Ridi, Santo Padre....

No joke, folks – and while we're at it, neither is the Pope's catechesis at yesterday's audience, where the above shot was taken.

Backstory on the nasi... and, given recent circus-worthy "reports" elsewhere, it's apparently worth reminding that the papal practice of receiving newly-married couples in their Wedding Day get-up at the Wednesday meeting is anything but a Franciscan "novelty" – even in his weakened twilight, a personal moment with each of the turned-out newlyweds in attendance wasn't just welcomed, but insisted upon, by Saint-to-Be John Paul II, in what became a quiet hallmark of his 27-year pontificate.

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