Pope Election Cartoon

The world shook with discomfort and intrigue when Pope Benedict announced his retirement from the position as the Catholic leader. Who would be the next leader of the largest single religious denomination of the world? After much deliberation, the Cardinals came to their decision: Pope Francis I would be the next Pope. However, could there be underlying interests riddled in the election, or is speculation simply the conflicted world's welcome message? Cartoonist Christopher Weyant plays with this idea in the drawing above as a way of linking religious movements with the progression of politics. He does so with the comment at the bottom of the page, which portrays the image of the Pope's election being directly related to the US presidential election of 2012 and the failures of Mitt Romney. Weyant plays on the stereotype of Catholics, one that chains the Catholic church with the Republican party, and continues the perception that these two bodies are intertwined. Other ways Weyant is able to convey his message to his audience of New Yorker readers is through his characters, similar to a writer's stylistic formatting. Instead of looking like heavenly and pure angels, Weyant poses his angels with clipboards and with faces of Americans and businessmen, making the work of God look more like a matter of formulaic terms, not one geared towards the greater good. Through these points and the unique ability of the cartoonist, the image is able to capture the attention of readers and create a humorous satire on the recent Catholic developments for readers to enjoy.