What is Pope League? TikToker creates viral fantasy game around papal conclave

As the world mourns the passing of Pope Francis , a TikToker has found a viral way to keep younger audiences engaged in the otherwise secretive process of choosing the next Pope by turning it into a fantasy league, reports The Washington Times.

The papal conclave , set to begin on May 7 at the Vatican, will see cardinals from across the globe gather behind closed doors to vote for the next head of the Catholic Church . While the centuries-old process is steeped in tradition, one content creator on TikTok is bringing a modern twist to it.

The Tik Toker named Max, going by the username of @itismaxhooray has launched what he calls the Pope League , a fantasy football-style game where users pick a cardinal and earn points based on how their pick performs in the voting rounds.

“There are 10 times the number of people in this sweepstakes as there are cardinals in the Catholic Church, making it bigger and therefore more legitimate than the real conclave,” Max was quoted as saying by the Independent.

The idea quickly went viral. The Washington Times reported that over 2,000 people signed up for the game on the very first day, after Max’s videos were viewed more than 100,000 times. Participants can earn "Pope points" and even imagine themselves “becoming the next Pope” through the game.

The real conclave is expected to be closely watched, especially since most of the cardinals voting were appointed by Pope Francis himself. This has raised questions about whether the next Pontiff will continue the current path of reform or shift to a more moderate direction.

Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88 in Vatican City. His funeral was attended by world leaders, dignitaries, and thousands of mourners from around the globe.