THERE’S NOT a lot to do in the Vatican these days – all quiet in the RC world and God’s in His heaven, as they say. Nothing pressing that might help pass the time for the lads in the Curia. What to do, eh?
I know! Why not put out a playlist for MySpace Music? Bella! says Fr Giulio, director of St Paul’s Multimedia, a church publisher, and so they get to it.
And the result, as of yesterday? An eclectic list that includes Changesby Tupac Shakur, a ditty released in 1998 (two years after he was shot dead) with warnings over lyrics about gun crime, drugs and violence; and Don Giovanni,Mozart's serial bed-hopper!
The full list is: 1. Advocata Nostra– music from the Vatican. From the album Alma Mater, featuring the voice of Pope Benedict XVI.
2. Uprising– Muse. Single from the album, The Resistance.
3. Causa Nostrae Laetitiae– music from the Vatican. From the album Alma Mater.
4. Il Mare Mi Salva– Rossomalpelo. Song from the band led by contemporary Italian singer Serge Gaggiotti.
5. After the Rain– Dame Shirley Bassey. From the album The Performance.
6. Coexist– Nour Eddine. Song from the Italy-based Moroccan musician.
7. Don Giovanni– Mozart.
8. Rafaele Merry Del Val– Lorenzo Perosi Inni Mottetti e Canzoni, Pablo Colino and Coro Academica Filarmonica Romana.
9. He Doesn't Know Why– Fleet Foxes.
10. Changes– Tupac Shakur.
11. Regina Coeli– music from the Vatican. From the album Alma Mater.
12. Mi sarete Testimoni– from Santo Subito! , a music DVD embodying the voice and image of the Pope.
It's not known if the pope has listened to all, or indeed any, of the songs. Others who have sent playlists to MySpace Music include Beyoncé (hers included, generously, Mariah Carey's Vision of Love, I Can't Help Itby Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye's Distant Lover) and Katie Price, the pneumatic one no longer in that jungle, who lists Cheryl Cole's Fight for this Love.
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MAGPIE WORLD EXCLUSIVE! Loose cannon Sepp Blatter has relented, it seems. Ahead of the World Cup draw today, Fifa is set to announce that the Republic of Ireland will, after all, have that replay with the match-thieving French. There’s just one condition: the game is to be played on the pitch shown here, Ireland playing right to left in both halfs.
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AN AMERICAN woman was surprised when an image of Jesus appeared on her iron.
Mary Jo Coady (44) of Methuen, Massachusetts, says the “stunning resemblance” to Jesus Christ that appeared on the hot plate of her iron has reassured her that “life is going to be good” and proves “he’s listening”.
She said she won't be using the iron any more and plans to buy a new one. According to the Boston Globe, she shared the photo on Facebook, and was reassured by friends that they, too, saw Jesus on the iron.
“So I said, ‘I’m not crazy’.”
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AND FINALLY, a coffin containing the body of an Austrian billionaire has been returned to his family, more than a year after it was stolen from a graveyard by thieves who demanded a ransom of $150,000 (€99,400) from the relatives.
The remains of Austrian billionaire Friedrich Karl Flick were taken from a cemetery in Velden, southern Austria, in November 2008, two years after Flick, said to be one of the 100 richest people in the world, died. The coffin and the body were returned to relatives on Tuesday.