Kenneth Clark, CIVILISATION and Civilization

Henrik Bering reviews In Search of Civilization: Remaking a Tarnished Idea by John Armstrong for the WSJ and includes this strange anecdote about Lord Kenneth Clark and his BBC series, Civilisation:

"Among academics, the word "civilization" has long had a sinister ring to it, carrying associations of elitism and luxury. Worse, it is linked to imperialism, having provided Europeans with the justification for their far-flung conquests in centuries past—and, these days, for endless self-flagellation.

"With "In Search of Civilization," John Armstrong, the resident philosopher at the Melbourne Business School in Australia, sets out to restore the reputation of a word that, to him, represents something infinitely precious and life-sustaining, a source of strength and inspiration. The great civilizations, he says, provide "a community of maturity in which across the ages individuals try to help each other cope with the demands of mortality."

"As he makes clear, his purpose is not to provide a history of various civilizations or to update Samuel Huntington's seminal 1996 book on the post-Cold War world, "The Clash of Civilizations," though he cites Huntington's conclusion that today's real conflict is between civilization and barbarism. Mr. Armstrong wishes to convey what the idea means to him personally.

"He identifies two basic attitudes toward civilization. One is that of the pessimist, exemplified here by the medieval abbot Bernard of Clairvaux. To Bernard, civilization was a rare and delicate plant, one that could survive only when sheltered behind the thick walls of a monastery. Outside were brutal barons, vulgar merchants and hoggish peasants. Such benighted folk he considered beyond reach.

"Mr. Armstrong notes that even though British art historian Kenneth Clark crafted the 1969 television documentary series "Civilisation"—a survey of Europe's greatest artistic achievements and a cultural event in its own right—deep down he shared Bernard's pessimism. Clark once delivered a speech in Washington to rapturous applause, we're told, and then fled to the men's room, where he "sobbed and howled for a quarter of an hour." The historian felt like a fraud for having betrayed great artworks by peddling his thoughts about them to people who lacked the insight to truly appreciate them. . . ."

Then he goes on to identify the more positive view, using the Abbot Suger as an example. The story of Clark sobbing in the men's room that he had just wasted his time and betrayed great art just doesn't fit with my view of his purpose in that series, gained from watching the series and reading the book so many times. The booklet with the DVD set does include the note that he wanted to do an episode on the Germans, especially Goethe, and he felt badly that he was so limited by the number of episodes--had to stop with the odd number. What I've read about his view of the series was that it was as much entertainment as it was education. Here is an analysis of the series that includes that point.

I enjoyed Civilisation when I watched it years ago and I learned a lot from it, too. I thought Lord Clark wise to declare his commentary "A Personal View".

Pope John Paul II and Our Lady of Walsingham

As part of his busy day on May 29, 1982, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at Wembley Stadium, leading the congregation in the renewal of Baptismal promises.

V. Do you reject Satan? R.I do.
V. And all his works? R. I do.
V. And all his empty promises? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? R. I do. V. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? R. I do.
V. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? R. I do.
V. God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever. R. Amen.

As might be expected, in view of his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he highlighted her as a model of faithfulness and prayer:

HOLY MASS FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE BAPTISMAL PROMISES

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Wembley Stadium

Saturday, 29 May 1982

4. Brothers and sisters! In order to be faithful to this alliance we must be a people of prayer and deep spirituality. Our society needs to recover a sense of God’s loving presence, and a renewed sense of respect for his will.

Let us learn this from Mary our Mother. In England, “the Dowry of Mary”, the faithful, for centuries, have made pilgrimage to her shrine at Walsingham. Today Walsingham comes to Wembley, and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, present here, lifts our minds to meditate on our Mother. She obeyed the will of God fearlessly and gave birth to the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Faithful at the foot of the Cross, she then waited in prayer for the Holy Spirit to descend on the infant Church. It is Mary who will teach us how to be silent, how to listen for the voice of God in the midst of a busy and noisy world. It is Mary who will help us to find time for prayer. Through the Rosary, that great Gospel prayer, she will help us to know Christ. We need to live as she did, in the presence of God, raising our minds and hearts to him in our daily activities and worries.

Pope John Paul II Recalling English Religious Heritage

Pope John Paul II had a very busy schedule on Saturday, May 29, 1982, during his visit to Great Britain. He made this address to the members of religious orders, participated in the prayer service at Canterbury, and celebrated Mass at Wembley Stadium. In this address, he recalls the history of religious orders in England, passing over the Dissolution of the Monasteries and highlighting the career of Venerable Mary Ward.

ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE RELIGIOUS MEN AND WOMEN OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Saturday, 29 May 1982

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I wish to express my special joy at this meeting. You are here in such large numbers as representatives of all the religious of England and Wales. On the eve of Pentecost you are here to renew your religious vows. With the Pope, the Successor of Peter, you will proclaim before the whole Church that you believe in your consecration; that it is your call to follow Christ which inspires your joy and your peace. “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4, 4). 2.

You worthily continue a tradition that goes back to the dawn of English Christian history. Augustine and his companions were Benedictine monks. The great monastic foundations of Anglo-Saxon and mediaeval times were not just the staging posts for evangelization; they were also the centres of learning and the seedbeds of culture and civilization. Places such as Canterbury, Jarrow, Glastonbury and St Albans are indicative of the role monasticism played in English history. Men like Bede of Jarrow, Boniface of Devon who became the Apostle of the Germans, and Dunstan of Glanstonbury who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 960; women such as Hilda of Whitby, Walburga and Lioba, and many others - these are famous names in English history. Nor can we forget Anselm, or Nicholas Breakspear, born at Abbots Langley, who became Pope Adrian IV in 1154.

In Norman times this army of Christ reached new splendour with the foundation of monasteries of Cistercians, Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites and Augustinians. Later, religious life suffered greatly. English religious communities were scattered and destroyed, or fled to foreign lands. It is impossible here to name all the men and women religious of this period who followed our Lord to the point of giving their lives in defence of their faith. To that unhappy age belonged also an extraordinary Yorkshire woman, Mary Ward, who became a pioneer of the active unenclosed congregations for women.

The last century saw an amazing rebirth of religious life. Hundreds of religious houses, schools, orphanages, hospitals and other social services were established. Missionary congregations spread the faith in distant lands.

The Cause for Katherine of Aragon

A couple of months ago, I heard from the gentleman who has launched this website and begun the process of promoting the cause of canonization for Katherine of Aragon. Just last week he scored the great coup of having UK's Catholic Herald interview him. That article is not available in the newspaper's website, but Gregory Nassif St. John has posted it from the .pdf version of the Catholic Herald on his website.

Pope John Paul II at Canterbury Cathedral

Like Benedict XVI last year, John Paul II included a special prayer event with the Church of England in his 1982 itinerary. This was fraught with some difficulty as the Archbishop of Canterbury was attacked by some Protestant factions for having any contact with the "Church of Rome"; classic anti-Catholicism. Ian Paisley proposed that Pope John Paul II wanted to conquer the British Isles and place them under the absolute control of the Holy See. The whole trip was almost cancelled because (Catholic) Argentina had invaded the Falkland Islands and (Protestant) England had gone to war just before the trip was to begin.

The Pope did not meet with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and his meeting with Queen Elizabeth was more low-key. Pope John Paul II and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie knelt in prayer at the spot of St. Thomas a Becket's martyrdom/assasination. Paying tribute to St. Thomas a Becket was ironic: a thoroughly ROMAN Catholic saint who died because he upheld the rights of the Church above the control of the State and whose shrine was pillaged by a later king who adamantly opposed the saint's efforts . . . .

The meeting at Canterbury Cathedral included a renewal of baptismal promises, reflecting both on the sacramental theme of the entire visit and an ecumenical emphasis on what unites all Christians, and specifically the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

ECUMENICAL CELEBRATION IN CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II
Saturday, 29 May 1982

5. My dear brothers and sisters of the Anglican Communion, “whom I love and long for” (Phil. 4, 1), how happy I am to be able to speak directly to you today in this great Cathedral! The building itself is an eloquent witness both to our long years of common inheritance and to the sad years of division that followed. Beneath this roof Saint Thomas Becket suffered martyrdom. Here too we recall Augustine and Dunstan and Anselm and all those monks who gave such diligent service in this church. The great events of salvation history are retold in the ancient stained glass windows above us. And we have venerated here the manuscript of the Gospels sent from Rome to Canterbury thirteen hundred years ago. Encouraged by the witness of so many who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ through the centuries - often at the cost of their own lives a sacrifice which even today is asked of not a few, as the new chapel we shall visit reminds us - I appeal to you in this holy place, all my fellow Christians, and especially the members of the Church of England and the members of the Anglican Communion throughout the world, to accept the commitment to which Archbishop Runcie and I pledge ourselves anew before you today. This commitment is that of praying and working for reconciliation and ecclesial unity according to the mind and heart of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

6. On this first visit of a Pope to Canterbury, I come to you in love - the love of Peter to whom the Lord said, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luc. 22, 32). I come to you also in the love of Gregory, who sent Saint Augustine to this place to give the Lord’s flock a shepherd’s care (Cfr. 1 Petr. 5, 2). Just as every minister of the Gospel must do, so today I echo the words of the Master: “I am among you as one who serves” (Luc. 22, 27). With me I bring to you, beloved brothers and sisters of the Anglican Communion, the hopes and the desires, the prayers and good will of all who are united with the Church of Rome, which from earliest times was said to “preside in love” (S. IGNATII ANTIOCHENI Ad Romanos, Prooem.).

