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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   363 thread views

Transnational Thursday for October 15, 2026

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Thé pope has lung cancer. Earlier this the lower lobe of his right lung was removed.

He is unlikely to die soon, but persistent poor health tends to be a limiting factor on the pope’s power- and all indications were already that pope Leo XIV was relatively weak.

They should try electing a young Pope one of these times. Like, someone in his fifties.

John Paul II was 58 when elected. One of the longest ruling popes on record. Not everybody would like that - it's one thing if you don't like him and he's gone in 5 years, and another thing if it's over 25 years.

Has anyone ever suggested putting a term limit on the pope? It seems like a real problem for the institution that they're almost always old men near the end of their life.

The pope is the supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church and as such can change canon law at whim. Even if one pope instituted term limits, his successor could abolish the limit whenever he wanted.

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