Notable Writers, Poets, and Journalists
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Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would exclusively produce Canadian plays, but it soon became a widely emulated policy by other theatre companies. Factory quickly became known as the home of the Canadian playwright, and is especially associated with George F. Walker, most of whose plays premiered there
Architect Gundry and Langley designed the building in 1869. J.M. Cowan is considered the subsequent architect/consultant.
Factory Theatre consists of two main buildings. The first is the original 1896 house and the second is the 1910 addition. The building is also known as the John Mulvey House. It was given heritage status by the Ontario Heritage Board in 1987.
The original house was constructed in a classic Queen Anne Gothic design for the prominent Toronto merchant John Mulvey in 1869.
It is attributed to architects Gundry & Langley. The house’s architectural features include:
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1939 Bentley 4¼ Liter Drophead Tourer Coachwork by Vanden Plas.
Walter O. Bentley's company was purchased by Rolls-Royce, Ltd. in 1931 and moved from Cricklewood, London to Rolls' Derby works. The Bentley cars produced from 1933 through 1939 are known as the 'Derby Bentleys.' The first of these was based on the current-series Rolls-Royce 202/25-horsepower chassis but was reconfigured to use the 20/25's 2.75-liter engine. The 126-inch bare chassis left the factory to be bodied by outside coachbuilders.
The new 4.25-Litre (4,257cc) model, introduced in 1936, had an increase in power over the previous model while retaining the well-proven chassis with servo-assisted braking and faultless gear-change. This new engine was shared with the equivalent Rolls-Royce, the 25/30hp, and as had been the case with the preceding 3½-Litre model, was a superior specification in Bentley form, fitted with twin SU carburetors, raised compression ratio, and a more 'sporting' camshaft. Equipped with twin SU carburetors, the 4,257cc overhead valve inline 6-cylinder engine delivered 126 horsepower at 4,500 RPM. The introduction of the Hall's Metal bearings would eventually lead to an adoption of an overdrive gearbox and improved lubrication system, improvements which coincided with the introduction of the 'M' series cars in 1939. Approximately 200 examples were produced during 1939 (a total of 1,234 examples during its production lifespan), and they were renowned for their reliability, refinement, and long-distance cruising capabilities.
This Bentley 4.25 Litre is one of the most famous Derby Bentleys. It was fitted with striking open tourer 'cut-down door' - style coachwork by Vanden Plas of London and finished in a color scheme that earned it the nickname of 'Honeysuckle.' The 4.25 Litre was originally ordered by Captain E. Molyneaux with coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly, which was almost immediately removed and placed on another Bentley owned by Molyneaux. Vanden Plas then made this replacement body, which was delivered in June of 1939. After the Second World War ended, it was owned for a short time by William Douglas-Home, the playwright and brother of the former British Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home.
From here the Danish poet, playwright and Lutheran pastor Kaj Munk was picked up on the evening of 4 January 1944 by five people from a German SS terrorist patrol. He was shot in a plantation near the Jutland town of Silkeborg. Kaj Munk is remembered as one of the foremost intellectual opponents of the German occupation of Denmark. The Danish government allowed his widow, Lise, and the children to live at the parish house. Lise died in 1998.
Louis Nebel was later identified as the one who fired the killing shots. Towards the end of the war, he was hired by the American intelligence service, OSS, as a double agent. The OSS made persistent attempts to avoid Louis Nebel being extradited to Denmark. However, he was handed over and sentenced to a ridiculously short prison sentence of 12 years, even though he originally faced the death penalty. He was released after six years!
Across the street from The George Inn in Hubberholme is St. Michael and All Angels, a Norman church that dates back to the 12th century with a roof completed in the mid-1500s. As part of the church property is a graveyard, where the ashes of author and playwright J. B. Priestly are buried. An interesting feature of this church are the oak pews, where mice can be found carved in the woodwork.
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.
William Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet, and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Source Wikipedia.
Press L then F11 to enjoy full view.
Oscar Wilde is an Irish poet and playwright. He is regarded as one of the greatest producers of Irish literature.
Oscar Wilde est un poète et dramaturge irlandais. Il est considéré comme l'un des plus grands créateurs de littérature irlandaise.
NO Photoshop !... Shot at dusk ! ! ... NO manipulations ! ! !
" A map of the world that does not include Utopia* is not worth even glancing at,
for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. "
..........Oscar Wilde.....( 1854 - 1900 ).
.....Anglo-Irish poet, playwright, novelist.
..........' The Fortnightly Review '.....( Feb. 1891 ).
*Utopia is a place of ideal perfection !...:-) .
..........Grateful thanks to all my contacts, friends & all flickr members for their continued support that this image has made Explore. Really appreciated. Thanks to ALL. Thanks EVERYONE.
Pl. of Tian Han, Shanghai
This statue is dedicated to Tian Han (1898-1968), a 20th-century Chinese Communist playwright, poet, and lyricist of the Communist China's national anthem (originally intended as a movie interlude in the 1930s). Between 1949 and 1966 he headed the Communist Party-organized Dramatists' Association, however when the Cultural Revolution broke out in 1966, he was denounced as a traitor and was persecuted to death, without his corpse remaining. The lyrics of the national anthem he made were banned from being sung, so much so that the national anthem of Communist China between 1966-1978 was a tune with no lyrics. It wasn't until 1979 that the Communist Party made him out to be a 'good man' again, and the lyrics of the song he made became the official national anthem, which has since led to the erection of a statue of him in this street garden.
Regno Unito, Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, Primavera 2014
Stratford-upon-Avon è una città di mercato a Warwickshire, in Inghilterra, sul fiume Avon. Nel 1196 fu concessa una carta da Re Riccardo I per tenere un mercato settimanale in città. Di conseguenza, Stratford ha sperimentato un aumento del commercio così come dell'espansione urbana. La città è una nota destinazione turistica per aver dato i natali al drammaturgo e poeta inglese William Shakespeare, e riceve circa 2,5 milioni di visitatori all'anno.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in Warwickshire, England, on the River Avon. In 1196 it was granted a charter from King Richard I to hold a weekly market in the town. As a result, Stratford experienced an increase in trade and commerce as well as urban expansion. The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and receives approximately 2.5 million visitors a year.
William Shakespeare
was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. He remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company. At age 49 around 1613, he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613.
In my photograph a typical building in Stratford, a town known worldwide.
William Shakespeare
fue un dramaturgo, poeta y actor inglés. Se le considera el mejor escritor en lengua inglesa y el dramaturgo más destacado del mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas a todos los idiomas principales vivos y se representan con más frecuencia que las de cualquier otro dramaturgo. Podría decirse que sigue siendo el escritor más influyente en lengua inglesa, y sus obras continúan siendo estudiadas y reinterpretadas.
Shakespeare nació y creció en Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire. En algún momento entre 1585 y 1592, comenzó una exitosa carrera en Londres como actor, escritor y copropietario de una compañía teatral. A la edad de 49 años alrededor de 1613, parece haberse retirado a Stratford, donde murió tres años después.
Shakespeare produjo la mayoría de sus obras conocidas entre 1589 y 1613. En mi fotografia un edificio tipico de Stratford, pueblo conocido mundialmente
Henrik Johan Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. As one of the founders of Modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playwrights of his time. Wikipedia
Born: March 20, 1828, Skien, Norway
Died: May 23, 1906, Oslo, Norway
Three hundred years from the birth of the great venetian playwright (February 25 th 1707).
He has written very pleasant and immortal things in venetian, in italian, in french language.
Poet and playwright Robert Frost is buried at The Old First Church in Bennington, Vermont. Robert Lee Frost born 1874, died 1963 at 88. Frost is the only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. In 1961 he was named poet laureate of Vermont. His works are many, including "The Road Not Taken." Information from Wikipedia
I had just arrived in the State of Vermont literally a few minutes earlier. The road brought me to the front of this beautiful and historic Old First Church with this cemetery adjacent. I could have stayed here for hours, but unfortunately it was already getting late and I had no place to stay so had to attend to that via apps on my phone. I had hoped to return the next day, but many times things don't work out the way you think. At least I'm glad I was able to see this much. It was so beautiful.
