Jon Stewart Suggests Bill O'Reilly for Pope, Skewers Catholic Church (Video)

With a year to go before America launches back into the blood sport of electoral politics, the staff at The Daily Show is biding its time by looking abroad -- and above -- for a campaign to mock.

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Luckily, the Catholic Church -- a constant punchline for late night comedians -- is in the midst of a search for a new pope, following the abdication of Benedict XVI. Host Jon Stewart kicked off a long segment on the matter Thursday night with a dig at his good pal Bill O'Reilly, suggesting that given any male Catholic could be theoretically be named head of the flock, the bombastic Fox News host might throw his hat in the ring -- if he was "wiling to accept a demotion."

The segment continued, with Aasif Mandvi presenting several mock dirty campaign ads from different contenders, including one that skewered a cardinal's Oscar ballot for its selection of Bradley Cooper for best actor.

Obviously, anyone who would have a direct line to God must possess the wisdom to know that Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in Lincoln was otherworldly.