I like Jacob Rees-Mogg-- it would be hard not to like him-- but I've long feared he's mostly a Thatcherite merely posing as a social conservative. It seems clear from this video that his Catholicism is indeed important to him, and integrated with his intellectual view of the world.
And here's another good video in honour of the feast, from the excellent Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne.
I wish you a happy and holy Feast-day!
A Carmelite monastery that was once led by now-beatified Maria Sagredo who was martyred during the Spanish Civil War recently sent out a little newsletter which mentioned that "Among the visitors to the tomb of our Blessed, on the afternoon of December 4th, was the President of the Community of Madrid, Mrs. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who, after venerating her remains, went to greet the nuns who make up the Community and was later the first visitor to the precious Nea-politan Nativity Scene displayed in our monastery, the work of the nativity scene artist Pilar Tobar, niece-in-law of Blessed M Sagrario. The President's very favorable comments on TV and social media contributed to giving greater fame to the Nativity Scene." Apparently the movie-star-looking politician runs on an anti-socialist, right wing platform- so visiting a martyr shot down by the Reds has more than spiritual thrust for her, but it shows that the are some Europeans (in a regional sense of the word) in public office today who are happy to show devotion. I find the exotic-ness of her elected position of interest- I hadn't known that Spain had local government presidents.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of a local government President either, although I suppose "local government" means different things in different places. It took me a while to realize that state government in America wasn't a group of part-timers sitting in a dusty hall with a few people listening to them. Actually, local government is a fascinating terra incognita in so many ways. Thank you for sharing that, it's reassuring!
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