Dear Blog Readers–
So many of you responded to my post on the Pope’s resignation with questions that I hate to disappoint you all with my lack of information. Working for AP Television I charge headlong into the day doing interview after interview, priests, cardinals, tourists, Vatican analysts and there is no time for deep thought and reflection. I will try in this post to give you a re-cap of the week from what happened at the Vatican, to what happened at AP Television, to what happened to me. I also want to give you some answers, however vague, to some of your questions.
As I said in my last post “The Pope Resigns“, on Monday the Pope resigned, the first to do so in nearly 600 years. He dropped his bombshell, speaking in Latin and in a monotone voice, at the end of an unimportant ceremony. Giovanna Chirri, the Vatican correspondent for the Italian news agency ANSA, was the only journalist who understood immediately what he was saying in Latin and got the scoop of a lifetime by sending out her story immediately. Brava Giovanna!!
Here is what the Pope said in Latin:
“I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry…. in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque (ship) of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked…”
That comment sent me running and I have been in constant motion all week trying to cover this story and figure it all out. Apparently few people inside the Vatican knew about Benedict’s decision, the Vatican is clearly unprepared to cope with such an unprecedented event and seems to be lurching forward trying to figure out how to handle important decisions about the future.
The only person who seems serene and in control is Pope Benedict XVI. Clearly he has planned this all carefully in his own mind.
On Wednesday the Pope presided over Ash Wednesday Mass and in a dramatic homily he pointed a finger at some back-stabbing within the Catholic church saying, “This prayer makes us reflect on the importance of the witness of faith… to reveal the face of the Church as well as how this face, at times is disfigured. I’m thinking in particular of the blows to Church unity and the divisions in the ecclesial body. Living Lent in a more intense and evident ecclesial communion, overcoming selfishness and rivalries…. ”
When he was speaking about selfishness and rivalries, he was clearly expressing his frustration over the battles with the church hierarchy over the past year leading to the Vatileaks crisis which I have written about extensively on the blog. See “The Pope’s Butler Did It“, “The Butler Takes The Stand“, and “Report of Plot to Kill the Pope.”
And perhaps I am interpreting incorrectly but I believe he could have been referring to the widespread pedophilia within the church when he spoke about its face being “disfigured.”
On Thursday, in a meeting with the Roman Clergy, the Pope made a lengthy off-the-cuff speech giving his personal recollections about the Second Vatican Council. He spoke for over an hour providing great detail of an event that happened 50 years ago convincing his audience that he may be frail in body but clearly not in mind.
At this meeting, he told the clergy he will live inside the Vatican “hidden from the world.”
Over the course of the week, the Pope’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi was holding daily press briefings. He was bombarded by questions from journalists from all over the world and asked to respond in Italian, English, and French. Given that the situation is so opaque he did his best to explain what will happen next but had difficulty answering many questions that are still unresolved.
For starters, as I noted in my last post, the Pope will be moving into a monastery within the Vatican walls. It looks like only one Vatican journalist had actually done any reporting on the Master Ecclesiae monastery. Below is what Cyndy Wooden of Catholic News Service reported on the monastery.
From Cyndy Wooden of Catholic News Service
“The monastery — a building of about 4,300 square feet — had 12 monastic cells and a chapel. The complex, mostly hidden from view by a high fence and hedges, includes a vegetable garden. It occupies about 8,600 square feet on a hill to the west of the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Over the past 19 years, different orders of cloistered nuns have spent fixed terms of three-five years in the monastery. The first community was Poor Clares, then Carmelites, Benedictines and, most recently, Visitandine nuns. The Visitandine community left in November, and by early December the Vatican press office had told Catholic News Service that the monastery would be remodeled before anyone else moved in.
While contemplative nuns generally enter a monastery with the intention of remaining at that convent for life, Blessed John Paul set up a rotation system for the Vatican monastery to honor and highlight the variety of women’s religious orders dedicated totally to prayer and manual labor.
The rules of the Mater Ecclesiae convent specified that the aim of the community living there is “the ministry of prayer, adoration, praise and reparation” in silence and solitude “to support the Holy Father in his daily care for the whole church.”
