Pope marks 25-year pontificate: conclave speculation thrives during frail pope's silver jubilee

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 24, 2003 by John L. Allen, Jr.

While the pope has never shared his feelings with me, I said I would hazard a guess that he is the last guy who would be scandalized by it all. He understands that you have to take the bitter with the sweet, and if the Catholic church wants the world to take the papacy seriously, the price it must pay is a certain morbid curiosity about the pope's health and what happens after he dies. the six-figure network contracts for rental of Roman rooftops and the scramble for taking heads is simply the way the global media has of indicating that this story is important, that the papacy counts.

I believe John Paul gets that, even if not everyone in the organization he leads always does.

NCR ONLINE

The Word from Rome

For more on the pope's anniversary, a talk with U.S. ambassador to the Vatican James Nicholson, and a report on Archbishop Oscar Romero's sainthood cause, see John Allen's column at NCRonline.org.

John L. Allen Jr. is NCR Rome correspondent. His e-mail address is jallen@natcath.org.