of the Midnight Mass from St. Peter’s is paid for by the Knights of Columbus. Sort of like a paid for Info-mercial. It would be nice if NBC was doing it out of the goodness of it’s heart but that does not seem to be the case!

  5. Ohio Annie says:

    EWTN is available anywhere for anybody with a satellite dish.

  6. Lirioroja says:

    NBC does broadcast the Christmas Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s, but they don’t
    broadcast it live. Here on the East Coast they show it at midnight EST. They
    do show a live clip at the start of the (East Coast) 6 PM news on Christmas Eve though.

  7. I’m not really sure that I blame them. Would it not be better to broadcast a Mass from somewhere in France with a decent choir? Somehow, of course, I doubt that they’re doing this because of artistic considerations. But it’s a thought. Who really wants to listen to the Sistine Screamers at 2AM on Christmas Eve?

  8. Fr. Guy says:

    Actually, the Knights of Columbus assumes the coat of the satellite transmission of midnight mass around the world for VATICAN TELEVISION. They do not pay NBC to broadcast it like a paid advert. NBC broadcasts the tape-delayed mass as part of their usual Christmas broadcasting. As far as I know NBC is doing it to be nice and to provide interesting Christmas programming on Christmas for its Christian viewers.

  9. Tomás López says:

    Perhaps the French are holding out for the Holy Father to say Mass in the Extraordinary Form?

  10. Roland de Chanson says:

    Peccatum quod Sanctus Pater ex televisione exclusus est; peccatum quod et Bella Ilaria exclusa. O tempora, O mores! Ubinam gentium sumus? Profani vulgi superficialitatis atque uxorum zelotypiae non erit finis! Signum omnium temporum! ;-)

    (it’s a pity that the Holy Father has been shut off of television; and a pity that la Bella Ilaria has too. There’s no end to the superficiality of the public and the jealousy of wives. A sign of all times.)

  11. Dominic H says:

    Hmm.

    One point of note, I think: The channel concerned (TF1) is a private concern (it was privatized around 20 years ago).

    If one wanted to be conspiratorial in tone one could always note in passing that the company that is (or at any rate is named on the Anglophone entry on Wikipedia of the entry covering TF1) the majority shareholder in the owning group, the telecoms firm, Bouygues Telecom, was a few years ago the major funder of what was stated to be the largest mosque in Central Asia, in Turkmenistan (although one should note that it does not really serve so much any form of Islam that would be recognized as such elsewhere, but rather the cult of personality of the former President, and his “Book of the Spirit”).

    Interestingly, I also note that TF2, which remains in public ownership, has an obligation to broadcast a Christmas midnight mass – which it is doing from the cathedral at Evry (about the architecture of which I remain tactfully silent), in the suburbs of Paris .

  12. pelerin says:

    Yes, Dominic H is correct. There will be a Midnight Mass broadcast in France on France 2 and it will come from Ivry cathedral. Also KTO (which is available via the Internet) will be broadcasting the Papal Mass.

    Curious to read that the programme replacing the Papal Mass on France 1 is one which dates from 2005 – not even a new spectacular.

  13. Mitch says:

    I for one look forward to the Mass from Rome although this year I plan to be at a Midnight Mass which I have not done in many years…..

  14. Geoffrey says:

    “I for one look forward to the Mass from Rome although this year I plan to be at a Midnight Mass which I have not done in many years…”

    How wonderful! There is not a “midnight” Mass to be found in my diocese! They are all at 10pm!

  15. joanofarcfan says:

    Geoffrey, move to Chicago. In the Chicago area there are three, count ’em, Latin midnight Masses within a 1/2 hour drive of my house: St. John Cantius in Chicago; Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in Chicago, and St. Odilo in Berwyn. All have an hour’s worth of carols preceding the Mass. We are certainly blessed here.

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