IF two Popes can rule at the same time…Why not two Presidents?
As history buffs know, there were once two popes ruling simultaneously — each with dominion over a number of states and their own papal establishments. Pope Clement VII (also called the anti-Pope) ruled in Avignon, France —you can still see the pope’ grand estate in that beautiful walled medieval city. At the very same time, Pope Urban IV ruled at the Vatican in Rome.
Known as the Papal schism, this was not a pretty time in Catholic history. The original cause of the split according to Wikipedia (and not being a serious historian, I have relied on this resource heavily), was the election of a pope, Urban IV, who initially seemed okay but began to act “suspicious” and to show “violent outbursts of anger”. Regretting their decision, the cardinals decided to nullify their original decision and put another pope into the office. This new pope became Clement VII and went to Avignon to rule.
“In the intense partisanship characteristic of the Middle Ages, the schism engendered a fanatical hatred…” (Wikipedia)
Does any of this sound vaguely familiar? Let’s just imagine, for a moment, what might occur in the situation today — as Biden rightfully claims he’s President-Elect while Trump refuses to concede — the result might be two presidents simultaneously ruling — each with dominion over different US states…
In this case, presumably, the red states would be ruled by President Trump (also known as the anti-President since he didn’t gain either the Electoral or popular vote) while President-Elect Biden (who won both) — would be presiding over the blue states. How might that play out?
President Trump might be loath to leave the premises of the White House, except he must frequently face the hostility surrounding him in the District of Columbia, not to mention Virginia and Maryland which both voted against him. So he might choose a new residence such as his estate in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.
Since Florida, however, is on the east coast that primarily went blue (with the exceptions of South and North Carolina), he might choose a location more central to his rule. I’d suggest Bransford, Missouri which is comfortably surrounded by red states.
His constituents could visit him there while taking in some local entertainment. According to the Bransford Chamber of Commerce, they might enjoy “inspiring live shows” and “spectacular water features” while attending Trump rallies.
If Trump does cede the White House to Biden during the two men’s simultaneous rule, then Biden could take charge of all the weighty foreign affairs and various domestic programs that Trump is probably yearning to discard.
Why should Trump be bothered with FEMA or the CDC or USDA (he probably has yet to figure out what the initials stand for) or the UN, for that matter. Instead of enduring the tribulations of the population, he can enjoy golf (Bransford has several courses) and relish receiving tribute from his many, ardent admirers. In fact, let’s face it, his office would soon grow to resemble a papal residence far more than a mere presidential suite.
In the 14th century, various other governments aligned with one or the other papacy. The papacy of Clement VII’s in Avignon was supported by France, Naples, Cypress, Savoy and Scotland. Meanwhile Urban IV, ruling in Rome, gained the support of Denmark, England, Flanders, Sweden and the Republic of Venice.
Today, France and Germany have already pledged their support for President-Elect Biden. While theSoviet Block, with Putin at the helm, will certainly continue to endorse their friend, anti-President Trump. And so, no doubt, will dictator-run nations like Hungary, Brazil and Belarus. Other nations, such as Israel or China, may choose to remain neutral and pay homage to both national leaders — unsure about who’s responsible for what and how much they can gain from one or the other.
I bet by now, you’re wondering how long the schism lasted? And how it was resolved?
Both Clement VI or Pope Urban IV had successors: Urban VI, Boniface IX, Gregory XII and very briefly Innocent VII were elected to succeed Urban in Rome and Benedict XIII followed Clement in Avignon.
I can easily imagine Anti-President Trump appointing his son Don Jr. as his successor. But wait a minute, didn’t we all watch “Succession” on HBO? What about Ivanka? She’s Trump’s favorite. Often there’s extreme controversy and rivalry in choosing an heir, even among blood relatives. Ivanka might well be selected to follow up her father’s reign….
Uh oh, did I say reign? Of course I meant tenure of office. It could get ugly if sister is pitted against brother — since as we know from the HBO series “Game of Thrones”, families do shed blood (even the blood of siblings) when power and prestige are at stake. As for faithful courtiers like Mike Pence — sad to say, but they often get shoved aside.
President Biden will probably place the heavy mantle of office on his running mate Kamala Harris. She’s earned it and deserves it. And the day a woman of color becomes president will be an amazing for all the blue US States that have remained in Biden’s presidential sphere. Of course, it’s also likely that the anti-President’s followers will sneer and mock and deride Kamala — as they would any woman of color in a leadership role.
It was extremely difficult in the 14th century to end the papal schism and unify the Church under one pope. Force and diplomacy were attempted and both failed. The French tried to compel Benedict XIII ( a successor of the Avignon popes) to resign without success. In fact, several popes resigned and another was ex-communicated and still no single papal line was produced until 1429. That meant 50 years of mayhem which, some believe, affected the Christian population of the world very negatively for centuries .
I can only hope that what I’ve fantasized in terms of the current US presidential split doesn’t transpire. We can pray that in a few weeks our anti-President will relinquish power to our rightful President-Elect. But there are no guarantees — history is often repeated. There would be no winners if such a scenario unfolded except perhaps Bransford, Missouri that might enjoy an economic boom. ##
