Mid-Week Brief

Good Wednesday mornin', folks... as previously mentioned, your narrator's on the road for one last speaking swing, so posting'll remain light these next couple days -- and gratefully, the news-cycle's largely making that easier than it's been of late.

Still, there are some things worth noting in the interim:

• First, late-week brings the close of the Year for Priests, with B16 presiding at a prayer vigil tomorrow evening, then celebrating a closing Mass Friday for the 10,000 or so clerics who've converged on Rome for the festivities. While no official word has emerged on it, it's been widely expected for some time that the pontiff will address the European outbreak of the clergy sex-abuse crisis, which has dominated this spring's news-cycle. Per usual, livestreams of tomorrow's 8.30pm (2.30pm ET, 1830GMT) vigil and Friday's 10am (4am ET, 0800GMT) Mass will abound, and the full-texts should drop here as soon as they're good to go.

• Next, for all the talk of the church-media axis these days, this weekend brings an unusual nod to the profession: the first-ever beatification of a lay journalist, Manuel Lozano Garrido (1920-71). Known in his native Spain as "Lolo," the Saturday rites in the new blessed's southern hometown will be presided over by the Vatican's lead saintmaker, Archbishop Angelo Amato; in Rome, the event was celebrated with a press conference earlier today.

• And lastly, keeping with the media line, America's Kerry Weber -- a second-generation Catholic journalist (and longtime friend) -- sends up a full recording of Friday's New Orleans panel on the church and the press, along with a report.
  

Some other stuff brewing out there, but it's gotta shake out first. As ever, more as it does; in the meanwhile, hope everything's great on your end.

-30-