The Vatican is in a stupor

[Mark Mandel]

WAG: Possibly a loan-mistranslation/confusion based on something
cognate/similar to "stupefied" in the sense of 'amazed, dumbfounded'???
I.e., thinking "How can something like this have been allowed to happen?"

m a m

On Sat, Jun 26, 2010 at 11:07 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> Belgian police hold members of the Belgian Bishops' Conference for
> nine hours while searching for documents related to sex abuse cases,
> and drill into the tombs of two Cardinals, former Archbishops.  In a
> statement, " the Vatican said its secretary of state 'expressed great
> stupor at the way in which the seizures were conducted yesterday by
> Belgian authorities and indignation at the fact that two tombs were
> violated.' "  [NYTimes, June 26.]
>
> Did the Vatican mean "[in] A state of insensibility or lethargy"?  Or
> perhaps dementia, namely anergic stupor or delusional stupor? Or
> "Admiring wonder"?  Or "Stupidity, dullness of
> comprehension"?  [Editorial comment: perhaps "stupidity" for having
> tolerated what known abusers have perpetrated.]
>
> Well, perhaps "apathy or torpor of mind (now only, torpor or
> prostration of mind due to sorrow, painful surprise, or the
> like)"  But even this "prostration of mind due to ... painful
> surprise" is characterized as apathy, torpor (the latter being
> "Absence or suspension of motive power, activity, or feeling;
> {dag}inertia (obs.)" or "Intellectual or spiritual lethargy; apathy,
> listlessness; dullness; indifference".  [Editorial comment:  a
> revealing allusion to indifference?]
>
> Ultimately, it seems that being in a stupor and having indignation is
> an oxymoron.  Unless being held for nine hours put the bishops into a
> stupor and noisy drilling into the tombs awakened them to indignation.
>
> Joel
>
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>

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