20,000 leagues under the Summa

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Sep 28, 2005

Yesterday was the World Day of Tourism. And you were just sitting at home? Shame on you!

Still, if you were reading a good book-- say, something by Jules Verne-- then all is not lost. Because as the theme for the World Day of Tourism (how come everything has to have a theme these days?), the World Tourism Organization chose: "Travel and Transportation: from the Imaginary World of Jules Verne to the Reality of the 21st Century."

And sure enough, rising to the bait, Cardinal Angelo Sodano released a message in honor of the occasion. It starts off like a book report:

Jules Verne was a man of letters, a traveler and a writer with a lively imagination. In his writings he intelligently combined fantasy and the scientific knowledge of his time.

Then, if you're still awake, you read this gem:

At the end of the 19th century, in his incredible journey, Jules Verne crossed the limits imposed by the dominant culture of his time and its vision of the European West as the be-all and end-all.

Jules Verne: a multi-culturalist before his time. Wow.

This message was delivered "in the Pope's name."

We've come a long way, haven't we, from St. Peter's address at Pentecost?

Come to think of it, what was the theme of Pentecost, anyway?