| Writing Fiction posted November 9, 2024 |
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A woman is elected pope.
The Conclave's Mistake
by HarryT
He could not make out the chimney or the white smoke, only the pale reflection of the searchlight in the shadows of the ceiling followed a moment later by the distant roar of hundreds of thousands of voices raised in hope and acclamation.
It was a day of significant change that the roaring crowd was yet to learn. Yes, a new Pope had been elected, but neither the members of the College of Cardinals nor the roaring thousands realized who they had actually elected. However, since the election followed the rules of the Conclave, and the chosen Pope is believed to have been chosen by the Holy Spirit’s intervention, no exception can be made. Once the elected person accepts the position and signs the acceptance document, they are confirmed as Pope.
Under the new Pope’s leadership, the Church is expected to take a more progressive direction. The elected Pope is from a third world country. She is a female raised as a male, who was made a Cardinal in secret before the last Pope died. The newly elected Pope lived with and ministered to the poor of Africa and in third world Asian countries with special attention to women who had been abused.
It appears, at this time, under the new Pope's leadership the Church will become significantly more progressive in it's treatment of women, leading to a married clergy and women priests and the acceptance of the LGBTQ community Also, the opulence of the Curia in Rome may be tamped down.
Only the future will tell if ever a woman is elected Pope.
Last Words writing prompt entry
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Writing Prompt Grab the nearest book to you and use the last sentence in the book as the first sentence in a flash fiction. You are free to completely change the context of the sentence. Word count: 100-500 words Any genre. No poetry. |
There is a legend that there once was a woman Pope. There is a legend that a woman who reigned as pope for two years during the Middle Ages. Her story first appeared in chronicles in the 13th century and subsequently spread throughout Europe. The story was widely believed for centuries, but most modern scholars regard it as fictional.*
*The span is given as 855ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ857; see also quotes from ÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Register of Bishop TrefnanÃÂÃÂÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂàin The Trial of Walter Brut of 1391 in Blamires, p. 259.
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