The archbishop’s crozier . . .
Hmmm.
Is Archbishop Blase Cupich the guy to do it?
Could Cupich become an arbiter in the state budget battle between House Speaker Michael Madigan, and Gov. Bruce Rauner — a third-party whisperer in the ear of two hardheaded men used to getting their own way?
“I’ve heard the archbishop’s name being discussed in that way,” a top Sneed source said.
“It’s being discussed by people who feel everything is getting out of hand; that a voice of the common good is desperately needed,” the source added.
“Think about it. A whole range of programs for the suffering and the underprivileged are hanging on by their fingernails. Someone has to be the voice of moral authority.
“Cupich could be the voice for the voiceless,” the source said. “Catholic Charities. Lutheran Services, Misericordia are suffering. Catholic Charities isn’t about Catholics. . . . It’s about the poor.”
“I would think the archbishop might be the person these guys might want to invite to tea,” the source said. “Or the other way around.”
• Hmmmm: The archbishop also carries a large crozier, the symbol of a shepherd leading his flock.
Sneedless to say, Cupich could also use it to knock some sense into a few heads.
OPINION
The archbishop’s file . . .
It’s a first: Watch for Cupich to officially visit St. Sabina Catholic Church for Mass on Sunday.
St. Sabina is the South Side’s largest African-American Catholic parish, where the Rev. Michael Pfleger, the activist peace priest who was thwacked by two previous Chicago cardinals, is pastor.
Cupich is a Pfleger fan.
Amen.
The Trump stump . . .
Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trump. Trumpeddy doodle de do.
OK.
Now that we’ve got the daily “all things Trump” fix out of the way, let it be known Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is not talking “Trump.” Nor is he even whispering “Trump.”
“Hell, no,” a Rauner source said. “Not yet anyway.”
“Why would he? He wants to be president,” the source added.
Trump dump . . .
A new ad by GOP presidential hopeful John Kasich sounds decidedly un-Trump: The ad states: “There is a place for quiet strength: the Oval Office.”
Fickle pickle . . .
Yipes!
There is something missing from Ald. Proco Joe Moreno’s (1st) sample ballot for the upcoming election, where he is running for Dem 1st Ward committeeman.
What’s missing?
The sample ballot includes nearly two dozen Dem endorsements — minus the name of a certain Dem femme.
It’s absent an endorsement for the state comptroller’s race, a job being sought by City Clerk Susana Mendoza.
What’s the rub?
The two once dated.
Royal rantings . . .
Will the world be gobsmacked?
• Will Will and Kate follow in the footsteps of Will’s mother, the late Princess Diana, when they visit the Taj Mahal in India this spring — and sit on the same bench in front of the famous shrine to Mughal love where Diana once sat alone?
• Click! Snap! A photo of Diana sitting alone, snapped months before the princess and Will’s father, Prince Charles, split — became an international symbol of loneliness because her husband had accompanied her on that trip. Check it out and stay tuned.
The Punke file . . .
Guns. Guts. Snow. DiCaprio.
Did you know Michael Punke — author of the book “The Revenant,” which was adapted for the Oscar-winning film starring Leonardo DiCaprio — is a government wonk who is a deputy U.S. trade representative as well as the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization?
You did?
Well, here’s something you may not know.
Punke, who hails from Wyoming, built his own rifle when he was 12.
Downton blabby . . .
A “Downton Abbey” musical? Can you imagine actress Shirley MacLaine singing?
Just a thought.
Sneedlings . . .
Finally: Food for thought . . . The late, conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once said: “I attack ideas. I don’t attack people. Some very good people have some very bad ideas.” . . . Today’s birthdays: Jessica Biel, 34; Buddy Valastro, 39, and George Miller, 71.