An article in the Vatican newspaper announcing the foundation of the monastery in 1994 said, “The presence of a community completely dedicated to contemplation in a strict papal cloister near the See of Peter is an exemplary indication that contemplative life represents a richness and a treasure which the church does not intend to renounce.”
A small core of the current building began its life as the gardener’s house and included some ruins of a medieval tower that may have been part of the Vatican walls at the turn of the 13th century.”
So, to make a long story short, Pope Benedict XVI will be taking over a building that John Paul II set up to be dedicated to cloistered nuns. In other words, to house the X Pope, the nuns will no longer be able to stay inside the Vatican. Interestingly, I spoke to Robert Moynihan, Editor of “Inside the Vatican” yesterday and he pointed out that there are certain men within the church who understand women and get a long with women and others who do not. He said it often depends on whether they grew up with sisters, went to schools with girls or worked in places where they had interaction with women. John Paul II was known for being comfortable with women and having easy interactions with women. To the contrary, Benedict XVI is clearly much less comfortable with women and has shown a certain insensitivity in dealing with women in the church.
My friend and colleague Barbie Nadeau of “The Daily Beast” wrote a good article this week on Benedict’s tensions with American Nuns, “American Nuns Hope for Sister-Friendly New Pope.”
Now the whole business of the Pope living in the monastery inside the Vatican raised a lot of questions this week. I interviewed Portugese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins who said to me quite clearly that he and others believe that the retired Pope should go a bit further away to avoid any interference in the job of the new Pope. He said perhaps a monastery in Germany.
I asked the Pope’s spokesman about this in his daily briefing and he said,
“I think that the successor and also the Cardinals will be very happy to have very near a person that best of all can understand what the spiritual meaning of the church is, the spiritual need of the service of the successor of St. Peter. And then he is present, he is near, discreet and he prays and sustains with his presence, spiritual presence the service of his successor the the Roman curia and of the church.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the new Pope will be happy to have the former Pope living within the Vatican walls and whether he thinks the X Pope is discreet.
The other issue that came up is the future of the Pope’s personal secretary Monsignor Georg Ganswein (see my post on him “The Vatican Heart-Throb“)
On January 6th, the Pope promoted Mons. Georg, to Prefect of the Pontifical Household, a powerful role inside the Vatican. This week the Pope’s spokesman announced that Mons. Georg would be continuing to live with the former Pope in the monastery while keeping his job in the Vatican under the new Pope. Immediately we all were wondering how the former Pope could not interfere in the business of the new Pope if he is living with a powerful Vatican official.
I searched out John Thavis, one of the best Vatican analysts around who has just come out with a new book “The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church” to get his view on the whole Mons. Georg question. This is what John had to say:
“Well, I think this dual role really raises some potential problems, Archbishop Georg is, in effect, going to be the right hand man to the former Pope and to the new Pope. And here we have Pope Benedict who is going to live in supposed isolation and yet he is going to be connected daily to the new pontificate through this intermediary. You know it is hard to imagine that Archbishop Georg would not be carrying some kind of information, reflections, opinions from one man to the other.”
John suggested that this decision to have Mons. Georg play a dual role may give an idea of how befuddled things are inside the Vatican right now.
“It also raises questions about the way this whole transition is being handled I think, and how much advanced planning went into it. It really seems to be a work in progress going one confusing step at a time. Pope Benedict may have a clear idea of where this is all going and how it is going to work, but I think a lot of people here at the Roman Curia do not.”
After the questions about the monastery and Archbishop Georg, there were a whole long series of questions this week about what will happen once the Pope leaves.
The Pope will leave on February 28th. His resignation will take effect at 8pm but he will fly off to Castel Gandolfo in a helicopter at 5pm. (When this was announced I had a vague recollection of watching Richard Nixon leave the White House in a helicopter after his resignation). Helicopter departures are so powerful visually and I want to make sure AP Television has a good shot of the helicopter hovering over the Vatican and turning and heading off towards Castel Gandolfo. I once stood on a balcony at the Vatican watching a helicopter carrying John Paul II from Castel Gandolfo into the Vatican for his weekly audience. Ah, times have changed. (see my blog Post “Watch Your Tongue, Hands and Eyes“)
Once he leaves, the X Pope’s papal ring will be destroyed and he will no longer be allowed to wear the white papal clothing. He will be required to return to Cardinal clothing. There has been a lot of discussion this week about how he will be called. Technically he goes back to being Joseph Ratzinger, but the Pope’s spokesman acknowledged this week that for many people he will remain Benedict XVI. The Vatican has still not decided on what his official title will be but many are suggesting “Bishop Emeritus of Rome.” I am thinking X Pope might be good.
