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S11 E30: A New Pope, Election Subversion & Finale: 11/17/2024: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
[VIDEO: The opening segment of the Season 11 Finale of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:
Welcome, welcome, welcome to Last Week Tonight! Thank you so much for joining us; I’m John Oliver, and boy, what a week it’s been! Let’s begin with the Catholic Church: the world’s biggest exporter of Catholic guilt.
Lots of people this week have been feeling that Catholic guilt, it seems, because this man, (points at photo of Pope Innocent XIV) formerly Cardinal Vincent Benítez, is now our new Pope:
(Montage of several newscasters—and Stephen Colbert—acting flustered about Pope Innocent XIV:
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
“I have this sudden urge to go to confession.”
“Oh, thank god it’s not just me.”
“Well I can tell you with a handsome Pope like Pope Innocent you’re gonna get a lot of young people interested in going to church again.”
“Holy Father? More like Holy Daddy, am I right?”)
I have only one thing to say to anyone who’s lusting after the Pope right now: get thee to a nunnery. Get thee, and I cannot stress this enough: to a nunnery!
Former Cardinal Benítez, or as he’s now known, Pope Innocent XIV, was selected to lead the Church on the same day as a slew of terrorist attacks across Europe, one such incident landing right in front of the Vatican at the Piazza del Risorgimento. Ever since his first address, Pope Innocent has been going around to each of the memorial sites to offer his blessings and condolences.
(Series of photographs showing Pope Innocent XIV paying his respects at each of the sites, shadowed by the vigilant glare of Cardinal Thomas Lawrence)
That guard dog of his is Englishman Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and, if you’ll believe the New York Times, the man who almost became Pope. And I am so glad that didn’t happen, because as a fellow Brit I would never be able to live down an English papacy. I would become a sedevacantist almost immediately. Which I suspect is exactly what Anglicanism is to Catholics.
As the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Lawrence was the one in charge of this past conclave, which is already being reported in the Italian press as, and I quote, a (in an Italian accent) ‘hot mess’.
(Montage of Italian newscasters reporting on the scandals starting to come out around the Conclave, with voiceover translations:
“Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi is reported to be resigning his position as the Cardinal Major Penitentiary at the Vatican, in the wake of allegations of misconduct from his time as a priest in Ondo State thirty years ago…”
“La Repubblica has uncovered a secret report into the financial activities of Cardinal Joseph Tremblay, Vatican Camerlengo and Prefect of the Dicastery for the Evangelisation of Peoples… making a prima facie case against him for simony…”
“A showdown at the Casa Santa Marta on the final morning of the conclave, when the cardinals discovered that someone had broken into the late Pope’s apartment to retrieve these stunning reports and deliver copies to everyone in the conclave… a fight almost broke out between several cardinals…”)
That’s right. A bunch of old men in red dresses nearly went to blows because someone dropped an exposé on one of the papal frontrunners. (Insert shot of Cardinal Lawrence photoshopped to be holding the Burn Book from Mean Girls) Isn’t it heartwarming to find out there’s still places out there where you don’t need the Internet to cancel someone?
So with all of the internal bombshells going on, it’s really no wonder that it took four external bombshells for the conclave to get its shit together and pick someone—or, in their words, have the Holy Spirit guide their hand to the right person. That’s right, the Pope—the Supreme Pontiff, leader of 1.4 billion Catholics around the world—is picked solely based on vibes.
Which really does put that thirty-year period where the Catholic Church had two rival popes who hated each other into perspective, doesn’t it? All those French cardinals suddenly decided Pope Urban VI’s vibes were too rancid for them, so they got together and did the conclave all over again and elected Robert of Geneva as Anti-Pope Clement VII. Do you know how bad you have to be for people to decide to vote for a man named Bob instead of you? Do you?
And speaking of two rival leaders who hate each other… the 2024 Presidential Election.]
