Back in 1978, when Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II, a French journalist sent a message back to his office in Paris. “They haven’t elected a pope from Poland,” he wrote. “They have elected a pope from Galilee.” Thirty-five years later, I can’t help but think that history is repeating itself. At this moment, the words from Isaiah have even more resonance. “Thus says the Lord: See, I am doing something new!” We are seeing it with every passing... Read more
This is a pretty big deal, folks: The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I will attend Pope Francis’s inaugural Mass. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office informed AsiaNews about the decision, noting that this is the first time such an event occurs since the Catholic-Orthodox split in 1054, an important sign for Christian unity. The ecumenical patriarch will be accompanied by Ioannis Zizioulas, metropolitan of Pergamon and co-president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox... Read more
From Sister Mary Ann Walsh with the USCCB in Rome: Pope Francis’ style will make work harder for journalists. He ad libs or even rejects entirely speeches written for him. That means the Vatican cannot always distribute speeches ahead of time under embargo. Today in his meeting with the cardinals he ad libbed so much the Vatican had to do some hurry up work. The press office got the Italian text out a while after he delivered his address but... Read more
Remarkable: Apostolic Nunciature Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, March 14, 2013 Your Excellency, I have the honor and the satisfaction of turning to you to inform you that the Holy Father Francis has asked me to transmit to all Bishops, Priests, Religious men and women, and to all the People of God his cherished recognition for the prayers and the expressions of warmth, affection, and charity that he has received. At the same time, he would wish that, instead of going... Read more
Rocco has a few observations: Beyond scaling back the pomp surrounding his early morning stop at St Mary Major – where he spent a solid half hour in prayer before the protectress of Rome, the ancient image of the Salus Populi Romani – this morning’s La Repubblica reports that the new Pope wanted his retinue to ensure that the basilica would be kept open to the public during his visit. “I’m a pilgrim, and I just want to be one among the pilgrims” Papa Francesco... Read more
Details: Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has decided to allow girls to play football in Philadelphia’s Catholic Youth Organization league next season, rejecting the recommendation of a panel he directed to review the league’s policy banning them. That rule was subject to scrutiny this winter after Caroline Pla, 11, of Doylestown, was told by the archdiocese that she would not be allowed to play next fall. She played the 2011 and 2012 seasons due to an oversight. Caroline, who started an... Read more
An alert reader sent this my way. This was something that popped into my head during yesterday’s excitement, but quickly evaporated (like so many things in my head). From Curt Jester: St. Francis himself was a deacon and as the Catholic Encyclopedia says. So great, indeed, was Francis’s reverence for the priesthood, because of its relation to the Adorable Sacrament, that in his humility he never dared to aspire to that dignity. So we have a Pope named after a deacon.... Read more
Complete text, via the Vatican News site: In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing. Walking: the House of Jacob. “O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” This... Read more
Not sure who shot this, but evidently one of the cardinals on the bus yesterday made good use of his cell phone to snap the memorable occasion that Cardinal Dolan described yesterday. N.B. He didn’t even sit in the front row. Or take a window seat. Read more
That’s what a French journalist said in 1978, when Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II. The cardinals hadn’t elected a man from Poland, he wired back to his office. They’d picked one from Galilee. More and more, I am getting the same feeling about Pope Francis. From John Thavis: One of the first things a new pope hears is, “Holy Father, it’s always done this way.” In his first 24 hours in office, Pope Francis has already given indications... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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