Back to the Papal Gardens

Vatican City, June 1989. The gardens feature several interesting buildings.

Papal-Gardens Reunion

Vatican City, June 1989. It's a place to collect your thoughts.

Waiting for the Pope

Chicago, Illinois, October 5, 1979. Mr. Irene and his friends await the arrival of Pope John Paul II.

Papal Visit, 1979

Today's canonization reminded us of Pope John Paul II's visit to Chicago in October, 1979. Mr. Irene and some of his college friends took the "El" down from Evanston to see the Pope celebrate Mass in Grant Park. Here are three images from that day:

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Chicago, Illinois, October 5, 1979. My Dad did not go downtown for the Mass, but he snapped a few photographs of the images on the television. (For two other occasions on which Dad photographed the television screen, see here and here.)

Porca Miseria

Pope Francis utters "cazzo" when he meant to say "caso."

At Copacabana Beach ...

... "[d]ancing cardinals warm up the crowd in Rio" before the Pope's appearance.

(I wouldn't call that a "flash mob," however.)

Habemus papam

Vatican City, June 1989. The wait is over.

The Patriarch of Venice

Venice, Italy, June 1989. Mr. Irene and I noticed this plaque in the Basilica of the Madonna della Salute. The plaque reads, "On September 16, 1972, Pope Paul VI paid homage to the Madonna della Salute here[,] pausing in prayer with the Patriarch Albino Luciani[,] later John Paul I."

Pope John Paul I was pontiff for thirty-three days before he died

Eyes are on Vatican City.

Vatican City, May, 1984. St. Paul and the other Apostles watch over visitors.

Disconnecting the Conclave

USCCB Blog reports:

Jamming devices will be installed in the Sistine Chapel to prevent electronic eavesdropping. Staff who serve meals at the Casa Santa Marta, where the cardinals will stay during the Conclave, will be sworn to secrecy. Even who said “pass the salt” is a secret. In this electronic age, I worry some cardinals may go into iPad and Twitter withdrawal.

Hey! Conclave proceedings are meant to be secret: the selection "process is designed to prevent any of the details of the voting emerging, either during or after the conclave. The threat of excommunication hangs over anyone tempted to break this silence."

Conclave Crasher

"'Fake' bishop gatecrashes top secret meeting as cardinals prepare for pope vote."

Vatican City: Send in the clowns.

"Pope Benedict XVI greeted thousands of clowns, acrobats, puppeteers and even a pair of lion cubs on Saturday as the circus came to town for an unusual papal performance."

More photos here and here.