Large pizza, hold the Poperoni
Habemus papam just the same
The small news in transformation, more of a permutation, really, was the shakeup to this morning’s routine. I dropped Kerri at the boat, have a haircut at 10, and plans in the city this evening, so I figured I might as well walk early while I was over by the water. What a call. Started the day on the right foot, for sure! But I am a bit behind as a result. Whoopsie!
The big news in transformation this week is the change atop the Catholic Church. After only four ballots and two days, habemus papem—we have a a pope.
A Chicagoan Cardinal (and White Sox fan—which I can forgive him for, as I might need forgiveness down the road) came into the conclave as Robert Prevost, got the votes, and walked out onto the balcony overlooking Vatican Square as Pope Leo XIV, the first American to do so.
Good stuff.
Leading up to the conclave—which I had renewed interest/intrigue in ever since viewing the eponymous movie—there was some discussion of who might be Pope Francis’ successor. One of the front-runners was a certain hometown (Italian) Cardinal, Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
You read that right.
I did not make that name up.
My gut reaction? “Pope Pizza!!! Poperoni!!!” 🤣🤣🤣🍕🍕🍕
When the news broke that white smoke was billowing from that temporary chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, I plopped myself in front of the tv and waited with bated breath, along with the rest of the world.
And when the dramatic announcement was made there on the balcony…the name called was…Prevost…not Pizzaballa.
Whomp, whomp.
No Pope Pizza.
No Poperoni.
But it was an American pope.
The first ever.
Who went to Villanova. Where my sister went.
It’s crazy to think he was just a “regular” guy once. I wonder if he ever drank beers at Kelly’s Beer Parlour or had a grease-filled breakfast at Minella’s Diner to sop up the inevitable pain of the day after.
It’s kind of fun to think about in any case.
There was speculation about his name choice, notably that his ideology aligns closely with that of Leo XIII, and that choosing Leo XIV is a natural continuation of that. I, however, wonder whether it’s a nod to jungle animals, a shout-out to his Villanova Wildcat ties. We’ll probably never know…
All kidding and (inappropriate?) jokes aside, I surprised myself when the coverage made me a little emotional. I’m a lapsed Catholic at best and have—for most of my life—had an extremely complicated relationship with the Lord/religion, but here I was, watching, with leaky eyes.
What was going on?
Maybe it was the unadulterated joy of all the happy faces in the crowd…or maybe it was timing. My dad died in 2014, and last Tuesday was his birthday…and the next day was my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary. Both he and my mom possess(ed) a deep faith that I also feel, though maybe (likely) in a very different way.
In any case, my heart and soul was extra-activated in that moment. I was feeling all the sh-t of the world that’s been pulling down on me start to 4 get overtaken by some otherworldly hope that was rising up in me. It was a lot to process, especially unexpectedly and on such short notice, but whatever I was feeling, I was feeling it deeply—so I just went with it and let myself feel.
It was one of those rare and fleeting moments when everything feels right with the world and it rocks you. You know that what you’re feeling is indeed real, but you also know that the moment you’re in is quite far removed from current truths on a macro level, from the current reality as a whole.
Almost a week out, it’s still a surprise that we have our first American pope. All of the talking heads were weighing in on how unlikely that would be, as it always has been. America has long been a superpower, so we don’t need the papacy too. With that as a backdrop, I like to think that this outcome reflects what the world knows (yet so many of us are unwilling to admit)—we need prayers and God and miracles here in the USA more than ever.
I’m not sure what’s up with the MAGA reaction to the new pope, but I am sure that said reaction doesn’t seem very Christian to me. But what do I know? I just told you—I’m a lapsed Catholic at best.
Anyhow, let’s move on to my personal favorite story of the boy who was destined to become pope.
While others were outside playing the usual kid games, he was inside playing priest—using his mom’s ironing board as an altar and Necco wafers as a stand-in for the eucharist. Does it get any better than that??? 🤣🤣🤣
God bless Pope Leo XIV.
In other transformation-related news a little closer to home:
A few weeks back I made the decision to stop self-censoring on social media (or anywhere really)…I had been managing my posts/audience because I was afraid of offending someone with different views than mine. But now things have reached a point in this country that the division and polarization has become so extreme, people feel like they’re screaming into a void. They’re saving their voices and conserving their energy for times and places where they think they can best be heard. I understand that, and maybe I was doing it too…but now I know that doing that makes me part of the problem. So I’ve decided to take a hard pass on that and put a little effort into being part of the solution.
