Pope Francis asks people to pray for him as he appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on March 13 at the Vatican. (CNS/Paul Haring)
Thursday marks the 100th day since the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis. This is a special edition of Morning Briefing examining Francis' first 100 days.
Francis at 100 days: 'the world's parish priest' by John L. Allen Jr.
Opinion: How the 'Francis effect' could rescue the church by John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life
Preparing for the Pope by Marie Arana, a journalist and biographer of Simon Bolívar
Pope says structures for collaboration, collegiality need strengthening
Francis and the perils of an improv pope by John L. Allen Jr.
Historians ask: Is Francis a John XXIII? by Joshua J. McElwee
The paradox of Pope Francis by Hans Kung
Canada -- A Pope with a plan? Francis's first 100 days. Recent asides reveal a Jesuitical strategy and hint at Vatican reform, by David Perlich, CBC News Vatican analyst
Canada -- For Catholics, it’s a brave new world. Editorial from The Catholic Register, Canada's Catholic news source
Switzerland -- Things are happening behind the scenes by Olivier Pauchard, swissinfo.ch
Vatican City -- Pope Francis after 100 days: A contrast to Benedict Eric J. Lyman, USA TODAY
Pope's first 100 days suggest he is serious about reforms Andres Oppenheimer, Latin America correspondent for The Miami Herald
Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Welby offer courageous examples by Peter Donohue
Ireland -- Francis has changed the face of the papacy in his first 100 days by Michael Kelly, editor of The Irish Catholic
7 surprising things Pope Francis has done in his first 100 days from Mother Nature Network
100 Days of Francis: Observations and predictions by John Carr in America magazine
Francis: 'Reality understood best at outskirts' by Thomas C. Fox
See all of NCR's papal coverage at Pope Francis
Pope Francis invites boy with Down Syndrome for spin on popemobile
Looking for an a little inspiration to begin your day? NCR's sister publication, Celebration, gives you two options, both based on the Scripture readings of the day: Pencil Preaching is blog that Celebration editor Pat Marrin combines scripture and sketching to reflect on the word. Daily Bread is a series short reflections, written by four authors who meet regularly to share the readings. Daily Bread is intended to help daily preachers and others who pray from the assigned scriptures each day to orient themselves to the Living Word addressed to the church in the world. It's a great way to begin the day. |