That scene at the airport with the Canadian delegation members dropping to their knees before the Iraqi delegation expands my picture of New Jerusalem -- "people of every tribe and language, nation and race" -- and hence the church. How is this not part of wiping "every tear from their eyes"?
Thank you for this smorgasbord related to Pope Francis. I just read Mark Gordon's excellent essay in "Radically Catholic in the Age of Francis" because of its call to live as exiles within empire (or as he puts it, "The Empire of Man"). Gordon's essay seems to echo the short book "The Church and the Kingdom" containing the 2009 speech Agamben made to the Bishop of Paris and other church officials at Notre-Dame. Agamben's call for the church to return to its exilic (we might also say peripheral) roots has become central to my thought.
Very interesting about Agamben. And I know Mark Gordon (he's on Substack, "This Old Man") would appreciate your kind words about his piece. That collection looks a little dated now, does it not, with the rise of Catholic integralism, supported by two of our contributors (Deneen, Pecknold)!
Interesting piece here. I'm particularly intrigued how movements defined by what they are NOT, seem to be most radical and progressive - "nonprofits", "nonbinary", "nonviolence". I've been considering writing my own post on this topic.
Once upon a time the "catholic" church was the leading edge avantgarde vector of the empire.
It was given the "authority" to do so (and be) by various papal bulls "authorizing" the conquest and plunder of the America's, especially in Central and South America). The "authorization" was claimed/justified in the "name of god" and for the "glory of christ".
Another legal "justification" was the law of "discovery" which gave the "catholic" church the "right" to control over each and every non-christian or "pagan" country. The law of "discovery" still holds legal force in 2025.
The reach of "catholic" imperial/empire power has in recent times is now legally enforceable by Concordats with some/many countries which gives the "catholic" church the right to override any secular laws that to not have congruence with the grotesque "catholic magisterium". Some conservative "catholic" apologists even pretend that its grotesque "magisterium" has binding force on ALL human beings.
That scene at the airport with the Canadian delegation members dropping to their knees before the Iraqi delegation expands my picture of New Jerusalem -- "people of every tribe and language, nation and race" -- and hence the church. How is this not part of wiping "every tear from their eyes"?
Thank you for this smorgasbord related to Pope Francis. I just read Mark Gordon's excellent essay in "Radically Catholic in the Age of Francis" because of its call to live as exiles within empire (or as he puts it, "The Empire of Man"). Gordon's essay seems to echo the short book "The Church and the Kingdom" containing the 2009 speech Agamben made to the Bishop of Paris and other church officials at Notre-Dame. Agamben's call for the church to return to its exilic (we might also say peripheral) roots has become central to my thought.
Very interesting about Agamben. And I know Mark Gordon (he's on Substack, "This Old Man") would appreciate your kind words about his piece. That collection looks a little dated now, does it not, with the rise of Catholic integralism, supported by two of our contributors (Deneen, Pecknold)!
Interesting piece here. I'm particularly intrigued how movements defined by what they are NOT, seem to be most radical and progressive - "nonprofits", "nonbinary", "nonviolence". I've been considering writing my own post on this topic.
That sounds interesting--hope you will write something!
Once upon a time the "catholic" church was the leading edge avantgarde vector of the empire.
It was given the "authority" to do so (and be) by various papal bulls "authorizing" the conquest and plunder of the America's, especially in Central and South America). The "authorization" was claimed/justified in the "name of god" and for the "glory of christ".
Another legal "justification" was the law of "discovery" which gave the "catholic" church the "right" to control over each and every non-christian or "pagan" country. The law of "discovery" still holds legal force in 2025.
The reach of "catholic" imperial/empire power has in recent times is now legally enforceable by Concordats with some/many countries which gives the "catholic" church the right to override any secular laws that to not have congruence with the grotesque "catholic magisterium". Some conservative "catholic" apologists even pretend that its grotesque "magisterium" has binding force on ALL human beings.