New Head Of The Vatican

BAGreader Carolly contributed these comments regarding World Youth Day:



A few days back, we discussed the sidewalk drawings to memorialize Hiroshima/Nagasaki, and there was an image of someone walking across the middle, uncaring.  Here is another top-down view of a scene with interesting contrasts:



When I first saw the thumbnail on Google for Sofia News, I thought of a Victorian momento mori… faded photo with doves and flowers all around.  So I was somewhat surprised to have it open to this scene of an artist working while the crowd circled him.



The image itself is extremely iconic, with a hint of Christ-like definition in the face.  If it wasn’t for the white hair, I wouldn’t think that the subject was the Pope.  The handling of the folds of cloth and the gestures reminds me more of the 13-14th century, and feels much more Italian than German.

In any case, having either Pope or Christ drawn on the sidewalk where people will surely walk over them, whether delberately or negligently, might lead into interesting comparisons…. Would anybody draw Mohammed on pavement?  Or Moses?

Perhaps following the same lines, the BAG noticed a number of Pope images from the massive event in Cologne that seemed decidedly un-John Paul-like — including one of a stern-faced supporter holding a banner, and another of Benedict looking for his speech.

How do you read what’s happening here?

(image 1: Deutsche Welle. Cologne.  August 18, 2005.  novinite.com; image 2: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP  Cologne. August 21, 2005 at YahooNews; image 3: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters. Cologne. August 21, 2005 at YahooNews )