Thread: His Holiness The Pope of Rome

Done and dusted Pope BLD the 69th.
His regnal name Pope Tim Tam,

known to his mates as Tracy , dick Tracy

Conclave to elect new pope to begin on 7 May

Cardinals will meet next month in a secret conclave to elect the next pope, the Vatican has said.

The closed-door meeting will start inside the Sistine Chapel on 7 May and will involve some 135 cardinals from across the world.

It follows the death of Pope Francis who died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday and whose funeral was held on Saturday.

There is no timescale as to how long it will take to elect the next pope, but the previous two conclaves, held in 2005 and 2013, lasted just two days.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said cardinals will take part in a solemn mass at St Peter's Basilica, after which those eligible to vote will gather in the Sistine Chapel for the secretive ballot.

Once they enter the Sistine Chapel, cardinals must have no communication with the outside world until a new Pope is elected.

There is only one round of voting on the first afternoon of the conclave, but the cardinals will vote up to four times every day afterwards.

A new pope requires a two-thirds majority - and that can take time.

Conclave to elect new pope to begin on 7 May, Vatican says


The Vatican needs to milk this. I think they should start publishing the voting results from each round on a giant screen in St Peter's Square instead of just blowing the bilious black smoke. That would give the bookies and punters something to chew on.

What harm can that do to the papal process, if the conclave is safely sequestered in the Sistine and immune from inappropriate inflatulence?

It would dial up the fun for all the punters camped out in front of the Basilica and the rest of us with some cash to throw down.

If I could vote, it would be for Pietro Parolin


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Conclave has most cardinals, widest geographical mix in history

The conclave that begins May 7 is expected to be the largest in history, with a wide geographical mix of cardinal-electors.

There are 135 cardinals under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a papal election. By contrast, 115 cardinals took part in the conclaves in 2005 and 2013.

The cardinals represent 72 different countries if one counts the nations where they are serving and not just where they were born. Take the example of three Italians: Cardinals Pierbattista Pizzaballa is the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Giorgio Marengo is the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and Mario Zenari is the apostolic nuncio to Syria.

The cardinalsÂ’ average age on April 28 was 70 years and 5 months. That is slightly younger than the average age of electors who participated in the last conclave in 2013, which was 71.8.

According “Universi Dominici Gregis,” the document giving rules for the election of a new pope, cardinals who celebrate their 80th birthday before the day the Apostolic See becomes vacant — that is, with a papal death or resignation — do not take part in the election.

More details on the current voters

The oldest among current voters is Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, the retired archbishop of Madrid, who turns 80 May 16.

The youngest member of the conclave is 45-year-old Ukrainian-born Cardinal Mykola Bychok of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia. He is one of 17 Gen X cardinals, those born between 1965 and 1980.

Only five of the cardinals eligible to enter the conclave were created cardinals by St. John Paul II and 22 were created by Pope Benedict XVI.

That means 27 of them took part in the conclave that elected Pope Francis, and five of those also participated in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict.

But that also means voting in a conclave will be a brand new experience for 108 of the electors.

Geographical breakdown

While the geographical breakdown of conclave voters has become more diverse since 1978, Europeans are still the largest block. Fifty-two of the electors, or 37%, come from Europe.

However, Asia is more represented now than ever before with 24 electors or almost 18% of the total. There are 23 cardinal-electors representing Latin America, about 17% of the total, followed by Africa with 18 electors. North America now trails behind Africa and Asia with 14 electors, representing about 10%, and Oceania has four voting-age cardinals, about 2.9% of the total.

In the country-by-country breakdown, Italy has 16 voting-age cardinals, followed by the United States with 10, representing 7% of the voting total.

Brazil has seven voting-age cardinals; Spain and France have five each, and Poland, Portugal, India, Argentina and Canada have four each. England, Germany and the Philippines have three cardinal-electors each. Fifty-nine countries are represented with one or two cardinal-electors.

In terms of influence, the Vatican as an institution will be heavily represented, with 27 members of the Roman Curia voting in the conclave — 19.7% of the total.

Since a two-thirds majority of the cardinal-electors who participate is needed to elect a pope, if all 135 men were to attend, there would need to be at least 90 votes for one candidate to emerge as the winner.

Among the voting-age cardinals, there are 33 members of religious orders, including: five Salesians, four Jesuits, four Franciscans and three Conventual Franciscans.