LastWeekTonight
9.86M subscribers
348,844 views 17 November 2024 #lastweektonight
In this Season 11 Finale, John Oliver discusses the aftermaths of the two latest elections to shake the world stage: the Papal Conclave, and the 2024 Presidential Election.
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257 Comments
@J.Pip98 1 hr ago
Why are we going after Cardinal Adeyemi for something that happened 30 years ago? The kid he’s had with that nun is probably grown up by now. I’m devastated just thinking about the unwanted publicity this is going to cause for that child and their adoptive family.
22 likes
⛛ 14 replies
@spamtonsjc 1 hr ago
His Holiness’ words to us were so moving, calling us to love our neighbors even in such a time of strife… this is what happens when God raises a Pope from a missionary… He never makes mistakes… ✝️🙌
48 likes
@draig-felyn 1 hr ago
What are the odds that disgraceful Jeff Richards will refuse to leave the WH in January?
48 likes
@oceanmalina 1 hr ago
I thought I was the only one who thought the new Pope was hot but now I see everyone else agrees
94 likes
⛛ 21 replies
[VIDEO: Edit of Pope Innocent XIV, spliced together from the photos from his now-deactivated Twitter account @frbenitez plus footage of his public appearances in his first week as Pope, set to a remix of “Get it Sexyy” by Sexyy Red.]
Comments 145 Likes 14.1k
puwedits • CREATOR
he just wanted to go back to kabul 🥹😭 #popeinnocentxiv #vincentbenitez #pope #conclave #edit
6h reply ♥️2k
blacksnape123
is simping for the pope a sin
6h reply ♥️500
puwedits • CREATOR
no… 🌚
5h reply ♥️10
ezra-767
Bendíceme Padre, porque he pecado 🫣
5h reply ♥️203
puwedits • CREATOR
JAJAJA
2h reply ♥️5
ballard96
we’ve got pope thirst traps before GTA6, what a time to be alive
2h reply ♥️838
vincent1213
If he were my priest and I was in confession… let’s just say I’d be showing him some new sins 🫦🫦
4h reply ♥️21
puwedits • CREATOR
gurl same-
3h reply ♥️12
EXCLUSIVE: Post-Conclave Interview with Joseph Card. Tremblay
[VIDEO: Segment from a livestream hosted by American Catholic podcaster Trevor Richardson Lafferty:
TREVOR: …So you deny the allegations in the press right now.
TREMBLAY: Absolutely. The report had been withdrawn. There is no proof that the funds in those accounts had been used for anything untoward, because that was not the intention.
TREVOR: So then why would someone at the Vatican want to accuse you of simony?
TREMBLAY: Most likely to forward their own career. Cardinal Lawrence had also been a papabile during this past conclave, remember.
TREVOR: You’re suggesting Cardinal Lawrence…
TREMBLAY: I’m not suggesting anything; I would never dream of violating the oath I took to preserve the secrecy of the vote. What I can say, of course, is that he could have enforced the rules of sequestration and not allowed the conclave to be swayed by outside information like a withdrawn report stolen so brazenly out of the late Holy Father’s apartments…
TREVOR: All for the sake of himself? Or for our new Holy Father?
TREMBLAY: Oh, I would never dream of besmirching our new Holy Father’s reputation. Or that of Cardinal Lawrence… but anyone with eyes can see there is now an almost-intimate closeness between them. Dear Thomas—that’s Cardinal Lawerence, of course—and I have been colleagues at the Curia for so long, and I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at our new Holy Father. And you must have read what people are saying…
TREVOR: That he fell to his knees in front of the new Holy Father once the votes had been counted?
TREMBLAY: They also spent an awful long time together in the Room of Tears before the new Holy Father was put into his vestments.]
The God-Cast with TR Lafferty
5.36K subscribers
2,092 views 1 hour ago #catholicism #christianity #habemuspapam
Trevor Richardson Lafferty sits down with Joseph Cardinal Tremblay, Archbishop Emeritus of Quebec, to ask him for his side of the story on all the leaks regarding Curial leadership that came out during the conclave… and what he predicts His Holiness Pope Innocent XIV’s pontificate will look like.
