As of 0530 this morning, (edt) the Papal Conclave had voted three times and three times failed to come to a 2/3 majority on any one man. That means we don’t have a pope yet. Three times, black smoke came out of the chimney at the Vatican. But the cardinals appear to be taking votes in what for them is rapid succession, so things are moving along quickly. A CNA/EWTN article describing this says in part: Vatican City, Mar 13,... Read more
Black smoke rose from the newly-installed chimney at the Vatican today signaling that a vote had occurred but the 2/3 majority had not been reached for any candidate. We do not have a pope yet. But the College of Cardinals has voted. Hopefully, it won’t be long. A New York Times story describing this says in part: VATICAN CITY — The cardinals of the Catholic Church held their first ballot on Tuesday to elect a pope, with black smoke... Read more
“Habemus Papam!” It won’t be long before we hear those words. When we do, and our new pope is presented to us, we can know that he has taken time to be with the Lord before walking out on that balcony. One change from previous elections is that our new pope will be given time for prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament before he is presented to the public. I think this is a wonderful change in procedure. Time... Read more
I found this fascinating video of the announcement that Karol Wojtyla was the new pope: Pope John Paul II. It is beautiful to watch and hear the astonishment of the reporters. They didn’t know then what we know now: That John Paul II was going to be one of the greatest popes, a man for the times. I pray that God will send us another great man, one for these times, to be our Holy Father. Read more
To join in the conversation about The World is Not Ours to Save: Finding the Freedom to Do Good, or to find a link to buy a copy, go here. We are the clay. God is the potter. We are the created. God is the creator. Our dominion over this Earth is ours by designation, not because we made it or because we can keep it. We have dominion over the Earth because God assigned it to us as a trust.... Read more
I am going to be busier than anyone who has not been an elected official can imagine this next week. I’m talking about long days that run into night of hearing bills counter-balanced with arguments, fights, anger, jostling, jangling over-stimulation that does not stop. What that means to the readers of this blog is that I won’t be able to respond to you as quickly as some of you would like. I may very well get snappy in some of... Read more
The Vatican has released a detailed schedule for the Papal Conclave which begins tomorrow. The earliest we could have a new pope would be Tuesday evening, around 7 pm. According to everything I’ve read, this is unlikely. If the press has the story straight, there are no frontrunners. Based on what little I know about these things, it sounds like it will take more than one ballot to elect the next pope. A CNA/EWTN article describing the Conclave schedule is... Read more
The Vatican is locking down for the big vote. That raises the question: How do you keep a secret when more than a hundred people are in on it? The answer is that you drive them to and from their meetings on a bus, lock them in, install jamming devices guaranteed to turn iPhones into clocks and iPads into pads. Then, to top it off, promise excommunication to anyone — from those at the top to those who clean the... Read more
Star quality. Some folk got it. Some folk don’t. You know what I mean. You see them on screen or in a photo and your eyes immediately fix on them. They aren’t always the best looking or the most glib or even the prettiest. But they’ve got that shine that makes people look and then want to look again. Priests, bishops, cardinals and even popes are not normally rated or valued for their star quality. It isn’t an attribute that goes... Read more
How would the repeal of DOMA and the legalization affect military chaplains? When you consider this president’s previous attacks on religious freedom, that is a sobering question. This video from the Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance discusses these questions. Read more
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