There are currently 252 Catholic cardinals, but only 135 are eligible to cast ballots as those over the age of 80 can take part in debate but cannot vote.
You’re telling me the Catholic church has more term limits than the US Supreme Court?
Weirdly enough, they might even be less corrupt too.
Ehrm…another pope?
Just listen to Pitura Freska, my peers. We need a black pope.
I’m not Catholic any more, for decades, but it was nice to know the pope was from my “turf” of the world instead of yet another European. Plus he was considerably humbler than other popes, the instructions for his own burial are a good example. (In fact a lot of people I know get surprised when you mention that he was a Jesuit instead of a Franciscan. Not just because of his papal name - but because all that “think on the poor” discourse is extremely Franciscan.)
His Easter 2025 message is worth a read, regardless of religion.
To answer the question in the title: my money’s on an old white man with homophobic and misogynistic tendencies.
Papa V Perpetua
I believe Ralph Fiennes has to navigate a Catholic-flavoured Game of Thrones so that a surprise candidate from Mexico can get the job
New pope /thread
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, I hope.
And that is not a joke, that is the legal name of the best cardinal for the job
The Catholic church will elect another magical thinker in chief and he’ll carry on peddling magical thinking. What else could happen?
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I agree, I worked for Catholics for a few years and there are so many people just itching for a new pope to reverse ideologies so they can be more mad and racist and judgy and be justified for it. Not all, but many.
as a person raised in what was a very conservative catholic household in latin america, I feel like there is a new wave of very reactionary catholicism coming from the US that makes the Opus Dei or Legionaireslook like reasonable people.
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plot twist: They announce “okay, was a good run. Shut it all down, we’re done”
Nah, no way. Their scam has been working great for over two millenia. Why would they give it up?
* gruff New Jersey accent * Pack it in, boys!
Requiescat in pace.
They should unmothball Benedict XVI: he’s uniquely qualified to deal with Donald Trump, being a former Hitler Youth.
they would need to do more than that, since he is dead.
Surely he can be resurrected: the Christian faith is big on magical stuff like that.
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All the things you can critique him for, as well as the church in general, and you choose the thing that children were basically forced to participate in under a fascist regime? The dude clearly wasn’t a Nazi and he was a kid.
Where did you read I was criticizing B16 for being a Hitler youth? All I said was that his - definitely forced - stint there gave him the experience to deal with fascist authoritarian figures.
B16 should be at the receiving end of many criticisms - not least of which choosing to be part of, and ultimately lead a disgusting religious cult. But being forced to join the Hitler Youth is not one of them.
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Hopefully, Interpol catches JD Vance?
Now somebody needs to kidnap Jude Law and keep him in a basement until after the white smoke.
