Quest

John Ashman

Of Gods and Men (2010, in Arabic and French with English subtitles)

On the night of 26-27 March 1996, seven Trappist monks from the monastery at Tibhirine in Algeria were kidnapped by Islamist militants during the Algerian Civil War. Two months later, on 23 May, their kidnappers reported in a communiqué that the monks had been killed on 21 May. On 31 May the Algerian government announced that the monks’ heads had been discovered but their bodies were never found. Ever since, controversy has raged about the kidnappings and killings. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) claimed responsibility for both, but the then French Military Attaché reported that the monks had been accidentally killed by an Algerian army helicopter during an attack on a guerrilla position, then beheaded after their death to make it appear as though the GIA had killed them. It has also been claimed by conspiracy theorists that the GIA cell responsible had been infiltrated by the Algerian secret service.

Whatever the truth behind this appalling tragedy, what lies at the heart of this film is the rhythm and witness of this contemplative community in an Islamic country, 34 years after independence from France, in the increasingly tense final months before the murders. The names of the monks are real and, while the screenplay draws on documents, including the journal of the prior, Christian de Chergé, the characterisations of necessity are fictional.

Having spent a few weeks ten years ago living with a community of Trappist monks, I can say that the film captures with astonishing accuracy the austerity of their way of life. At times I felt that I was watching a documentary. Overall there was a serenity permeating this film arising from the community’s prayer life and its closeness to the villagers among whom they live and for whom they provide an outpatients’ clinic. And yet, paradoxically, this serenity is mixed with an underlying tension; we, the audience, know how this is going to end. Read more…

John Ashman

As from September 2011, Catholics in England and Wales will be given the opportunity to savour the words of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. The translators of this third edition of the missal had very clear instructions from Rome. They were to produce a translation that is more faithful to the Latin.

Right at the outset this reviewer must come clean and admit to being one of tens of thousands who put their names to a Facebook page calling on Rome to wait and take account of criticisms of the translation before authorising the missal for use. Needless to say, those views were ignored. Wikispooks carries a 29 page document listing the mistranslations, poor grammar, bad punctuation, etc that is about to be inflicted upon the English-speaking world. As usual, it is a case of ‘Rome knows best’ or, in the words of a joke going the rounds, Q: What is the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist? A: You can negotiate with a terrorist.

What is the purpose of this DVD? The Become One Body One Spirit in Christ website says it is ‘an interactive DVD, for use on computers, exploring the depth, richness, and layers of meaning of the liturgical texts of the Roman Missal. Five commissioned foundational essays provide the themes and pathways of this resource which uses video, text, graphics and music to help the user enrich their understanding and deepen their appreciation of the Eucharist.’ Read more…