Conclave has most cardinals, widest geographical mix in history - OSV News

As anyone in Arizona home America's most beautiful deserts will tell the best Cardinals are from
State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, which is located in Glendale, in Maricopa Co, AZ

Fuck the Popes.....any of them.
And fuck those who slobber, romantically, over this highly evil institution.

A good reason to vote for Pietro Parolin


How do the top papal candidates compare on climate?

Following the death of Pope Francis, Carbon Brief explores the various papal contenders’ views on climate issues.

Pope Francis, who died this week, has been praised for making climate action a core part of his work as the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

His influence extended far beyond the church and included directly lobbying oil companies, engaging in UN climate talks and criticising world leaders’ lack of action.

In 2015, the pope published Laudato Si – the first papal encyclical dedicated to the environment. As Carbon Brief reported at the time, it drew heavily on climate science and even called for fossil fuels to be phased out.

There is much speculation about whether Francis’s successor will continue his relatively progressive agenda, including on climate change.

Below, Carbon Brief examines the climate credentials of the cardinals that have been tipped as most likely to be chosen as the next pope during the church’s secret “conclave” process.

Pietro Parolin

The current favourite to become pope is Pietro Parolin, an Italian cardinal who has served as the Vatican’s secretary of state since 2013. He leads the Holy See’s delegation at UN climate summits.

He has stressed the “unequivocal” evidence and “scientific consensus” behind climate change. Speaking on behalf of Francis at COP28, Parolin described environmental destruction as “an offence against God, a sin that is not only personal, but also structural”.

The Holy See ratified the Paris Agreement in 2022 and has been actively involved in COP negotiations. In 2024, Parolin’s delegation attracted controversy when diplomats accused it of aligning with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia to block gender discussions at COP29.

Peter Turkson

Ghanaian cardinal Peter Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, has been influential in international climate politics.

During his time as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Turkson spent 18 months guiding the drafting of Laudato Si. He was described by the Guardian as “the public face of Pope Francis’s war on global warming”.

The encyclical was launched to influence the nascent Paris Agreement and commentators have pointed to similarities in wording and themes between the documents. Turkson attended the Paris summit with a Vatican delegation and the goal of being a “catalyst” for action.

Luis Antonio Tagle

Another frontrunner, cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has not had as much high-level involvement in climate politics as other candidates. However, he has often been compared with Francis due to his focus on social justice.

Tagle has been a vocal supporter of Laudato Si and has been involved in climate activism in his native Philippines. He has been active in the response to extreme weather in his country and has made the link between such events and climate change.

Robert Sarah

A conservative cardinal from Guinea, Robert Sarah has been welcomed by multiple right-leaning media outlets and is viewed by some as an “anti-woke” successor to Francis.

However, he has cited Francis’ teachings on the environment and pointed to the role of foreign interests in exploiting African resources. “They pollute the environment and leave the continent in endemic poverty,” he wrote in 2019.

Other contenders

There is huge uncertainty surrounding the conclave voting process to choose the new pope and several other candidates are thought to be in the running.

Among them are the Italian cardinal Matteo Zuppi, another progressive who has called for “bold” action on climate change.

Another is Péter Erdő, a leading conservative candidate from Hungary. While Erdő has not been vocal on climate change, he has close ties with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, a strong opponent of climate action.

Originally Posted by katie23

However, if a candidate from Africa gets the papacy, I'll be happy too.

2 of the front runners are from Africa. Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turks and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu. Both lean conservative.

Originally Posted by katie23

If Cardinal Luis Tagle will be the next pope, I (and many other Filipinos, even other Catholic Asians) will be happy.

Personally I like the cut of Cardinal Tagle's jib.


Who will be the next pope? Key candidates in an unpredictable process

Who will be the next pope? The decision could have a profound impact on the Catholic Church and the world's 1.4 billion baptised Roman Catholics.

It also promises to be a highly unpredictable and open process for a host of reasons.

Appiah Turkson (left) Parolin (Italian second left) Tagle (second right) Um Bongo (right)

The College of Cardinals will meet in conclave in the Sistine Chapel to debate and then vote for their preferred candidates until a single name prevails.

With 80% of the cardinals appointed by Pope Francis himself, they are not only electing a pope for the first time, but will offer a broad global perspective.

For the first time in history, fewer than half of those given a vote will be European.

And although the college may be dominated by his appointments, they were not exclusively "progressive" or "traditionalist".

For those reasons, it is harder than ever to predict who will be elected the next pope.

Could the cardinals elect an African or an Asian pope, or might they favour one of the old hands of the Vatican administration?

