Mastodon
RNS logo

Not gonna wait ‘til the midnight hour

Francis X. Rocca

The Vatican has dismissed the idea that Pope Benedict’s decision to celebrate this year’s Christmas Midnight Mass two hours early reflects any worries about his health.

Makes sense to us. After all, there’d be nothing to stop him from taking an extra-long afternoon nap that day.

On the other hand, Moscow is two hours ahead of Rome, so maybe this is a friendly gesture to follow up last week’s announcement of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Holy See.


Okay, just a thought …

No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher
Donate today