The only question is, how soon will they poison him?

The only question is, how soon will they poison him?

There is a long and honored tradition — honored at least in some quarters — of discreetly removing an inconveniently-pious pope: Gregory V, Adrian III, Benedict XI, Sergius IV, Clement II — and of course there is the sorry sorry tale of poor Pietro da Morrone, St Celestine V….But, after all, the Church, in this case the Church bureaucracy, has to protect itself, its ridiculous privileges, its vast financial empire, and its deviant ways….

Okayyyyy, this is the 21st century, and there have been advances. First, forensic science makes the old-fashioned methods a little riskier. On the other hand, it’s much easier to discredit the guy by planting, say, a naked altar boy in his rooms, or a bomb-wielding Bulgarian — a different kind of poison — or forging evidence of his complicity in the Dirty War, that process has already begun. But be assured, the monsignore-apparatchik-mafia will not roll over — their deal is too sweet, waaaaaayyyyy too sweet.