The Perks of being an altar boy Essay

The Perks of Being an Altar Boy
With the recent resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Vatican City is holding a series of meetings between the cardinals or in this case, pope hopefuls. These papal juntos are part of what is known as the Conclave, where Catholic elites gather to determine who will be the next Pontiff. The supersecretive nature of these conferences foster a rumorridden environment, with the bulk of religious gossip focused on the intense rivalry between Italian and nonItalian cardinals. As the elections draw nearer, the Vatican City must consider the possibility of the first nonEuropean pope ever, an outcome that seems even more likely considering the fact that contending cardinals hail from places as diverse as the Philippines or even Ghana. There are at least 200 potential candidates to become the Vicar of Christ and the Catholic Church is wont to keep silent, so it is still too early to place any bets.
Equally enigmatic to the taciturn theologians would be the circumstances surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's retirement. This action is unconventional seeing how this would be the first time a pope has resigned since Gregory XII's resignation in 1415 with that said, Benedict XVI is also the first pope to resign without duress since Celestine V's 1294 retirement. Dispelling all notions of foul play, the 265th pope stated that his unorthodox move was for the interest of his deteriorating health. He also states that he would like to dedicate the rest of his life to prayer on the Catholic Church's behalf.
The impending Conclave will rule on who is to be the next pope through a traditional process that can be prove to be laborious. All cardinals under the age of 80 are brought to the Vatican City where they are isolated from the rest of the world until the Conclave is complete. After being isolated, the election can begin by following the popepredecessor's specific instructions in selecting the new successor (this makes almost every papal election unique). Once the instructions have been read, the cardinals convene in the Sistine Chapel four times a day to vote until one cardinal can achieve a twothirds majority of votes. To vote, a cardinal writes a single name on a piece of paper, walks to the altar, recites a lengthy Latin phrase, and casts the ballot (imagine this happening 200+ times). When everyone has voted, the votes are tallied up and then burned. If a cardinal gets the majority, he then must choose his new name to assume papal office. It is this combination of a meticulous voting process and high victory threshold that make for an interminable experience.
The Vatican City's assembly will decide on who will be the next Shepherd of an estimated 1.2 billion faithful. With the modernday Catholic Church assailed on all sides by scandals and theological affairs, the new Apostolic See has more than enough on his plate. The Catholic world must now wait with bated breath until the introduction of their new leader.