Just around the time I finally got around to watching the movie, Conclave ( Rotten Tomatoes 93/86 ), the real Conclave voted American Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope Leo XIV. No one saw this coming. No American had ever been pope since the first one nearly 2000 years ago. For those who know nothing about religion, Pope Leo XIV now becomes the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church with a membership of 1.4 billion for as long as he continues. By the way, St. Peter, one of the apostles of Jesus, was the first pope. No one saw this coming. The heavy favorite was Cardinal Pietro Parolin (right), the Vatican's secretary of state under Pope Francis. Cardinal Prevost's betting odds hovered in the range of 2% to 1%....or less . He was born in Chicago, spent periods in Peru, but most of his youth and professional life in that city. Started with a math B.S. from Villanova in 1977, but went on to earn a Licentiate of Canon Law and ...

New SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for PLANET EARTH AND HUMANITY: This blog site derives from the original version of Planet Earth & Humanity, but will be more WE than ME. The coverage will remain similar, but perhaps these postings will seem to come from a parallel universe, or maybe even Purgatory. But truth and reality will prevail, with dashes of whimsy and levity to help make your day.