Conclave

There won’t be much stone throwing going on at the Conclave to elect the next Pope (He who is without sin, etc., etc.—John 8.7). With all their pomp, sartorial excess and ceremony I think we can safely assume that the participants all suffer from the first of the seven deadly sins, pride. A few of the other sins can probably be thrown in too, envy perhaps? Listening to a Cardinal on the Beeb the other day all the talk was about the ‘Holy Spirit’ which will somehow manifest itself like a cloud of incense wafting around the contenders’ Zucchettos. The Cardinal said that the new Pope will not be chosen as we might elect a politician, since they are not seeking a Prime Minister or President—rather missing the point that the Pope is a de facto head of state. Of course, what happens in a Conclave is strictly secret, so it is easy for those in the know to suggest that the recent film ‘Conclave’ is fiction. Well it is, but when fiction gets that believable it is hard to eradicate what truth there is in it. How many gay cardinals are there is one question which could usefully be asked. I wonder too how many cardinals have actually heard a word from God? How exactly is this word communicated? In the same way that Peter Sutcliffe, the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ heard the voice of God in his head, or perhaps some ISIS barbarian? And where was the voice of God when Justin Welby needed it (this blog is not sectarian)? Having said all that, I think if I were a cardinal I would cast my vote for the man who communes with God (himself) every day. Pope Donald. A man with no moral issues