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What a month it has been. Beginning with the farewell of Pope Benedict XVI, we rode the waves of the sede vacante, the conclave and the election of Pope Francis, and various other events that added some lines to this blog. All in all, it took quite some work to keep these pages filled as things developed, so I hope that a few days of less communication is forgiven. But all the effort brought its own reward, as there was interest from across the globe in my writings. In total, I could chalk up 15,933 visits to these pages. That’s triple the number of a regular quiet month. Thank you!
On to the top 10 of most popular blog posts of March:
1: Countdown to papal Twitter launch 745
2: Meeting of the Popes 431
3: Enter the electors 329
4: The fall of Cardinal Piacenza 318
5: Continuity – Pope Francis’ coat of arms 214
6: Church teachings – the clash between authority and respect 147
7: ‘Bel Giorgio’ takes over the household 82
8: First Sunday – the Dutch cardinals in Rome 80
9: Holy Week 2013, an overview of cathedral celebrations 79
10: The seagull vigil 77
March has been crazy as far as the blog was concerned. I write these words in my free time, which is not always available in abundance. If you like what you read here, and appreciate the information I try to provide and keep as up to date as possible, think of making a donation to this blog’s upkeep. You will find a PayPal donation button in the left sidebar, and also below. Any donor can count on prayers and much appreciation from my part, and will contribute to a continued Catholic voice in new media.
In the middle of the month we had the momentous announcement and we ended up with the actual vacant see of Rome. With 10,148 page views, I am happy to see that my thoughts about this historic period in the Church were read and appreciated by many. Readers from The Spectator in the UK found their way here (nice to see you here!), as did many others via blogs and social media. Fr. Roderick’s sharing my blog post about the Pope’s last general audience also caused a spike in the page views, so thanks very much for that!
Anyway, on to the top 10, which may be a bit different than expected.
1: Cardinal watch: Cardinal Arinze turns 80 251
2: Countdown to papal Twitter launch 145
3: Boodschap voor de Vastentijd 2013 102
4: The pope who resigned – St. Celestine V 98
5: ‘Bel Giorgio’ takes over the household 91
6: One cardinal stays at home – Indonesia’s Darmaatmadja not attending the conclave 89
7: Distancing – how not to disagree & Risky business – German bishops allow abortive drugs, but only when they’re not abortive 83
8: The final farewell 80
9: Obsession, but on whose part? 75
10: The bishop in the Eucharistic Prayer – a first step? 70
After some badly timed computer issues, I’m back on the blog. Hopefully it won’t be indicative of the rest of the year!
Closing the year off on a high of 7,723 views in December (the highest number since June), here’s an overview of the ten best-viewed blog posts of that month:
1: Kerstgroet aan de Curie: 1,015
2: Papal attack on the Nativity ox and ass: 125
3: Does the Pope support the killing of gays?: 122
4: State of the Church, 2012 – or the media’s failure at reporting the truth: 68
5: ‘Bel Giorgio’ takes over the household: 66
6: Nieuwjaarstoespraak 2010 van Paus Benedictus XVI: 58
7: Het probleem Medjugorje: 55
8: In Regensburg, a new bishop in the style of Benedict: 53
9: Why am I Catholic?: 47
10: College of Cardinals: 39
And so the liturgical year draws to a close as we mark the start of the new one tomorrow, and this blog happily marked the 200,000th visitor some weeks ago. 200,000 visits since I began almost three years ago? For some blogs that is next to nothing, but for me it is a reason to be grateful. Thank you.
Onward to the top 10 of last month, when we saw 6,262 visits.
1: Intolerable tolerance 103
2: “On the edge, but not marginal” – Fr. Radcliffe on the “official Church” 90
3: Maranatha – a Catholic future for Tilburg’s students 68
4: Papal attack on the Nativity ox and ass 64
5: A second Red Dawn risies 56
6:In gratitude – Brother Hugo makes his perpetual vows 46
7: Het probleem Medjugorje 45
8: Adoro te devote, two versions and a translation 39
9: Hope at the Catholic Youth Day – the Catholic voice stirring? 38
10: Criminal or careless? Bishop Gijsen accused in Iceland 37
You can contribute to this blog as well, financially or otherwise, and a donation via the Paypal button below is a very welcome gift.
With 6,938 visits last month, we’re back on the rise again after the summer slump. Thank you for your continued attention and interest, readers! Without much ado, let’s take a look at what interested you most, in the top 10 of most popular posts of October:
1: The Catholic voice 93
2: Synod of Bishops – Day Two 90
3: Synod of Bishops – Day Five 78
4: Back to Malta – an appointment with question marks 77
5: The little consistory 75
6: Participants, programs and indulgences – details of the Synod released 70
7: End of mission – Bishop Willigers passes away 68
8: Sexual abuse – the double standards of the state 57
9: Council survivors 55
10: Synod of Bishops – Day Nine 48
Lastly, as blogging, however much fun it is, is an investment of my time (albeit one I gladly make), I would like to draw your attention to the possibility of supporting this blog financially. There is a Paypal button in the left sidebar, and also at the bottom of this post. But any form of support, spiritually and practically, is very much appreciated.
