Pope Francis Passes Away at 88: Mel Kiper Updates Papal Big Board

By Rich Taylor

THE VATICAN—With Pope Francis's passing, the Catholic Church is preparing for a transition that will determine its direction for the foreseeable future. The College of Cardinals will soon gather at the Vatican for a conclave to shape the Church's future.

Accordingly, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has updated his mock papal draft, offering predictions and analysis that will no doubt serve the conclave well. 

Kiper is high on 67-year-old Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. 

“It’s a loaded conclave, but given his age and track record on inclusion and evangelization, Tagle has to be the leader in the papal clubhouse,” declared Kiper. “If the Church looks at the next decade as more a continuation of the Francis tenure than a full rebuild, I think Tagle is the choice.”

Kiper cautioned that Tagle is no sure thing with a top-heavy roster of potential popes with red-robed blue-chippers. He highlighted some standouts with the potential to become the next leader of 1.37 billion Catholics.

“If the Church wants a more veteran presence in the big seat, we might hear the name of local Italian standout Pietro Parolin,” theorized Kiper. “He’s a moderate theologian with a long history with the Vatican bureaucracy, which means there is bound to be a certain level of comfort there for many cardinals. Parolin could be a name to watch if the conclave opts for what I consider a safe selection.”

The NFL Draft is upon us. Mel Kiper loves the Wolverines. Nico doesn’t love Luka. The Steelers have their man! Porzingis goes to the WWE.

Kiper opened the door for another potential pope, Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana.

“Turkson would be a bold choice here, but one I think the conclave will at least pray over,” wrote the well-coiffed guru. “The Church has recently flirted with real action on climate change and social justice issues. If they are serious, we may see Turkson’s name scrawled on more than a few soon-to-be-burned ballots.”

Kiper ultimately placed longish odds on Turkson being the ultimate choice, noting that the last African pontiff was Pope Gelasius, who served from 492 to 496 AD. 

“There’s a reason the smoke that appears when the choice is made is white. SMH,” concluded Kiper. 

“If the Church decides to move away from the leadership direction of Pope Francis, then I think the obvious pick is Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdő. From advocacy of traditional doctrine and theological orthodoxy, this 76-year-old dude has all the old school tools,” he added. “If Erdő is the choice, the Church is committing to a rebuild and a rewind.

Kiper reminded readers that he is “more of a Vatican fanboy than a true Vaticanologist” and joked, "there is a reason I am called a football and not a papal guru.” He plans to update his Papal Big Board “sometime between the nine-day mourning period known as the novemdiales and the start of the papal conclave.”

End of the Bench will have more on this story after the Conclave.

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