The character known as the Pope is once again being played by a new persona. We are told the old player has passed away. As you may have guessed by my language here, I advise that you take it all with a grain of salt. Or maybe even a pound of salt. In my view, all the world is, in fact, a stage, and important personas on the world stage are no different than any mass-viewed stage. It is all designed to blow your mind, and it has been working for a very long time now.

State-of-the-art smoke and mirrors are well lit on the world stage, and then the image and sound bites are delivered through controlled media outlets that dominate. Who can forget the #1 film of all time? Citizen Kane is regularly voted into that lofty position, and informs us how long ago media was taken over. To the point that, in that film, even nonexistent wars are publicized — because the ones behind the lens have the power, the reach, and the control to do so.