Next week the Vatican is holding its spiritual exercises for a week so the Pope will not have any public events between tomorrow’s Angelus — his 20 minute appearance at his window above St. Peter’s Square –and February 23 when he will meet with the Italian President to say his farewell. His last Papal audience will be in St. Peter’s Square on February 27th.
The Conclave is set to begin mid-March and this week I will dedicate myself to chasing interviews and video of the “papabili” — Cardinals considered possible Pope candidates. Yesterday, I was doing an interview at the edge of St. Peter’s Square when my cameraman Gianfranco Stara whispered, “Cardinal coming, cardinal coming”. I stopped the interview and turned to see the elegant Cardinal Franc Rode of Slovenia walking across the cobblestones his scarlet skull skull cap flashing in the sun. We rushed over to get his comment on the situation and with a twinkle in his blue eyes he said,”The surprise of his resignation was so huge, that no one was thinking about a future Conclave. In this moment we are not prepared. We have not been able to make predictions, strategies, plans, candidates. It is too early, but we will get there — in two or three weeks things will be put in place.”
This is the second time I have been through the period leading up to the Conclave and while it is an adrenalin high for journalists, it is more so for Cardinals. They love this stuff. It’s the moment of glory for the “Princes of the Church” and they love it.
My next few posts will talk about both the Papabili candidates (and I will reveal who is my long-shot favorite), and how a Conclave works with all its pomp and tradition.
And now just a few words about AP Television operations and about me.
Upon hearing the news AP parachuted in journalists from all over the globe. At the top there is our rugged, calm, cool and capable Jerusalem Bureau Chief Chris Slaney who has covered major world events since the Iranian revolution, the glamorous Moscow Bureau Chief Caro Kriel, and the espresso guzzling Berlin Bureau Chief Tomislav Skaro. This group is working with my talented boss, Rome TV Bureau Chief Maria Grazia Murru to come up with a plan for AP Television to cover all possible events at the Vatican live. That is done through accessing Vatican TV lives, plus the use of our own LiveU equipment in and around St. Peter’s Square and in Rome. A LiveU looks like a heavy backpack that has the equivalent of 4 phone cards in it, and if we attach it to a camera in St. Peter’s Square, or in the Vatican press office, or a Cardinal’s press conference we can send out images live.
The bosses are also working out how we can have unified cross-format coverage so that AP can give clients the video images and interviews, the wire story, and photos of all the major moments and small events of the next month.
Then there were the camera crews and journalists who flew in from London (Ben Jary and Martin Benedyk), Sarajevo (Amer Cohadzic, Eldar Emric) and from Pristina Kosovo (Suki and Zeka). They boosted the team we have here in Rome: Gianfranco Stara, Paolo Santalucia, Paolo Lucariello, Pietro De Cristofaro, Gigi Navarra, Annalisa Camilli, Giulia Saudelli, Fulvio Paolocci, Francesco Sportelli and many others.
We need a lot of people physically to keep a constant presence in and around the Vatican. I am one of those foot-soldiers in the AP army running around getting information and interviewing individuals in this story.
And finally a brief comment on me, the AP foot soldier, Mozzarella Mamma. I am a news hound and I love this stuff. This week I have been running on an adrenalin high but I will probably come smashing down to earth fairly shortly. I have been covering the Vatican since 1994, and I have acquired a series of useful contacts who are key in moments like this. Now I am not one of those big-shot, super-star Vatican experts, and I am not talking about inside sources like powerful bishops and cardinals, I am talking about people like Franco Fegatelli who will handle the accreditation for who gets in to film the Sistine Chapel on the day before the Conclave. I have his cell phone number. The Pope’s spokesman recognizes me and knows my name and I have his cell phone number and email. I have priests who are friends and willing to share with me their thoughts and opinions and I have their cell phone numbers and emails. Small stuff but it helps and gives me some satisfaction that I can get useful information and access for the AP.
