Holy uncalled for.
A CBS anchor bizarrely said Catholic Cardinals were “raw dogging” the conclave in a cringe-inducing characterization of the strict sequester for clergymen that bans, among other things, cellphones.
“CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil made the forced faux pas as a correspondent explained how the Cardinals pass the time while they are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel for rounds of voting during the solemn ritual.
“The one thing we know they’re not doing is checking Instagram because their devices have all been confiscated,” CBS News Papal Contributor John Allen said, stating that the clergymen will read from prayer books and silently pray during downtime.
“I believe the kids call that ‘raw dogging,’ if you’re going to go a long period of time with no electronic device,” Dokoupil said.
“Oh right,” a co-anchor said, apparently enlightened.
The term “raw dogging” has recently been reappropriated to refer to time spent without modern comforts or gadgets — often used in reference to air travel — however, it is conventionally understood to be a reference to unprotected sex.
The Gen-Z-inspired, inappropriately timed innuendo from the 44-year-old anchor rubbed plenty of viewers the wrong way.
“You know it’s a weird timeline when CBS is casually using ‘rawdogging’ to describe the College of Cardinals,” one user wrote on X.
“We just witnessed the exact moment CBS stopped pretending they had standards,” another tweeted, adding, “Rawdoggin the conclave is WILD.”
“What a great news station to employ people that make grotesque statements during one of the largest ceremonial events in Catholicism,” an angry X-user posted.
During the conclave, Cardinals are “sequestered” from the outside world — cut off entirely from communication while they remain in the Vatican for the duration of the papal conclave.
That includes access to cell phones or any other means of contact with the world outside the conclave.
CBS’s Dokoupil was most recently in the news for his viral interview with Bill Belichick, 73, which was disrupted by the legendary coach’s 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, who told the anchor the couple wouldn’t answer some of his questions.