Well, we’d expected to have quite a bit of coverage devoted to the new pope once the conclave finished. But then, we never expected the conclave to elect a Jesuit. And once they did, things got a bit crazy around the virtual TJP newsroom. Before we get into that, however, we’ll let a few of our contributors, in partnership with the Ignatian News Network, tell you what the reaction was like in our Jesuit communities:
Here’s a rundown of our all-pope-all-the-time coverage from the past two weeks … but (spoiler alert) we should also mention that if you scroll to the bottom of this page, we found time for a couple of non-papal posts as well. If you need a break from what we’ve been calling #ProjectHabemus, check them out — especially Joe Hoover’s You Will Become Catholic.
Pre-Election Coverage:
- Up-to-the-minute updates on the Sistine chimney? Quang Tran recommended the PopeAlarm website
- Paddy Gilger pointed us at Fr. James Martin’s take on how to think about the Holy Spirit at work in the conclave
- On a very different front, Jeff Sullivan imagined what would happen if the conclave looked to March Madness for inspiration
- Sam Sawyer chimed in on what we were really hoping for
White Smoke! White Smoke!
- Paddy Gilger got there first, with TJP’s own Habemus Papam Franciscum
- Habemus Curriculum Vitae, too, as Peter Folan supplied a quick take on Francis’s biography
- Matt Spotts on his gratitude for the moment of silence in Pope Francis’s prayer from the balcony
- On the ground at St. Peter’s Square, Eric Ramirez contributed Habemus A View From Rome
Post-Election Analysis
- TJPodcast chimed in, with Jay Hooks and Perry Petrich on Habemus Opinions
- [At this point, finally, the editors preemptively killed all headlines involving the word “habemus”]
- Matt Spotts explained what was so weird about a Jesuit pope
- Sparing a moment for popes past:
- John Shea conducted a unique interview with Benedict XVI
- You Can’t Take It With You took a look at the legacies of the last four popes to pass away
- What does Snooki have to say about the new pope? Quang Tran has it covered
- Sam Sawyer wondered what Pope Francis wants to change in the Church — and discovered that it’s us
***
Non-Papal News
- Brian Konzman jumpstarted All Things Linked again with a geeky inspiration for the greater good
- Jake Martin reviewed Fr. James Martin’s (we know, we get confused too) new eRetreat
- After his confirmation of attendance at World Youth Day, Jason Welle wondered how Pope Francis would handle the Argentina/Brazil rivalry
- All right, yes, technically that’s pope news. But it’s really about Magis & WYD — we’re not cheating too much.
- Throwback Thursday made its triumphant return celebrating the 30th anniversary of Thriller
- Jeff Sullivan made the second-to-last Friday in Lent that much more unbearable with a focus on bacon
- This you want. Though you did not know it until now. — Joe Hoover imagines the journey of becoming Catholic
- Seriously: if you’ve ever felt the beauty of faith calling to you, read it now. And share it widely.
Thanks for sticking with us during the whirlwind of the past two weeks. We don’t plan on blitzing you with papal news so much anytime soon — but Pope Francis has been proving unpredictable so far. We’ll do our best to stay on top of it for you.
Our prayers for a blessed Holy Week, and a joyful Easter as well.