As any mother will know, it is always a crazed balancing act — running away from the Vatican to scan my sons transcripts for his University applications, realizing there is no milk at home for breakfast, arriving home to cook dinner, clean up, help with homework, read a book out loud, and play a game of cards. Rather inconveniently, my husband had a work trip to Siberia this week. (I am not kidding). All this leaves me feeling frazzled. Late yesterday afternoon , a former intern in the AP television office told me that he has seen a video that somebody had put of me on Youtube saying I was “bella e elegante”. I had to resist the urge to hunt for it and show it to the whole office. But as soon as I got home, I quickly opened my computer and found it. Ah, what satisfaction. It was a clip from RAI News 24 when I was doing political commentary last fall on the US elections. I called my three kids– but surprise, surprise, they weren’t interested, here is what they said:
Nico: Mom, can you give me your credit card, I need to download some music from itunes of this cool new band and it only cost 6 euros and I will give you the cash if you just give me your credit card.
Caterina: Mom, I’m hungry, when are you going to make dinner?
Chiara: Mom, come help me with Ruzzle, I need to find more words.
So, since no one else is paying attention, if any blog readers managed to get all the way to the bottom of this long post, I will share it will all of you.
Youtube video of Trisha Thomas
More coming soon on the X POPE.
So interesting Trisha – thanks! And I got to the end by the way, and highly appreciated the Rai clip.
Thank you Rose. I really should not have put in the RAI clip, it was quite egotistical of me. I was just feeling so old and frazzled, and worn out, I wanted to show everyone that I have not always been that way. But you worked in my office for three months, so you know that frazzled and not “bella e elegante” tends to be my general state.
Trisha – thanks for the backstory here – maybe not so much new to you, but to those of us without much knowledge of who are the key players and the physical layout of the Vatican (who knew about those nuns?) it was very informative. Most appreciated, given the craziness you are going through right now. As a former wire service reporter,I have to say I am reading with a little envy about your being in the midst of this big news story (how cool was that to have been the Ansa reporter who spoke latin and understood the pope’s message immediately!). As fun as it can be though, to be covering a huge story, I know the exhaustion too, and am surprised and grateful you found the time to write this. And father Georg? It sure seems like a conflict of interest to me to have him working for both the new pope and the ex-pope. Yes, this story has a lot of legs and we will all be reading and watching to see how it plays out. By the way, it was great watching the video and hearing you speak Italian. Brava, sei veramente una donna ” sexy.”
Glad you liked the post Linda. Yes, I imagine you can relate to the craziness as a former wire service reporter. It is such an incredible story about Giovanna Chirri of ANSA. I am always pooh-poohing the Italian schools putting so much emphasis on Latin, but in this case it really paid off. She said her legs were shaking and she was so scared as she sent the alert, but she knew that she had understood correctly. Hats off to her.
Bella e elegante – yes, indeed! What fun. I am so glad you included the video. It is a pleasure to watch you on camera and it affords me a fine opportunity to practice Italian.
I can’t begin to imagine how busy you are. Between cruising for Cardinals, writing Papa posts and keeping things going at home you must be “on” 24/7. Surely this is THE resignation of this century, and it must be exhilarating and challenging to be a witness to history.
I am finding this endlessly fascinating, and your posts are quite illuminating. Thanks for the update on Padre Georg. Inquiring minds want to know.
I have a procedural question. Who actually smashes the Papal ring and in whose presence is this accomplished? What is done with the remnants of broken ring?
Thanks again!
Adri — Good question and I will have to get back to you on that one. The Camerlengo (in this case Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone) and the Dean of Cardinals (in this case Cardinal Sodano) are responsible for sealing the papal apartments and destroying the ring. I have heard that the ring is smashed. In the past the ring was used as a Papal seal, so by smashing it, it could no longer be used. Someone the other day told me that it is actually melted down. The bottom line is that I do not have the answer to that one, but I will get back to you. A little aside while I am at it. The two men metioned above Cardinals Sodano (JPII’s Secretary of State) and Bertone (the current Secretary of State) reportedly dislike each other and have been the source of all the back-stabbing in the Vatican over the past year. Interesting that the two of them have to run the show now.
