Conclave: Why Are We Always Interested in a New Pope?

         I was rather saddened when they announced Pope Francis had passed away. He was 88. Old, yes, but a seemingly good man and a pope I truly believed followed the ways of Jesus Christ with his kindness, empathy for the outcasts of the world, and compassion to all people. A woke pope, I’m here for it. God forbid a pope showed some compassion to all the people of the world and not just acting as a figurehead for Catholics. So, Francis dies and so a new conclave to elect the new pope must take place. I found myself strangely attentive to the process, to the candidates, to the cardinals knowing one of these men were going to be chosen as the man who will act as the Vicar of Christ here on Earth. 

For some Cody backstory, I am not a Catholic in any way. Or religious for that matter. My folks didn’t raise any of their children in any church due to their less-than-pleasant experiences as Catholics in their youths. Great call, mom and dad. As a matter of fact, I’m more of a spiritual guy, choosing to believe in a higher power/concept that doesn’t require me to get out of bed early Sunday mornings. 

Who’s to say what happens after we die? Some jack off in Erie, Pennsylvania? Seems arrogant to me to pinpoint EXACTLY what happens when we die. Religion to me is a tool-turned-weapon that has transmuted into a cult-like mentality (some, not all) that seemed to have caused more detriment than good in the world in a lot of cases all for the sake of getting on a good side of a God. Religion has its purpose and people abuse that purpose for selfish reasons. Especially in the Catholic faith. But I won’t get into that. 

So my perception of religion comes from a place from great respect for the ideologies themselves, but I do get annoyed, sometimes angered, when people become pushy with their beliefs. It left a sour taste in my mouth, but I admire the idea of Jesus and am interested how an ideology has survived over two-thousand years. 

My interest in the conclave also dialed in recently when I watched Conclave (2024). (Bless you, Ralph Fiennes…) Maybe I’ll post a review on that, but I digress.  So, I was left wondering, why do so many non-Catholics/irreligious people pay attention to a pope? I think the core idea is that we need someone running the machine. 

Regardless of the system, someone has to be at the helm and giving direction. You get a government, you need a president, prime minister, king, queen, a governing body, etc., as a figurehead to guide a nation. In a classroom, you need a teacher to guide a body of students on the path to education. The same kind of feeling is present with the Dalai Lama or if they’d met a Buddah, I’m sure with holy figures having this aura of gravity to them. They just seem important if that makes any sense, you know? But I too am just a dude looking for an authority figure for guidance. Usually in the shape of a writer or a director of some sort. 

With religion, there’s also a figurehead to act as an authority to the minor authority figures. In the Catholic faith, someone has to shepard the priests, the bishops, the cardinals, and there we get a pope. And popes have been coming and going since Saint Peter in 30 AD when the J Man himself was still around. 2,000-some years later and 220ish popes later comes Leo XIV just last week after the conclave wrapped up. The first American pope. From Chicago. You think a pope before him has ever had pizza the way Chicago does it? Forget about it! 

There’s actual footage of him being present at a White Sox game in 2005 for the World Series when he was just a priest. The fucking pope was at the World Series at one point. Hilarious. Made me wonder if he blessed the team in prayer before the big game. He seems like a good guy. I respect the decision and hope he does Francis proud in terms of checks notes following the word of Christ and not be a dick? One can hope. 

Pope Leo XIV. May he reign peacefully and bring some peace to the world. It sure could use it.