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November 2013

November 14, 2013

Vatican Says No, Non Preoccuparti, They’re Not Worried: The Pope Is Safe

Earlier today, I reported on a story which appeared in the Catholic Herald, quoting Italian...

November 14, 2013

Is Pope Francis’s Life in Danger?

This from the Catholic Herald, the London-based Roman Catholic newspaper: Pope Francis has angered crime...

November 07, 2013

Pope Francis Gets a New Speechwriter

Pope Francis has said that we should "mess up the Church"--and there are those among...

November 05, 2013

That Survey for the World-Wide Church: Not Exactly…

Well, it seems there’s been a little confusion over this whole “synod survey” thing. First,...

October 2013

October 31, 2013

Pope Francis Celebrates Mass at the Tomb of Pope John Paul II

On Thursday mornings, a group of Polish worshippers gather in the St. Sebastian Chapel, just...

October 30, 2013

NSA Spied on Vatican, Pope Francis, Too? (UPDATED)

The National Security Agency didn’t only spy on Angela Merkel and on our own citizens. ...

October 27, 2013

As New U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Begins His Duties: A Sneak Peek Inside His Rome Embassy

Last week, on October 21, new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Kenneth Hackett presented...

October 22, 2013

Athletes Hit the Streets in Rome for the “Race of Faith”

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the...

October 04, 2013

The Council of Cardinals Is Off and Running!

The first three-day meeting of Pope Francis’ new, eight-member Council of Cardinals has drawn to...

September 2013

September 30, 2013

Wow! Now Pope Francis Institutes a “Council of Cardinals” to Assist in Church Governance

It is not Business-As-Usual in Rome these days. Today the news from Vatican City is...

September 08, 2013

Eye Candy From the Vatican!

Coming soon: The Vatican Pictures 2014 Calendar! Faithful Catholics, art aficionados and the curious will...

September 03, 2013

Great Mufti of Syria Joins Pope Francis in Praying for Peace on September 7

The Great Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badreddin Hassou, would like to travel to Rome to...

August 2013

August 04, 2013

Transfixed by the Transfiguration (Mosaic Version)

This morning I attended Mass, not at our regular parish where my husband serves...

July 2013

July 07, 2013

The Vatican Has a YouTube Page!

I guess I sort of knew this--but until today, I had never found my way...

June 2013

June 29, 2013

Peter’s Toes

In the Middle Ages, pilgrims who made the arduous trip to Rome to visit St....

June 05, 2013

Because Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” my mother would say, explaining why I needed to [choose...

May 2013

May 01, 2013

Vatican and Argentina Issue Joint Postage Stamps Honoring Pope Francis (UPDATED)

You philatelists out there might be able to tell me whether this is as unusual...

April 2013

April 29, 2013

Let My Prayer Rise Like Incense….

Let my prayer rise before you like incense, And my hands like an evening offering....

April 28, 2013

First-Ever Painting of Native Americans—Discovered in the Vatican?

Pinturicchio’s fresco of “The Resurrection” has adorned a wall at the Vatican for 519 years—but...

April 13, 2013

CAPTION CONTEST: Pope Francis Loses His Hat

I’ve seen this photo popping up around the blogosphere today: Pope Francis’ zucchetto being swept...

April 13, 2013

Pope Francis Shakes Things Up, Names Advisory Committee on Major Reform of the Curia

And so it begins: Pope Francis, following through on discussions which were held before his...

March 2013

March 26, 2013

The Day I Visited the Domus Sanctae Marthae

“Why yes [eyelids fluttering], I’ve been to the Pope’s new home….” And I’ve got photos!...

March 13, 2013

Pope Francis—a Happy Surprise

Well, tell me: You weren’t expecting this, were you?! Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was not...

March 13, 2013

Making Smoke: Vatican Releases Its Secret Recipe

It’s white! No, it’s grey! No, it’s black! We are a world of smoke-watchers today,...

March 12, 2013

History in the Making: Cardinals Take the Oath in Sistine Chapel

After enjoying lunch in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Cardinals returned to the Apostolic Palace....

March 11, 2013

So…. Who’s Getting Up VERY EARLY to Watch the Mass?

Tomorrow’s the big day: At 10:00 a.m. Rome time (yep, that’s 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time!),...

March 11, 2013

The Oath of Secrecy: Because You Can’t Be Too Careful

The media has been abuzz with news about the phone-jamming equipment being installed on the...

March 08, 2013

In Other News: Mimosas From the Vatican

Well, not this kind of Mimosa: I’m talking about this kind: There’s really big news...

February 2013

February 28, 2013

Pope Benedict’s New Digs

By now you’ve probably seen this picture: It’s the Mater Ecclesiae—the former convent inside the...

February 27, 2013

Pope Benedict’s Final General Audience Draws 150,000

“I’m moved. When I see you, I see the Church is alive.” These were the...