Can we PLEASE not start this now?
Okay, well, since the other thread is deleted, I will have to make a comment here.
Don't you see a difference between asking a friend to pray for you and asking a dead person to do so?
Unless Mary is sipping tea in your living room, you can't talk to her directly. And, since only Christ is a mediator, any petitions asking Mary to pray for you would not be heard by her since she can't hear them. No dead person can hear your prayers. Therefore, you can't ask them to pray for you since they won't hear it.
There is a big difference between asking a living person to pray for you and a dead person. One can hear and intercede for you by praying to the one true mediator Jesus Christ, and one can't because their spirit is in heaven unable to respond to your prayers because they are not designated to do so.
And now that I said that, I will shut up regarding Catholic doctrine and only talk about the Pope's situation today.