#jesuschrist #pope #conclave #popeinnocentxiv
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hazza @realpersonfacts
broo what are u tryin to imply about the pope and cardinal lawrence
Joseph Card. Tremblay 🇨🇦 @frtremblay
Just sat down for a great interview with @TRLafferty on @LaffertyGodCast! Watch more here:
FRAN ☆ @frantasticmess
Not Tremblay trying to make homosexual allegations towards the Pope to divert attention from his simony accusations 😭💀
I just know that old man knees are shattered 😏 #cardtremblayisoverparty #lawrenitez
lumine @thatsforaiitime
someone needs to quarantine tremblay he’s been infected with the chismosavirus sskskskskskdkds
Pope Crave @ClubConcrave
Cardinal Tremblay, to Lawrenitez:
[PHOTO: A photo of a dog looking sidelong suspiciously at the camera, appended with the Pride flag.]
🍄🍄🍄 @enokivhs
im starting to think l@wr3nit3z are a little more than just colleagues
[PHOTOS: Press photographs of Pope Innocent XIV being guided by Cardinal Lawrence past cheering well-wishers; Pope Innocent XIV kneeling in front of the Piazza del Risorgimento memorial while Cardinal Lawrence holds an umbrella over him; Pope Innocent XIV looking back brightly over his shoulder, laughing, while Cardinal Lawrence looks at him as if he still can’t believe the man is real.]
Pope Crave @ClubConcrave
guys should I give out lottery numbers #calledit #lawrenitez
Pope Crave @ClubConcrave
DIVAS SPOTTED #ConclaveWatch #Conclave2024
[PHOTOS: Screenshots of a helicopter news feed showing two red-robed cardinals—Lawrence and Benítez—having a close discussion in the Vatican gardens at night.]
no. 1 papi inocencio stan @cloudsofsmoke
if lawrence likes benitez who am i to complain
[PHOTO: Screenshot of a news article quoting Cardinal Tremblay’s comments on The God-Cast with TR Lafferty:
“Anyone with eyes can see there is now an almost-intimate closeness between them.”]
Alex Claremont-Diaz @theagcd
Hey guys, I know we’re all really enthusiastic about the new Pope but could we please tone down the speculating about his private life? It‘s a violation of his privacy.
🌽👎 @cornmazehater
Wasn’t this the guy who got caught making out with the Prince of England?
[PHOTO: Screenshot of a tweet by @theagcd asking for people to ‘tone down’ their speculations into Pope Innocent XIV’s personal life.]
midichlorian jesus @herehaveafandom
@cornmazehater If there’s anyone out there who knows what it’s like to have strangers on twt commenting on his relationships, it’s probably ACD
k a u h l @virtualrain
@herehaveafandom yeah but it’s a joke. lawrence and the pope are celibate it’s never gonna happen
[PHOTO: A picture of Pope Innocent XIV with the misquote “RPF is fine.”]
VATICAN NEWS
POPE // POPE INNOCENT XIV // THOMAS JACOB LAWRENCE // CONCLAVE // CARDINALS // POPE IGNATIUS
“I could not have prayed for someone more worthy.” Cardinal Lawrence reflects on Pope Innocent and Pope Ignatius
The Dean of the College of Cardinals speaks with Vatican News about Pope Innocent XIV, shares his experience leading the Conclave, and reflects on the legacy of Pope Ignatius nearly a month after his passing.
By Roberto Foscarini
As the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence had been one of the first to recognize Pope Ignatius’ in pectore appointment of Cardinal Vincent Benítez on the eve of the Papal Conclave. Despite the unexpected development, and Cardinal Benítez’s lateness, Cardinal Lawrence quickly welcomed him into the College, introducing him to the other Cardinals who would end up voting him into the Seat of St. Peter.
Now as one of Pope Innocent XIV’s most trusted advisors, Cardinal Lawrence sits down with Vatican News to offer his observations on the new Pope, the Conclave process, and Pope Ignatius’ legacy.
