Lime as Liturgical Color

You know, the Instrumentum Laboris for the Synod harps about the poor quality of vestments.

Well, the Pope replied by donning this for the opening Mass. It's really beautiful -- he almost looks like a lime-green M&M, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's a very hopeful color.

The mitre is shorter than the uber-high Pontiff style preferred by JP. The smaller size eases pressure on the head.

No fulltext homily just yet, but we do have this....

Innovations introduced by Benedict XVI include: reducing the time for deliberations (which go on until 23 October) by a week to keep the bishops away from the life of their dioceses for as brief a time as possible; doubling the number of ecumenical representatives (Orthodox, Anglican, Protestants), which have increased from six to 12, and introducing an hour of debate per day.

Mass was celebrated in Latin, while the readings and prayers of the faithful were read in different languages. The Fathers of the Synod and collaborators concelebrated with the Pope.

In the homily, Benedict XVI, taking his queue from the readings (of the XXVII Sunday “per annum” A) made an exhortation and an appeal that “in the three weeks of the Synod which we are starting, we will not only say nice things about the Eucharist, but above all, we will draw life from its power”.

The pontiff’s reflection expanded to touch upon the current problems of atheism, of rejection of God in daily life, of relativism passed off as tolerance: “God is an encumbrance for us. We either pay devoted lip service to Him or deny Him completely; He is banished from public life, losing all meaning. A tolerance which acknowledges God, as it were, as a private opinion, but which refuses him any public domain, the reality of the world and of our life, is not tolerance but hypocrisy.”

Eliminating God from public life leads to the domination of the “arbiter of power”, “[self] interests”, and “injustice.”

Is he being pointed again, you ask?

PHOTO: AP/Plinio Lepri

-30-