Who will be the next Pope? The top candidates in an unpredictable process

A responsible young Pope would be different

Meet the 5 youngest cardinals taking part in the conclave

At the upcoming papal conclave, set to begin May 7, the College of Cardinals will include several notably young members who have traveled to Rome from across the world, from Mongolia to Australia. 

Among the 135 cardinals who are eligible to vote in a conclave, 15 of them are under the age of 60. 

Historically, the age of cardinals participating in papal conclaves has varied. One of the youngest was Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo di Conza, who attended the 1565–1566 conclave at the age of 25.

In more recent times, during the 2013 conclave, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was the youngest cardinal elector at 53. In the upcoming conclave, there are six cardinals the same age or younger. 

Cardinal Mykola Bychok, 45

Born on Feb. 13, 1980, in Ternopil, Ukraine, Bychok felt the call to the priesthood at the age of 15.

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, 50

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, born on June 7, 1974, in Cuneo, Italy, has been a Consolata missionary in Mongolia since 2003.

Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, 51

Cardinal Américo Manuel Aguiar Alves, born on Dec. 12, 1973, is the bishop of Setúbal, Portugal.

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, 51

Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, born on Aug. 11, 1973, in Kerala, India, is a Vatican diplomat and Syro-Malabar archbishop.

Cardinal Francis Leo, 53

Cardinal Francis “Frank” Leo, born on June 30, 1971, in Montreal to Italian immigrant parents, is the current archbishop of Toronto.

Meet the 5 youngest cardinals taking part in the conclave | Catholic News Agency

Don't listen to this bloke
Vote BLD

Originally Posted by BLD

Nobody does popeing better than me..nobody.

I would love to back your popery campaign Lao, since nobody knows more about potpourri than your good self.

But we are looking for a DEI pope this time round, before Donald invades the Vatican and bans DEI initiatives.

So candidates from the Congo carry more cache.


According to this interesting BBC article there have actually been 3 African popes. All from the very early years of the church when North Africa was Christian, before the evil Muhammad had brought pestilence to the land.

The first one, Victor I (189-199), invented the Easter Sunday date calculation.

The second, Miltiades (AD311-314), was the first with a residence in Rome sanctioned by Constantine

The third, and most significant, Gelasius I (AD492-496), invented Valentines Day

But unfortunately none of them had very dark sub-saharan African skin so they don't count. Black Popes Matter.

How African popes changed Christianity - and gave us Valentine's Day

Now predominantly Muslim, North Africa was once a Christian heartland, producing Catholic popes who left their mark on the Church to this day.



Their papacies were in the era of the Roman Empire, which stretched across modern-day Tunisia, the north-east of Algeria and the coast of western Libya.

"North Africa was the Bible Belt of ancient Christianity," says Prof Christopher Bellitto, a historian at Kean University in the US.

Many Catholics in Africa are hoping that the papacy will return to the continent for the first time in more than 1,500 years, as a successor to Pope Francis is chosen.

Here, we look at the three previous African popes - and how they got Christians to celebrate Easter Sunday and St Valentine's Day.

All three have been recognised in the Church as saints.

Popes from Africa: How they shaped the Catholic Church during the Roman Empire

Trump throws his hat in the ring



Donald Trump has said he would "like to be Pope" when asked by reporters who he would like to see as the new head of the Catholic Church.

The US president said he had "no preference" but suggested an American cardinal, who comes from New York, would be good for the role.

Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, the process to elect the new pope will begin on 7 May.

Watch: Trump jokes he'''d '''like to be Pope'''

But maybe too late to knock Cardinal Lao off his home straight pole position with only 1 week remaining

Nice summary of the intrigues around the recent conclaves here



Also some speculation on the front runners in the 2025 showdown

The erudite scholar places Katie's homie in the top 3 at this conclave.

But placing is no good. There can be only 1

Part of the reason they tend to choose older popes is that it is a risk to elect a young fella and have him in for too long in case he is no good. It seems like a reform in the direction of retirement like Benedict, or fixed terms, might bring more vitality to the papacy.

Originally Posted by Looper

to elect a young fella and have him in for too long in case he is no good.

Similar to the Thai lady strategy

"to erect a wrong fella and have him in for too long in case he is no good"

^lol

Originally Posted by Looper

Donald Trump has said he would "like to be Pope"

Trump is doubling down on his papal bid.

I think he would bring his natural sense of infallibility to the role so I think he has something to offer...



Trump criticised after posting AI image of himself as Pope

US President Donald Trump has attracted criticism from some Catholics after posting an AI-generated image of himself as the Pope.

