The “Cardinals” of St. Agnes School (all junior high students) are participating in a pretend conclave—March Madness style—to elect the next pope. The brackets, complete with photos and biographies, are displayed in the hallway. The “Cardinals” will wear their miters (bishop hats) each time they cast a vote.
They will choose between 19 different cardinals, including our own Bishop Iffert (since cardinals are not required to choose a fellow cardinal and may select someone from another rank within the clergy). Each candidate has a photo and a biography. The only factual information in the biographies is the person’s name, age, country, and religious order (if applicable). Everything else is fictitious and just for fun, designed to get the students thinking, talking, and debating about which candidate they prefer.
The hope is that, through this activity, the junior high students will begin to recognize some of these names from news stories or media coverage and feel more connected to global Church leadership, the conclave process and happenings in real time.
All classes in the school are encouraged to stop by and check on the progress. Will they choose Pizzaballa, the great negotiator between Israel and Hamas? Or Turkson, the head of the Pontifical Council for Sciences? Maybe Acerbi, the oldest cardinal at 99 years old?
We’ll just have to wait and see!
