I am a bit shocked after his meeting with JD Vance and appearance at Easter mass.
Rest well dear Father.
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I could almost swear the Pope dies every year lately. 
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Bummer. I liked him.
It might feel that way but Francis was pope for 12 years.
And there have only been two popes since John Paul II, who served 26 years, which again makes it feel like popes are switching over so fast because JPII served so long (second longest in papal history).
Benedict, who stepped down in 2013, did die a few years ago, however.
John Paul II was an especially magnanimous Pope.
Pope Francis was too ideologically unrealistic even if it came from a kind heart.
I am amazed at all the media coverage.
I think this was a bit of a shocker, yet the media had material ready from his recent hospital stay.
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I remember the day John Paul II died was the day I started to feel old…he had been Pope since I was in grade school, and at that time I’d been out of college and working for 16 years.
But what made it worse is I started telling my work colleagues stories about John Paul I, who was Pope for only 33 days before he died, and all the conspiracies that surrounded his sudden death…
…and there was no one in the office who was alive in 1978 besides me.
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Why are you shocked? He had been seriously ill for some time.
Any half decent media org keeps death files on major public figures for this very reason. I remember hearing a journalist talk about how that was his first job in journalism to keep these files updated.
Obviously with the internet now its much easier to react when someone dies and ensure their bio is up to date.
I said it was a bit of a shocker because he made a public appearance at Easter mass.
He appeared to be on the mend. Of course he is almost 90 so…
Bless his memory.
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It is quite remarkable that he kept a rather full schedule of appearances quite literally up to the day he passed. A remarkable dedication to the very end of a remarkable life in God’s image.
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Maybe that’s all it was, seeing passing blips of him being in and out of the hospital a bunch of times.
I think part of it is that Pope John Paul was pope for such a long period of time.
But I know exactly what you mean about it seeming to be a constant rotating door of popes. Difficult to explain.
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Requiescat in pace, Pontiff.
Like late Soviet premiers, they just don’t last long.
Of course when you look at the age most of them are elected at, it’s not that big of a surprise. That’s why I’m hoping they elect the Cardinal of Jerusalem. He’s got the seniority and he’s only 58 so he would be there for a long time.
Then again he did say some things supporting Gazans so… he may have killed his own chances.
He was pope for 12 years.
That’s a relatively long time.
John Paul II was pope for nearly 27 years.
Even Benedict was pope for 8 years before he retired.
So that’s only three popes in the last 47 years.
I guess John Paul II is the one I think about the most, since he was pope the entire time I was a kid.
Benedict had a really neat life story. Since he was drafted into the Wermacht as like a 12 year old during the last days of World War II.
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The Northern has my vote.
Cardinal Fang has my vote.
“Fetch the Comfy Chair!”
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