Pope Francis: Cured by Pizza?

Pope Francis entered Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic hospital last Wednesday with a case of bronchitis. He was discharged on Saturday after a treatment of antibiotics and pizza. His Holiness really, really, really likes pizza.

More:

“Vatican: Pope OK to leave hospital, has pizza, baptizes baby,” Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press

“A Timeline of the Pope’s Obsessive Love Affair With Pizza,” Wil Fulton, Thrillist

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Trump Is Meeting With the Wrong Guy at the Vatican

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Pope Francis on Wednesday when he visits Vatican City, but he should really meet with another Francis while he’s in town — Father Francesco Bamonte. He’s the leading Catholic exorcist, president of the International Association of Exorcists, and well-practiced in casting out demons.

Related:

“Can the pope save Trump?”  E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post

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Pope in the USA: Punk’d by a Tea Party Saint, Hugged Gay Guys

When Everybody’s favorite pontiff, Pope Francis, visited Washington DC in September he had a secret meeting with intolerant, oath-breaking Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis and her current husband. It was a secret to His Holiness, anyway, who had no earthly idea who Mrs. Davis is. She was apparently one of many people he greeted during his Vatican Embassy stay.

Pope Francis didn’t set up the meeting; it was arranged by papal nucio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Vatican’s envoy to the US, who was sent to the States by former Pope Benedict XVI to keep him from meddling in Vatican City politics. Archbishop Viganò turns 75 in a few months and is expected to be “retired” by the current pontiff.

While in DC Pope Francis met with a same-sex couple, Washington caterer Yayo Grassi and his long-time partner Iwan Bagus. His Holiness had personally invited Mr. Grassi, his former student at Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción in Argentina, to a private audience, and there were hugs all around.

Lawyers for Kim Davis from the Falwell-affiliated Liberty Counsel claimed that the Pope’s off-the-cuff comments on conscientious objectors referred to their client, but the Vatican denied this, and many have observed that the county clerk is not a CO since she forced her beliefs on her deputies rather than letting them act on their own. Papal spokesmen have emphasized that the Papal greeting was not a show of support for the delinquent Rowan County clerk.

Pope Francis Visits DC, September 22 to 24, 2015

Everybody’s favorite pontiff, Pope Francis, will visit Washington DC for three days. Unofficial schedule:

Tuesday, September 22, 2015
4:00 PM: Pope Francis arrives via Alitalia at Joint Base Andrews from Havana, smokes big cigar on the drive from Maryland to the Apostolic Nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue NW.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015
9:15 AM: White House Welcoming Ceremony; Pontiff shoots hoops one-on-one with President Obama before posing for pics on the Truman Balcony

11:00 AM: Popemobile Parade along the Ellipse and National Mall; brief stop to buy Astronaut Ice Cream at Air & Space Museum gift shop (mirabile dictu!)

11:30 AM: Midday Prayer with U.S. bishops at historically ugly Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in DC; side trip to the Indiana Jones exhibit at nearby National Geographic Museum. His Holiness will address the bishops in Spanish, and many expect him to “no dejar titere con cabeza” (kick butt).

4:15 PM: Greets Native American demonstrators before celebrating Junipero Serra Canonization Mass — in Spanish — at the East Portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University (leave your selfie stick at home).

Thursday, September 24, 2015
9:20 AM: Speech to Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol (in English); crowds gather to watch it on Jumbotron screens on the National Mall (and listen to Spotify’s Pope Playlist while they’re waiting)

11:00 AM:  Brief appearance on West Front of Capitol (possible photo op with former altar boys Biden and Boehner?)

11:15 AM: Visit to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in DC and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, site of the Homeless Jesus sculpture (artist: Timothy P. Schmalz). His Holiness will meet with — and feed — the charities’ clients.

4:00 PM: Departure from Joint Base Andrews for New York City and a decent slice of pizza.

The Pope Loves Pizza

Pope Francis observed the second anniversary of his election on Friday by predicting he won’t be pope for long, just “four or five years.”  He doesn’t mind being pope, he told Mexico’s Noticieros Televisa, but he misses his freedom:

“The only thing I would like is to go out one day, without being recognized, and go to a pizzeria for a pizza.”

Attention American pizzaioli: His Holiness will visit the USA in September with stops in New York, Philadelphia, and DC, so clean out your ovens by the end of August.

There is speculation that Pope Francis has pizza on his mind since meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last month, a year after she told him:

“Next time we will go into the piazza for a pizza.”

Frau Merkel, what a tease. She doesn’t call, doesn’t write ….

More:

“Pope Francis just wants to get pizza like a normal person,” Chris Perez, New York Post

Related:

“Pope Francis’ popularity extends beyond Catholics,” David Masci, Pew Research Center

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Pope Francis: Has He Seen this Movie?

Pope Francis recently made a pilgrimage to Assisi, home of his namesake saint, on the Feast Day of St. Francis. The 12th century saint known for his humility, voluntary poverty, and attention to the needs of the poor. The 21st century’s Pope Francis says today’s Church should follow suit and shun worldliness.

So Francis is the Pope’s favorite saint. His Holiness also has a favorite film, Fellini’s “La Strada” (not “Babette’s Feast” as previously reported). “La Strada,” a 20th century masterpiece, stars Anthony Quinn, but Pope Francis sounds more like a fan of another Quinn vehicle, “The Shoes of the Fisherman“.

(Film spoiler after the jump)

A Pope From Argentina? Practically Italian.

The Papal conclave has elected Pope Francis. He’s from Argentina, and since 217 of the previous 265 pontiffs have been Italian, this is a big deal, right?

Not as much as you might think. The new Holy Father, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is the son of Italian immigrants. He is italo-argentino, like 60 percent of Argentina’s population.

More:

“Pope Francis feted in Italian ancestral village,” Antonella Ciancio, Reuters

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Pick a Pope!

So Pope Benedict had a big retirement bash, waved goodbye from the helicopter door just like Dick Nixon, and flew off to the Castel Gandolfo Senior Sunset Community with his scrap book. The Pontiff Emeritus has traded the Papal Throne for an easy chair and his red shoes for golf shoes. Now it’s time to play Pick-A-Pope.

So You Wanna Be Pope!

Five minutes of career guidance from C. G. P. Grey.

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Update Your Résumé: The Pope Resigns

Attention job seekers: There is a vacancy in Vatican City. Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will leave office on February XXVIII. While rare, Papal resignation is allowed under Article 1 Canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law. Catholic scholars are unclear about the pension and health insurance benefits.