Over the recent days in which Pope Benedict has visited New York City, I watched the coverage on television of the Masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and at Yankee Stadium. The events were filled with the majesty of ancient ritual and liturgical splendor. A constant phenomenon through the events was the mob of little mobile cameras that appeared from beneath the vestments and robes to capture the passing pontiff. I noticed one Cardinal slip a tiny camera out for a digital snap as the Holy Father reached to touch the outstretched hands of his nearby colleagues.

As the recessional flowed down the center aisle at St. Patrick’s after the Mass, the wide angle television view showed a waving audience that sparkled with little camera flashes from seemingly every individual in the pews. The Image above is a section of a New York Times photo taken outside the cathedral. I count at least six cameras in the nuns’ hands. The cloud of pixel witnessing that has been sent into digital memory during the Pope’s NYC visit is awesome to imagine.

Over the recent days in which Pope Benedict has visited New York City, I watched the coverage on television of the Masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and at Yankee Stadium. The events were filled with the majesty of ancient ritual and liturgical splendor. A constant phenomenon through the events was the mob of little mobile [...]