Maybe you heard. The papacy elected a pope today. We don’t know what he will be like yet, but here are some details about the voting process.
First, the voting process was over rather quickly. The papal conclave to elect a pope is all about grandeur. It is a gorgeous display of solemn rites to fascinate the senses of people and overwhelm the voice of reason. And the whole world was watching and wondering (Revelation 13:3).
Only 133 cardinals could vote in this election (electors). There is an age requirement (you have to be less than 80 to vote). Of the 133 electors, 108 were appointed by the previous pope (Francis). That is a significant majority.
A majority of the electors—for the first time ever—were non European. Based on this fact, I wrote to a friend this morning, “I wonder if a Hispanic pope will be elected this time.” It was a lucky guess.
His mother was Spanish, his father French and Italian. He is the first American pope in like…ever. He was born in the south side of Chicago and spent 12 years in Peru, beginning at the age of 30.
And the whole world was wondering after the beast today (at least the Little Horn power). 100,000 people gathered on Saint Peter’s Square today. According to the pictures and interviews, many were awash with emotion and adoration there. For Protestants, many of them were like “Meh.”
Is this pope a liberal or a conservative? We don’t know yet. Speculation abounds. Since he was appointed by Francis, we might expect him to be a Marxist/socialist like Francis. According to the Italian proverb “Fat pope, skinny pope” we might expect him to be a conservative (it means new popes often differ from their predecessors). We don’t know, yet.
What we do know is that there are a whole bunch of Roman Catholic United States supreme court justices, and lots of Trump appointees that are Roman Catholic.
A short list includes: JD vance, Marco Rubio, Sean Duffy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Elise Stefanik, John Ratliffe, Linda McMahon, Lori DeRemer, Kelly Loeffler, Tom Homan, Karoline Leavitt, and of course Brian Burch.
Some have argued that Trump’s second-term cabinet is the most Catholic ever. This proportion is comparable to or exceeds that of Joe Biden’s cabinet, which was also noted for its high Catholic representation. Both were significantly weighted with Catholics (over a third). Without exhaustive historical data, it’s more accurate to say Trump’s cabinet is one of the most Catholic, tied closely with Biden’s, but with a distinct ideological flavor. Biden chose liberal Catholics for his positions and trump chose more conservative ones.
In his speech, Prevost mentioned that God loves all people several times (emphasizing all). Is this a nod to the LGBTQ+ infestation of western cultures? Could be. He also mentioned justice a couple times, they could be benign references to the concept of justice, or they could signal the Roman Catholic penchant for social justice. We will see how it goes. He also believes Mary is in heaven guiding and interceding for people. He is wrong about that. She is in the grave awaiting the resurrection, same as King David (Acts 2:34).
Will Prevost be an environmentalist, like his predecessors? Absolutely, yes. Wait for it.
It’s interesting to note that Prevost was critical of J.D. Vance in February for his immigration policies. Trump also mentioned on social media last week that he wanted someone else (Dolan), after joking that he (Trump wanted to be pope). Following the election today, Trump wrote:
"Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope," the president wrote on Truth Social. "It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
Is the selection of an American pope significant? Surely. Maybe they want to keep Trump in check, or perhaps they see this as an opportunity for the Roman church to make even more inroads into American politics. Judging from what we read in the Great Controversy, the latter is not only possible, but likely.
Time will bring the answers to these questions. In the meantime, cultivate the patience of the saints (not panic), and read your Bibles. Reaffirm your commitment to the Protestant beliefs of Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, the Priesthood of all believers, Justification by Faith, and the Invisible Church which will unite in the last days as the Remnant of God who keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. Avoid apostate protestantism like the plague.
Make no pope or hierarchy your magisterium, rather seek and find the voice of God in His holy Word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast (Revelation 13:3).