The Petal

Isn’t it interesting how much a subject’s personality can influence the way we respond to a more impressionistic photo? Shots like this used to make Benedict look like a goof (1, 2) but here, when I saw that collar, the first thing I thought of was a flower.

(photo: Gabriel Bouys—AFP/Getty Images via TIME’s best pictures of the week caption: Feb. 19, 2014. Pope Francis salutes the crowd as he arrives for his general audience in St Peter’s square at the Vatican.)