A Birthday Gift for the Holy Father?

Ad multos annos!

Today is the Holy Father’s birthday, and I join all the well-wishers from all corners of the world.

At the same time, I wonder whether the Holy Father might not have chosen this day to make himself a very, very special birthday present…

It would be so beautiful if on this day we could celebrate the Holy Father’s birthday and the reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X.

Yesterday the German SSPX site issued a statement saying the reports from “Le Figaro” and (even more explicitly so) “Der Spiegel” are “rushed speculations”. Well of course they are, aren’t they? Before the official statement the only thing you can do is speculate!

Still, simple people like me can scarcely imagine both these prestigious (at least in the opinion of the world) publications would run the risk of being proved wrong in such a way.

If this happened, this would in my eyes only mean one of two:

a) journalism as an honourable profession is truly dead. I mean, even with the standards of today.

b) Vatican officials have wilfully leaked false news of an agreement, in the hope the SSPX would be considered the culprit when the agreement is not reached.

This has really been a rollercoaster, with news of an agreement leaked or hinted several times and then proved wrong. We will, of course, have to wait and pray.

May God grant this is the last day of waiting, and a day of joyous thanksgiving.

Mundabor