If I were telling an old, corny joke, it might begin: “A priest and a rabbi walked into a bar . . .”

But this picture isn’t a joke, corny or otherwise. It was a moment from real life . . . the sort of moment that makes you feel, just for a while, as though there might be hope for mankind after all.

It is not yet known whether Pope Leo XIV will become the new mediator of the (hopefully) upcoming negotiations between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. But I can’t think of anyone better qualified — more objective, diplomatic, apolitical, or peace-loving — for the job of bringing an end to the horrific war in Ukraine.

This one picture — seeing the expressions on the faces of those two good men — makes me feel something I haven’t felt in a long while: a sense of optimism.

Here’s hoping it will last.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/23/25