If for some strange reason (I guess it would have to be the Holy Spirit), Cardinal Timothy Dolan was elected as the next Pope - which he won't be - I will kick myself for not getting a very special picture of him with Alan.
When Alan was still a baby, maybe 12 months old max, we went to a church in town for an evening mass of reparation for abortion. The mass was being said by then Archbishop Dolan. As is normal around here, it wasn't well-attended. Maybe 70 people were there? So when it was over, it was no problem to shake Dolan's hand, and when we did, he just reached out and grabbed Alan, and for the next 10-15 minutes, Dolan carried Alan around while he greeted people.
I didn't have a phone with a camera then, nor a camera with me. But the picture is set in my mind forever because it was so funny/weird that HE grabbed Alan and wanted to hold onto him for that long. Seriously, the personality profile you see of Dolan, it's for real.
Well, anyway, that's almost everything I have to say about the whole new Pope thing. I care, to a point, about the election of the Pope, but I'm sooo not into posting photos of the chimney every hour on Facebook, etc. I mean, it's gonna happen anyway, right?
Perhaps it's because I've never really put much stock in the Pope. Does that sound bad? I hope not. It's just that it's enough and challenging enough for me to live according to the Catechism or take cues from the lives of the saints to bother myself with recently written tomes and statements made by someone alive today.
Great story Char! My college buddy who is a diocesan priest now with the Archdiocese of NY studied in Rome when Dolan was in charge there and has wonderful stories about him. He says he's a real happy person all the time - back slapping, jovial beer drinking regular guy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat story! I love Dolan, glad to hear his personality is real. I suspected it was, I don't think you could fake that. I might even be secretly rooting for him even though the Blogesterium is telling me that is un-Catholic or something, I dunno :) I feel the opposite as you about the Pope, I always feel a strong affinity towards them.
ReplyDeleteCatlady
Dolan creeps me out. That's just the plain truth--I don't buy his avuncular back-slapping and feel he is a complete phony.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, if he becomes Pope, it would be cool to have pic of him holding your baby. Popes seem to be nothing if not celebrities these days. (Although I do think B16 was a most reluctant one, while JPII lapped it up)
I honestly can't make myself care much at all about this whole conclave thing; I have become so jaded that although I do believe the Holy Spirit is speaking, I believe very, very few of the Cardinals care to listen, and the vote was probably decided a long time ago.
What goes on in the Vatican seems to be pretty much completely divorced from the real, living faith Jesus came to preach to us. So I just laugh at how enthralled everybody seems to be with the white/black smoke thing. At this point, I can't help but suspect it's just a bunch of smoke and mirrors designed to keep the faithful lulled into believing there is actually something magical about it.
Yes, I am still Catholic, but it's despite and not because of Popes and the Vatican Princes in $5000 pointy red designer shoes and enough lace to keep all the drag queens in Vegas happy for a decade.
My husband met Dolan at a men's conference 10 years ago or so. He was still a bishop then? My husband said he was a nice friendly guy. I think that is his appeal: he doesn't come off as "holier than thou" and is very personable.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been so nice to have a picture of him and Alan!
I'm interested in who's going to be the next pope, but I'm not planning my life around watching for black/white smoke. It would be nice to see the announcement live, though. I am also interested in hearing my uber-Lutheran co-worker's opinion on the new pope. She has told me of previous talks she's gone to on the pope being the anti-Christ, etc.
Little Spool,
DeleteTwenty bucks says your co-worker is WELS.
Omigosh YES! haha
DeleteShe is really into reiki (sp?) and nutritionists but also into church. I do not quite get it. Thankfully, I only work with her twice a month, if that.
I love the Popes! It was in listening to JPII speak that I started to feel a pull back to the Church and, in reading Benedict's writings, that I grew to love the Church. What I've read so far on Francis makes me hopeful for our Church
ReplyDeleteI love the popes, too. I love that they are the shepherd of the entire world. When I pray "for the Holy Father's intentions", I know that somehow I am, all of us are, part of his intentions.
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