Mary I Writes Her Will

From Mary Tudor, Renaissance Queen comes this analysis of Mary I's will written in late March 1558, when she thought she was pregnant:

During her reign, Mary perceived herself to be pregnant on two occasions. The final time was in 1557-8, the last years of Mary’s life and reign. Philip left England in July 1557, and by December Mary was confident enough of her pregnancy to write to him of the news. On this day [March 30th] in 1558, Mary made her will believing the birth was fast approaching (a due date of early/mid April appears to have been given). This was a customary procedure. Childbirth was rife with danger, so the prospect of the queen and her infant dying in the process was daunting though certainly not unthinkable.

Among her last requests was that she and her mother--QUEEN Kateryn--be reunited in their tombs at Westminster Abbey: ‘And further I will that the body of the vertuous Lady and my most dere and well-beloved mother of happy memory, Quene Kateryn, whych lyeth now buried at Peterborowh, shall within as short tyme as conveniently yt may after my burial, be removed, brought and layde nye the place of my sepulture, In wch place I will my Executors to cawse to be made honorable tombs or monuments for a decent memory of us’.

She also makes provision for the succession, should she die in childbirth: She leaves her realm to the ‘heyres, issewe and frewte of my bodye accordyng to the laws of this Realme’. So her successor is her supposed unborn child. Aware of the possibility of leaving the throne to an infant, Mary provides a regent. This was to be ‘my saide most Dere and well beloved Husband’. She lists her husband’s many virtues, especially his dedication to the Church. She asks for the loyalty shown unto her by her subjects to be transferred to her husband on the occasion of his regency.

Of course, now we know that she was not pregnant, that her half-sister Elizabeth would succeed her, and that she and Elizabeth would end up together in Westminster Abbey.

Venerable John Paul II and the English Reformation

Venerable John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 and he will be beatified on May 1, 2011 in Rome. Starting today, I am beginning a series of posts referencing Pope John Paul's homilies and speeches from his visit to England, Scotland, and Wales in 1982, the beatification of Eighty-five Martyrs of England and Wales, and comments on Blessed John Henry Newman and St. Thomas More.

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Scotland and England in September last year, the BBC and other media set up comparisons and contrasts between the visits and the popes. John Paul was younger, flashier, more popular, etc while Benedict is older, more scholarly, with the enforcer reputation, etc . . . When John Paul visited in 1982, he traveled throughout England, Scotland, and Wales more extensively: he followed a theme of celebrating the Seven Sacraments (Baptism, Penance, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Anointing, Marriage, and Holy Orders) and ecumenical meetings with the Church of England and other Christian denominations.

His first celebration was of Baptism at the Cathedral of Westminster, during which he paid tribute to the architecture of the church building, and mentioned not only St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, but also Bishop Richard Challoner, Vicar Apostolic during the 18th century:

HOLY MASS IN WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL
HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Friday, 28 May 1982

“Lord, you know everything: you know that I love you!”

My brothers and sisters,

1. With heartfelt gratitude and love I thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that he has given me the grace of coming among you today. Today, for the first time in history, a Bishop of Rome sets foot on English soil. I am deeply moved at this thought. This fair land, once a distant outpost of the pagan world, has become, through the preaching of the Gospel, a beloved and gifted portion of Christ’s vineyard.

Yours is a tradition embedded in the history of Christian civilization. The roll of your saints and of your great men and women, your treasures of literature and music, your cathedrals and colleges, your rich heritage of parish life speak of a tradition of faith. And it is to the faith of your fathers - living still - that I wish to pay tribute by my visit. . . .

This fine church where we meet is a symbol of the faith and energy of the English Catholic community in modern times. Its architecture is unusual for this country: it evokes memories of other parts of the Christian world, reminding us of our universality. Tomorrow I shall be welcomed in the much older cathedral of Canterbury, where Saint Augustine, sent by my predecessor Saint Gregory, first built a little church whose foundations remain. There indeed everything speaks of ancient common traditions, which, in this modern age, we are ready to stress together.

