Life on the Papal Beat

What baloney, trying to make out he lives a humble life style. This pope should reform his church e.g. rid of the insane concept of celibacy and not pretend he has any real insight into the secular world which he long go rejected by living in the insular world of protection and privilege. Let him dispense some if not all of the ill gotten gains of a church, that for so long robbed the poor to create alters of gold.
This guy enjoys a life style of riches he is as much a capitalist as anyone, and a hypocrite.

This is arguably the greatest article I have read in the NYT in many, many months. It amused me greatly while revealing a lot about all things Vatican.
Thank you for this!

Now I know why the elect old men to be pope. If you get a trouble maker, as Francis, he doesn't have enough time to get anything done.

I suspect , in his simple and unassuming kindness and wisdom he has brokered many to a concept which one can believe in that is simply God and a Good Orderly Direction , that makes the world a better place. He's da man !

This pope's been brilliant in unpredictability of doing what a pope never usually says/does , shaking up not only the Catholic Church in all its bureaucratic layers, but the rest of the world at the same time. That's some old-time papal power. Our resorting-to-tribalism times call for someone of moral authority to step up, none of our countries trust the politicians.
We can be grateful this most unusual pope, who may not be able to change church doctrine, has got the world behind him to do even bigger things.
I could never join a church, but I find in Francis' philosophy of humane treatment of the poor, of the treacherousness of unbridled capitalism someone real, moral, ethical, with no gain attached for himself. An inspiration when we really need one, from such an unlikely place.
Thank you for a riveting peek behind the scenes from someone with not only rare access but great writing chops. More from her, please.

Thanks for the inside look at the Vatican even with the limited access given to you. The bubble-like conditions of the Vatican is not surprising but troubling to a Catholic like me. Your description of the Vatican, the awkward tenure of Benedict and the Catholics warm embrace of Francis' back-to-the-poor call convince me that the bishops electing the pope should not pick someone from the Curia.

I can't think a more unmeaningful job that writing about:
1) Pro sports,
2) Entertainment, or
3) Religion.

A breath of fresh air, and a man aware of what the people want and need at all levels and across the world, if given enough days, he might revive a fading institution in a few different ways. we will see.

Lovely insight; thank you.

The Pope, whoever it happens to be, is the pre-eminent religious leader in the world. Viva il Papa!

Thank you NYT and Ms. Donadio for an informative and enlightening look at the Vatican and it's oblique comunication methods. I much admire Pope Francis, though I am no longer Catholic (divorced, remarried) and look forward to his next disconcerting discourse.

The church's power in centuries gone by came from it's interaction with politics and the world at large, not from securing itself behind cloisterd walls. In spite of the increase of adherants in third world countries, world power is held in the first world's nations and Francis knows that cultivating, rather than condemning, the practices dear to those nations will keep the church meaningful in world power.

Excellent analysis. Thank you.