Word: vaticans
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...gesture probably intended to mollify a press that had been portraying him as an unrelenting hard-liner, the newly chosen Benedict invited journalists as guests to his first public appearance in the Vatican's Paolo VI auditorium on April 23. But he was ill at ease, and the ever vigilant Italian scribes noted that the hemline of his robes was cut far too high, offering an unusually revealing look at his ruby papal slippers. It was the kind of gaffe his predecessor, as a former actor, would have been unlikely to commit...
...aspect an increasingly comfortable fit. His smile offset the famous dark circles beneath his eyes. Eventually he was tolerating such photo ops as a public cell-phone conversation with an ailing nun and the donning of a fire fighter's hat. "He'll never be a celebrity," says a Vatican official who has worked closely with Ratzinger. "But he seems more joyful and sure of himself." Ratzinger's brother was once worried that the job might harm his health. On the contrary, asserts Walter Cardinal Kaspar, a fellow German, "he is reinvigorated...
...bravura balancing act, on May 13 Benedict simultaneously fast-tracked John Paul II for sainthood and appointed San Francisco Archbishop William Levada as his own replacement to head the Vatican office on doctrine. The first announcement may run counter to Benedict's natural inclinations: he appears to frown on mass-market saintmaking (he has said he will not attend beatifications, which are a step before canonization). However, he clearly regards John Paul as a special case for sainthood and not just because of his own admiration. In the days before his election, the then Cardinal not only heard the cries...
...tactfully refrained from endorsing the ticket in public, but there was no doubt about which candidate the church backed. Before the election, the Cardinal sent a letter to all Philippine parishes pointedly instructing the faithful to vote for those who showed 'respect for human rights and life' ... Said one Vatican official ... 'Sin is very highly regarded here, particularly for his keen intelligence...
...BLOHARDS gained in organization and sophistication, the membership growing to 150, 250, 350 and more. Officers were selected by Powers, and he became president. ?He is the always and forever leader,? was how one member put it to me, back when. ?The BLOHARDS without Jim would be the Vatican without the Pope...