The Sound of Clarity

In a first, Pope Benedict's ad limina speech to the bishops of Ontario this morning was recorded -- and chunks of it have already been broadcast on Vatican Radio.

What does this mean, you ask? Well, it's not rocket science.... Especially as the address was probably the most strident cultural message Joseph Ratzinger has given since the now-famous "dictatorship of relativism" homily at the Mass immediately preceding the conclave that elected him to Peter's chair.

The package also features insight from Bishop Richard Smith of Pembroke, head of the Ontario Bishops Conference, who greeted the pontiff in the name of the visiting group. The 47 year-old prelate, plucked from Halifax to lead his own diocese at 43, seems to have the makings of a rising star. You might want to keep an eye on him.


PHOTO: AFP/Giulio Nanpolitano

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