I, too, want to speak in this way - to mourn the long estrangement between Christians, to hear gladly our blessed Lord’s prayer and command that we should be completely one, to thank him for that inspiration of the Holy Spirit which has filled us with a longing to leave behind our divisions and aspire to a common witness to our Lord and Saviour. My deep desire, my ardent hope and prayer is that my visit may serve the cause of Christian unity. . . .

John Fisher, the Cambridge scholar of Renaissance learning, became Bishop of Rochester. He is an example to all Bishops in his loyalty to the faith and in his devoted attention to the people of his diocese, especially the poor and the sick. Thomas More was a model layman living the Gospel to the full. He was a fine scholar and an ornament to his profession, a loving husband and father, humble in prosperity, courageous in adversity, humorous and godly. Together they served God and their country - Bishop and layman. Together they died, victims of an unhappy age. Today we have the grace, all of us, to proclaim their greatness and to thank God for giving such men to England.

In this England of fair and generous minds, no one will begrudge the Catholic community pride in its own history. So I speak last of another Christian name, less famous but no less deserving honour. Bishop Richard Challoner guided the Catholics of this London district in the eighteenth century, at what seemed the lowest point of their fortunes. They were few. It seemed they might well not survive. Yet Bishop Challoner bravely raised his voice to prophesy a better future for his people.

And now, two centuries later, I am privileged to stand here and to speak to you, in no triumphal spirit, but as a friend, grateful for your kind welcome and full of love for all of you.

Bishop Challoner’s courage may remind all of us where the seeds of courage lie, where the confidence of renewal comes from. It is through water and the Holy Spirit that a New People is born, whatever the darkness of the time.

The Death of the Prince of Wales

Not today's Prince Charles, of course, but Henry VII's eldest son, Prince Arthur. He died on April 2, 1502 while he and his young bride, Catherine of Aragon were in residence as Prince and Princess of Wales at Ludlow Castle. He was only 15 years old when he died, possibly of consumption or of the "sweating sickness," some kind of virus. Catherine of Aragon was ill too but she survived. Arthur was buried at Worcester Cathedral, without any members of his family attending. (King John is also buried at Worcester Cathedral!) After she recovered, Catherine of Aragon remained in seclusion until such time had passed to verify whether or not she was pregnant by Arthur. Once that time had passed--and she was not pregant--Henry, the king's younger son, was named Prince of Wales. Then Catherine of Aragon entered that long period of waiting that Giles Tremlett described so well in his recent biography of Henry VIII's first Queen as negotiations for her possible marriage to Prince Henry started and stalled.

Our Lady of Walsingham in the News

As John Whitehead comments on his blog, the title Our Lady of Walsingham is going to come up often this year, because of both the Ordinariate and the 950th anniversary of the shrine. On the same day St. Margaret Clitherow was honored in York, Our Lady was honored at Westminster Cathedral and Mr. Whitehead reports here on attending the Mass. The BBC also reported on the event and this blog provides more details. The Mass launches six months of celebrations leading up to the Feast of Our Lady on Walsingham on September 24 this year. Also, the three former Anglican sisters from Walsingham, Sister Carolyne Joseph, Sister Wendy Renate and Sister Jane Louise, are making rosaries to help support their newly formed Catholic religious community.

Old St.Patrick's Cathedral and the Church of Our Saviour

On Saturday last week, my husband and I attended the Vigil Mass at Our Saviour on Park Avenue. We met Father George Rutler after Mass and I presented him with a copy of Supremacy and Survival: How Catholics Endured the English Reformation, hoping for a favourable review or recommendation once he reads it. The Church of Our Saviour has the first shrine to Blessed John Henry Newman in the USA. Its design and construction was supervised by Father Rutler. He commented that the portrait of Newman on the cover of my book was the inspiration for the bust. The National Catholic Register reported on its dedication last year and Father Rutler described its installation here. Earlier in the day we went to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in Lower Manhattan and visited a local independent bookstore (which was a disappointment). At Old St. Patrick's a wedding party was gathering, so we just stayed a few minutes and took a few pictures without intruding on the wedding photography. The National Catholic Register posted a story about the old cathedral being named a basilica in 2010. After our visit we ate lunch at Gatsby's on Spring Street and talked to a very nice waitress from Australia who responded to our orders and requests with "No worries!" She is spending a couple of years in the Americas before heading back to Australia for her first post-college job. We then shopped in Kate's Paperie and Muji in SOHO on our way to K&M Camera. Then we boarded the 6 heading uptown to Park Avenue, shopping at the Morgan Library and this elegant hotel's boutique before attending Mass at Our Saviour. I took the picture of the Blessed John Henry Newman Shrine; my husband took the picture of Our Saviour and Old St. Patrick's at the bottom and top of this post.