Cardinal O'Malley to begin blogging today!

Here's an exciting story for us avid bloggers, reported today by the Boston Globe:

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, who wears a friar's habit designed nearly 500 years ago and who eschews most material possessions, today is taking a giant leap into the 21st century: He is becoming a blogger.

Following the lead of numerous political, entertainment, and sports figures who are flirting with new communication media in an effort to reach the public, O'Malley is planning to file items at least once a day during a 10-day trip to Rome that begins today and will consider making the blog permanent, depending on how the experiment goes.

...

O'Malley's spokesman said the cardinal, who has a computer on his desk and who uses e-mail for regular communication, would write his own blog items, but that a staff member would post them and upload photographs. The spokesman said the archdiocese has not decided whether to allow readers to comment or interact with the cardinal through his blog.

[And since this is the Boston Globe, it needs to get in a good jab at the church:] "Blogging, depending on the content of the items, is a remarkable development for the leader of an institution more often known for its secrecy."

O'Malley has repeatedly said he thinks the church should be more transparent, but he has had periods of more and less engagement with the news media. He has made it clear that he does not particularly enjoy dealing with journalists, but that he views the news media as one way of communicating with the public. He has also expressed a desire to increase the reach of media controlled by the church.

"The cardinal is excited about the idea, and hopefully it will be well-received," said archdiocesan spokesman Kevin Shea. ``This came out of conversations about his desire to find other modes of communication, especially using technology."

[Full story.]

[www.cardinalseansblog.com]

Gee, I sure hope the Cardinal adds me to his blogroll! Frankly, though, he should have talked to me about his web design: it looks kinda clunky.

Still, I think he is almost certainly the first blogging Cardinal.

Thanks to reader Rob Lepage for the news tip.