“I want to be Pope,” Trump jokes before Conclave.
When asked about who he wanted to be elected as the next Pope, President Donald Trump joked before saying he had no preference.
President Donald Trump’s recent joke is that apart from “wanting to be Pope,” the possibility that the next Pope is from the United States is not very good.
Cardinal of College will convene the Conclave at the Vatican on May 7th and select his successor on April 21st to replace Pope Francis, who passed away in 1988. There were 266 Popes, of which 217 were Italian. Francis made history as the first pope from Latin America, and there was no history from the United States
Still, the two Americans who are attracting attention were Cardinal Raymond Burke, 76, who criticized Francis for Francis’ progressive actions as a Vatican High Court judge in 2014, and Cardinal Joseph Tobin, 72, Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey.
Melissa Wilde, a sociologist of religion and inequality and chairman of the University of Pennsylvania’s sociology department, acknowledged that it would be difficult for the Cardinal to predict when the Conclaves will gather. However, she shared her perception with USA Today based on geography.
“It’s not another Latin America, maybe not American, but this could be a wild card,” she said. “I think Asians and Africans are Italian, if not American, if not American.”
Pastor James Bretzke, a professor of theology at John Carroll University in Ohio, showed that he believes Americans could fall on the list more. Burke, for example, may win several votes in the early rounds.
Bretzke says that the Pope is a diplomat that must be accepted worldwide, and the Pope must appear to represent a cross-section of the world. In the past, Italians were considered diplomats within the church, and thus were more accepted across ethnic groups – this now seems less important, he said.
“But in my opinion these considerations will continue to prevent Americans from being elected to the next Pope. “The image of America in the world is simply powerful, dull and ugly.”
Pastor Patrick Flanagan, an associate professor of theology and religion studies at St. John’s University in New York, says he saw various reviews of “The Elite Eight, Fabulous Four and the latest May Madness Chart.” However, he emphasized the saying “Papal Cardinal.” That is, anyone who enters the Conclave with the idea that they will become Pope will usually end the cardinal.
Trump joked Tuesday. He wanted to be the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
“I want to be the Pope,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “That’s my first choice.”
In response to Trump’s remarks, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican of South Carolina, jokingly wrote, “I’m excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea that he is the next Pope.”
“This would be a truly dark horse candidate, but I ask the Pope Conclave and Catholic faithfulness to maintain an open mind about this possibility!” he wrote. “The first Pope and President combination has many advantages. Seeing the white smoke… Trump mmxxviii!”
Trump also created what appears to be a playful pitch for New York archbishop Timothy Dolan.
– – Suddiksha Kochi
