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Friday 4 April 2008

Pope Joke

Following her conversion to the Roman Catholic faith*, the playwright Clare Booth Luce was granted a private audience with Pope Pius XII.
With the self-conscious, self-centered zeal found only (thankfully!) in converts and adolescents, she proceeded to expound on the truth of her new found faith. (Tried to "school him," I think we'd say now...)
Finally, gracious but bemused, the Pontiff was able to stop her, "Yes, yes, I know, Mrs. Luce.... you see, it happens I also am a Catholic."

*an event which led to, I believe I read somewhere, an agreement between her and her magnate husband, to whom she could not be validly married in the Church, to live "as brother and sister." I wonder if the decree of nullity had not been forthcoming if Himself and I would have done that?

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