Free Republic

Folks, the Newsletter of the Oblates of St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN, published an article a year ago entitled A Monastic Geography of Time and Place, which I think has many worthy thoughts. Four paragraphs impressed me most:God's presence is indeed to be found in all the places and all the times of monastic life but especially in all the human persons who make up the daily life of a monastery. God is to be found in the young and the old, in the sick and the well, in monastic superiors, in guests, in one's work, in one's rest,...

There has been a lot of chatter around the Net concerning Pope Benedict's name and possible connections to prophecies of St. Malachy and St. Benedict. Is he, indeed, the "Glory of the Olive" or possibly the fulfillment of the prophetic idea attributed to St. Benedict that a member of his order would someday be Pope? I read at another website that Pope Benedict has spent a lot of time over the years making retreats at Benedictine monasteries. So here is my question: Does anyone know -- or does anyone know how to find out -- if Pope Benedict ever officially...