John Allen

It's a reflection of the trends that are going on not only in Winston-Salem but across the country.

It's a reflection of the trends that are going on not only in Winston-Salem but across the country.

The charisma, the celebrity, around John Paul was so strong that, in a way, the religious significance of the event read more

The charisma, the celebrity, around John Paul was so strong that, in a way, the religious significance of the event sort of fades from view. Benedict is obviously determined that is not going to happen. He's trying very hard to make sure the focus is on the ritual, not the person.

Am I surprised by how slow he's moving? My basic answer is, yes. I knew he was not going to read more

Am I surprised by how slow he's moving? My basic answer is, yes. I knew he was not going to turn the Earth on its head overnight. But given the vastness of his ambitions ... I would have expected in the first eight months he would be doing lots of things of consequence: more significant personnel moves, more significant documents, more serious public engagements, etc., etc.

For Opening Day last year, almost 22,000 fans arrived at the ballpark within an hour of the first pitch. We read more

For Opening Day last year, almost 22,000 fans arrived at the ballpark within an hour of the first pitch. We advise they arrive a lot earlier on Monday. The later the fans wait to arrive, the more difficult it will be to get to and enter the ballpark.

They're kind of groping their way forward to understand how they can make the pope as available as possible to read more

They're kind of groping their way forward to understand how they can make the pope as available as possible to his followers while at the same time protecting his health.