Last Friday Fr Abbot returned from the abbots' congress in Rome, at which was elected a new abbot primate for the Benedictine Confederation. The following Tuesday night he gave the community a rundown of the events and processes of the congress, as well as news of Fr Edmund at Sta Cecilia in Trastevere.
During the aseembled abbots' audience with Pope Francis the Holy father took the unusual step of greeting each abbot and prior individually. This sort of one to one contact is a particular strength of the Holy Father.