. . good insight Trisha – shall not get into commenting institution/individual at the heart of it! It does amaze me how you keep so many balls in the air at any given time, but then you are a woman W-O-M-A-N, I’ll say it agen(sic)!!
Thank you Alan — I actually don’t keep so many balls in the air, I have just learned to be really quick about picking them up when they fall to the ground and tossing them back up in the air. Survival technique.
I’m so glad you’ve written (and will continue to write) thoroughly about this. The popular news media really does nothing to extensively explain what’s going on in the Vatican and the Catholic news media aren’t that much better either!
As a Catholic youth, I have always highly regarded him and I have declared my unconditional support for him, going as far as Madrid for World Youth Day in 2011. However, I find it surprising (to the point of appalling, really) that Benedict would… how should I say this… evict cloistered nuns in order to have the house to himself within the Vatican walls. I suppose he must have his reasons, huh? Do you have any stipulation as to what will happen to World Youth Day in Rio this year? I’m guessing (and hoping) the new Pope will forge ahead with it.
In any case, thanks for writing :) and I’m looking forward to your next few posts!
Cheers!
Pauline–Great to read your comment. I covered the Pope’s trip to Madrid for World Youth Day and I must say it was a fantastic trip to cover– so many young people and such energy and enthusiasm. As far as the World Youth Day in Rio is concerned — the Pope’s spokesman said in the press briefing the other day that the new Pope will definitely go. Obviously, we will have to wait and see who the new Pope is and if he is up for the long distance travel, but the plan is for the Pope — whoever he is– to be there. By the way, I get the impression that the Italian Cardinals are going to be pushing for Cardinal Scola of Milan who is quite conservative, not particularly young (71) and similar in views to Benedict XVI. I think the Church needs a younger, fresher face from outside Italy. Anyway, I will be doing a papabili post soon.
Wonderful post! Thank you so much for all of it. And I had wondered about Padre Georg. Not surprised to hear they are leaving as a couple, since they came as a couple. And that life may be sequestered but will not shift the X Pope’s lifelong interests away from theological politics, ecclesiastical control and intrigue. If the new Pope is not European, this link may be both more necessary and much more difficult, as major style changes would occur and be resisted, I assume. And if the new Pope is European, the relationship could still be very difficult. But the Pope does seem frail, and if he is in fact ill and anticipating death, Georg may be there as his family to see him through to the end.
The comments from the writer who sees Ben 16 as uncomfortable around women seem true and insightful at the same time. In fact, Ben 16 seems womanish, especially next to Georg, and so a real factor will be what sort of man the next Pope is in that way, as well as theologically and politically. It makes me sad to hear that the nuns of the world are “hoping” for a Pope who is friendly to women, as it doesn’t secure anything permanent for them, and is based on the particular Pope’s personality rather than the women’s rights. I have always thought one of the great strengths of the Catholic church is its ability to be organized, and not merely emotional, as so many other churches are. The nuns need a better arrangement.
And in his final stroke, Ben 16 is wiping women from Vatican City, nuns from the enshrined center, and prayer from the hearts of more ordinary people in support of the Pope – it will now become the X Pope’s exclusive prerogative to do the praying for the Holy See.
I imagine there are lots more implications that will become clear in the next months. And that Ben 16 has thought about, and accomplished through this act of resignation on his own terms.
Thanks for being our eyes and ears –
Thank you Nancy for comments. You are so insightful, as usual. I am so close to it all right now, it is hard to step back and analyze what is happening and why.
PS, you are indeed bella in the YouTube video – and so coolly competent, running back and forth between English and Italian.
Your kids are, well, kids – life for them, is about them. Michelle Obama recently said it’s the best break her husband gets, because eating with them is entirely about them!
Sorry Gustavo is in Siberia. He was up close for the meteor – I hope not too close.
Yes, it is true. Kids will be kids. Teenagers will be teenagers in this case and it is all about them — which help keep me humble. They could honestly care less if Mamma can get an interview with a powerful Cardinal or not.
Gustavo is still in Siberia and I called our desk editor in London the other morning saying that I had to delay a Vatican report to add in an extra interview — he said “no worries, busy with other stories, there are meteorites falling on Siberia.” I was flabbergasted and immediately called Gustavo who had heard about it, but was not near it. He is in Krasnoyark. Siberia is a big place I guess.