Here’s what I had to say about that in a Facebook post:
I have no plans to self-censor on this platform or anywhere else, primarily because I value critical thinking beyond measure, I believe in the power of the truth, I believe that changing one’s mind in the face of evolving or new fact patterns is a strength not a weakness, and I believe that as long as we stick to timely and relevant facts we are being respectful to one another.
I also believe that censorship is the friend of communism and fascism and that it’s the foe of freedom. It’s that simple.
More specifically, censorship limits freedom of speech (a fundamental pillar of the Constitution and this country), it impacts critical thinking and education, it undermines principles of democracy, it reinforces imbalances of power, it erodes trust, it drives bad decision making, it perpetuates bias, it limits innovation, it…well, you get the point. Censorship does nothing good
I’d love to not worry about the fall of democracy, not fear for the loss of my personal freedoms, and not wonder whether my retirement savings will actually be there for me when I retire—but because of the actions of the current Administration, these are things I am facing, things that I believe I/we need to talk about. My “recent” engagement on these topics is necessary for the preservation of liberty and justice for all—it’s about being aware and educated and caring about my future, the future of those I love, and the future of the country.
I don’t agree with everything I see on social media and I know not everyone agrees with me, but when I see something I don’t like, I don’t take it personally—I don’t even, in the immortal words of Dionne Warwick, “walk on by.” I read things that I don’t agree with, like, or believe to be true, because there’s a chance I might learn something—a new way of looking at something, an insight into what people think, a view of what motivates people, etc.—and learning is always of value.
Speaking of friends and foes, I also realize that in this highly polarized political environment, while facts are my friend, they are the foe of many.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I would love for someone to explain to me how some of what’s happening is ok, to point out what I am missing…show me some facts. Like, for example, how is that image of him as Pope OK? How is it OK that he doesn’t know if he needs to defend the Constitution? Are you comfortable with how tax dollars are being spent and government funds reallocated?
Tell me. Please.
But if you want to stand on “principle” for reasons you can’t explain beyond going backwards and invoking Hillary’s emails or Hunter Biden’s laptop or some other such bygone, if you don’t care about the future of democracy, if you’re not open to civil discourse, and if you don’t care about right vs wrong because…Trump…go for it.
And then I went on to teach readers how to block, unfriend, or unfollow me. A few already had. A few more did. Good riddance. And that’s that. But anyway, I’m speaking up because silence is consent—and I don’t agree.
On Friday from 4-5:30 (who calls a meeting at 4 on a Friday???) I attended the No Kings Then, No Kings Now Zoom webinar with Heather Cox Richardson, Andrea Campbell, and Jamie Raskin. It was great. I love that HCR, despite her relative celebrity is still *so* Maine. Her advice to “take up oxygen” with the people who aren’t paying attention (not diehard Trumpers) was a great reminder that there are more people in the middle than at either end of the political spectrum and that these are the people who need to become engaged if not educated. I’m looking at you, people who didn’t vote in the last election.
The moderator posed a closing question asking the two speakers still on the line what gives them hope, and here’s a summary of that (maybe it will give you hope too):
HCR noted that the “many many thousands” of people on the call and around the country who care give her hope…while guardrails that we’d become accustomed to are no longer here, people know we have to protect our birthright, our democracy. The kicker for me was when she said something to the effect of: we don’t have to agree on specifics but we do have to agree that we want equality under the law. I’m down. Equality? Law? Works for me.
JR gets hope from history, namely in that other generations have faced times even worse than ours. He called out the Revolutionary War and the Civil Rights movement, suffragettes, environmentalists, etc. and said that we have the benefit of experience. In looking forward, he (and I do too!) believes that young people are “beyond the hate” (racism, misogyny, homophobia, sexism, etc.). But my question is how to get them involved when the current political scene is so unpalatable???
Logged in and doing the work.
The pool. We had the pool opened a week ago yesterday, and when the cover comes off you never know what you’re gonna get. This year the water was high, but relatively clear—and pumping it down is far easier than trying to get rid of a winter’s worth of sh-t. Big seasonal win for the Ladies of The 220.
The Grand Opening:
And one week later:
So as life matches on, I remind myself that to everything, there is a purpose…turn, turn turn…
…and honestly, if we live in a society where someone who starred in MTV’s The Real World (Season 6, Boston, with some subsequent appearances on Road Rules) can become Secretary of Transportation, any transformation is possible. Turn, turn, turn…
Speaking of possibility, thanks for helping make this weekly installment possible. Thanks for your presence and support. It helps keep my world turn, turn, turning…not to mention it helps me to go with the ebbs and flows of life, and to evolve and grow.
Have a great week.
Love you too.
Audio supplement here, one-take, straight-through recording: