Papal Conclaves and Democratic Elections: A Theological Perspective

In this episode we talk with Timothy Gabrielli., an associate professor of Theology at the University of Dayton, about the recent selection of a new Pope as a point of interesting comparison about electoral processes. Tim holds the Gudorf chair in Catholic intellectual traditions. We discuss the papal conclave through the lens of electoral theory. Drawing on the historic election of the first American Pope, the conversation highlights striking parallels—and contrasts—between religious and democratic decision-making processes.