by Anura Guruge
on July 31, 2024

Last cardinal-creating consistory, that I kind of thought would be Pope Francis’ last was 13-months ago.

Well, though keeping a low-profile and on his usual month-long siesta, Pope Francis, 87, is still nominally around. But, I am not sure how well he is doing. I suspect he is like Biden, a bit unsure as to what is happening around him, never mind the papacy. This is, however, ‘OK’. Pope Francis also has a ‘Jill Biden’ — in this case his compatriot Víctor Manuel Fernández. I am sure he is doing a good job keeping Francis propped up.

Summer, even in Italy, will be over in 6-weeks. They have to make a pretense that the Vatican is still functioning — even if on life-support. So, Victor should announce a cardinal-creating consistory for the end of September. The one-year anniversary of the last.

Barring any deaths, we will be down 15 electors by then. Given that nobody gives a monkey’s about the ‘120-limit‘, Victor might as well announce that he is creating (via the Pope) 20 new electors. That would make the Victor/Francis share of the electors 78%. That might be enough to make sure that the Next Pope will be a Francis II.