Dedicated to my beloved German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre Director BERTOLT BRECKT
HIDE AND SEEK WITH MY PLAYMATE SUN
Excerpt from lonelyplanet.com:
Playwright and poet Hanibal Lucić was born here in 1485, but this town house has been home to a community of Benedictine nuns since 1664. Over the centuries the nuns have perfected the art of lacemaking, painstakingly weaving together fibres derived from dried agave leaves. This tradition has now been recognised by Unesco on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. A small museum showcases the nuns' handiwork alongside a collection of paintings and liturgical paraphernalia.
…while the playwright looks on.
For We're Here - Anything Absurd
Also for Sliders Sunday. Focus stacked, layered, then gently erased to reveal the background. Minor adjustments to saturation.
#beetsfordinnertonight
Put some zing into your 365! Join We're Here!
John B Keane Pub in Listowel in Kerry County Ireland. He was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist who wrote "The Field" and "Sive".
New York City's Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the world. Print size 13x19 inches.
OLYMPE DE GOUGES
(born Marie Gouze)
Montauban, France, 07/05/1748 – Paris, 03/11/1793
Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was a playwright, pamphleteer, and political thinker of the French Revolution. Coming from a modest social background, she became one of the most radical and uncompromising voices of her time, challenging both societal norms and revolutionary authorities. She fought tirelessly for the education of the people, civil equality, and the full political participation of women, asserting that true freedom and citizenship cannot exist without access to knowledge.
In 1791, she published the “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen,” a groundbreaking and subversive document exposing the hypocrisy of a revolution that proclaimed equality yet systematically excluded women and the broader populace from education and political power. Olympe de Gouges used writing as a tool of emancipation, speaking directly to the people in accessible language rather than elite academic discourse, believing that the spread of knowledge was itself a political act.
Her insistence on equality, education, and awareness made her a threat to the Jacobin revolutionary government. She was arrested, charged with subversion, and guillotined on 03/11/1793. Olympe de Gouges was eliminated because she sought to form an educated, conscious, and politically autonomous people—a persistent danger to those who hold power.
I publish these portraits to remember those who gave their lives for humanity, human rights, justice, and freedom. This work is meant especially for younger generations, to make visible stories that are too often forgotten or never taught, and to keep alive the memory of those who paid the highest price for truth and dignity.
The Playwright pub, Nottingham. Formerly The Clinton Arms, this was a right royal den of iniquity in the 70s, I should know, it’s where we students of the lithographic arts spent our lunchtimes in the company of scantily clad nubiles ;))
Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872).
His novels, always well-researched according to the scientific knowledge then available, are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account the technological advances of the time. Wikipedia
(Original black and white photo by Etienne Carjat.)
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond.
He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). In 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Original black and white photo by Marcel Sternberger. Shaw was reluctant at first to even sit for Sternberger and said he wouldn't "buy a single picture". After seeing samples of the photos, he changed his mind and order 50 copies of one. Sternberger was reluctant to produce so many portraits without payment, but eventually complied.
Shaw sent the photographer an envelope filled with numerous small checks. Shaw said, “[It’s] very simple: My autograph is worth more [than each check]; you can sell the checks to autograph collectors and get yourself some more money [than the portraits cost] which you deserve; they won’t cash the checks, so the whole transaction won’t cost me a penny.”
Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872).
His novels, always well-researched according to the scientific knowledge then available, are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account the technological advances of the time. Wikipedia
(Original black and white photo by Etienne Carjat.)
Explored 11-7-24
The monument to poet Giovann Battista Niccolini has an interesting sculpture. Pio Fedi’s sculpture embodies the Liberty of Poetry. It closely resembles the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde, 1854-1900. Irish poet and playwright.
Original black and white photo by Sarony, courtesy of The Library of Congress.
