a Pope without Prada...

As many of you all may know, our newly elected Pope Francis is unlike any of his predecessors. Francis is a simple man who like the saint, has chosen to leave his life of wealth and excess. Francis kept his simple ways even as the leader of the Catholic Church. Francis left the luxurious vestments trimmed in fur behind as well has his sold gold fisherman's ring and the ever famous custom made red Prada shoes. I'm not going to lie, I shed a few tears when I heard the news. I wasn't so much sad that he  chose not to wear designer duds, but more or less breaking a tradition. Pope Francis is trying to make a statement by bringing the world back to their roots and leaving out excess and unnecessary luxuries. Change needed to happen, Francis has made a statement. I guess the only way for me to get over this time of mourning, is to simply buy a pair of red Prada shoes!

where there is smoke, there is a Pope...

All of the recent hype about the former Pope Benedict XVI resigning, has creating a worldwide uproar, especially for "Cradle Catholics". I've heard things across the media like "No Pope, No Hope", or "No Pope No Rules". If you ask me this couldn't have come at a worst time, not to mention during Lent.  Throughout my life time I have have only witnesses one Pope in charge of the Catholic Church (Pope John Paul II). Attending Catholic schools my entire life, and preforming Catholic rituals may things have been deeply ingrained into my thoughts about the Catholic Church. All I have to say is, no one likes a quitter. I know this sounds completely ridiculous, but thats how I feel about the whole situation. I know that there were some underlying issues that prompted the current Pope to step down, but this is unheard of. Some Catholics were completely awestruck. This is the first time in 600 years for a Pope to resign. I feel as though this is the easy way out. I will however inform you what former Pope Benedict XVI will be doing, and where he will reside.  Pope Benedict XVI was first stripped of his solid gold fisherman's ring worn on his left ring finger. The Pope had to hand over his "ever coveted" red Prada shoes (which I may be somewhat partial to), all of the former Pope's vestments were removed and his stamps and seals were obliterated. Destroying all of Pope Benedict's stamps and seal will discourage others to follow Pope Benedict, thus creating a sect in the church for those who choose to still follow Pope Benedict XVI instead of the newly elected Pope. Benedict's personal butler will continue to serve him, as well as the new pope (that job sounds hectic). Benedict will be sent to a house in the mountain to live a life of solitude and prayer. There are 10 potential candidates to become the newest leader of the Catholic Church. I will share some of my own thoughts about the potential candidates in a later post. Now lets all hope for whit smoke!

Below is a picture of myself in front of the Vatican, while on vacation last summer.