Habemus papam (?) POLL
Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, a conclave will be determined by the College of Cardinals.
There are 252 cardinals, 135 of whom are cardinal electors.
At present, 94 countries are represented in the College of Cardinals, including 71 with at least one cardinal elector.
I guess most of you are aware of the famous "fumata":
A papal conclave is expected to be convened in May 2025. The conclave is expected to begin sometime between 6 and 12 May 2025, which is between 15 and 20 days after Francis's death.
UPDATE: habemus papam; Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) was elected during the 2025 papal conclave on May 8, 2025.
He is from the United States of America.
I would like you to participate in the following poll and read your thoughts about the way the Vatican elects the new pope:
There are 252 cardinals, 135 of whom are cardinal electors.
At present, 94 countries are represented in the College of Cardinals, including 71 with at least one cardinal elector.
I guess most of you are aware of the famous "fumata":
- Black smoke in the Sistine Chapel, indicating that there was not a two-thirds majority in the papal election at the Conclave.
- White smoke in the Sistine Chapel, indicating that a pope has been elected by the College of Cardinals
A papal conclave is expected to be convened in May 2025. The conclave is expected to begin sometime between 6 and 12 May 2025, which is between 15 and 20 days after Francis's death.
UPDATE: habemus papam; Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) was elected during the 2025 papal conclave on May 8, 2025.
He is from the United States of America.
I would like you to participate in the following poll and read your thoughts about the way the Vatican elects the new pope:
Comments (16)
I thought the same: that the next Pope could be from Africa. But, as @tim wood noted, they are too conservative, and it is unlikely that the devoted cardinals of Francis want them.
Let's see what happens...
Sedes Vacans
[i]Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum Robertum Franciscum
Sanctae Romane Ecclesiae Cardinalem Prevost
qui sibi nomen imposuit Leo XIV.[/i]
He is American.
Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost).
I was going to make the old joke about 100% of popes being Christian, but then considering some of the pontiffs I am not even sure if this is true :rofl:. It takes some pretty significant disregard for the faith to buy the office with bribes, use it to aggrandize oneself through violence, and to spend most of one's time in veritable orgies.
Well we have Leo XIV. It is not as gentle a name as Francis, but we will see, and I will judge by how he deals with children, women, the poor, how Christian he is. "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14
Pope Leo the 13th -- 1878-1903 -- was big on advocating for the rights of workers, calling for fair pay, fair working conditions, and the right to join unions. As far as I know, he did not consign capitalists to the lowest pit in hell. I'll take care of that when I become pope. Will I have to convert to Catholicism first?
There always was, is, and will be endless bitching and carping regardless of who is elected pope, president, mayor, or dog catcher. As the Bible says, the people are grass, quick to wither. So, some are thrilled and some are appalled by Pope Leo XIV's election.
A North American Pope seemed the least likely source; I thought an African or Asian pope would have signaled where it is that Catholicism is most actively increasing in population.
Sex, wealth, earthly power, etc. is much less awkward (but not nicer) in secular institutions, because they set out to be in the world and of the world. So one isn't surprised (and not delighted) to find corruption in the corporate suites on Wall Street, Hollywood, Washington, Canberra, Moscow, or wherever. But the church (broadly) is supposed to be in the world but not of the world. It's a tough act to pull off--no easier now than 1000 years ago.
Then too, the Roman Catholic establishment knows how to put on a good show and they have a great stage there at St. Peter's, and that helps. If it were left up to Methodists to manage the funeral--or worse, Baptists--it would have been more of a blip in the news cycle. Size matters, and there are a lot more Catholics (1.2 billion) than Anglicans in the world.
I was somewhat surprised that there was not more coverage of the reaction of Catholics in Chicago. But then, once Mr. Prevost became a priest he moved on and up from his Chicago roots. There were a couple of interviews with former classmates in Chicago which were about what one would expect.
Would it be a good thing if the conclave was open? The rule about sausage and law not being made in public comes into play here. Who knows (other than the cardinals) what goes on under the veil of the holy spirit and mysterious proceedings? What horses were traded? Who was shafted in the process and by whom? Etc.
Less cats, more rats. Greater spread of the Black Death
Around 1233, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull called Vox in Rama, which described alleged satanic rituals involving black cats. While it did associate cats (especially black ones) with heresy and devil worship, it did not universally declare cats as the "incarnation of Satan" or call for their general extermination across Europe although it did contribute to fear or superstition about cats, especially black cats, which lives on.
While there may have been some localized killings or persecution of cats due to this association, there is no historical evidence that it led to a widespread or systematic reduction of cat populations across all of Europe.
The Black Death (13471351) occurred over a century later. It was primarily spread by fleas carried by black rats. A theoretical link is sometimes made that fewer cats meant more rats, and therefore more fleas and more plague. However, it's far from established.