Ex Cathedra

Ex Cathedra will continue as usual, of course. This is just a pet project after all

Big thing about to happen for those who follow this channel since the old days

And in retrospect this is funny, because Pope Francis has been very modest in his appointment of liberals recently.

The consistory of 2016 was arguably the most liberal of his papacy, but he's on a streak of appointing moderates and cardinals from regions that are either traditionally moderate or conservative, such as Africa and Southeast Asia.

Some analyses say that the liberals in the curia are at a low point and that the moderates are gaining traction, but the conservatives number almost one-third too, not to mention how moderates nowadays seem to align with the "let's just avoid further controversy" mindset, which inevitably favors the conservatives.

God willing, Francis lives much longer and is able to do many more good things as pope, but the Curia is in an interesting position today.

You know, I'm a big fan of cinema, and I used to have this ritual with my dad where we'd watch every movie, regardless of how stupid it was, and I try to keep this alive today even without my partner in crime.

Today I watched Conclave, and I arrived to the conclusion that if we must bulldoze Hollywood and build a giant artificial lake there.

Spoilers ahead, and consider this a favor, as you won't need to disburse your hard worked money to watch that thing:

The Pope is dead, and one of his 3 best friends is tasked with being the Dean and presiding over the conclave.

Of course the 3 best friends are the leaders of the very liberal faction, and start a plot to get one of them elected. They talk about how they can't allow the curia to elect a certain Tedesco.

Tedesco is introduced with pomp, and is show explicitly as a rude and racist man, going so far as to mock an African cardinal by saying ironically that it's either him or "one of them".

Tedesco talks about how he plans to bring back Latin, tradition and the tridentine mass, and we're introduced to a Mexican who was appointed cardinal-bishop of Kabul by the Pope in pectore (secretly). The man had previously served in the Congo, where he led relief efforts for women who were being massacred and also led a mission in Baghdad.

Yadda yadda, terrorist attack in Rome, kills hundreds and destroys part of the Sistine Chapel, Tedesco gives a speech about how this was the result of 60 years of liberal relativism and calls for a religious war against muslims.

Mexican stands up, asks him what he knows about war, and if he's seen a frontline up close. Says we need to be moderate, and that the Curia is just a bunch of self centered egomaniacs.

To the surprise of nobody, Mexican wins, becomes Innocent XIV.

Movie ends with the new pope telling the Dean that he is intersex, and discovered that he was born with XX chromosomes despite having a male phenotype and genitalia, and says that the former pope knew about it and never said anything, because they realized that this is how God wants the church to be led: a middle ground between two extremes where everyone is equal under God.

Movie ends with the crowd cheering the new pope.

PS.: forgot to mention that the Mexican literally says that "the church is not Tradition, it's what lies ahead".

I won't even give my opinion, because I don't even know if I could get arrested for it. But you already know it.