Cardinal Lawrence, you were one of the first to meet then-Cardinal Benítez in the context of the Conclave. What were your first impressions of him, and how has that changed now that you’ve gotten to know His Holiness better?
The first time I laid eyes on our new Holy Father, he had just arrived from a long flight from Kabul, carrying nothing with him but his cassock—not even dressed like a cardinal—and a rosary. He was sitting quietly in the back room, praying. It spoke to his dedication to the late Holy Father and the future of the Church that he decided not to let the in pectore appointment expire and come to take part in the Conclave. I was, frankly, inspired by his example.
Now that I have come to know him better, I can say that he is still very much that humble, prayerful, kind man that I first met on the eve of the conclave. All of the tribulations that he has passed through in order to take his seat as the Vicar of Christ and heir to St. Peter only reaffirm that we must have faith in the Holy Spirit’s plans for us. I could not have prayed for someone more worthy of the Pontificate than Pope Innocent.
As someone with extensive experience in the Curia working under numerous pontificates, what are some of the similarities between Pope Innocent and his predecessors? The differences?
Well, the obvious first is that Pope Innocent is from the Americas, and from a developing nation as well. For years prior to this there had been talk of a Third World Pope, and now we finally have one. Pope Innocent comes from Mexico, but he also has had pastoral experiences in places like the Congo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, which makes him truly, as the late Holy Father once said, a “shepherd with the smell of his sheep.”
Still, what ties all these Holy Fathers together is a shared devotion to our Holy Mother Church and her mission: to strengthen our brothers and sisters in their faith in Jesus, the Son of the Living God. The ways in which they express the love of God to the flock may differ depending on their human backgrounds, but ultimately they share a common goal in leading the Church. I have no doubt that the work Pope Innocent has done prior to his elevation will inform the course of his Pontificate as well.
And how do you think Pope Innocent is handling the transition from missionary work to the Curia and the Vatican in general?
Admirably, with the same quiet grace and dignity that he had when he first accepted his election. Like our previous Holy Father, Pope Innocent only maintains an office in the Apostolic Palace, as he prefers to room in the Casa Santa Marta instead. There is still much of the Missionary Priest in him; he calls his former diocese in Kabul every night.
On the eve of this conclave many spoke of a Church divided, and having to undergo eight ballots certainly does speak to a slower-than-normal development of consensus among the Cardinals. Given your own experiences as a cardinal-elector for five conclaves now, how does this one compare with the others?
With a mind to the vows I took to preserve the secrecy of the Conclave, all I can say is that when the Holy Spirit moves us, it helps us overcome the arbitrary lines that we humans draw between ourselves. When you are as sequestered as we had been, there is this danger of losing sight of your original purpose in the course of seeking consensus. Pope Innocent was the one who reminded us that the world outside was waiting for our decision, and that we must trust in God’s guidance to get there. And as you can see, more than two-thirds of us believed that the Holy Spirit marked him for the Church at that very moment.
Many people were looking to you for leadership during the sede vacante and the Conclave, to the point that you yourself became one of the leading papabili. What was your experience of that moment?
The same as Pope Innocent: that it was a chalice that I would accept out of the grave duty incumbent upon us Cardinals to act with the right intentions, for the good of the Universal Church. I am glad the chalice was not passed to me, though; I am more content to help Pope Innocent in his ministry than to be Pope myself.
You were the one to ask Cardinal Benítez for the name he wished to be known as. What do you think Pope Innocent’s choice in name will tell us about his pontificate?
It has been centuries since a Pope named himself after one of the virtues, and the previous two Pope Innocents did make a point to stop corruption and nepotism within the Vatican. That being said, Pope Innocent III was the one who strengthened the power of the Papacy, so I would not presume to assume I know why the Holy Father chose the name he chose. I can say, however, that the virtue itself suits him. He is a lamb leading a flock of lions.
We are now approaching the one-month anniversary of the death of Pope Ignatius. As a longtime friend and confidant of the previous Holy Father, what do you think will be his most lasting impact on the Church and the wider world?
That he laid the foundations for the work that Pope Innocent will now undertake. That his breaks with tradition in service of improving accessibility with the Church has led to him being beloved with more than just the Catholic faithful—that he has also touched the hearts of non-Catholic Christian communities and non-Christian faiths all around the world. The testimonies that have been given about his impact in people’s lives will ensure a deepened understanding not just of Pope Ignatius’ life, but also of his ministry.
His humanity—his concern for the most human among us, the most downtrodden and marginalized—defined his Pontificate, and will define his legacy as well. But as for me, personally, I will choose to remember him as an old and dear friend, who always walked a couple steps ahead of the rest of us so that he could guide us better.
irisbellemoon
[PHOTOS: Screenshots of the Vatican News interview with Cardinal Lawrence, cropped to specific segments:
I was, frankly, inspired by his example.
I could not have prayed for someone more worthy of the pontificate than Pope Innocent.
Admirably, with the same quiet grace and dignity that he had when he first accepted his election.
he calls his former diocese in Kabul every night.
I am more content to help Pope Innocent in his ministry than to be Pope myself.
I can say, however, that the virtue itself suits him. He is a lamb leading a flock of lions.]
How does Cardinal Lawrence know what our Papi does every night? Is he there for these calls? Are he and the Papasote just hanging out after hours? The fics write themselves
#pope innocent xiv #thomas lawrence #lawrenitez
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evergardenwall
[PHOTO: A screenshot of the Archive of our Own results for the relationship tag “Vincent Benítez | Pope Innocent XIV/Thomas Lawrence”, showing that there are already 5 entries.]
the devil works hard but ao3 writers work harder
#lawrenitez #pope innocent xiv #thomas lawrence #rpf is fine - pope innocent xiv #papi inocencio
LIVE: Inaugural Mass of Pope Innocent XIV | VICINO News
[VIDEO: Livestream news feed of the Inauguration of Pope Innocent XIV. At one point, Cardinal Lawrence presents him with the Fisherman’s Ring, sliding it onto his finger like a wedding ring while looking him tenderly in the eyes, stealing a kiss to the ring before they part.]
VICINO News EN
586K subscribers
81,351 views Streamed live 17 November 2024 #pope #popeinnocentxiv #vatican
Watch live as Pope Innocent XIV will receive the official ornaments of his office at his Inauguration Mass. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; U.S. President Jeffrey Richards; Britain’s Catherine, Princess Royal; and Mexican President Maria Fernandez Alvarez are among the world leaders expected to attend the event at the Vatican.
#pope #popeinnocentxiv #live
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⛛ Top Chat
damielberetta: I’ve been raised Catholic all my life and recently was having a crisis of faith. Pope Innocent XIV has restored me to the Church and to God… There is such divine grace in all that he is and all that he has done… I will pray for him every single day 🙏🥹❤️🔥
J.Pip98: May God bless him and St. Michael protect him 🙏✝️
venetiawells: Is that Alex Claremont-Diaz in the rows of dignitaries? 😮
autistic-yuri: @venetiawells WAIT NO WAY that’s so unexpected. I didn’t even know he was Catholic
bluelivesmatter: WOKE MARXIST POPE
t00manyturtles: @bluelivesmatter and what of it
conclover: @bluelivesmatter -to the tune of pink pony club- i’m gonna keep on praying for the WOKE MARXIST POPE
barbiebecky: i WILL be boycotting the church if he goes woke
being-lion-hearted: @barbiebecky This is a Holy Father who grew up in the Third World, raised by poor parents. Why would he concern himself with the grievances of modern politics? He is above all that now! 🙏
foxthewarlock: is anyone else distracted by the sunlight bouncing off of card. bellini’s bald head or is it just me
idkwottowritehere: Pope Innocent reminds me of Wojtyła, he looks just as humble and full of grace. He will do incredible things!
