The Weight of the Papacy

The papal office is presented as an isolating burden that candidates alternately dread, desire, and reinterpret as a calling.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Solitude of Office

The Solitude of Office A throne without companionship Lomeli recalls the late Pope’s description of his solitude as complete and awesome. The office surrounds its holder with ceremony and guards while leaving him profoundly alone. A warning to candidates The memory complicates the ambitions of every elector. To become Pope is to gain authority while losing ordinary freedom and privacy.

Bellini Calls It Calvary

Bellini Calls It Calvary A feared burden Bellini tells Lomeli that no sane man could want the papacy and compares its demands to a Calvary. He sees the late Pope’s experience as a warning rather than a model of triumph. Desire and reluctance His candidacy proceeds despite his stated dread. The story keeps open the question of whether reluctance is humility, fear, or another form of political credibility.

A Candidate’s Exhilaration

A Candidate’s Exhilaration The prospect of history Lomeli sees Adeyemi surrounded by supporters and recognizes that the prospect of becoming the first black Pope could exhilarate him. The possibility is historic as well as personal. A danger in ambition The dean rebukes himself for judging Adeyemi’s excitement. Yet the scene raises the problem of distinguishing confidence in a calling from hunger for power.

Lomeli Imagines John

Lomeli Imagines John A hidden name While reading the election rules, Lomeli admits he has long imagined taking the name John. He pictures himself speaking to a vast crowd as a reforming Pope. Ambition acknowledged The fantasy unsettles his earlier denials. He can no longer claim never to have desired the office, even if the desire remains mixed with fear and a sense of duty.

The Cup Passes On

The Cup Passes On Relief instead of loss Benítez wins, and Lomeli abandons the papal speech he had drafted. He experiences the election as a release from a burden he had briefly begun to accept. A different vocation The dean remains responsible for helping the new Pope. The office’s weight is not denied; it is borne by another person whose call and history differ from Lomeli’s.

In the days after the Pope’s death

The evening before the first ballot

After the first ballot

During the eighth ballot

After Benítez reaches the winning threshold