David Gibson raises the intriguing (but maybe not likely) possibility of Pope Francis appointing women as cardinals. Which raises the question: Which Catholic woman would you want to see as a Princess of the Church and able to elect the next pope?
And no, your saintly mother doesn’t count.
The Rev. Jim Martin, “Chaplain to the Colbert Report,” took this photo of Cardinal Dolan and Stephen Colbert in the “green room” before Dolan’s appearance on the show last night.
Speaking of cardinals, Stephen Colbert yukked it up last night with New York’s Catholic elite at the annual Al Smith charity dinner, telling Cardinal Timothy Dolan he looked like “a matador who’s really let himself go.”
Our own David Gibson was there, and tweeted some of the best one liners:
"Tonight is really about the littlest among us. Speaking of which is Mayor Bloomberg here?" #alsmithdinner
— David Gibson (@GibsonWrites) October 18, 2013
If Pope Francis was here we wouldn't be at the Waldorf-Astoria: "We'd be in sweat pants at the IHOP." #alsmithdinner
— David Gibson (@GibsonWrites) October 18, 2013
"Jesus turned water into wine. Mayor Bloomberg can't manage to turn a 32-ounce soda into a misdemeanor." ASIV #alsmithdinner @RNS
— David Gibson (@GibsonWrites) October 18, 2013
Underdog New York mayoral candidate Joe Lhota caused a dust-up at an Orthodox synagogue when the women in his entourage were asked to leave an all-male prayer service along the campaign trail.
Also in New York, our own Jonathan Merritt chronicles 12 people who are leading Gotham’s “Christian renaissance,” led by Redeemer Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller and his wife Kathy, but also NYT reporter Michael Luo and others.
A former counselor at a Jewish camp was sentenced to 15 years for molesting a boy; the counselor tried to retract his plea because he says he was pressured into it by Orthodox authorities who didn’t want bad press from a trial.
Remember the House stenographer who went on an anti-Mason religious rant during the shutdown vote? She tells Greta Van Susteren that God’s been working on her:
“For the past 2 and 1/2 weeks, the Holy Spirit has been waking me up in the middle of the night and preparing me (through my reluctance and doubt) to deliver a message in the House Chamber. That is what I did last night”
For the record, her husband says he’s proud of his “sweet, level-headed” wife.
And the Hispanics, who are supposedly going to save the Catholic Church and reenergize evangelicals? They’re increasingly turning to no religion, our own Kimberly Winston reports.
For you folks out in Missouri (Hi, boss!), lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto on a bill that lifts all restrictions on celebrating Christmas in public schools.
The breakaway Anglican Church in North America — they split from the Episcopalians over gay bishops and other matters — is rolling out its own version of the Book of Common Prayer. They’ve omitted the line about “God save the Queen” because, well, they’re all Yanks and Canadians.
Ingrid Bergman in “The Bells of St. Mary’s”
Menachem Wecker has an intriguing interview with a professor who wrote about nuns on film. Interesting answer to why she overlooked Whoopi Goldberg in “Sister Act” (still one of those films I can’t help watching when it comes on TV).
The NYT tells us that more Jewish students are taking up the study of Arabic, Islam and Middle Eastern studies.
If you’re planning a visit to the Sistine Chapel, stop breathing! All that CO2 and your dirty grimy hands are ruining Michelangelo’s frescoes.
If the Vatican doesn’t suit your tastes, how about Sarajevo? The “charming but once besieged city” is on the upswing, according to our own Omar Sacribey’s newest installment of Moozweek. And believe me, Omar knows a thing or two about Bosnia.
We’ll never go on an anti-Mason rant — she is our boss, after all — here at RNS, but subscribe to the Roundup below and we’ll tell you when other people do:
