Monday, December 1, 2025
I’m writing this after Pope Leo was elected (May 8). In reflecting on that, I think the church is on to something. I was looking at footage of other popes, after they were elected. They all seemed surprised and humbled. Starting with John Paul II, the Italian stronghold was broken. Those who followed seemed unsure. Francis didn’t wear the velvet sash and asked the people to pray for him.
American politics are quite different. You “run” for office. Popes are in the running, and I’m certain there is some politicking. It’s based on something more thoughtful, however. The ones that wannabe pope should be squelched. In American politics, the chambers are filled with wannabes.
A wannabe is a person who aspires to be “someone” or tries to look or act like someone else. It’s another name for phony. I’ve always thought that in university politics, the best administrators are the ones teaching. They, like the pope, should be elevated by their peers. Instead university presidents are headhunted. The faculty understand the lifeblood of teaching, the faculty, the one’s who aren’t aspiring “leaders.”
Wannabes should be banned from leadership, and leadership should be short-lived. The pope shouldn’t serve a lifetime. I’m sure Pope Leo will be fine, but it’s easy to lose touch. You’re whisked away in a limousine. You’re held up in the papal apartments. Pope Leo’s brother was lamenting that they probably wouldn’t see him. “No one” gets in to see the Wizard.
Aspiring wannabes don’t realize how locked up they’ll be. They don’t realize how lonely the so-called top is. People clamoring for attention. Wannabes get erections thinking about the gobs of “fans” adoring them. They get moist and salivate at the grandiosity. Many lose touch with reality and go flaccid.
I wonder if that kind of power is power. Lose touch with potency, and you’re a phony in a white dress – flimsy, floppy, and “un-erected.” Better to be un-elected.