Word: martinis
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...London fish restaurant has seen some famous faces over the years, including Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill and Marilyn Monroe. James Bond creator Ian Fleming discovered the delights of a martini, shaken not stirred, at the bar, while the joint was mentioned in the Hollywood classic The Great Escape as a dream destination after the war. It had lost its luster by the time it was acquired in 2005 by Caprice Holdings?owners of Le Caprice, the Ivy and J. Sheekey?and then closed for a multimillion-dollar renovation...
...Both born in 1927, Martini and Ratzinger were already acclaimed Catholic scholars when Pope John Paul II promoted them to two of the top spots in the Church hierarchy: Martini to Milan in 1979 as Archbishop of Europe's largest diocese, and Ratzinger to Rome in 1981 as head of the Vatican's doctrinal office. Over the years, the two soft-spoken Cardinals became seen as intellectual and institutional titans, practically alter egos, and the undeclared leaders of opposing theological camps battling for the soul of the Church. Like Ratzinger's backers, Martini fans once hoped their man might succeed...
...Father Keith Pecklers, a Rome-based Jesuit professor of liturgy, says the gray-haired Cardinal continues to embody the religious order's approach. "Martini exhibits the best Jesuit qualities of unwavering loyalty to the church, and courageous leadership in reading the signs of the times and addressing contemporary issues with credibility," says Pecklers. "Most bishops retire into the shade. But Martini is as present as ever, and still a real prophetic voice within the Church hierarchy." His active role is even more notable in light of Martini's suffering - as John Paul did - from Parkinson's disease...
...Church traditionalists, Martini remains a bete noire of liberal leadership. One conservative website described his recent remarks about an Italian euthanasia case as "another subversive blow." L'Espresso's veteran Vatican correspondent Sandro Magister, a supporter of the Pope's clear doctrinal lines, acknowledged Martini's continued weight. His dissent on moral issues, Magister wrote, "pits the highest leaders of the worldwide Church against each other with conflicting positions...
...Having now turned 80, Martini is no longer eligible to vote in future conclaves. As for the now-Pope Benedict, his 80th birthday arrives in April. For the occasion, one wonders whether the pontiff would prefer from Martini another lively intellectual debate, or perhaps a permanent return to his bible studies in Jerusalem...