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So the cardinals are going to get together at the Sistine Chapel to pick a new Pope today or tomorrow. Super...or something? I don't know. I'm a nondenominational Christian.

I think they draw names out of the Papal Mitre, and the last two fight to the death bare breasted, holding a baby in each arm for the position... wait, that's how the clan McAdder go into battle. Sorry, I've got my wires crossed at some point in there.

I hate to rain on this parade (yeah, right), but according to the famous Prophecy of the Popes, the next Pope will also be the last one: "Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End." Granted, this prophecy is frowned upon by the Vatican for obvious reasons, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

So here he comes, Peter the Roman, gravedigger of the Catholic Church. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti.

The Church doesn't support that list, since it includes antipopes and interpretations that go through hoops to fit the phrases. And it doesn't agree that the next pope is the last one.

The Catholic Church doesn't agree with that because it's the Catholic Church and doesn't realize that the "Church" has Terminal Cancer

I mean, I am Catholic, and if you ask me....they are more endangered and in more trouble than REPUBLICANS are in Congress! Times are indeed changing...and they need a pope that can change with the time....instead of trying to "Go Backward" into the 1950's...which they have tried to do as of late.

The church is also either broke...or hiding all that money underneath the Sistean Chapel as a 'rainy day fund'. Many churches are now closing. We have no priests, because YOUNG people don't have the faith or ambition to enter into the hands of god as 'endetured servers' of the religion.

Until the church wakes up and realizes that the world is changing, and accepts that....they won't recover. They are in denial. Every homily I hear is a "Fear Tactic" about Media, the Democrats, Dangerous Television and Video Games....Again...they don't live in a MODERN AGE!!

The church has billions and billions locked up in first-rate, tax free property. Thousands of churches sitting on very expensive land in every city on half the planet. Some of the architecture is so unique, it's priceless. Vatican City itself has enough real estate fund any crazy scheme you could want.



If only we were to be so lucky. Too bad that's a bunch of bullshit.

It'd be nice for humanity take another step towards leaving the silliness of religion in our past. Nothing sudden or violent, just slowly abandon an archaic tradition over the generations.

I'd better stop before I sound like even more of a jerk.

Watching the news coverage of who will be the next Pope was interesting. They panned over the crowd of the 115 Cardinals, all wearing the same robes and clothes. A reporter said it reminded her of an SNL skit I never heard of; I found it on Vimeo.Com: "Find The Pope in the Pizza." It's just like watching the news cast of all the Cardinals, knowing that one of these Cardinals will in fact be the next Pope. Instead of seeing a sea of Cardinals sitting in The Sistine Chapel, you see a sea of Cardinals' faces in a pizza:

Father Guido Sarducci

The Find The Pope In The Pizza starts at time index 3:54

Total running time: 6:30

Funny clip

I like to imagine that the first time the cardinals vote, they all vote for themselves. Then after sharing a good laugh, they get down to business.

I'm sure it happened centuries ago, and the rules were changed so no cardinal can vote for himself.

So white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel 40 minutes ago; there is a new Pope, but we don't know at the time of this post who the new Pope is. We should know within 20 minutes.

Congratulations and best of luck to the Cardinal that was elected Pope.

Be afraid.
Be very afraid.
Surrender, Dorothy!

We have a Pope!

The new Pope is: Pope Francis I, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit Cardinal apointed by Pope John Paul II, from Argentina. A South American Pope, not a Europen Pope, Pope Francis is 76 years old.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Bergoglio

As you can see, he is not Petrus Romanus, so he is not the last pope, and St. Malachy's list ... has a gap in it.

Everybody do the Pope Hat dance! (Wait. What?)