Quick thoughts from Madison WI’s worst Catholic.
Pope Francis has died, just a day after showing himself to the Easter celebrants at the Vatican; just a day after meeting with Vice President J.D. Vance. The deeper recesses of the A.O.C caucus will infer Republican skullduggery against the liberal Pope. (If that was trite and needlessly partisan. pls forgive. We claim no saintly qualities.)
We remember the death of the first Pope of our lifetime, Pius XII. Back in Sun Prairie WI, the sisters of Notre Dame who taught us at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary parochial school actually cried. That would be 1958. Did he or did he not try to help the Jews? History’s jury is still out.
One of the most consequential popes of all times succeeded Pius — John XXIII. A lot of us think his Second Vatican Council drained all the magic and mystery from the faith. As for consequential, we guess Francis will be known more as the first Pope from the western hemisphere than any encyclical. Big on climate change and equivocal on who’s to blame in Gaza. Certainly, he did not help bring down Communism and the Soviet Union like John Paul II. Progressives still excuse that godless faith, arguing that only its excesses were problematic. Now, a guy like Bernie Sanders, he could make it work!
Doubt we’ll be hearing chants of “Santo Subito!” (“Sainthood Now!” sounds like “Serenity Now!”) for Francis One as they did for John Paul 2.
But convenient for all the Easter visitors to Vatican City who might, this morning, be canceling their flights home.
On a more morbid note, we’re intrigued by cases of people who are very much alive one day and very much dead the next — by natural means. Queen Elizabeth II comes to mind. One day she is receiving her most recent prime minister, the short-tenured Liz Truss, the next day being mourned.
Our to-do for the day: Watch The Conclave. (We’ve seen Godfather III — not a bad movie, but disappointing when compared to I and II.)
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Could the College of Cardinals choose an American at long last? Say, Timothy Dolan of New York (and previously, Milwaukee)? Seems to get along with President Trump, judging by the Al Smith dinner. (Plus or minus?) A great defender of the faith. At 75, about same age as Francis One when he took over. Could hold his own on the talk shows. Wearers of the red zucchetto often alternate between liberal and conservative. Next pope need not be a cardinal — or even a priest! Last layman picked in 827 — Pope Valentine. (Still must be Catholic.) If you had to throw long …
11 responses to “Vere, Franciscus mortus est”
He meets with Vance and the next day he is dead?? Connect the dots…..
Chuck Schumer should pick the next Pope. Replace the Conclave with the Process.
For a large enough donation Dementia Don will happily appoint someone to be POPE. Don JR? the WEATHER GIRL ON FAUX NEWS? Hegseth’s dog? Can’t be any worse than the collection of corrupt nutbags we have now.
Since you asked, Timothy Dolan, but not much chance of that happening.
“First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head with great respect and
Genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.
Ave Maria,
Gee it’s good to seeya,
Doin’ the Vatican Rag.”
(With apologies to Tom Lehrer)
It’s been good to see ya.
So long, Pope.
C’mon, you can be more creative than that. How about Mark Wahlberg? A little action figure star power?
You’re a little lenient on John XXIII. I’m one of those who think he’s howling in Hell for the irreparable harm done by Vatican II (he has plenty of papal company, at least according to Dante’s “Inferno”). Here’s hoping the cardinals pick someone in the mold of Benedict XVI, though it’s more likely we’ll see the first black pope, chosen to placate the DEI wing of the Church, i.e., the same folks who brought us the first Latino pope.
of Italian heritage
A fact consistently downplayed by his admirers.
When I attended Holy Name Seminary, way back in the day, the smartest guy in our class was Kevin Holmes – now Msgr. Kevin D. Holmes, here in Madison. At the time we all said he was destined to be the first American pope, and he should have been. But I think he was too conservative for this archdiocese.