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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The Pope’s Jumbotron

Pope Francis will address a Joint Session of Congress when he visits Washington DC on September 24, 2015. Since ticket demand greatly exceeds the capacity of the Capitol House Chamber, huge Jumbotron screens will be set up on the National Mall so tens of thousands of fans and the faithful can see and hear the Pope in real time.

After his Congressional speech, His Holiness will briefly address the crowds outside from the Capitol’s West Front while his Swiss Guards stand on the Capitol steps and fire T-Shirt Guns, pelting the throng with souvenir garb and  panini imbottito. Okay, they won’t, but they should, right?

After concluding his visit to Washington, Pope Francis will fly to New York so he can get a decent slice of pizza.

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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 Attacks ‘Idolatry of Money’

“Pope Francis called for renewal of the Roman Catholic Church and attacked unfettered capitalism as ‘a new tyranny’, urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the first major work he has authored alone as pontiff.

The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.

In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the ‘idolatry of money’ and beseeching politicians to guarantee all citizens ‘dignified work, education and healthcare’.

He also called on rich people to share their wealth. ‘Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills,’ Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday.”

— “Pope Francis ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ Calls For Renewal Of Roman Catholic Church, Attacks ‘Idolatry Of Money.'” Naomi O’Leary, Reuters via Huffington Post [link added]

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.

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.

Vatican Defrocks Football

The sixth and last Clericus Cup  is underway, the annual  football contest between seminarians in the colleges of Vatican City. This will be the final year of the competition. Just as the championship series began, the Church and Sport Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity gave the contest last rites, citing a decline in sportsmanship, a loss of mission, and the rise of naughty Latin chanting from the sidelines.