Footballer Sets Himself on Papal Throne -- For Fun

(Vatican) On 14 August, Pope Francis, received the players of the Argentine national team. The footballer Pocho Lavezzi desired a very special souvenir photo. He sat down abruptly on the papal throne and was surrounded by his fellow players, take a photo. The casual player put one knee over the other and felt the midst of his "royal court" clearly happy in the Apostolic Palace. The photo of course he published immediately online. Argentina's press is boiling over with enthusiasm: "Papa Pocho??" asks the sports news paper "Olé" or "Lavezzi 'Steals' the Pope's Throne" subtitled "Ambito financiero".

The image is reminiscent of an American soldier at the end of the Second World War, after the discovery of the imperial regalia, he wore the imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation and posed for photos. The image made history, but was regarded as an expression of great disrespect by many Germans and not only because it was committed by a victor over the vanquished. Even today, many feel a heavenly ecstasies when a visitor slips into the treasury of the Vienna Hofburg through the show rooms where the regalia are exhibited.

The Catholic culture critic Francesco Colafemmina, compared the usurpation of the Pope's throne, the image of the empty throne in the Pope Paul VI Hall to when Pope Francis on the 22nd of June called off attending a classical concert on short notice, which was given in his honor.

I could have made hall my warehouse ...

by Francesco Colafemmina

With only the most possible respect for His Holiness, I still allow myself to point out that Pope Francis, who stayed away from an occasion organized a concert in the Aula Nervi for the Year of Faith in his honor two months ago, but can't stay away from football players of all types. Of those with players from Inter Milan or Juventus, Lazio Roma and AS Roma, etc., etc.

I can not understand why a concert of classical music should be a "glamorous" event, when in contrast an encounter with footballers who are multimillionaires is an urgent pastoral responsibility with the best of intentions. Some will recall that in connection with the classical concert cancelled by the Pope, there were circulating rumors that he had said: "I'm not a Renaissance prince. I won't go to the concert."

But that's not all: This time the footballer has struck a chord. He sat on the "throne" of Pope Francis, had himself photographed and put the photo on the internet.

The spontaneous question intrudes - it is premised that I am neither a prude nor a bigot: How long can the Church still bear to sink into the abyss of ridicule, in a dimension of a dubious caricatural pastiche? According to the bishops in the "Gnam Gnam style", as Blondet passingly defined it, we are experiencing now, that even the Apostolic Palace and even the signs and symbols of papal authority become the objects of boasting and ridicule by four footballers.

The Church's Dignitas seems to be a concept significantly degraded recently. Just as the love of art and culture, which is instead replaced by the sports and subculture of pubescent performances.

I understand well that Beethoven will not draw the same "mass" of people as the football, but then one should openly admit that the Church in search of a "consensus of the masses" really is and therefore seeks "worldliness". Too bad that the "worldliness" often consists of silliness and vanity, love of money and exhibitionism.

Would it therefore not be ultimately preferable to participate in the more sober "worldliness" of a Beethoven concerto, rather than allowing the irreverent fun young retarded football player hospitality?

On the other hand, it is Beethoven himself, who, well interpreted the character of this with the following Sonata, which he Church has been made of by this event, simply "Pathetique"!

Text: Fides et Forma Einleitung/Übersetzung: Giuseppe Nardi Bild: Fides et Forma Translation: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com AMGD