This bronze bust of the composer, playwright and actor Ivor Novello (1893-1951) is by his friend Clemence Dane, and lives in a special alcove in the London theatre that bears his name.
Clemence Dane CBE was far more than a sculptor: between the two World Wars, she was also Britain’s most influential, versatile and successful female novelist, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, painter, broadcaster and lecturer.
But back to Novello, who is famous for two songs in particular – Keep the Home Fires Burning (1914, words by Lena Guilbert Ford) and We’ll Gather Lilacs (1945).
His most notable West End musical productions were Glamorous Night (1935) and Dancing Years (1939). He lived for 38 years in a flat above the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre, renamed in 2005). At present, the theatre is hosting the long-running ABBA musical Mamma Mia!. I think he would have enjoyed it!
William Shakespeare. I wonder if he actually looked anything at all like this? I imagine someone slightly stooped from sitting at a table writing, with ink all over his hands, a scruffy beard, and hair all over the place....
English playwright William Shakespeare is by far one of the most famous names in the theatre industry, yet there are still many facts about him that would shock and surprise you. Here are 10 strange facts to get you started.
1. Shakespeare’s will was slightly strange
The only thing Shakespeare left to his wife in his will was the second-best bed in the house. His will reads: ‘“I gyve unto my wife my second best bed with the furniture”. The “furniture” refers to the linen for the bed.
2. One of Shakespeare’s relatives was executed
Edward Arden, a cousin of Shakespeare’s mother, was arrested for reportedly plotting against Queen Elizabeth I, although there was no clear evidence that he was actually involved. He was then imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed. Ouch!
3. Shakespeare was not an Elizabethan playwright
Calling Shakespeare an Elizabethan playwright is actually incorrect. The majority of his plays were written after Queen Elizabeth I’s death, making him a Jacobean writer.
4. Shakespeare often wrote about suicide
Shakespeare seemed to be fond of one particular kind of death – suicide. In fact, suicide occurs a whopping 13 times in Shakespearean plays.
5. Two of Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into Klingon
Klingon is the language created for the Star Trek science fiction series. You can read Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing in the fantasy language.
6. Some moons were named after Shakespeare’s characters
The moons circling around the planet of Uranus are mostly named after characters from Shakespeare plays, including Oberon, Ariel, and Juliet.
7. No one’s dared to go close to Shakespeare’s tomb since 1747
Shakespeare had a poem sketched into his tomb in Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. It says anyone who moves his bones will be cursed. Consequently, his grave has gone untouched since 1747.
8. One of Shakespeare’s plays is never performed by modern theatre companies
One of Shakespeare’s plays has been completely lost to history. There is evidence that he wrote a play called Cardenio which was performed in England, but no known copy of the play exists.
9. Shakespeare never published any of his own plays
Thankfully his friends John Heminges and Henry Condell did it posthumously and saved the world of theatre.
10. Shakespeare turned to sonnets because of a plague
He only stopped writing plays and turned to sonnets because the plague caused all theatres to be shut down. Maybe you could say the plague wasn’t so bad after all?
greatbritishmag.co.uk/uk-culture/10-strange-facts-about-s...
365 #50
Pulitzer prize-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor Sam Shepard on the stage of Glasgow's Citizens Theatre. He made a rare public appearance there to answer questions after the final night of the Citz's production of True West, directed by Philip Breen.
Glasgow, 2013.
This bronze statue depicts the American composer, playwright, actor, and producer George M. Cohan (1878-1942). The statue was designed by Georg John Lober (1892-1961) and dedicated in 1959. It stands in Duffy Square, named for Father Francis Patrick Duffy (1871-1932), a military chaplain and priest, who ministered to a local congregation after serving in World War I.
Cohan was born in Providence, Rhode Island on July 3, 1878. His parents were in show business, and at an early age he performed in vaudeville as well as on the “legitimate stage.” One of his first roles was with his father, mother, and sister in the family musical-comedy act, “The Four Cohans.” Besides acting, singing, and dancing, Cohan began to write plays and songs in his youth.
