Pope Leo XIV, our first deep-dish pope, seems like quite a good fellow. He was born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, lived on the South Side (meaning White Sox fan, so he knows suffering), and spent many years doing missionary work with the poor in Peru. His emphasis on Christ-like themes of peace, helping the poor, loving one's neighbor, and welcoming the stranger, of course, has angered Donald Trump.
Trump seems to fit in well with some of history's lesser popes.
Pope Alexander VI, better known as Rodrigo Borgia, and his scandalous family merited a Showtime series. Trump might appreciate how Borgia fathered several children with many mistresses. Trump's grifting in office echoes how Borgia reportedly bought the papacy by bribing fellow electors.
Pope Stephen VI, 896-897, could not give up a grudge against his predecessor, Pope Formosus. Though Formosus had been dead for months, Stephen VI had him dug up, dressed in papal robes, placed on a throne, and put on trial. Following the pre-ordained conviction, the body was dragged through the streets and dumped in the river. Trump's bizarre and bogus attempts to prosecute his political opponents (often tossed quickly by judges and juries) smell a lot like Stephen VI.
Pope Boniface VII, 1294-1303, was a "my way or the highway" kind of guy, tried to put all the armies of Europe under his command. He earned Dante Aligheri's enmity; the author gave him a permanent spot in the eighth circle of hell. Trump's militarism and comic mockery of the horrors of war seem to fit the Boniface VII model.
|
|
Discussing:
- Bernie Sanders vs AI (1 reply)
- SoKno discombobulation continues (2 replies)
- Execution failed!!! (3 replies)
- GOP Senator "deserves the obloquy" (2 replies)
- AI company going public says "existential risks to humanity" (2 replies)
- Michaela Barnett for Congress TN-02 (2 replies)
- Timing is everything (2 replies)
- Presidential protest? Deja vu? (3 replies)
- Republican midterm strategy 2026 (2 replies)
- Kerbela Development: Understanding the Appeal and What Happens Next (1 reply)
- 865 Neyland Entertainment District announcement (3 replies)
- Federal court rules Constitution doesn't guarantee clean water (2 replies)
TN Progressive
- View from the Overlook (Whitescreek Journal)
- Alcoa property taxes will probably not go up (BlountViews)
- Smith & Wesson not a good fit for Blount County (BlountViews)
- Pellissippi Parkway extension delayed again (BlountViews)
- Blount County early voting record turnout (BlountViews)
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- America As It Is Right Now (RoaneViews)
- A friend sent this: From Captain McElwee's Tall Tales of Roane County (RoaneViews)
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
TN Politics
- Trump’s DOJ demands California halt ballots to suspected noncitizens (TN Lookout)
- Nashville airport announces nonstop Air France flight (TN Lookout)
- John Cole’s Tennessee: Security blanket (TN Lookout)
- Social Security benefits increase will hit 3.6% in 2027 (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee GOP senator seeks one-month gas tax break (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee puts constitutional amendment questions near top of the ballot next to governor’s race (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- Let’s Talk: Leaders — Turning challenges into connections, honoring community champions (Knox TN Today)
- Rock Sprite meets Kanarra (Knox TN Today)
- Daily Connections for Thursday, October 15, 2026 (Knox TN Today)
- September Ease (Knox TN Today)
- ArtBeat: Symphony, theater and fall creativity take center stage (Knox TN Today)
- New Business Spotlight: Hair Haven & Co. and The Hive bring beauty and entrepreneurship to North Knoxville (Knox TN Today)
- Everyday Genius: Free tools to simplify your digital life (Knox TN Today)
- UT researcher receives nation’s highest rose society honor (Knox TN Today)
- Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance celebrates Lenoir City expansion (Knox TN Today)
- Let’s Talk: Schools — Students build skills, serve veterans and find new opportunities plus more (Knox TN Today)
- Tennessee and Alabama, then to now (Knox TN Today)
- The Book Whisperer & daughter go book store hopping (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- Knoxville man gets 35 years for distributing child sexual abuse material (WATE)
- Knoxville church begins recovery after fire damage from suspected arsonist (WATE)
- Knox County zoning official could face removal after alleged assault outside Heritage Hubs event (WATE)
- Descendants, advocates fight to preserve historic Sevier County cemetery from proposed development (WATE)
- Does a poll worker marking your ballot disqualify it? Sec. of State debunks rumor (WATE)
- Knoxville woman charged for home security system despite cancellation (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Kentucky’s impressive start shows up in AP’s SEC midseason awards - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Iran says a ship sank after striking a mine in Strait of Hormuz, and other Middle East developments - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Patience paying off now with Dream finally back in WNBA Finals - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Dolly Parton's nephew denies threatening to harm her estate, pushes back against restraining order - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- Election Dispatches: Talarico Remains Ahead in Texas Senate Race, Polls Show, but His Lead Has Narrowed - The New York Times (US News)
- Anthropic flags revenue surge to investors ahead of stock market debut - BBC (Business)
- Elon Musk says Trump is 'ultimately' responsible for any curbs on Ukraine's Starshield systems - CNBC (US News)
- Asia stocks slump as chip rout deepens after hotter U.S. inflation - Investing.com (Business)
- Man who died falling from Six Flags roller coaster was celebrating niece’s birthday, relative says - WSB-TV (US News)
- AI Companies Play Cat-and-Mouse With Secret-Stealing Spies - WSJ (Business)
- Nasdaq ends sharply lower as hot inflation data stirs rate-hike worries - Reuters (Business)
- Sexual assault reported at frat house near University of Chicago - The Guardian (US News)
- Eight states sue OpenAI over ChatGPT’s alleged harms to users - NBC News (US News)
- Ilhan Omar Investigation Aims to Build Case for Stripping Her Citizenship - WSJ (US News)
- Top U.S. banks dropped customers over political and religious views, regulator says - CBS News (Business)
- Cornell president admits he never followed up on gang rape allegation ahead of no-confidence debate - PBS (US News)
- Netflix TV Executives Lisa Lang McMullen, James Oh, Carolina Garcia and Andrew McQuinn Among Layoffs - The Hollywood Reporter (Business)
- 'Yikes': CoreWeave stock tanks on bond yield woes, CEO blames market acting 'irrationally' - Yahoo Finance (Business)
- Nvidia’s Jensen Huang wants ‘no incidents’ of AI cybersecurity, and says AI doomers ‘ought to stop working on’ the technology - Fortune (Business)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South