Great post. I opened it as soon as it arrived. Interesting reporting . Like most things when seen from inside it is all much more complex than imagined and your accumulated contacts/sources give you a real opportunity to see things that outsider might not even suspect. The stuff about A.Bishop Georg is very intriguing. Not a sustainable arrangement.
Loved that U-Tube video you look teriffic and if I understood Italian I’d know you sounded even better than you looked.
And about Gustavo; was he the metiorite that blew up over Siberia yesterday?
Hey Dad — Glad you managed to read through to the end. I was afraid everyone would fall asleep before they got to the bottom. (Well I guess you are my Dad, so I can count on you). No, Gustavo was not caught in the Meteorite storm but it did occur to me too and I called him as soon as I heard about it. He is in Krasnoyark, Siberia (wherever that is). He has written about it on his blog yesterday in English if you are interested. http://www.gustavopiga.it
Thanks so much Trisha. I’ve been looking forward to your comments rather than relying on Australian news – who are predictably trumpeting that ‘our Cardinal Pell’ is an outside chance of gaining the papacy – yeah….right……but then I saw the totally gorgeous Padre Georg in the background on one of their newscasts. Your explanation of the potential conflict of interest in his new role was fascinating. However I’m somewhat ashamed to say that when I read he was joining the former pope in his secluded life, my first thought was ‘nooooo – what a waste!’
It’s fascinating to hear how the Vatican will deal with the intricacies of this situation – such as what to call the former pope. I guess you’ve heard all the jokes by now – including his new name is ‘Ex-Benedict’. Boy, did that one make me laugh. It is an unexplored area, though, and there is no manual for this situation. I’d love to be a fly on the wall.
I loved your youtube video. How long did it take you to become so fluent and confident with Italian? I am learning it right now and the grammar is exhausting as are the gendered nouns. You make it look so effortless!
And your kids….oh did that make me laugh. We have parallel conversations in this house. Nico and my son Jack say EXACTLY the same thing, just switch euros for dollars. On Friday night it was ‘Mum can you give me your credit card so I can buy a ticket for this music festival in Sydney, I’ll give you the cash if you give me your credit card’ and from the other corner Sam (aged 12 almost 13) was saying ‘Mum, what’s for dinner….I’m hungrrryyyyyy’ like he hasn’t eaten since 2004. And you know what dinner was? That instant tortelllini you chuck in a pot of boiling water and then add ready made sauce from a tub. It takes two minutes. Oh the shame – I wonder what Italians would think?
Thanks so much for the insider glimpse into these incredible times in Rome.
Kathy — You are always so supportive, it gives me an ego boost. As far as the Italian is concerned, my strategy is to just talk and make tons of mistakes and keep on going. It drives my husband nuts, but it works for me. Gendered nouns are such a pain in the neck and if one stops every time to think about it, well I would never get through a sentence. During the political commentary, my husband kept telling me to stop talking about the candidates programs calling them “la programma” — although programma ends in an “a” it is masculine, “il programma”. Well that makes no sense. I learned from my first day in Italy that the important thing was to make myself understood and not to sweat the little stuff. So– I may sound fluent, but I am full of errors. (But who cares!)
On the kids, it is so funny you are getting the same comments. I can’t stand this whole teenage on-line ordering credit card business “Mom, I need to order a water polo bathing suit from Spain, can I have your credit card?” Huh?
And I might live in Italy, but when it comes to feeding three hungry adolescents after a long day at work, there is no point in serving up perfect meals. My poor mother-in-law has a heart attack every time she hears that I serve frozen vegetables to my kids. God Forbid! For years she has been telling me that I should go to the fruit and vegetable stand every morning and get fresh fruit and vegetables. Maybe when I retire. She told my daughter that she should never drink orange juice out of a carton (“there are dangerous chemicals in there”) and that I should serve her fresh squeezed orange juice every morning. She even gave a juice squeezer to our household as a gift. My daughter still refuses to drink orange juice from a carton. So, no OJ for her unless she squeezes it herself. I admit the fresh-squeezed stuff is much better, but who has got the time?
