I love this place, you are my people. (I’m sorry for y’all, you are stuck with me 
)
He can always abdicate; Benedict XVI broke that taboo.
Really? Huh. In my defence, it’s been over thirty years since I last heard It.
He certainly could, though Benedict’s stepping down was pretty controversial within the church. I get the sense that Francis is dedicated to the job, and also seems to be maybe a bit stubborn over his health.
TIL that Cleese was likely referring to the poem “The Choir Invisible” by Eliot in the Dead Parrot Sketch…
Benedict didn’t set a precedent by stepping down. The first Pope to step down was Celestine. Granted, that was a long time ago, but the Church has a long memory.
Hey! Happy Birthday, @kenobi_65! It’s my wife’s, too. Today, she turned…
Pope Francis has made a surprise appearance in St Peter’s Square during a special jubilee mass for the sick and health workers, marking his first public appearance at the Vatican since his discharge from hospital two weeks ago.
The pontiff waved at the crowd that stood and applauded as he was appeared unannounced, assisted in a wheelchair to the front of the altar in the square.
Fascinating use of language: “He was appeared,” making “appear” a transitive verb with a direct object, just as the Argentine Dirty War coined the use of “disappear” as a transitive verb—desaparecido. Now that infamous verb has an antonym: Frankie is the opposite of “disappeared,” he has been “appeared” (presumably by the Entity, who prefer to be called “Friends of the Vatican”).
El papá no fue desaparecido—fue aparecido.
I’m guessing that that’s just sloppy editing from The Guardian, possibly prompted by a poor translation from the original source which was probably in Italian.
I’m always on the lookout for linguistic innovation.
Considering the time of year, they should’ve gone with “He is risen!”
Only if he had stood up from the wheelchair.
I was half-hoping for a Willy Wonka somersault.
Just announced that he has died
I wonder how conservative the next Pope will be, considering the waves made by Francis.
I read somewhere that he has appointed the majority of the cardinals young enough to vote.
Here it is:
Since Pope Francis was elected in 2013, he has appointed about two-thirds of the cardinals who are eligible to elect the next pope.
“Close to half the cardinals are now from the global south. They have issues that are different to issues in Europe and the US. They’re concerned about global warming, poverty, civil wars, corruption in government,” said Father Reese, a historian of the Church and a columnist for Religion News Service.
“All politics is local. Every cardinal wants to know how the next pope will be viewed in their country. Is he someone who will listen to me, who speaks my language? They could choose a cardinal from the global south.”
He died within hours of meeting JD Vance. I think that would tip me over too.
Seriously though, he was a very good pope IMO, and served with compassion and courage. RIP
Specific Papal death thread also opened here The Pope has died - #21 by Coriolanus
And this thread appears to have become completely obsoleted. Although the title has become poignantly on-point. “Absolute rest”, indeed.