After four decades, the Vatican has absolved the Beatles, calling their
pop songs “ beautiful melodies “ ending years of acrimonious relationship between the famous British pop group who made musical history in the 1960s and the Catholic church, a report from the L’Observatore, the official newspaper of the Rome-based tiny city-state said.
The Vatican had called the iconic band as “satanic “ in reaction to John Lennon’s infamous declaration, in March 1966, that (they) are more popular than Jesus Christ. That statement triggered protests around the world calling them “blasphemous“ and the church branding them as satanic and evil.
April 13, amid worldwide news of church-sex scandal involving some of its members, the reconciliatory tone of the Vatican praising the Beatles was labelled as a “diversionary “tactic to ward off more criticisms and to many ]
a form of “Mea Culpa” that was long overdue .
The Beatles, originally from the port city of Liverpool, revolutionized pop music or rock and roll and were idolized as “musical genius “ .
Of the original four members also dubbed as the “Fab Four “, two are still active in the music scene, Sir Paul McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr.
John Lennon, the ideological and musical genius, was assassinated in 1980 in New York city by a crazed fan while George Harrison, lead guitarist succumbed to cancer in November 2001 in California.
********
SMELL THE ROSES, SAVOUR THE PANCIT: MY FIVE DAYS IN APRIL: On a personal note, this writer takes a breather from the usual mundane and temporal things. Once in every while, we must feed our
soul with spirituality. Like any normal human beings, journalists also feel a sense of joy, and pain , of compassion and love even amid adversities.
It was a sentimental, bittersweet Holy week that me and brother, Gus spent in Laland. Instead of the traditional Siete Palabra,” visita iglesia and passion readings “that we are used to witnessing and hearing in Toronto among Filipino-Canadians, we journeyed for an emotional reunion with a loved one whom we consider as one of our brothers and whom we have not seen for years.
And what a better way to observe lent by providing comfort for the sick, one of the corporal works of mercy.
In that five-day visit, we turned on the time machine rewinding to an era when we were young, restless, exuberant and daring.
And like any honest to goodness Filipinos, no gathering or reunion is complete without talk of or partaking of our favourite chibug…
And so we savoured the taste of the best pancit in town , initiated to the vaunted and much-ballyhooed Pancit Mike Bihon in the city of Eagle Rock, courtesy of Little Ongpin, a very popular Chinoy (as in Chinese –Pinoy) resto that has several branches in Los Angeles.
For in our clan, you are not a Soriano if you are not a pancit lover, whether it is pancit luglug of Tanza, Cavite, or the Pancit canton of Moderna of yore or the present Chicken chow mien of Aristocrat along Roxas boulevard in Malate, Manila .
The pancit was therefore one of his “wish food “as his days, are sadly numbered due to the ravages of a deadly disease that has now devoured parts of his body, but not his spirit and determination.
The pancit has passed our discriminatory taste unanimously thank God.
It was only as good as our favourite brew that washed the noodles down.
That alcoholic brew took us several decades back, circa 1960s as we recalled our greatness and foolishness; the antics and pranks we pulled in our mischievous youthfulness (which has always been a convenient alibi to justify our petty crookedness), the risks we took and the many conquests we made.
I’m reminded by the song of Mary Hopkins that was penned in 1969 by Gene Raskin which says :
“Those were the days my friend, we thought they never end, we sing and dance forever and a day.
We live the life we choose, we fight and never lose, for we were young and didn’t have a care“
Our friend, first cousin , dabarkads (we originally coined this now popular backward pronunciation of barkada in San Andres Bukid), partner in crime, dashing ladies man (oooops), great cook, great lover..to wife and only daughter of course….is Inocencio Soriano (born on St. Innocents day,Dec.28), we fondly call Nonong, Taning to close kin and friends. He is bravely warding off the effects of lung cancer. But hey, we don’t grieve for him, we celebrate, we offer a toast(as we did in that five-fun filled ,booze laden days) for his immortality…
He cannot die, no kidding , simply because the love for his Julie, only daughter Trina, son-in-law Dex and granddaughters of angels, Tracy and Kacy is undying. Similarly, his presence to those that he touched and have known will always live and will never fade.
In short, he will still smell the roses, savour the best pancit in town for as long as he wants to.
Until the Great Equalizer cancels his 62-years lease, or till he breathes his last, don’t count him out, there will be no knockouts, only a very close decision and that decision would be entirely his choice……
Salamat Nonong(Taning) for those five days in April !
*******30******
