Everything outside the Sistine Chapel is, now, pure conjecture and everything inside is up to the cardinals and the Holy Spirit, writes NCR's Michael Sean Winters.
The universal church is on full display during the waiting-for-white-smoke period. Watchers who gather at St. Peter's Square are brought together by curiosity but also hope the church's new leader will be the right person for this time.
In this week's episode of "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," Kazu Haga shares the six principles of Kingian nonviolence and how to build the beloved community that Martin Luther King envisioned.
More than 60% of Vietnam is under the age of 40, with no memory of what people here call the American war. For them, April 30 was a grand holiday, a day off from the office, not a haunting memory.
While we do not know who the next pope will be, as a feminist theologian, I am not worried. Yes, the next pope can enact practices that reverse Francis’ reforms — but the Francis Effect extended far beyond his person or office.
The cardinals will elect a person next week, not a platform. So, while they are discussing issues facing the church and the world, they are also assessing each other's personalities and character.
