There's lots of talk right now about the security measures being taken to conceal the proceedings at the papal conclave. Which is fine -- those proceedings should be secret. What I don't understand is why anybody would care to listen in. We're not going to be able to change the outcome. It's not as if they're not going to tell us all who the new pope is. And it's not as if the information they will exchange there -- about the new pope's views on women, birth control, Asian politics, or whatever -- is particularly hidden from us. A decent investigative reporter can uncover plenty of dirt on his own without resorting to technology.
Not to mention that the whole thing is likely to be incredibly boring. I mean, it's the Catholic Church. It's not some reality TV show where a lady might walk out naked or something. These are 60-ish celibates, debating who gets to lead a church that has increasingly alienated its followers by trying to force them to stay in the middle ages. We all decided these guys were irrelevant years ago, especially you Protestants. So what gives with the insatiable papal curiosity?
