Et Sanctum Nomen Eius

No, I haven't suddenly acquired an enthusiasm for a universal indult.

Proving that I've been blessed with an observant readership, the question has been posed to me why I didn't list John Allen's Word from Rome on my list of favorites. It was an unintentional elision, so I will try to compensate by devoting a post exclusively to the Mahareshi. Jai guru deva ommm....

How could any Vaticanista worth his salt not be chomping at the bit on Friday mornings, pressing F5 repeatedly from 9AM Central time until, at long last, it appears? Well, that's what I do.

For my part, I revere John's discipline and his pure observational focus -- one of our colleagues called him "the hardest working man [he's] ever seen," and the fruit of the work is there for all to see.... I'm too Italian to stay unobtrusive, or organized, for long -- tell me you're surprised at that revelation, snowflakes -- so JLA is definitely a role model and example for me in this work.

And if you haven't bought The Rise yet, you're missing out on the definitive account of the most amazing month any of us have ever seen. So get in the car, drive to every Borders or B&N in a 50-mile radius if you have to, and get the goods. It was so good, it made me cry.

Hopefully I've made up for my sin of omission. As added penance, I'm already pressing F5 on the NCR site a day early.

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