Wrist and All, the Work Continues

The Pope might be on vacation and still "learning how to live" with a cast, but even so, the day-job hasn't completely ground to a halt; B16's shown at left meeting earlier today with his "Vice-Pope," the Cardinal-Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone SDB, whose northern hometown set the stage for the pontiff's Sunday Angelus.

Given Joseph Ratzinger's enjoyment of long-frame writing while on holiday, last week's fracture of his right wrist has likely proven a tad frustrating. But in a statement released earlier today, the Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said that Benedict was "in a good mood" and had "been equipped with a small recorder to dictate his thoughts, as he is unable to use a pen with ease these days."

With his long-delayed social encyclical now published, the remaining major project atop the Pope's writing docket is the second book of his Jesus of Nazareth, whose first installment sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide following its May 2007 release.

Started on his 2003 summer holiday, Benedict set into the project with an eye to his retirement as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith... not knowing, of course, that Providence would have other plans.

While the Tour de France sped through the papal party's temporary home of Les Combes yesterday, B16 greeted the riders with a statement but didn't emerge to watch; the Pope's next public appearance will come Friday evening at a Vespers for the clergy and religious of his vacation diocese.

PHOTO: Getty

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