So, there’s a new pope in town, and everyone’s talking about it. Pope Francis’ funeral is going down on Saturday at St. Peter’s Square, and all the big shots are going to be there. All 252 cardinals from around the world are showing up to pay their respects — and at least 120 of them are going to stick around to vote for the next head honcho of the Catholic Church.
Now, I’m not really sure why this matters, but there’s a lot of buzz about who the new pope is going to be. Will they follow in Francis’ footsteps and look out for the little guy, or are we in for a change of pace? The Vatican announced on Monday that the 88-year-old pope kicked the bucket due to some health issues, and now everyone’s scrambling to make funeral arrangements. The funeral is set for 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, so get ready for some drama.
After the funeral comes the nine days of official mourning, known as the “novendiali.” That’s when the cardinals will huddle up in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave. And what’s the conclave, you ask? Well, it’s basically a bunch of cardinals getting together to cast secret ballots and pick the next pope. There’s no firm date for this shindig, but it has to happen within 15 to 20 days of the old pope passing away.
And here’s the kicker — there won’t be a cardinal from California at the conclave this time around. Cardinal Roger Mahoney got the boot for some shady business involving sexual abuse cover-ups, and he’s also too old to play, being 89 years young. But don’t worry, Cardinal Robert McElroy is repping the Golden State, so at least we’ve got someone to root for. As for Archbishop José H. Gomez, well, he’s not a cardinal, so he’s out of the running. Tough luck, buddy. That’s showbiz, I guess.
