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...what had long been unthinkable came to pass – the Pope departed the Vatican , and left Peter's Chair behind: "Thank you – thank you from my heart! Dear friends, I'm happy to be with you, that I can see the Creator's beauty around us, and all the goodness you've given to me – thank you for your friendship and your affection! You know that this day of mine hasn't been like those before. I'm no longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic church – at least, at 8 o'clock I won't be – now I'm just a pilgrim beginning the last part of his journey on earth. With all my heart, with all my love, with my prayer and all my strength – with everything in me – I'd like to work for the common good of the church and all humanity. I feel your kindness so much. Let us always move together toward the Lord for the good of the church and of the world. Thank you for bringing yourselves [here] – with all my heart, I give you my blessing…. Thank you and goodni

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The Devil, The Wizard & The Blogger by Clare O'Donohue   Susan and Robin have answered the question of the week beautifully, and I admit that batting third, I have little to add. Some books, such as The Lovely Bones , are so internal that no movie can possibly reach the same depths. Others, like The Devil Wears Prada , are so light that a movie (particularly one with Meryl Streep) can add weight and dimension where none existed before.   Moves and books, as Meredith Cole has already pointed out, are two very different beasts. But sometimes they come together spectacularly. I think in those cases where the movie lives up to the book it's because, in part, the writer's style is cinematic to begin with. Oddly, the example that came to mind immediately was Harry Potter.   I say oddly because of the flap over author Lynn Shepherd's Huffington Post blog in which she berated JK Rowling for continuing to write, since she's already made tons of money and sold lots of boo

by Robin Spano Question of the Week: Is it true that bad books make good movies and good books make bad ones? Maybe generally.  Susan Shea wrote a well-argued post yesterday in favor of the truth of this statement. She highlighted the Stephanie Plum, Jack Reacher, and Inspector Lynley series and showed why the movies and TV series not only didn't rep the books well, but didn't suck her in on their own merit either. In the comment section, Meredith Cole made an interesting point: that the ingredients that make great reading and great watching are entirely different. A great book gets behind the eyes of the characters for emotional depth. A great movie is more action than reaction; more doing than analysing. The exception to the rule is (for me) The Princess Bride by William Goldman. The book and the movie sucked me in equally. Characters aren't particularly deep (okay, they're downright stereotypical!) but the action in the book is compelling, and the dialogue is qu

So, is it true that bad books make good movies, and good books make bad movies? In my head, a list of good movies (and TV series – I’m arbitrarily expanding the question) flits by and, yes, I’d have to say at least a few came from dogs of books. But it would be unkind and impolitic to identify the books I think were awful enough to make this list. I will offer one: The Frost detective series on British TV was created from the late R.D. Wingfield’s handful of books. I saw the series first and liked it more than the books, which were depressingly misogynistic in tone. I have fewer friends in the film industry than in the author community, so for the next list, yes, some books and series I have loved just didn’t fly when translated to the screen and I’ll name names. V.I. Warshawski’s conscience-driven exploits didn’t take off even though Kathleen Turner’s a fine actor. Reacher doesn’t work for me played by a short guy who grins and grimaces for hours, even though – or perhaps because – h

About an hour before this morning's Consistory began, a friend's generous word allowed these pages to break the story: Ratzi-Boom: word in St Peter's says that B16 will attend this morning's Consistory, his first joint liturgical appearance with the Pope. — Rocco Palmo (@roccopalmo) February 22, 2014 To be clear, this scribe's nowhere near Rome; if anything, this readership's widespread neglect of your part in this work hasn't allowed for a travel budget or anywhere close. If nothing else, just let this be a reminder of how news happens on this beat... and never more than in this pontificate. For those in need of the context, meanwhile, the moment would've marked (and did) the first fully public appearance of the Pope and his predecessor together since B16's  epochal resignation a year ago this week. Even beyond our time, meanwhile, the duo's joint presence at a major event made for an act never before witnessed in the two-millenia history of

Over the years, this day's traditional open here has been this... ...yet all of a sudden, it starts differently now – and not as any movie, but as reality : Indeed, that's Nicaragua's Cardinal-designate Leopoldo Brenes leaving Managua for Rome on Tuesday. He's not alone in that spirit, either... and in case it wasn't sufficiently resonant by this point, precisely none of this is an accident. In the days following the unprecedented election of an American Pope, the choice's explanation of the name he picked ricocheted in the church and beyond alike.... Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we? He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man … How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor! Some months later, in a speech to the Nuncios, another key indicator.... In the delicate task of carrying out

So, everybody buckled up? Less than 24 hours to go 'til Francis' first Scarlet Bowl, the pieces are in the works and the stage is almost set. But first, it's time again for the only commercial you'll ever see on these pages. Simply put, folks, the product here doesn't come from out of thin air... and unless this readership does its part to keep the shop running, well, it just can't run anymore. Sure, there's a Big Weekend and beyond in the offing. As ever, though, what happens from here is less this scribe's call than yours: The Main Event begins at 11 Rome time (1000GMT, 5am Eastern, 2 Pacific) Saturday morning. Beyond major pieces, for everything up to the minute, Page Three – either down the right sidebar or directly here – will have the running updates. At least, that's the plan. If it's worth doing, don't just sit there and wait for the next thing – make it happen.... Because without you, it won't. -30-

A couple weeks from now will mark a year since the walls of the Synod Hall shook – at least, figuratively – as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio unleashed his assessment of a "self-referential, sick" church, and many among a stunned pre-Conclave General Congregation punctuated the take with a sudden ovation. If the Argentine hadn't lit the fuse – with time to spare on his allotted five minutes, to boot – chances are he wouldn't have become Pope. And now, in the same place, the narrative arc of a year that rocked the Catholic world has reached its home stretch. Any final outcomes, however, remain a good while off. For the first time as Rome's 266th Bishop, Francis convoked the city's historic clergy – the College of Cardinals – yesterday, opening his first addition to the body with the creation of 19 new members tomorrow morning. Now numbering 218 prelates with the new intake, while some 185 red-hats were initially expected to be on-hand, the first day's turnout w