'Covering Religion' Journalism Class Reports From Rome During Papal Investiture

Thanks to a bit of providential timing, Columbia Journalism had a large news bureau at the installation of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in Rome in mid-March. Sixteen students covered every aspect of the historic event: the pilgrims, the dignitaries, the trinket sellers, the faithful and the protesters. Some say it was just luck that we were there. Others saw good Vatican sources. In truth, it was because it was spring break, a time when students in my "Covering Religion" seminar can travel without its interfering with other courses. For more than a year, I had been planning to bring my students to Rome to examine the state of the Roman Catholic Church as well as minority religions in Italy. A month before we were set to leave, Pope Benedict resigned.