A non-Catholic friend of mine called this morning... we love to have a cup of coffee and chat together, even when we have to do it over the phone.
She told me that she was watching the morning news about the Pope's visit to the U.S. The news reporter was "showcasing" the t-shirts, ball caps, and soap-on-a-rope (which is called Pope-on-a-rope) that people were selling as souvenirs. She thought she understood the reporter to say that it was the Archdiocese peddling these items. (read: another baseball bat for anyone who might want to bash Catholicism) I doubt it was, but nonetheless, I think it is gross.
Cheap. Tasteless. Tackiness at the level of the likes of Disney World.
It so hauntingly reminds me of the scripture of the merchants in the temple (John 2: 13-16). These t-shirt peddlers may not be in the temple, but they are just as offensive.
Bia has a wonderful blog entry about her Pope Memories. Her experiences helped shape who she is as a Catholic Christian. I know that Pope Benedict, as the successor to Peter, will bring many, many people closer to Christ not only with his visit to the U.S., but anywhere he travels. I just hope that the peddlers, who are there to cheapen the experience, will not work in the opposite direction for an equal amount of people.
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2 comments:
i agree, this is a sickening practice that our society has. not EVERY moment in life requires some tacky commemorative souvenir. some things are just unforgettable. i suppose, though that some feel they must have these things in order to prove to the "doubting thomases" in their lives that they were actually there & saw the pope.
some of them just have nothing better to do with their money.
no use getting all worked up about it, though. as the manager of our store says, "only worry about what you can control." i have applied that idea to a lot of the things in my life & removed a lot of unnecessary stress!
love you!
You should see the things they sell around St. Peter's Square in Rome. They have many shops with beautiful religious items, but also many, many shops/stands with tacky things such as salt and pepper shakers with the Pope's image, aprons, etc. Very tacky.
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