UNITED STATES
Washington Post
By Mathew N. Schmalz,
Published: March 7
There’s a media blackout surrounding the lead up to the papal conclave. No interviews—and probably no blogging or podcasts.
USCCB spokesperson, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, managed to spin the whole thing quite positively: she weaved in the fact that only American cardinals were doing press conferences in addition to mentions of the official Vatican briefings. She then moved to a nun joke.
The Americans brought their pros.
Black out it is. But it’s really a temporary cease-fire in the Catholic culture wars: a lull in the battle between the new world and the old, between the church as it is now and the church as it will become.
The lead up to the papal conclave has been surprising in many ways. Like other commentators, I had initially expected that the conclave would be held sometime before March 8 since it would give the new pope enough time to settle in before Easter. I also though that curia officials would push for a quick start, since it would benefit established candidates.
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