The picture, which was shared by official White House social media accounts, comes as Catholics mourn the death of Pope Francis, who died on 21 April, and prepare to choose the next pontiff.

The New York State Catholic Conference accused Trump of mocking the faith. The post comes days after he joked to reporters: "I'd like to be Pope."

Trump is not the first president to be accused of making a mockery of the Catholic faith. Former US President Joe Biden caused outrage a year ago when he made the sign of the cross at a pro-abortion access rally in Tampa, Florida.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to answer questions about Trump's post during a briefing with journalists on Saturday. The Vatican is preparing to host a conclave to choose Francis's successor beginning on Wednesday.

The image posted by Trump on Friday night features him wearing a white cassock and pointed mitre, traditionally worn by a bishop. He wears a large cross around his neck, and has his finger held up, with a solemn facial expression.

Trump criticised after posting AI image of himself as Pope


Top marks for the AI photoshop skills. Puts my BLD pope to shame.

Nice to see him rocking the traditional Papal gold cross too, which the humble Francis abjured in favour of a simpler silver cross.

I did not know that they install and uninstall the chimney on the Sistine chapel for each Papal showdown...


Custom fireworks and standby firefighters: How the Vatican makes its smoke signal

When the Catholic Church elects a new pope, the world watches not for a press conference or social media post, but for rising smoke from a small chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.

If the smoke is black, no new pope has been chosen. If it is white, a decision has been made: Habemus Papam - we have a pope. It's high drama, broadcast live to millions.

But what viewers don't see is the centuries-old ritual's hidden complexity: the carefully built chimney, the engineered stove and the precise chemical recipes, each part painstakingly designed to ensure that a wisp of smoke carries a clear message.

Over the years, there have been suggestions to modernise the system: coloured lights, digital alerts, or even televised votes. But for the Vatican, the ritual is not just a communication tool - it's a moment of continuity with centuries of tradition.

"This is about tradition and secrecy, but it has real theological heft to it as well," Prof Moss said.

"Plus 'Catholic Church' and 'cutting edge' are far from synonyms - innovation is almost antithetical to ritual."

Choosing the next pope: How the Vatican makes its smoke signal


I am all in on this televised vote count numbers on each round. This would take things to the next level and pump up the volume for the great unwashed wanting to get some skin in the game.

I realised that they could not send out information but I did not know they were cut off from the outside world completely.

Sounds like a Buddhist retreat, which they probably need after being hounded by Rome's papparazi looking for leads in the days before.

Conclave: How Vatican keeps its papal vote secret

This must be the most secretive election in the world.

When 133 Catholic cardinals are shut into the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to choose a successor to Pope Francis, each one will have sworn an oath on the gospels to keep the details under wraps for life.

The same goes for every person inside the Vatican during the conclave: from the two doctors on hand for any emergency, to the dining-room staff who feed the cardinals. All vow to observe "absolute and perpetual secrecy".

Just to be sure, the chapel and the two guesthouses will be swept for microphones and bugs.

"There are electronic jammers to make sure that phone and wi-fi signals are not getting in or out," said John Allen, the editor of Crux news site.

"The Vatican takes the idea of isolation extremely seriously."

The famous lockdown is not only about keeping the voting process itself secret: stopping "nefarious forces" from attempting to hack it for information or to disrupt things.

The measures are also about ensuring the men in red total seclusion from the secular world and its influences as they prepare to vote.

Catholics will tell you the election is guided by God, not politics. But the hierarchy takes no chances.

On entering the conclave, everyone is obliged to surrender all electronic devices including phones, tablets and smart watches. The Vatican has its own police to enforce the rules.

Conclave: How Vatican keeps its papal vote secret

Originally Posted by BLD

Don't listen to this bloke
Vote BLD

If you're in negotiations for the big job, make sure they're OK with you at times wearing jeans or even shorts. You're entitled to be comfortable.

Brush up on your Latin with the conclave inauguration mass livestream



They have a live stream of the Sistine Chapel chimney in the corner, but the first vote is not for a few hours

The longest conclave in history lasted 2 years, but there is no way Santa is getting down that chimney

There is currently a white dove of peace alighted on the roof beside the chimney. The Holy Spirit manifest?

Black smoke suggest they smoking stromg gear, probably send one the altered boys up the chimney.
Will it be Trumpy or BLD keep us in the loop Loopy.
Of course the new one may chastise all the onanists, fornicators and shirtlifters if from darkest Africa.
All under control with Swiss guarding the riches .