Benedict's Burden

For anyone who doubts that Benedict XVI is resigning the papacy for health reasons, witness this recent picture.

Unlike John Paul II, Pope Benedict is an introvert. As a result, the official duties of the Papacy must have been a terrible strain for him. 

Thanks to The Anchoress for the link.

Lenten Foods

A fun collection.

I have a bit of a problem during Lent. As a vegetarian, I've already given up meat year-round. So I used to give up alcohol for Lent. But now that I live in Saudi Arabia, I've given that up year-round too...

In other news, the press continues to misreport everything surrounding Benedict XVI's resignation. Fox News referred recently to the coming conclave having to worry about the church's "declining membership." In fact, the Catholic church is growing. It is growing faster than world population is growing. It is growing even in Europe.

The Daily Beast noted that the conclave, in choosing a new pope, would have to take into account the fact that two thirds of Catholics now live "in the Southern Hemisphere." I don't know of any source that breaks this down by hemisphere, but a quick glance at a  globe shows how absurd this is. This would be tantamount to saying that two thirds of Catholics live in the lower two thirds of South America and Australia. Most of Africa is in the Northern Hemisphere. So are two of the three largest Catholic countries, Mexico and the Philippines. See this map.