The first play that Cohan produced in New York, The Governor’s Son (1901), was not well received. However, his next effort, Little Johnny Jones (1904), began a succession of hits, and several of his songs, such as “Over There” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” have become standards. Cohan was the quintessential showman, often combining patriotic fervor with Broadway razzle-dazzle. In 1942, James Cagney won an Academy Award as best actor for his portrayal of Cohan in the film Yankee Doodle Dandy.
After Cohan’s death, a memorial committee, whose first chairman was the noted composer Irving Berlin, sought to commission a statue in his honor. Oscar Hammerstein II the composer, was the committee’s second chairman, and saw the project through. The committee selected Georg Lober as the sculptor and Otto Lanmann as the architect. The same team collaborated on the statue of Hans Christian Anderson in Central Park (1956). Plans for the George M. Cohan statue were announced in 1956, and the following year work began on a reconstruction of Duffy Square. On September 11, 1959, the Cohan statue was formally unveiled and accepted on behalf of the city by Mayor Robert F. Wagner (1910-1991). In 1997, the sculpture was restored with funding from the Times Square Business Improvement District.
Standing on the southern end of the triangle between 45th and 47th street, opposite Times Square, the inscription appropriately quotes his most famous song “give my regards to Broadway.”
(Source: www.nycgovparks.org/parks/father-duffy-square/monuments/282)
PLEASE, NO invitations or self promotions, THEY WILL BE DELETED. My photos are FREE to use, just give me credit and it would be nice if you let me know, thanks.
Statue of Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav in Hviezdoslav Square.
Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav (2 February 1849 - 8 November 1921) was a Slovak poet, playwright, writer, lawyer, dramatist, and translator. He is one of the most important people of Slovak literature of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Playwright, screenwriter and actress Carla Scatarelli, in an old bar in Buenos Aires. Shot during a live class of my portrait workshop. We planned it this way together, as she so often writes in bars and cafés.
Lens: Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZF.
Artist, playwright, renaissance man.
Taken in my studio, March 2011.
Monolight camera right and behind subject left.
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond.
He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). In 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Original black and white photo by Marcel Sternberger. Shaw was reluctant at first to even sit for Sternberger and said he wouldn't "buy a single picture". After seeing samples of the photos, he changed his mind and order 50 copies of one. Sternberger was reluctant to produce so many portraits without payment, but eventually complied.
Shaw sent the photographer an envelope filled with numerous small checks. Shaw said, “[It’s] very simple: My autograph is worth more [than each check]; you can sell the checks to autograph collectors and get yourself some more money [than the portraits cost] which you deserve; they won’t cash the checks, so the whole transaction won’t cost me a penny.”
Andrzej Stasiuk - Polish prose writer, poet, playwright, essayist, publicist and publisher. He writes about time and transience, travel, love for forgotten corners of Europe.
Mural from the series "Faces of Literature".
Author Michał Arkusiński. Łódź, Poland
Thank you all for comments & faves :)
Find below quotes at
www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/moliere.html
Moliere, French Playwright
Date of Birth: January 15, 1622
Date of Death: February 17, 1673
A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool.
A lover tries to stand in well with the pet dog of the house.
A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.
Ah! how annoying that the law doesn't allow a woman to change husbands just as one does shirts.
All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing.
All which is not prose is verse; and all which is not verse is prose.
As the purpose of comedy is to correct the vices of men, I see no reason why anyone should be exempt.
Books and marriage go ill together.
Don't appear so scholarly, pray. Humanize your talk, and speak to be understood.
Esteem must be founded on preference: to hold everyone in high esteem is to esteem nothing.
Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.
Frenchmen have an unlimited capacity for gallantry and indulge it on every occasion.
___________________________
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
St. Augustine, author of the first Western autobiography.
Learn about his sinful and faith-filled life and works at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Augustine
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Matthew 24:42-51
In today's Gospel Jesus tells His disciples: "Stay awake!" (Matthew 24:42)
The briefness of the statement and the exclamation mark at the end leave no room for misunderstanding. It isn't a request or something that would be rather nice to do, but is instead, a command. As such, it implies dire consequences for those who would disobey.
