the Pope and the Press

The Vatican’s 85 year old pope, Benedict XVI, has announced his resignation from his position today. On February 28 at 8 PM Italian time, he will surrender his title and his hat and dedicate his life to humble prayer. Due to his “diminishing health,” he feels he is incapable of carrying out his duties. This decision, released and translated into seven languages today, is the result of what was allegedly months of deliberation.

   

Benedicto in Paris. (USA Today, 2008)

However question-provoking and surprising the announcement may be, the shock shouldn’t result in too much confusion. The Church has very tight rules on how to go about electing the pope, a very ancient process of elections, and strict age limit. To be elected pope, you must be at least 60 years old; Benedict XVI is now 85. Granted these men most likely had not lived lives of sinful and deteriorating habits, by the time they are eligible they are far beyond what the rest of the world considers time to retire. Instead, they enter the life of rockstardom, jet-setting to countries around the world, putting on daily performances, and regulating the Catholic practice.

Not to mention Pope Benedict became the first pope to have a twitter account.

The stress of celebrity is something even the Vatican cannot escape. There are always constant questions to address in the world concerning what we know (or think we know) about the religion of Catholicism. Between falling behind Islam in practitioners of the world and the pressing priest sex scandals that seem to always be surfacing, it is a responsibility of the pope to, as said by USA Today, "combine strength of the past and the qualities to face future challenges.”

And the publicity carries on.

Billions of viewers will have their eyes locked on the college of cardinals procession as they convene for conclave in order to elect a new pope. Just like any other awards ceremony, critics have their favorites. Among the top 5 front runners to be newly elected, there are three Itallians, one Canadian, and one Argentinean of Italian descent. None of these men have yet exceeded 70 years of age.

Even though the New York Times claims that the favored of the cardinals tend to flop in the end, it's not impossible that we could see the Vatican’s heritage and language restored for the first time since 1978 when Italian Pope John Paul I reigned for merely 33 days.

There is no real way of predicting who it will be. The college vote is restricted to the most, um, 'forward thinking' of the cardinals: all who are 80 years or younger. It is up to these 117 eligibles and subject to days and weeks of deliberation.

Whoever emerges from the blackened smoke of the conclave needs to understand that this isn’t a life of prayer, but a life of publicity. 1.5 million followers and only 35 tweets? Unacceptable.