Francis calls on America’s ultimate Catholic anti-celebrity
By John L. Allen Jr.
Associate editor | January 25, 2016
An old joke about being the priest-secretary for a Catholic bishop has it that the job description boils down to this: “Always get between the bishop and a bullet, and never get between the bishop and a television camera!”
There may be plenty of publicity-hungry prelates for whom that line fits like a glove, but US Cardinal James Harvey is definitely not among them. Even if his secretary were inclined to insulate Harvey from attention, he wouldn’t have much to do, because Harvey does a masterful job of it all by himself.
On Monday, Harvey will briefly stand in the spotlight, or at least on the margins of it, when Pope Francis visits the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, where Harvey has served as archpriest, the prelate in charge, since late 2012.
For the world, it’s an occasion for Francis to lead an ecumenical vespers service marking the end of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. For Americans, it’s also a reminder that his host was once the best-connected American Catholic few people had ever heard of.
http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/01/25/pope-francis-comes-calling-on-americas-ultimate-catholic-anti-celebrity/
