Shannon asks in a timely manner: how do they pick the next pope?
The death of Pope John Paul II is of course a sad event for everyone. He was often a figure of controversy, but at the heart someone who was not afraid to stand up to the evils both of totalitarian regimes and capitalist excesses. He will be missed.
The basic process for electing a pope is this: A maximum of 120 elector cardinals gather at the Vatican to deliberate and choose a new pope. This discussion can go on for a long time; now that the electors are put up in very nice living quarters, there may be less of a rush to decide on someone quickly. These electors were chosen by previous popes, and for the most part were chosen by Pope John Paul II. As a result, he will have had considerable influence over who is chosen next. However, the decision is not by any means certain.
The number of votes required for agreement is a 2/3 majority, but Pope John Paul II introduced a new rule in 1996, which says that once votes have been taken 30 times, an absolute majority (half plus 1 vote) can elect the pope. Discussions are secret, so we probably won't have the chance to read through the minutes. Of course you probably wouldn't want to, anyway--my guess is that they'll be in Latin.
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For some more detailed information on who might be the front-runners to be the next Pope, check out this thread from Metafilter: http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/40891
It includes a lot of links about how the process is done, who is favored, etc...
Slate also has a slightly irreverent take on this:
great article on Slate. though I'm still voting for Father Dougal on the sitcom Father Ted.
The Onion also had a great article on this years ago, but it is unfortunately available now only in the "new, non-free format."
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