The Pope Checks His Watch

Rome — People have fairly widely noticed the new pope kissing babies, stopping for the disabled, and giving a thumbs-up. Did you notice, too, that he checked his watch as he was processing out of St. Peter’s for Mass on Tuesday? The message I took from it was: Respect people’s time. The solemnity, the pomp and circumstance, is important, but people have been lined up all morning — yes, to see the pope, and he did what he could, starting early, to make sure as many people as possible might get to greet him (albeit often behind Ipad screens … ahem) before Mass — to pray the Mass with the Holy Father. Let that be the heart of the matter. Let’s get moving.