Talking about the disruption caused to Rome due to the arrival of so many pilgrims to the eternal city, a typically sardonic local shrugged and said “Vabbe’, per fortuna succede ogni morte di papa” or “Well, luckily it happens only when a pope dies”. The term “ogni morte di papa” has passed into Italian aphorisms to mean an equivalent of “once in a blue moon”.

That this phrase has passed into popular usage, over the centuries, says plenty, both about Roman humour, and the special relationship that exists between Italy and the Church. The official mourning and funeral ritual for Pope John Paul II have revealed and obfuscated plenty about the nature of the modern day, secular Italian Republic. It would be fair to say that it’s been a two way relationship (at least until recently, some disgruntled Italians may say), with the heavy hand of the Church affecting Italian culture, and vice versa!

This morning things seem to be finally returning to normal, in terms of media coverage of the papacy. That translates, in the case of La Repubblica, to one front page piece, two full pages inside, and an editorial. Here, in what will hopefully be the final entry in TVFB