Corpus Confusio; or, a Female Pope to Fix the World?

When the Pope calls it quits, we know we've reached a new chapter in the relationship between body and mind.

I've no basis to speculate on His Holiness' condition, but I do wonder if he has found himself with some kind of degenerative disorder like Alzheimer's -- and the awareness that his physical body may be left as the mindless leader of a great faith for an extended period of time.

At such an extreme, the Church's views on the sanctity of life and its opposition to any kind of euthanasia would test the limits of the Papal responsibility: how little human can a being be before no longer occupying the position chosen by God -- or, when does the soul leave the body?

Death has a clear and final meaning, but we can die a lot before we're dead.

This shedding of self, whether willful, contingent or divined, connects to other odd aspects of our current relationship between our physical and metaphysical and emotional selves.

I am ever struck by the legions of women walking the streets of Manhattan (and so many other centers of success), skinny to perfection, single, sour-pussed and sad-looking.  They stare at the ground, pound away at the treadmill—and so infrequently show any sense of a smile or laughter.

Perhaps its my own redoubled feminist misogyny, but my sense is that image and body have been put ahead of a wholeness of being, a happiness and lightness and adventuresomeness -- ahead of any free and open, curious, playful and creative potential.

Are such things the primary provenience of men?  Must we remain bound by a paradigm that defines strong, brilliant women as bitches?



If you've worked hard to have a hot body, why not be proud and confident?  I guess having to stare down the socially approved, constant lecherous glances and comments from men would exhaust even superwoman.  (For instance, I don't think this video is the answer, butt it does have over 2 million views.)

Perhaps this has to do with the fact that the Church so vehemently refuses to admit women into the priesthood.  I don't know how, exactly, but I have a hunch -- related to why conservative sects of Judaism and Islam insist upon women wearing certain kinds of hair styles or head coverings.

Do we still live the great temptation of Eden, day in and day out?  Really—we keep blaming women and causing them pain with their guilt?

Oh Papa.  Will it ever be -- oh, mama mia.

Cardinals -- go for it.  This election will be precedent-setting in any case.