psychopomping: what’s happening here
davonati: they’re giving innocent all the items that mark him as the pope.
psychopomping: what’s with the ring though
nxll_n4m3: That’s the Fisherman’s Ring. It’s supposed to be a sign of the Pope’s authority. That’s why you see people kneeling to kiss the Pope’s hand all the time - they’re kissing the ring
notevengrayson: Isn’t Tremblay supposed to be the one giving the Fisherman’s Ring?
herehaveafandom: yeah what’s Cardinal Lawrence doing there
nxll_n4m3: The previous 2 popes also had the Dean of the College of Cardinals give them their rings, this isn’t that unusual
psychopomping: does the dean of the college of cardinals usually hold the pope’s hand and stare into his eyes for that long tho
nxll_n4m3: He is bearing the ring to Pope Innocent’s wedding to God. The Pope represents the Church, the bride of Christ. It’s not what you think.
autistic-yuri: !!! THE KISS ON HIS HAND WHAT IN THE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE?
mybrainwontcooperate: !!!! I’M UNWELL
clever-chaos-light: LSKDJGLAKSDJFSDLKJF
the-winchester-s-guardian: IL PAPA STA SPOSANDO IL SUO DECANO???!??!!!
fryingofthebrain: I thought Lawrence/Benitez was a Twitter joke?? What is this??
miohtemaemiso: ご結婚おめでとうございます 🎉
ezra-767: SE CASARONNNN 🗣️🗣️🗣️
frogguchi: Congrats on the wedding po #LAWvingforCENTuries
saggis23: creen que hayan explorado sus cuerpos?
eggybaconeggyt: are- are they lovers?
grimeshound: @eggybaconeggyt worse. they’re catholics
bibliayaoi: Vivan los novios 💍❤️🔥
sincerelyus: propaganda i'm falling for: old man catholic rpf yaoi
cornmazehater: LAWRENITEZ REAL???
nxll_n4m3: Stop reading into it. It’s a mark of loyalty and respect to the Pope to kiss his ring.
conclover: OH I BET HE’S KISSING THE RING ALL RIGHT 🍑👅
Rating: General Audiences
Archive Warning: No Warnings Apply
Fandoms: Vatican RPF, Real Person Fiction
Relationship: Vincent Benítez | Pope Innocent XIV/Thomas Lawrence
Characters: Vincent Benítez | Pope Innocent XIV, Thomas Lawrence
Additional Tags: Pining, Catholicism, Old Man Yaoi, I’m sorry I saw the inauguration mass and blacked out and then this happened
with this ring, i thee wed
FujoshiGoddess
Summary:
The Fisherman’s Ring is heavy in Thomas’ hand.
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The Fisherman’s Ring is heavy in Thomas’ hand.
“Is it acceptable, do you think?” asks O’Malley, still holding the jeweller’s box. Thomas holds the ring up and examines it further. It is tradition for the Camerlengo to do the honour of slipping this ring onto the Holy Father’s hand in his inauguration, but with Tremblay still weathering out the simony scandal—and for insinuating things about the Holy Father’s… personal life—it made sense for Thomas to step in.
His predecessor had given the Ring to the last two Holy Fathers as well. It isn’t terribly unusual, or untoward.
And yet…
Thomas approves of the Ring and places it back in the box before stepping back to look out the window, into the Vatican gardens where the Holy Father—Pope Innocent XIV—Vincent—was conversing with a small bevy of nuns. White looks good on him. But then again, so did the simple black cassock that he had worn when he first showed up at the Casa Santa Marta, on the eve of the conclave. The nuns’ laughter tugs at something inside Thomas’ own chest. They love their Holy Father. The whole world does.
But they don’t know Vincent like Thomas does.
