The lighter side of papal selection

What happens, precisely, when the time comes to replace the pope? That's a leading question of the day, and the world is drowning in a sea of reportage, speculation and handicapping regarding the coming scrum. It is getting to be a bit much.

That said, Christopher Buckley's howler of a short story, We Have a Pope! is a vital read. Told from the perspective of a cynical Washington PR man (is there any other kind?), Buckley lampoons the byzantine machinations involved in papal selection and, once again, demonstrates why he is a leading political satirist of the day. Originally published in the Atlantic magazine, We Have a Pope! is available in print form in the Dave Eggers-edited Best Nonrequired American Reading 2004.