I’ve heard any attempt to make even minor changes in the RCC compared to trying to turn a supertanker around in the Straits of Dover (and in the case of the RCC, a supertanker that’s accumulated 2,000+ years of barnacles).
I’m surprised he was able to nudge the Church as much as he did, especially given the amount of opposition he encountered in the upper reaches of the Curia. I recall accusations of heresy when his modestly progressive agenda came to light, as well as speculation he might actually be the Antichrist (based, IIRC, on some Nostradamus-like nonsense).
I’ve read there is speculation that a black Cardinal will be the next to be “chosen by God.” Apparently the Catholic church is seeing its largest growth in Africa, so it makes sense to have the next Pope be from Africa. That will create tension with the historically very conservative/white Clergy. Grab your popcorn and start watching that smokestack.
I also read Robert Harris’s Conclave and enjoyed it. Haven’t seen the movie yet, but I hope to soon.
I’m not Catholic, but I liked Pope Francis. I appreciated his humility, his thoughtfulness and his tireless advocacy for the poor and refugees. He really tried to reform the church and move it in a more modern and compassionate direction, unlike his two predecessors. I think he did about as much as he could, given the Vatican bureaucracy and deep-rooted conservative opposition. Now, may the first Jesuit pope rest in peace, and may his successor - wherever he’s from - carry Francis’s important work forward.
The official rulebook for a conclave lays out most of the formalities in some detail. Also, the first part of the opening session, up to ‘Extra omnes’ and the locking of the doors, is televised. So, we do have some idea of how it is organised. It’s all the behind-the-scenes plotting, before and during the conclave, that’s necessarily speculative.
To clarify, the process is known. But the interesting part is in the politicking, and that’s known only to the cardinals and might be different every time.
I very much agree with this. It will be interesting to see who comes out of the conclave. As someone else mentioned, it’s going to probably take a few papacies to get the Church up to speed. I certainly hope the result of this conclave doesn’t set them back another century.
That was mentioned in the NPR article I cited above:
He [Rev. Thomas Reese, a columnist at Religion News Service with a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley] noted that one of the film’s major inaccuracies was the treatment of Cardinal Vincent Benitez, played by Carlos Diehz, who was made a Cardinal in pectore, a Latin phrase that translates to “in the heart,” and refers to a process where appointments are made in secret. In reality, a Cardinal who is appointed in pectore may not participate in a conclave unless his name was announced by the pope before he died, which was not the case in the film.
Re. Conclave, we saw it in the theater. It was a very entertaining movie, beautifully shot, wonderfully acted. The behind-the-scenes politicking that comprised the plot was fictional, but it is easy to believe it could happen that way when a group of men are vying for one of the most influential positions in the world.
I believe that specific politicking was ficionalized in the movie, but Cardinals are men in positions of power who have risen through the ranks in one of the most historically powerful organizations in human history. AND I’ll bet many of them believe they were personally put by God in their various positions. When you believe you have literally been ordained and set in place by the direct descendant in the line of succession of the man chosen by Jesus Christ to found the Church, it must be an enormous challenge to stay humble. Something Francis seemed to be able to do to some extent. The political maneuvering is probably a lot more intense in reality than was portrayed in the movie.
Apologies for posting without having read the whole thread, but a BBC News reporter said something like, “Of course Pope Francis will be canonized.” Why of course? Is every pope canonized?
Not every Pope, but a lot of them, and Francis was very popular. Which theoretically shouldn’t matter, but the canonization process is carried out by people.
