Months before I had this web site and blog, John Thavis, the Vatican bureau chief for the Catholic News Service, got to read an advance copy of My Cousin the Saint. Back in February, three months before it was released, here is what John had to say on his blog.

Excerpt: “Being handed an uncorrected proof of a book with the words, “A relative of mine wrote this,” does not always augur well. But I began paging through it after the dinner and today found myself reading big chunks of it at the office.”

We know so much about Pope John Paul II, one of the most internationally famous and beloved popes in Vatican history. But what about his predecessor, Pope John Paul I, the Italian with the sweet smile and brief papacy? John Thavis, the Vatican bureau chief of the Catholic News Service, writes about JPI here, just prior to the 30th anniversary of the pope’s election to the throne of St. Peter.

An excerpt: “It was one of the briefest pontificates, but it left a lasting impression. Many inside and outside the Vatican felt that a man of extraordinary humility and goodness had passed their way — like a meteor that light up the sky and then disappears quickly, as one cardinal put it.”

John Thavis, Rome bureau chief for the Catholic News Service, interviews Cardinal John Foley of Philadelphia, one of the most beloved members of the pope’s inner circle at the Vatican, about the death of newsman Tim Russert.

“It’s the loss of one of the greatest journalists in the United States, if not the greatest. He was always kind and gracious, but he always got revealing material from people,” Cardinal Foley told the Catholic News Service. The whole story is here.