Has it only been a week? Somehow it feels as though they’ve known each other all their lives, like he’s going to look back through old photographs and find Vincent there, totally naturally, like he’d always been there and Thomas had temporarily forgot. For most of the Vatican Vincent is still mostly an enigma. At best, they’d heard the legends of his works and deeds—the hushed tales of staring down traffickers and tending to traumatised girls. Vincent is an outsider King, like Aragorn returning to the throne of Gondor. The Curia would take advantage of his unfamiliarity, except Thomas is there to stop them.
Out in the gardens, a breeze blows Vincent’s white zucchetto off his head, and the nun who delivers it back to him is nearly faint with excitement. Thomas does not want to examine why he wishes at that moment to trade places with her.
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The Inauguration Mass is well attended—as with all things Papal—and the crowd goes wild for Pope Innocent’s first ride in the Popemobile. Thomas’ mouth flies through plainsong and prayer like it’s second nature. This isn’t his first Papal Inauguration. Part of him hopes it will be his last.
The Fisherman’s Ring is heavy in his hand. Even within its box, Thomas can feel it. The weight of responsibility, the burden of duty. As heavy as the sacrament of marriage, because it is.
Today, Vincent, as representative of the Holy Mother Church, will be bound in matrimony to God. He is resplendent in his white Papal vestments, already the epitome of a blushing bride.
Thomas will not examine why that makes that tugging feeling return to his chest. It is a sin to covet another man’s wife—it is a commandment he would not break. But his mortal flesh is sinful nonetheless, and it betrays him in the pounding of his heart, the tingling of his fingers whenever Vincent’s hands brush against his.
In this week he has salvaged all the looks he can, all the moments they spend in each other’s presence. He was the first one Vincent had a private audience with—though few things of the Pope are truly ever private given the presence of photographers—and his presence has been requested in meetings beyond his scope as Dean of the College of Cardinals.
He does not complain; he is gathering up these moments to cherish. To treasure the last days in which Vincent Benítez is but the Lord’s fiancée… not yet His wife.
But now the moment is here, and Thomas must be the one to give him away. To put this ring upon Vincent’s hand and seal that holy vow, to put into Vincent’s hands the full weight of his office. When it is time, he hands the box containing the ring to his assistant, and approaches the foot of the dais to speak the now-familiar oath.
Beatissime Pater,
Episcopus et Pastor animarum nostrarum
Christus, Filius Dei vivi,
qui super petram
Ecclesiam suam ædificavit,
Ipse tibi donet Anulum sigillum Petri Piscatoris,
qui suam spem in mari Galilææ expertus est,
cui Dominus Iesus cælorum Regni claves commisit.
He is walking up the steps towards Vincent—Pope Innocent XIV—the Holy Father—and the ring is cold when he brings it out of the box. Vincent smiles irrepressibly as Thomas approaches, beautiful as ever. Thomas cannot bear to look away as he takes Vincent’s hand—his hands are warm—and slides the ring onto his finger.
Beato apostolo Petro tu hodie succedis
in Episcopatu huius Ecclesiæ,
quæ caritatis unitati præsidet,
ut beatus apostolus Paulus docuit;
Spriritus caritatis,
in cord nostra effusus,
vim et suavitatem largiatur
tuo ministerio omnes in Christum credentes
in unitatis communione servandi.
(With this ring, I thee wed.)
He can’t help but picture it, though he knows that it is a sin: Vincent and him at the altar, receiving this holy sacrament. It would never happen, not as long as folks like Tedesco remained around to complain of it. It would never happen anyway because Vincent is now married to God through the Church. Husband, take this cup from me, Vincent’s dark eyes seem to say, even as Thomas drank him in. Yet not my will but yours be done.
Thomas will claim, in the days to come, that the Holy Spirit bade him kneel just like it had on the day of the Conclave, when Vincent had first been elected.
He will claim the Holy Spirit urged him to take Vincent’s hand and kiss it, right on the fourth knuckle, right above the cold, unfeeling ring.
But right now the causes and reasons don’t matter. Not when Vincent is smiling at him, the love so bright and beaming out of every line of his face.
Thomas rises upwards slowly, his hands still lingering in the Holy Father’s, and wants, wants, wants.