I plan to afflict friends and relatives at Thanksgiving with the following riddle:

If Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire,
what did Chicken Caesar rule?
.
.
.
.
The Romaine Empire.

Oh, how I miss "my salad days,
when I was green in judgment."
(from Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra).

Enough from this turkey.

(rimshot)
Zhou De-Ming | 11.24.04 - 3:38 pm | #

Oops. Speaking of turkeys,
the comment above was meant to be under Sean's riddle about sour and tart.
Zhou De-Ming | 11.24.04 - 3:38 pm | #

Didn't realise there were only 150,000 Catholics in Sweden. I assume most of the Christian population is Lutheran.
Don(Kiwi) | 11.24.04 - 4:25 pm | #

FYI, Bp. Arborelius is the first ethnic Swede to be a bishop in Sweden since the Reformation. His modern predecessors were all missionaries.
Hunk Hondo | 11.24.04 - 4:36 pm | #

The Church in Sweden is alive and growing, even if at a slow rate. I believe that I heard that there are more Catholics in Church on Sunday than Lutherans (about 90% of the population). Sweden also has militant and committed anti-religious atheists who are passionate to talk people out of religious commitment. Even so, they don't have quite the avant-garde standing they used to. There is a spiritual vacuum in Sweden and people are uneasy about it. They spend a great deal of time congratulating themselves and complimenting their society on how much better off everybody is to be rid of Christianity, and especially the Catholic Church.

The irony is that the first buildings at the site of Stockholm were a Catholic Church and monastery that dominated the landscape from a small hill. There's gratitude for you. Found a society and culture and get vilified for the trouble.

Oh well, it was illegal to be a Catholic in Sweden until the late 1800s, and now Catholics are merely a curious, slightly increasing minority. That actually does represent progress from the long-term view. A steadfast and confident Church that is not ashamed to proclaim the Gospel in its fullness will definitely grow in Sweden as people seek a way out of the dispirited, joyless muddle they have made of their lives and society.
Glenn Juday | 11.25.04 - 12:58 am | #

Illegal? I never knew that.
Elinor | Homepage | 11.25.04 - 9:49 am | #

There's a sad story in the current TOUCHSTONE by an orthodox Lutheran pastor who's seen his church dribble away its core doctrines and embrace the gay agenda. Religion is merely a cultural curiosity for the great majority of Swedes as I suspect it soon will be for the great majority of Italians and Spainards.
Sandra Miesel | 11.26.04 - 1:54 pm | #

I didn't know it was illegal. But I have read that the Jesuits were barred from ministry in Sweden.
Milagros Morales | 11.26.04 - 5:59 pm | #