Benedict and Beethoven

[Michael]

I see from the attached article that ex-Pope Benedict's favourite composer is Mozart.

I thought the Pope was supposed to be infallible!

http://publicradioeast.org/post/bene...s-musical-life

[Quijote]

Yes, and with a direct 'hot-line' to the Deity. Maybe that was the real reason he resigned, he got wind from above that a certain bovver-boy-from-Bonn was on the warpath and busy burnishing his knuckle dusters?

[Peter]

Yes but further in that article it says:

Along with Mozart, Beethoven is another favorite. Earlier this month, the Pope heard Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony conducted by Zubin Mehta at the Vatican. Last June the pontiff attended two performances of the Ninth Symphony — one at Milan's famed La Scala opera house and another at the Castel Gandolfo (the papal summer residence), both conducted by Daniel Barenboim. In remarks after the Milan performance, Benedict not only thanked Barenboim for his "intense and moving interpretation," but also commented about Beethoven's groundbreaking musical structure:

Although following essentially the traditional forms and language of the classic symphony, Beethoven makes one perceive something new already from the breadth without precedents of all the movements of the work, which is confirmed with the final part introduced by a terrible dissonance, of which the recitative stands out with the famous words "O friends, not these tones, let us intone others that are more attractive and joyful," words that, in a certain sense, "turn the page" and introduce the main theme of the Hymn to Joy. It is an ideal vision of humanity that Beethoven designs with his music: "the active joy in brotherhood and reciprocal love, under the paternal gaze of God" (Luigi Della Croce).

[Michael]

Okay ....I'll cut him some slack. But he's still gotta resign!

[Megan]

Okay ....I'll cut him some slack. But he's still gotta resign!

Thanks for the link Michael, much appreciated.
On the Pope being infallible, he is only on matters relating to faith and morals and then only in certain specific circumstance and of course he's not infallible on things like politics, but then who is.
I sometimes think it would be nice to have someone was infallible in politics so that there would be some sort of standard to measure these scurvy politicians by.

Whether one is religious or not, the now Bishop Emeritus is one of the most cultured and educated men on the planet.