The Body of Christ is made of many parts, and people experience their understanding of God in many different ways. On this blog, we'll consider the beliefs and activities of congregations, denominations and different religions.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
RNS Weekly Digest: Pope Francis has stacked the next conclave — but will it matter?
By the end of the day on Sept. 30, Pope Francis will have crossed an important threshold: He will have appointed enough cardinals to have created a supermajority at the next conclave, the gathering of cardinals that will select his successor.
Taken at face value, Francis’ statistical watershed suggests he has ensured that the next pope will share his style and vision. But the reality is far more complex. History shows that conclaves exercise a logic of their own that owes little to the pope who devised them.
After all, Francis, who is seen as a liberal reformer, was elected by a conclave for the most part assembled by Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II, both staunch conservatives.
New stained-glass windows depicting racial justice protests by African Americans have replaced the panes honoring Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson at the Washington National Cathedral.
The new additions, titled “Now and Forever” and designed by artist Kerry James Marshall, were officially revealed in a ceremony on Saturday (Sept. 23), two years to the day from when cathedral officials announced Marshall would design them.
The colorful panes feature signs that say “Fairness” and “No Foul Play,” held by Black figures wearing white shoes. The stone below them will be inscribed with the words from the original poem “American Song,” penned by Elizabeth Alexander, the president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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