I beg your pardon: in my too optimistic meditation on the fragility of eternal institutions I forgot to look back -- at emperor Constantine -- and forwards -- at a quite credible candidate to succeed him. But this piece of news brought me back to the real world:

"(RNS) For the first time in 40 years – since President Jimmy Carter took office in 1977 – a Catholic bishop will take part in a presidential inauguration.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, is among six faith leaders who will participate in the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Michael Pence, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Wednesday (Dec. 28).

“I am honored to have been asked to offer a reading from Scripture at the upcoming presidential inauguration and look forward to asking Almighty God to inspire and guide our new President and to continue to bless our great Nation,” Dolan said in a statement."

Money and Power are in fact powerful allies