The New Evangelization, during this Year of Faith, has experienced an incredible moment with the Papal Conclave convened to elect the 265th successor to St. Peter!  We had a chance to talk with someone on the ground covering this historic moment first hand…Gregory Erlandson.  As Publisher and President of the Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Greg brings incredible insight on what is occurring at this historic moment having spent years in Rome reporting on the activities of our universal Church.  In our conversation, we discuss the unprecedented numbers of  media outlets from around the world covering the event and what that might mean for the New Evangelization.   Is there an “American Moment” occurring at this conclave as some suggest, and if so, what could this unexpected influence have on the Papal Election and the Church around the world?  Gregory Erlandson, besides being one of the wisest (as well as nicest) men I know,  is truly a balanced seeker of truth and a master communicator of the beauty offered by our Catholic faith…no hype here, but always with an encouraging call to deeper prayer and trust.

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From Greg’s blog posting at the OSV Blog:

So, what are the chances that we will have an American pope? If the forecasts are correct (a big if), and if the received wisdom is at all wise, the American options become more likely if the first ballots do not signal a clear front-runner – Cardinals Angelo Scola, Odilo Scherer and Marc Ouellet perhaps – capable of winning two-thirds of the votes.

 

What dramas play out in the Sistine Chapel and in the conversations taking place back in the cardinals’ “hotel” we may not find out for months, but Vatican observers, for perhaps the first time ever, are not discounting the Americans, and that in itself is a big deal.

From Vatican Radio:

It’s been 500 years since Michelangelo completed work on the celebrated frescos that adorn the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. On the Eve of the feast of All Saints, the reigning pontiff, Pope Julius II, solemnly dedicated the monumental work.

Earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, celebrated Vespers in the Chapel to commemorate the occasion.

Vatican Radio’s Christopher Wells spoke with art historian and tour guide Dr. Elizabeth Lev about the significance of Michelangelo’s work. “In a world where people are always looking forward to the next new thing, and the next hot thing, and the next novelty, that there is still a place where people look backwards and they look in awe at a tradition and a manifestation of what is clearly faith and art, is really quite an amazing thing.”

Dr. Lev speaks about the central focus of the ceiling, and its relevance for people today. “Michelangelo . . . reduced the story to the human figure. And you see God as an actor, God moving, God interested in that which He creates. He’s physically engaged in the act of creation. I think to begin with, to see a God that wants to be involved is already unbelievably hopeful to people.”

The Sistine Chapel, she says, speaks to all people: “And then we see the centrality of the creation of man, and how important man is, and that, no matter who you are or where you come from, you can see yourself reflected in that ceiling . . . An innumerable number of people can look in that ceiling and see themselves reflected, and see themselves reflected as beautiful, as heroic, as extraordinary – which is what human beings are. And that makes the Sistine Chapel universal. But of course ‘universal,’ I believe, is the definition of Catholic . . .”

Listen to the complete interview of Dr. Elizabeth Lev with Christopher Wells: [powerpress]

 

Leave it to the intrepid Veronica Scarisbrick to find St. Andrew (I love the girls at Vatican Radio…they ROCK)

 

 

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From Vatican Radio

Have you ever wondered which of the Figures in the Last Judgement fresco in the Sistine Chapel is Saint Andrew ?

Veronica Scarisbrick shares with you a comment focusing in a special way on this central figure in Michelangelo’s masterpiece, given he’s been placed close the figure of Christ the Judge.

That’s with Professor of Fine Arts, Breda Ennis of the American University of Rome who shares with us her expertise in the field of sacred art.

 

A visit to the Pauline Chapel

From Vatican Radio:

As we celebrate the Eternal City’s feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, we go to one of the private chapels of the Popes, located in the papal palace, just down the hall from the Sistine Chapel. As the Holy Father’s own private shrine, the Pauline Chapel is normally off limits to the public and even to Vatican personnel. But after restoration work on the Chapel was completed in June 2009, Tracey McClure had the perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity to go up and take a peek at it, and at Michelangelo’s two huge frescoes of the apostles adorning its walls. Come join her as she tours the Chapel with one of the best guides you can ask for: the chief art historian responsible for the restoration project, Professor Arnold Nesselrath from the Vatican Museums…[powerpress]