HOW DO POPE FRANCIS AND POPE BENEDICT XVI GET ALONG?

How do Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI get along? Article in The Atlantic provides clues

Pope Francis, left, and his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (Associated Press)

John Pope, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By John Pope, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

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on April 20, 2014 at 11:17 PM, updated April 20, 2014 at 11:32 PM

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How do Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI get along? Article in The Atlantic provides clues

For the first time in six centuries, two popes live in Vatican City: Francis, who is dynamic, beloved and outgoing, and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who has gained a reputation as a stern, aloof scholar.

In the latest issue of The Atlantic, an article by Paul Elie, a senior fellow with Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, tries to depict what life is like for these two men.

In the 14 months since Francis was installed as the leader of the world's Catholics, he has continued to gain admirers and even landed on the cover of Rolling Stone, while Benedict has lived the life of what Elie calls "a self-cloistered contemplative."

Is Benedict jealous of the attention his successor is receiving? Is Francis looking over his shoulder, wondering whether he'll be second-guessed?

The Vatican has always been a place of intrigue. Elie's article -- "The Pope in the Attic: Benedict in the Time of Francis" -- shows that this condition continues.

Benedict may appear with Francis Sunday (April 27) at what is expected to be a massive ceremony marking the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

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