Holy Weed and Holy Forgeries
28 April 2025
I doubt anyone could have anticipated the degree to which the death of Pope Francis has drawn the attention of the internet. The fervour is likely fueled by the unexpected fan base that sprang up around the 2024 movie Conclave, a film about the quiet intrigues of cardinals as they select the next pope. I'm confident there is a media literacy paper in here about the intersection of prestige films with a meme culture informed by reality television. But until then, I'm enjoying a very niche form of mash-up humour while I can get it.