In this case, it is being unprepared for the Lord's return as judge of the living and the dead; a time we might suppose, where we have run out of opportunities for another chance.
The thought is frightening—for what one of us doesn't think there will always be at least a little time to set things in better order, but Jesus says, in order to be ready, we must stay awake!
To stay awake beyond what we are accustomed is often exhausting if not altogether impossible. Yet, we are told, "Stay awake!" and not just sometimes, but always!
How much these few words make me realize how much we are in need of God's help—and that we already have it! When the Blessed Trinity resides in us as Triune Lord and King, He never sleeps! His are the eyes that watch, His the ears that hear, His the spirit that prays and adores on our behalf.
"Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:42)
- Donna Nelson, OCDS | email: drn3rd@hughes.net
__________________________
below I got from
infoenglish@zenit.org
US Bishops: Pelosi Got Church Teaching Wrong
House Speaker Misrepresents Catholic Understanding of Life
WASHINGTON, D.C., AUG. 26, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The chairmen of the U.S. bishops' Committees on Pro-Life Activities and Doctrine affirmed that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi misrepresented Church teaching on abortion during an interview on national TV.
Pelosi was asked on NBC-TV's "Meet the Press" on Sunday to comment on when life begins. She responded saying that as a Catholic, she had studied the issue for "a long time" and that "the doctors of the Church have not been able to make that definition."
Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U. Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William Lori, chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, said her answer "misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion."
They noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law."
And the prelates explained: "In the Middle Ages, uninformed and inadequate theories about embryology led some theologians to speculate that specifically human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy. While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church's moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development.
"These mistaken biological theories became obsolete over 150 years ago when scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church teaches that from the time of conception -- fertilization -- each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life."
For the record
Other bishops also released statements clarifying Church teaching.
Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., noted that bishops are entrusted with the responsibility to interpret and teach Catholic doctrine.
"We respect the right of elected officials such as Speaker Pelosi to address matters of public policy that are before them, but the interpretation of Catholic faith has rightfully been entrusted to the Catholic bishops," he said in a statement. "Given this responsibility to teach, it is important to make this correction for the record. […]
"From the beginning, the Catholic Church has respected the dignity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death."
And from Denver, Archbishop Charles Chaput and Auxiliary Bishop James Conley addressed an online letter to their faithful, titled "On the Separation of Sense and State: a Clarification for the People of the Church in Northern Colorado."
The letter affirms: "Ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grievously evil. In the absence of modern medical knowledge, some of the Early Fathers held that abortion was homicide; others that it was tantamount to homicide; and various scholars theorized about when and how the unborn child might be animated or 'ensouled.'
"But none diminished the unique evil of abortion as an attack on life itself, and the early Church closely associated abortion with infanticide. In short, from the beginning, the believing Christian community held that abortion was always, gravely wrong."
Cardinal Edward Egan released a statement this morning saying he was "shocked to learn" of Pelosi's remarks. He said her statements were "misinformed."
The cardinal affirmed that the unborn have "an inalienable right to live, a right that the speaker of the House of Representatives is bound to defend at all costs for the most basic of ethical reasons."
"Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being 'chooses' to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason," he added, "should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name."
--- --- ---
On the Net:
Statement of Denver bishops: www.zenit.org/article-23469?l=english
Statement of Archbishop Wuerl: www.zenit.org/article-23470?l=english
Statement of Cardinal Egan: www.zenit.org/article-23476?l=english
EXPLORE # 404 on Thursday, August 28, 2008; # 440 on Thursday, September 11, 2008
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde, 1854-1900. Irish poet and playwright.
Original black and white photo by Sarony, courtesy of The Library of Congress.
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde, 1854-1900. Irish poet and playwright.
Original black and white photo by Sarony, courtesy of The Library of Congress.
Max Afford, Australian playwright and novelist, Sydney, February 1954, photographed for People magazine, State Library of New South Wales ON 388/Box 040/Item 073 collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/nmQZxRon