Sandro Botticelli’s “Three Temptations of Christ.”
Tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to hear Pope Benedict XVI’s penultimate Angelus address.
To a crowd bearing signs that said “Viva il Papa!” the outgoing pope reflected on the temptation of Jesus in the desert.
“In the decisive moments of our lives, we face a juncture,” Benedict said. “Do we want to follow the ego or God, individual interests or the one who is truly good?”
Benedict might not be infallible (actually, he never was) when he retires, but he will have immunity from criminal prosecution.
That’s one benefit of his staying within Vatican walls, Reuters reports.
On Friday, Benedict approved the appointment of a German lawyer and financier as the new head of the scandal-plagued Vatican Bank.
A German journalist close to Benedict says the pope is suffering from sight and hearing problems and has lost so much weight that tailors have trouble taking in his white vestments.
The Vatican’s chief exorcist thanked Benedict for encouraging his unusual ministry and revising the rules for casting out demons.
The Vatican says that the conclave to elect the next pope might start sooner than March 15, the earliest date possible under current rules.
Laurie Goodstein of the NYT says the cardinal-electors have been quietly sizing up candidates for years.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan says anyone who thinks he’s got a shot at St. Peter’s seat must be smoking something funny – and it ain’t incense.
WaPo has a series of articles on Vatileaks. Spoiler alert: the butler did it.
Ross Douthat says the “Catholic moment” is over. Rod Dreher says there never was a Catholic moment.
What does the Buddha have in common with Barbie and Bart Simpson? Statues of all three are banned in Iran, whose constitution recognizes only Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.
Mississippi finally ratified the 13th Amendment, with an assist from the movie “Lincoln.”
The Forward tries to calculate the precise number of American Jews.
What happens when a spouse suddenly loses faith? asketh the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Foursquare Church reportedly lost $2 million when “Scandalous,” a musical based on the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, flopped on Broadway.
The background bios of Micah’s Rule makes the trio sound like many other Christian artists, but they’re one of the rarest recent talents to record in Nashville, says our own Amanda Greene.
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