Pope Watch 2025

[HVC]

I forgot how surreal it is for all the international news agencies to be live streaming a chimney for hours on end.

Beats a lot of their normal coverage.

[Sheilbh]

On why the first ballot was delayed - it was a huge mistake letting a charismatic speak

Austen Ivereigh
@austeni
I'm hearing that Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who was slated to give the cardinals their pep talk after the extra omnes, went on for 50 minutes rather than his allotted 15.

[HVC]

They need music like awards shows to drown the cardinals out

[The Minsky Moment]

Just don't want a Maga friendly reactionary Pope.

Please Catholic Jesus deliver us

Pope JD Vance.

Sounds like a sucky dj

Its Pope JD Vance cracking down on vice, I'm the whitest MC since Vanilla ICE

[Josquius]

The Pope will continue to be Catholic - like JPII and Benedict and Francis they wlll oppose abortion in all circumstances, there will not be women priests, homosexuality will be a sin. This stuff is not going to change (never say never - but certainly not in my lifetime). At the same time they'll almost certainly have robust things to say (as JPII, Benedict and especially Francis did) on the environment, against neo-liberalism (and indeed, original flavour liberalism), for migrants and the marginalised.

As my favourite Catholic writer put it the Catholic Church is about nine times older than the left-right divide. Even including that, there's about twenty different axes the cardinals can be plotted against and three of those are specifically about being Italian

Reading summaries of the lead candidates though I can see nuances.
I'd much rather have a "Gay? Tut tut. Shame on you sinner." guy than a "Burn the sodomites!" one.

[Sheilbh]

They need music like awards shows to drown the cardinals out

The first Scandinavian Cardinal (at least since the Reformation) very much fitting the stereotype

Joel Halldorf
@joelsh
"Everyone is tired of the Italians, they use so many words and always exceed the allotted five minutes."

- Cardinal Anders Arborelius, when I interviewed him yesterday, on the proceedings during the general congregation.

Portrait of Arborelius just before he entered the conclave. We stopped for an icecream and he mentioned that he has not made a single intervention during the general congregation. Not gone to the Vatican to network. He has remained in his monastery.

[Razgovory]

I'm sure they are taking atheist, anti-Catholic viewpoint into consideration when picking a new Pope.

[Duque de Bragança]

They need music like awards shows to drown the cardinals out

The first Scandinavian Cardinal (at least since the Reformation) very much fitting the stereotype

Joel Halldorf
@joelsh
"Everyone is tired of the Italians, they use so many words and always exceed the allotted five minutes."

- Cardinal Anders Arborelius, when I interviewed him yesterday, on the proceedings during the general congregation.

Portrait of Arborelius just before he entered the conclave. We stopped for an icecream and he mentioned that he has not made a single intervention during the general congregation. Not gone to the Vatican to network. He has remained in his monastery.

So the Brain is a conclave cardinal now? At least, he could get an ™Antichrist™ of his choosing.

[Rex Francorum]

Curiosity question for our anglo friends. Why the Sixtine chapel is named "Sistine" in english? I mean, the pope behind its construction was Sixtus IV (Sixte IV in french).

[Sheilbh]

I'd guess just because it's Capella Sistina in Italian and we picked up the name from them rather than the actual source/official name?

[Jacob]

For a moment I thought Raz was calling Cardinal Arborelius an atheist anti-Catholic

... but I think he was talking to Josq.

[Josquius]

I'm anti-catholic?

[Maladict]

Habemus papam

[Valmy]

For a moment I thought Raz was calling Cardinal Arborelius an atheist anti-Catholic

... but I think he was talking to Josq.

I have absolutely no idea what Raz was babbling about there. Was anybody out here suggesting that anti-Catholic atheists were going to vote in the Conclave?

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

POPE INCOMING!