[SOLVED] Center widget does not display shortcode

I just updated to 3.7.12 because I wanted to have a center widget.

The update went fine, and I created a center widget, and inserted a shortcode in the
widget.

It will not process the shortcode; it simply displays the text of the shortcode.

This is strange because I did the identical thing thing on relatd website, and the shortcode works fine.

I've done the obvious, from clearing the cache, and deactivated common plugins, and such, and still the result never changes. I have reset all settings, and started form scratch, to no avail.

I've noticed that, once created, the center widget area remains, even if I clear the widget code in the theme set-up area. The only way to get rid of the widget area is to reset the entire theme.

I think I'm missing something simple, but, I sure am at a loss...

Anyone have any hints ?