I posted this. It was an Internet sensation. Everyone I’d ever met “liked” it. Within minutes, 78 people had shared it. And then I saw this. This photo of Pope Benedict (in papal white) and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (in black) was taken at the Vatican on January 13, 2007. I pulled my first photo off the web, before it further cluttered the cloud with its particular brand of clerical nonreality. When it’s possible to remove ex-girlfriends from photos, photobomb... Read more
Who Received Pope Francis’ Second Blessing? A Pregnant Woman and Her Unborn Child On Wednesday evening, in his first Urbi et Orbi message, Pope Francis offered his first papal blessing to all those gathered beneath his window in St. Peter’s Square, as well as to those who watched on television or listened on the radio or the Internet. And this morning, he slipped out of the Vatican to pray before the Blessed Virgin in the Basilica of St. Mary Major;... Read more
You remember the song “What If God Was One of Us?” It was released by Joan Osborne, and it became the theme song for television series “Joan of Arcadia.” I couldn’t help but think of it when I saw this. Just a stranger on the bus Trying to make his way home He’s trying to make his way home Back up to heaven all alone Nobody calling on the phone Except for the Pope maybe in Rome Read more
Well, tell me: You weren’t expecting this, were you?! Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was not on anyone’s short list of papabile—at least not on any lists that I read in the last two weeks. Perhaps he would have been, had we insular North American Catholics known anything about him. But from the moment he asked for our prayer before he blessed us, then bowed to accept our tender offerings, I loved him. As I’ve read more and heard more today,... Read more
The White House will announce today that Melissa Rogers, former general counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, has been named the director of the administration’s faith-based office. In a statement released this morning, the Baptist Joint Committee reports that Rogers will lead the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, an office first opened by President George W. Bush in 2001 and continued under President Barack Obama. WHO IS MELISSA ROGERS? Rogers is director of the... Read more
It’s white! No, it’s grey! No, it’s black! We are a world of smoke-watchers today, checking the news for a sign that the Cardinal electors have finished their work and have elected the next Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. The New York Times, quoting Vatican sources on their Science page, explains: Both recipes are fairly standard pyrotechnical formulas. The white smoke, used to announce the election of a new pope, combines potassium chlorate, milk sugar (which serves as... Read more
When finally the white smoke wafts from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican-watchers the world over will expect to see the new Pope emerging to wave to the crowd from the central balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Unlike in past papal elections, though, the faithful gathered to catch a glimpse of the new Pope will have to wait about 50 minutes from the time they first see the white smoke, until Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran announces “Habemus Papam” (We have a... Read more
After enjoying lunch in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Cardinals returned to the Apostolic Palace. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the assembly, making the sign of the Cross, pronounced: “May the Lord, who guides our hearts in the love and patience of Christ, be with you all.” After this brief prayer, he invited those gathered to begin the procession towards the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave would be held, saying: “Venerable Brothers, after having celebrated the divine mystery, we... Read more
George Herbert (1593 – 1633) was a Welsh poet, orator and Anglican priest. He was wealthy, artistic and talented, and enjoyed prominence at Cambridge University and, later, in the British Parliament. Herbert had long been attracted to the priesthood, though; and in his late 30s he refocused his attention on God and was ordained in the Church of England. He served a rural parish in Wiltshire, southwest of London, in 1630. During his brief ministry, he wrote unique and deeply... Read more
Tomorrow’s the big day: At 10:00 a.m. Rome time (yep, that’s 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time!), the Cardinals will gather in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff (Mass Pro Eligendo). The principal celebrant will be His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals. If you are a morning person with the unadulterated will to rise at that hour, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see all of the Cardinals in... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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