Links: Papal prog-rock, Robert George smacks Bill Nye upside the head, and more

By Thomas V. Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Sep 28, 2015 | In Quick Hits

After a big weekend of commentary, it's now time to catch up on links.

Strangest news first: Pope Francis is releasing a music album. Well, that’s not the strange part—the strange part is the genre of music represented on the one track released so far. While the album, titled Wake Up!, will include a number of styles of music, combining recordings of the Pope’s speeches in multiple languages with sacred hymns, pop-rock and Gregorian chant, the newly premiered “Wake Up! Go! Go Forward!” sounds a lot like progressive rock. (If you don’t know what that means, think Yes, early Genesis, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, etc.)

This piece, along with some other parts of the album, was composed by members of 1966-founded Italian prog-rock band Le Orme. Rolling Stone compared the sound of the Pope’s epic new track to the Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, which is not a sentence I ever expected to write. The piece features an address Francis gave in English last year to South Korean youth, encouraging them to wake up and receive God's mercy.

The album is available for pre-order on iTunes and will be released on Nov. 27^th. Some of the proceeds will go to a fund for refugees.

Bill Nye, the supposed Science Guy, took to YouTube to bash pro-lifers and accuse them of scientific ignorance, while himself contradicting universally-held facts of embryology and developmental biology. In the National Review, Robert P. George and Patrick Lee show just how badly Nye, mighty possessor of a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, has embarrassed himself. This one is a must-read and a must-share.

An organization inspired by Mother Teresa to rescue orphans in India reached out to us to share their mission with our readers. If you're interested in learning about or participating in the great work they do, which includes the ongoing construction and upkeep of a girls' home in collaboration with Indian partners, take a look at Mission for Orphans.

Finally, I was extremely proud and inspired when two of my friends, singer-songwriter Marie Miller and guitarist Kenny Kohlhaas, performed on stage with Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Families in Philly. As Marie said in an interview with EWTN, she wanted to represent Virginia's music at the event, since the Holy Father probably doesn't hear a lot of bluegrass!