Anyone who has seen the film Conclave will know that even those with the greatest ambitions of becoming Pope must not be seen to actively seek the papacy.

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You can quietly lobby, position yourself, build bridges, and ultimately, bashfully, accept that this is the role you have been chosen for. But actually saying you want to become Pope is the biggest faux pas in the Vatican.

But during the real life Conclave last year, we were treated to this quote: “I'd like to be Pope, that would be my number one choice!"

It was not said by Robert Francis Prevost, who ultimately became Pope Leo, but by his fellow American Donald Trump. He was joking… Surely.

Was he, though? Maybe he wasn’t. While Trump shared an AI-produced........

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