Today, Peter Cardinal Turkson apologised for showing, last Saturday, the Youtube video I share below, to the Synod of Bishops. Many Synod fathers had asked questions about why they were shown this and on whose request. Many objected to its contents, with officials of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe stating that it was based on faulty statistics and premises. They would provide the Synod with accurate numbers on Europe’s population and religious make-up.
It’s not hard to see why many objected. The video is tendentious and populist. It’s use of statistics and official-sounding quotes sounds enticing, but without the sources at our disposal, they’re hard to appreciate for what they’re worth. Coupled with the obvious agenda of the makers, this video should not be taking seriously that easily.
But it is also not hard to understand Cardinal Turkson’s concerns, which undoubtedly lead to him wanting to show the Synod this film. The cold hard numbers are on the Muslim side, but we must still interpret those numbers before drawing any conclusions. There is always a context to consider, and fear is never a good one. A theoretical ‘Islamification’ of our culture is something that we should be prepared to handle, if it were something that was likely to happen. In reality, though, western culture, including the Muslims living in that culture, is far more likely to become increasingly secular instead of religious of whatever stripe.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
With 5,448 visits last mont, the summer slump didn’t really end until the last week of September. But now that the pope is back in the Vatican and the work in the local dioceses is really starting up again, I expect the coming months to be busier. Not least because of the Year of Faith and the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation set to begin this month.
Anyway, on to the past month’s top 10 of most read blog posts!
1: Unhappy priests? 83
2: Het probleem Medjugorje 61
3: Adoro te devote, two versions and a translation 58
4: Ecumenism, not as easy as it seems 49
5: Risky trip – Pope to Lebanon 45
6: The bishop and the blogger 42
7: Cardinal watch: Cardinal Baldelli passes away & Words from beyond – Cardinal Martini’s last interview 40
8: Kirchensteuer – sacrament for sale? 39
9: Bishop Liesen on EWTN 35
10: The case of Jesus’ wife, and why it matters (or not) 33
Again some old and some new, with some interesting trends when it comes to search terms used to find my blog. Bishop Jan Liesen has been much searched for, as has Belgian Cardinal Julien Ries, the late Cardinal Baldelli and the first lines of chapter 13 of the Gospel of John, which relate the foot washing of the Apostles by Christ.
Meanwhile, my gratitude remains for the continuous readership my blog draws, which is an indispensable form of support. Another form of support may be give via the button below, for those so inclined. Be assured of my gratitude and prayers for all those who choose to do so.
As always, August is slow month when it comes to blogging, which was compounded this year by some personal circumstances which prevented me from blogging more. The total number of visit remained stuck at 5,508, the lowest number since last December. Still, there have been a few posts of interest, as the top 10 shows.
1: The Michelle Martin case – Christian charity? 81
2: Het probleem Medjugorje 79
3: “It was not I who gave you the breath of life” – death merchants at the door 73
4: Adoro te devote, two versions and a translation 69
5: The male side of ‘being Church’ 65
6: Pussy Riot: free speech or scandal? 64
7: In the face of anger, Abp. Léonard about the PoorClares of Malonne 52
8: Cardinal watch: Cardinal Shan Kuo-Hsi passes away 50
9: ‘Catholic’ education – dropping the C 42
10: On the edge of Europe, welcome home 41
Thanks to all who linked or referred to my blog via their own blogs or social media websites.
And also, of course, thanks to all who chose to contribute in some way, financial or otherwise, to the continued existence of my blog. If you are one who may be willing to contribute financially, you may do so via the Paypal link in the left side bar, which is copied below:
Thank you, and here’s to much interesting posting in September!
As expected and as ever, July has been a slow month. Interesting events peter out until after summer, so the number of visitors peaked at 6,688. A significant percentage of those visited in the first week of te month, as the news of Archbishop Müller’s appointment to the CDF broke.
Here’s the month’s top 10:
1: An introduction to Abp. Müller 869
2: In Rio, a white dove for a late cardinal 70
3: Lectio Divina over het Doopsel 66
4: Why am I Catholic? 65
5: Het Probleem Medjugorje 55
6: Papal visit to England and Scotland, day one 51
7: The order of love – Woelki’s statements, one more time & Adoro to devote, two versions and a translation 49
8: A long-awaited appointment – Müller at the CDF 45
9: Letter to the German Bishops’ Conference 41
10: Cardinal watch: Cardinal de Araújo Sales passes away 40
