Friday, 30 October 2020

Eight bad churches... and two very bad cardinals

We're reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup of Ugly Churches - where "ugly" can be interpreted loosely as "I wish I hadn't seen this picture." Here is the draw for the knockout stages, and this post will be updated to record how things go (we start the Twitter vote on Monday).

1. Newman Hall, Holy Spirit, Berkeley (USA) v Maria, Koenigin des Friedens, Velbert-Neviges (Germany)

ugly church
ugly church

Torture chamber meets demolition site.

2. Kappal Matha Church, Tirunelveli (India) v Parroquia Santa Monica, Rivas-Vaciamadrid (Spain)

ugly church
ugly church

Aeroplane meets gun battery.

3. St Francis de Sales, Norton Shores, Michigan (USA) v Rosa Aufblasbare Kirche, Vreden (GER)

ugly church
ugly church

Sauron's castle meets bouncy castle.

4. Eglise Sainte Bernadette du Banlay (France) v Our Lady of the Rosary of the Philippines, Madrid (Spain)

ugly church
ugly church

Hippopotamus meets carpark.

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS

Newman Hall, Holy Spirit, Berkeley 54.2 - Maria, Koenigin des Friedens, Velbert-Neviges 45.8

Kappal Matha Church, Tirunelveli 44.3 - Parroquia Santa Monica, Rivas-Vaciamadrid 55.7

St Francis de Sales, Norton Shores, Michigan 63.8 - Rosa Aufblasbare Kirche, Vreden 36.2

Eglise Sainte Bernadette du Banlay 78.9 - Our Lady of the Rosary of the Philippines, Madrid 21.1

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS

Newman Hall, Holy Spirit, Berkeley 35.4 - St Francis de Sales, Norton Shores, Michigan 64.6

Parroquia Santa Monica, Rivas-Vaciamadrid 27.5 - Eglise Sainte Bernadette du Banlay 72.5

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

Newman Hall, Holy Spirit, Berkeley 70.7 - Parroquia Santa Monica, Rivas-Vaciamadrid 29.3

FINAL

St Francis de Sales, Norton Shores, Michigan 50.8 - Eglise Sainte Bernadette du Banlay 49.2

Meanwhile, here are some other things to think about: Cardinal Marx (officially the world's 2nd worst cardinal), rejects a beautiful altar in favour of a piece of junk.

Cardinal Marx

Your Eminence, we did advise you not to sit on it.

And someone who will surely be a strong contender in the 2021 World Cup of Bad Cardinals, Uncle Wilt, or Wilton Gregory, who seems to have been given a red hat because he hates Donald Trump even more than Pope Francis does.

McCarrick and Gregory

Uncle Ted and his protegé.

Anyone seen that McCarrick report yet?
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9 comments:

  1. NE730 October 2020 at 19:01

    Newman Hall, Unholy Spirit, Berkeley

    ReplyDelete
  2. JabbaPapa30 October 2020 at 19:16

    St Francis de Sales, Norton Shores looks more like the Ministry of Love, in Big Brother's Airstrip One.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pelerin30 October 2020 at 19:44

    The sad thing about the beautiful altars luckily still remaining in churches on the Continent, is that when you kneel down to pray all you can see is the modern replacement 'butchers' block' or 'ironing board.' You end up either craning your neck sideways or standing up to pray. To have that monstrosity shown (presumably in Germany?) replacing the divinely inspired work of art behind was surely a sin in itself? And yes I did laugh out loud at your caption!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pelerin30 October 2020 at 19:47

    PS Did anyone else spot the stocks?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mus Romanus31 October 2020 at 15:28

    To my mouse-mind the Germans win hands down: first prize to the bunker. (That one could be the torture-chamber - or a fortification in the Berlin - or the Atlantic - Wall.)
    Second prize to the pink candy offering.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chestertoniann31 October 2020 at 20:51

    Eccles, don't you know that you have to be really, really, REALLY clever to appreciate modern art?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lady Jane Perdue31 October 2020 at 22:13

    Lord, all praise and glory thine
    Inspire architects’ design
    Of churches beauteous sublime
    To lift the longing heart and mind
    In worship of Thy Love Divine.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Susan Matthiesen1 November 2020 at 14:13

    It looks like a creepy face rising up out of the marble floor.

    ReplyDelete