Emerald Morning

As if the PopeTrip's kickoff wasn't enough for tomorrow, gang, there's more.

After a prolonged succession battle, the morning will see the Stateside bench's longest-waiting file filled with the appointment of the fifth archbishop of Seattle, the next head of Western Washington's 900,000-odd member local church.

The nominee -- whose age and temperament are well in keeping with B16's picks for metropolitan posts on these shores -- will succeed Archbishop Alex Brunett, who reached the retirement age of 75 in January 2009.

Already, the plans have emerged for a 9.30am presser to introduce the archbishop-elect, with Mass in St James' Cathedral scheduled for 11.

As for the rest, it's worth recalling that Peter's off to Scotland in the morning... so, er, what if we just said "Tartan"?

More at Roman Noon (i.e. 3 Pacific)....

As ever, prepare for liftoff.

SVILUPPO (6am ET): And now it can be told: while one Peter's gone to Scotland, another's gone to Seattle.

Of course, "Tartan" rhymes with Sartain -- at least, as the archbishop-elect says his last name.

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