Stats for April 2010

April was a good month for visits to my blog. The total was 4,288, making April the best month yet. The total number of visits crossed the 15,000 and now stands at 15,609.

A few peaks in the past month, with the largest one after the plane crash near Smolensk that killed the Polish president and 95 others. My post about Bishop Ploski drew 500 visits. The resignation of Bishop Vangheluwe of Bruges was also a popular topic, of course. My translation of Msgr. Marini’s address about the liturgy remains popular too, coming in at a shared 8th place last month – a welcome surprise once again. Less surprising was the popularity of the two posts about Msgr. Georg Gänswein: for the first time a fan page linked to me… He’s a popular priest, evidently.

1: In memoriam: Bishop Tadeusz Ploski (500 views)
2: Under the Roman Sky (128)
3: Translation of statements about the resignation of the bishop of Bruges (66)
4 Rumours about resignation Belgian bishop – to be updated (63)
5: The Netherlands says no to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage (55)
6: ”Hij kan beter met een molensteen om zijn nek in zee gegooid worden…” & In Rome: The right-hand man (46)
7: A gentle pope, but rock solid in the execution (42)
8: Introductie op de Geest van de Liturgie – onofficiële vertaling, ”Someone is more likely to get pregnant from kissing than a pedophile because of celibacy” & Bertone’s grain of truth (40)
9: ”It’s exciting!” (34)
10: The nature of church buildings (33)

The search terms were not very surprising last month. In fact, there is none that stands out as unusual. Lots of terms about Bishop Ploski, Bruges, Under the Roman Sky, and also some about STS-131.

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What the pope thought

Yesterday I posted the trailer to Under the Roman Sky here, and today I can share what the pope thought about it. He watched the movie on Friday.

In short, he liked it. “Such works have particular importance especially for the new generations. For people who studied certain events at school, or perhaps have heard speak about them, films such as this can be useful and stimulating, helping them to understand a period which is by no means distant, but which the swift-moving events of recent history and a fragmented culture can cause us to forget”.

“The primacy of charity, of love, which is the commandment of the Lord Jesus, is the principle and the key to understanding all the work of the Church, and in the first place that of her universal Pastor. Charity is the reason for all actions, for all interventions. It is the basic motive that moves thoughts and concrete actions, and I am happy that this unifying principle also emerges in this film. This is the interpretation I would suggest, in the light of the authentic witness shown by that great master of faith, hope and charity who was Pope Pius XII”.

Source.

Under the Roman Sky

Only this week did I hear about an upcoming miniseries, titled Sotto il Cielo di Roma (Under the Roman Sky). It deals with the efforts of Venerable Pope Pius XII to protect the Jewish citizens of Rome from Nazi persecution. It stars James Cromwell as the Holy Father.

Could this be just what we need to deter the ongoing misguided reports about the non-action of this pope? Let’s hope so. If one man deserves that the truth of his life be told, it is Pius XII.

The Catholic News Agency reported earlier that Pope Benedict XVI watched the series last Friday. It is not yet know what he thought of it.

For more information, go here.