As someone raised Catholic, conclaves were an exciting time. The 2024 film finally gave all our non-Catholic friends a look behind the scenes of the most important votes for Catholics.
Despite the sadness of losing a pope who was well-loved, the internet gave us a bit of levity.
On April 21, 2025 the world was with the following headline:
Which naturally was an immediate opportunity for Parks and Rec fans:
And of course, for Simpsons fans:
Was I the only one who couldn’t unsee the scene where Homer wore the wrong colour shirt when we saw this photo?
Of course, the timing of the Conclave film was… noted.
And maybe there was a bit of art imitating life:
And during the funeral and before the conclave, there was some time to fill:
And on May 7th, 2025, the conclave officially began, with actual Catholic pundits commenting on who the next pope might be. And, the internet weighed in, too.
And with all the Catholic cardinals locked in a room, the internet brought its A-game while we waited:
And media coverage continued….
And suddenly, the Catholic Church had a new pope, and we needed to know all we could:
Finally, not-funny, but important: the internet noted that the Catholic Church uses chosen names when a new pope is installed. As an organization not always kind to LGBTQ+ people, and especially is at odd with trans rights, this dichotomy feels important to note. It is my hope that Pope Leo XIV looks for ways to codify respect for the LGTBQ+ community into the modern Catholic faith.
And one more not to end on a downer note:
