My host mom and I watched a segment on the new pope during dinner today. For once, I actually understood the majority of what was said on the television! That could be because my Spanish is getting better, or it could be due to the fact that for once I was actually paying attention...It's really very interesting to be in a Catholic country during this whole new pope thing. In the segment we watched a woman who claims to have seen visions of Jesus in Amsterdam debated the role of women in the church with a nun from Cataluña; again, very, very interesting. (Also, a winning comment on the new pope: he'll be a good pope because he has a very agreeable face. That's what I usually look for in my new popes.)
Coming from somewhere in which opinions about the church come in the form of monthly magazines, or the weekly church bulletin, it's interesting to have this constant coverage of the pope. If I were at home, I probably would have heard about it while at church, maybe discussed it a little at home, probably have seen a few bites on twitter. Here, we've discussed it in every class, and there are constantly new segments on television about the pope. The discussion is very public. Everyone has an opinion on who should have been pope, and whether or not the new one will be good for the church or for society, and why.
Also, I just want to know: what is his name, actually? My English news sources say Frances, but the Spanish news stations say Francisco. He's Argentinian, so is he going by the Spanish version? Which do they use in Italy? Do pope names normally get translated?
