The Room of Tears

 

This is the Room of Tears.

It is a small chamber to the left of the altar in the Sistine Chapel. Some day quite soon, one man will walk into it, don one or more of the garments in this photo -- not having been tailored, they will not fit properly; it is possible they will be secured with safety pins -- and then be presented to the crowds waiting in Piazza San Pietro. He will be the new pope.

The people in the crowd (and watching on television) will be straining their eyes for some hint of what is to come.  Will he wear the mozzetta, or abjure it?  Will he speak in Italian -- and if so, with what accent? Before he has gone to bed, the city and the world, but most especially the internet, will be alive with hopes and fears, acclamations and derogations, all based on the flimsiest guesswork, and the most trivial research.

You can imagine where this plain little room gets its nickname.  It has long been our custom ot offer condolences to our friends and colleagues elected as mere bishops. The challenges of serving as the Bishop of Rome, Patriarch of the West, and all those other things they are called, are unimaginable.