In the late 1300’s and early 1400’s several Popes refused to stay in Rome because of political turmoil there, so the papacy was moved to the city of Avignon. They purchased an existing castle and land to expand it into a Palace. A city, of course, was built around it. It was also a time of schism with competing Popes that almost caused a schism. But a half-dozen Popes were elected and chose to stay here. Also in Avignon are the remains of a thousand-year-old stone bridge that spanned the Rhone River. It was started because a shepherd boy in the mountains heard a call from God that a bridge was needed, and came down to tell the city and regional powers… at first he was laughed at, but with divine help he carried the first boulder to be put into place… and he became St Benezet, and it was built, between 1171-1185, and it changed the politics of that area forever! What’s our vision and how do we make it real? And how do we discern whether that vision is built on the backs of justice, mercy and love rather than pride and power? I know I like the vision of building bridges rather than palace walls. Hundreds of years later, they are all nice to look at as history, but I still wonder at it all…