Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Lunar Diocese


Archbishop William Borders, ordained bishop in 1968, was the first Bishop of Orlando, Florida – whose bounds encompassed Cape Canaveral.

During a meeting with the Pope shortly after the successful landing of Apollo 11, Borders said, "You know, Holy Father, I am the bishop of the Moon."  Paul VI (as was his wont) looked confused at this, but was amused to learn that, by the existing (1917) Code of Canon Law, Borders, as Bishop of Orlando, from whose diocese the lunar explorers departed, was de facto Ordinary of this "newly discovered" territory.

So there you have it: the Moon is part of the diocese of Orlando.  (My middle name is Roland, so this greatly pleases me.)

No comments:

Post a Comment