Whispers in the loggia: The Shepherd Meets The "Flock"

Long foreseen as the key ad intra message of this PopeTrip, at 11.30 Francis meets with the US bishops – numbering some 300, the global church's second largest national bench after Brazil's – in Washington's St Matthew's Cathedral.

In the context of Midday Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours (booklet), the speech – a homily to be given in Italian, a last-minute change from the initial plan for Spanish – will come toward the end of the rite, following the short Scripture reading.

At the prayer's close, both the host-ordinary, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and the USCCB President, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, will offer welcoming remarks, and only the 37 prelates of the conference's Administrative Committee will be introduced to the Pope.

Here again, the livefeed... text to follow – well, provided Francis sticks to it...


by Rocco Palmo via Whispers in the Loggia