Habemus Papam! With these traditional words, French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the Protodeacon of the Sacred College of Cardinals, announced to the world, “We have a Pope!” And, do we have a Pope! He wasted no time in taking the world by surprise.
Overlooking the Grand Canal and nestled next to St. Mark’s Basilica stands Venice’s Palazzo Ducale. Its pink and white marble Gothic façade glittering in the sunlight and the opulence of its interior -- ceilings gilded with gold and walls laden with costly paintings -- boast of the power and prosperity that Venice once had.
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2). Shakespeare puts these oft-quoted words on the lips of Juliet when she tells Romeo that she loves him, not for his family wealth and fame, but for himself. For her, his family name means nothing. In her eyes, one name is as good as another.