Papal Selection

He is St. Peter here on earth,
the rock upon which Christ
built his church,
designed to withstand

the challenges of time:
persecution, conversion, inquisition,

a lust for power and rampant with scandals.

Two stories now buzzing in the news:
The first one is the current pope is gay,

notice his penchant for exquisite clothing,
a vestment horse by any standard,
who wants to avoid the shame

of child abuse and sexual impropriety.
Rumor has it a group of male prostitutes

want to cash in on the gold
and will reveal the truth unless
duly compensated.

Somewhere in the mess lies the truth
the faithful gather round in prayer,
some seeing the gossip as the work
of the devil, designed to confuse
and break bonds to the church.

So... whoever is selected
must have strong shoulders
and be able to put things back into order 

his integrity must be above reproach

his holiness more than an act:

prayer must be an open communication

to heaven, be able to guide his followers

to live better lives filled with good works

to encourage kindness towards each other.