The death of the good pope Francis focuses attention on the historic procedure by which the Roman church elects its leader. The College of Cardinals reminds me of the US Electoral College and a point I have made before. It could become the ideal way to choose the leader of any country, if only it were implemented properly.
If popes were chosen by a referendum of all Catholics, the choice would probably not be an improvement. While a plebiscite would be a better way to elect the US President than the present Electoral College (EC), a modified EC, closer to the College of Cardinals and to the American founders’ original intention, would be superior to either.
