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Cardinals' enclave: The truth revealed
Apr. 21st, 2005 08:14 amMany people were surprised at the speed with which Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope, but EHAL can reveal the truth.
Owing to a clerical error, the entire St Louis Cardinals contingent was invited to the enclave. Since they were in a rush to return to the US for the NFL Draft, they all voted for the favourite. It helped that they confused Cardinal John Ratzinger with John Ratzenburger, who played Cliff in Cheers. They thought it was an excellent idea to have an ex US-postman as head of the Roman Catholic church.
Seriously though, I think that Church missed a trick here. A group of people locked up, with no contact with the outside world, until they come to a decision?
Surely this cried out for a link with the producers of Big Brother. Nominations for elimination, mass votes on who gets thrown out on premium rate phone lines (how much money would THAT have made for the poor in Brazil, or the rich in the Vatican, or to pay those child abuse charges in the US?). And then you could have set the Cardinals various tasks (heal the sick, that kind of thing) to see who had the touch of papal infallibility. Pope Idol. What a missed opportunity.
Owing to a clerical error, the entire St Louis Cardinals contingent was invited to the enclave. Since they were in a rush to return to the US for the NFL Draft, they all voted for the favourite. It helped that they confused Cardinal John Ratzinger with John Ratzenburger, who played Cliff in Cheers. They thought it was an excellent idea to have an ex US-postman as head of the Roman Catholic church.
Seriously though, I think that Church missed a trick here. A group of people locked up, with no contact with the outside world, until they come to a decision?
Surely this cried out for a link with the producers of Big Brother. Nominations for elimination, mass votes on who gets thrown out on premium rate phone lines (how much money would THAT have made for the poor in Brazil, or the rich in the Vatican, or to pay those child abuse charges in the US?). And then you could have set the Cardinals various tasks (heal the sick, that kind of thing) to see who had the touch of papal infallibility. Pope Idol. What a missed opportunity.