I don’t think there will be anything fresh in my house until after we have a new Pope.
Good job! Keep it coming. You are tres elegante, yes! Just wish I understood.
Thank you! For you and anyone else who is wondering what I am saying in that clip it was during the Republican convention — the anchorwoman, who you don’t see, is asking about the convention starting late due to hurricane Isaac and what is going on. I am talking about some of the wealthy donors gathered at the convention and make a quick attempt to explain the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” Decision and Super Pacs. Then I say that there were some of the top donors to the Romney campaign there in Tampa, Florida hosting parties, and I ask their correspondent in the field to comment, then later I think they cut away from it but I was showing some statistics on an ipad from the Pew Research Center with a breakdown on which class groups in the US were supporting which candidate noting that Romney had more of the wealthy and Obama more of the middle class.
Interesting about all of it. My cousin, David Donovan,S.J. lived at the vatican for 5 years and was waited on by 5, no kidding, 5 nuns for all his food, cleaning, laundry etc. needs. When he returned to Boston his brothers gave him a basement apartment looking out one window at a brick wall. Just to even thing off. Watching you at Henry’s funeral, I would vote for top notch “bella e elegante”…and you can tell your children that they must compliment you even if they don’t mean it! At least every now and then.
Penny — Very interesting about your cousin. I would love to hear more about his experiences at the Vatican. Well the Pope has a group of Memores — who will be coming to live with him and Mons. Georg in the monastery. The Memores are four lay women who have made a vow of chastity, obedience and a life of simplicity and prayer. They will serve and care for the two men. (It’s not exactly a hot bed of feminism around the Vatican).
Trisha,
Very well done and I leaned a lot. Thanks for doing and I liked your part as well, to hear you speak so fluently in Italian is most impressive, you sure have grown up from the little girl I knew in Newton.
Thank you Sue! You are kind to me.
hey trisha, else sent us this, terrific communique! lattimores, lincoln
Glad you like it! More to come soon…
Glad you like it. More to come soon….
The whole story about all that is so popular now. In my opinion, If he decided to live a normal life, let him do this and enjoy his live till the end !! :)
I definitely don’t blame Pope Benedict XVI for wanting to lead a quieter life. He has had a busy, difficult 8 years as Pope and 85 is not young. He has always been a erudite, tranquil person and, as far as I can tell, he will probably be much happier spending his time quietly reading, writing and praying.
Hi Trisha
I enjoyed reading this – especially the part about the good people of APTN swinging into action.
Good to hear that Ms Murru is still calling the shots in rome! Please give her my best
Hope one day that our paths will cross again and we’ll be able to share a glass or two of vino.
Kevin
Hi Kevin — Ms. Murru and I could definitely use a good glass of vino these days!!
If the writer had done even a perfunctory search of the internet, she would have discovered that Benedict XVI is moving into the monastery with a group of consecrated women that he has been living with since the start of his pontificate. In addition to continuing to help the retired pope, they will him in prayer and reflection. The women belong to the group Memores Domini. This group is made up of professional men and women (doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, truck drivers) who take vows of poverty, chastity, and obediance just like orders of nuns, brothers, etc. Generally they live out in the world, but the pope wanted to have them present in the Vatican these past years. This is one of the more interesting and “modern” turns that Catholic vocational life has taken in the last twenty years. Rather than “kicking out” nuns for his own selfish purposes, the pope will be bringing with him a community of women who have deep professional and life experience. Apparently he finds their presence valuable and helpful for his own spirituality. If it does not interfere too much with your “the pope hates women” meme, perhaps you could look it up.
Dear Buster — gosh, you are a bit judgemental. Of course, I know about the Memores who have been serving the Pope throughout his Papacy and who will be moving into the new living arrangements at the Monastery with him. If you read through the comments and answers, you will see I have noted that there. But the Memores are not the groups of Cloistered nuns who have been using that Monastery. Those nuns were Carmelites, Benedictines and others. I don’t think that Pope Benedict XVI hates women and I never said that. I do think he does not have as easy a relationship with women as John Paul II did. And I think there is a big difference between four Memores serving the Pope and Archbishop Georg, and a group of cloistered nuns living a life dedicated to prayer in a monastery.