News Briefs
Episcopal News Service. February 22, 2001 [2001-45]
Public television airing special on the image of Christ in art
(ENS) WNET, the public television channel in New York, and Voyager Productions have completed a two-hour documentary that traces the artistic portrayals of Jesus Christ through the centuries. "The Face: Jesus in Art" will air April 1 on American Public Television (Check local listings.)
"Certainly no single figure has had a greater influence on global art and culture during the last 2,000 years," WNET said in a release. "For centuries the most important artists were painting and sculpting images of Jesus and their work has had an immeasurable influence on the world's aesthetic today." The documentary draws on images from the early third century to the present.
In its wide-ranging exploration, viewers will get a close look at Michaelangelo's Pieta, the treasures of Chartres Cathedral and the Byzantine icons of St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai desert. But they will also be taken into the catacombs of Rome to see the earliest images of Jesus.
"Using wide-screen, 35-millimeter film, the latest digital technology and motion control photography, we virtually reconstruct and relocate works into their original locations, so that views may appreciate them not in museums but in the settings originally intended by the artists," said William F. Baker, president of WNET-13.
The use of the best equipment available also convinced the Vatican to allow the crew to film the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, although it was necessary to postpone the shoot because the chapel was filled with scaffolding in preparation for the Jubilee Year. "When we finally explained what we wanted to do, and how we wanted to do it, they were excited about the project," said Craig MacGowan, the producer.
Even after the negotiations, it wasn't completely clear that they would receive the help they needed for the shoot, he said. But the Vatican supplied 60-foot scaffolding and cranes that allowed the crew to move close to Michaelangelo's work. "We filmed magnificent things and the Vatican's help meant we were able to do it as never before," MacGowan said. "We recorded it all for posterity."
Irish archbishop warns against Catholics taking Anglican Eucharist
(ENI) Archbishop Desmond Connell of Dublin has said that Anglicans who allow Catholics to receive the Eucharist are not respecting the faith and obligations of Roman Catholics. Stating Vatican policy, he said that "when we receive holy communion it is a statement that we are in full communion with those people with whom we are taking communion. But our communion with the (Anglican) Church of Ireland and other Protestants is incomplete because we do not have the same faith about, for example, the Eucharist." The archbishop made the comments a few days before leaving for Rome to become one of 44 new cardinals.
Anglican Archbishop Walton Empey of Dublin expressed his sadness over the comments. "At times like this, I feel that Jesus is weeping and the Devil is doing a dance," he said. "When I go to a Roman Catholic church, I respect that tradition that we do not come forward for communion. But when we are in our own Church of Ireland churches, then I have to ask them to respect our position on that matter," which is invite all baptised Christians to take communion.
After Irish president Mary McAleese took communion in an Anglican church in 1997, Connell said that it was a "sham" for Catholics to take communion in a non-Catholic church. "He wants to be courteous towards other Christian churches, but also direct and honest," said Connell's spokesman, Ronan Mullen.
Palestinian priest wins Japanese Peace Prize
(ENI) Father Elias Chacour, a Roman Catholic priest from Galilee, has won the Niwano Peace Prize. The Japanese foundation that sponsors the award was lavish in its praise for the priest, expressing "its great esteem for his dedication to preach through the means of education," noting the educational institutions the priest has established where young Jews, Muslims and Christians are taught together.
Chacour is known throughout the world for his spirited defense of peace and justice in the Holy Land. His book, "Blood Brothers," has been translated into 28 languages.
He has warned that the Holy Land is being emptied of Christians and those who remain in the region are powerless and voiceless. He has also been critical of Christian tourists who do not make contact with the indigenous Christian community. "Living stones are more important than holy shrines," he says.
In a statement announcing the prize, the Niwano Foundation said that Chacour has experienced persecution himself since the 1940s when his family was evicted from their village in Upper Galilee, following the arrival of Jewish immigrants, who then hired his parents to pick figs and olives on what used to be their land. While victims of persecution "become embittered and often resign themselves to a course of violent revenge," the statement said, Chacour "chose the course of action to break the cycle of violence, suspicion and brutal hatred."
Orthodox leaders warn of protests during Pope's visit to the Ukraine
(ENI) Pope John Paul II's planned pilgrimage to the Ukraine is likely to evoke public protests, warned Orthodox leaders. "A visit should take place in a normal, brotherly atmosphere-how can we extend our hands when there are still conflicts between us?" asked Archbishop Adam Augustyn of Lviv in the western Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, linked to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, said the visit would only aggravate tensions between the Orthodox majority and those who are loyal to Rome. The Orthodox dioceses in the western part of the country have lost most of their parishes and properties to the Greek Catholic Church, which uses the Byzantine liturgy but is loyal to the Pope.
"The Orthodox are using false arguments about conflicts because they know Western public opinion isn't informed about the situation here," said Greek Catholic Bishop Julian Gbur. "I understand their pain at losing so many parishes, but people have a right to choose. The Pope is coming to visit his own faithful, and he always unites rather than divides."
Over half the Ukraine's population of 50 million is Orthodox, divided into three distinct churches, only one recognized by Moscow and other international Orthodox churches. The five million-member Greek Catholic Church, banned by the Soviets for 44 years, regained its legal status in 1990 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The revival prompted a serious dispute over church property. Orthodox leaders said that the visit would seriously damage ecumenical relations, especially if the Pope met with leaders of the two breakaway Orthodox churches.