Are Barcelona really God's own team? They always win 4-0 during a papal conclave... While the cardinals were searching for a successor to Pope Pius XII in October of that year, the Catalonians were routing Real Madrid, ascending to the league's summit with a hat-trick from the Brazilian Evaristo. A little less than twenty years on history repeated itself. During the election of Pope John Paul II Barcelona put on another heavenly performance, this time against Las Palmas, when two goals in each half were enough to secure three points for Lucien Muller's side. In fact, Barcelona's form between the death or resignation of a Pope and the election of a successor was, for a time, perfect. They preceded the 1958 conclave with 3-0 victories over Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol and a 2-0 triumph over Hercules in 1978. This record was sadly dashed ahead of the election of Pope Benedict in 2005 - despite a 2-0 win over Getafe the day before the cardinals met, Barcelona were beaten 4-2 by Real Madrid and could only muster a 3-3 draw against Betis in the preceeding weeks. Once again they suffered defeat in El Clasico days after Benedict's resignation but despatched Deportivo 2-0 ahead of the Milan clash. Papal conclaves have also convened during the close season in August 1978 and June 1963, while the March 1939 election fell during the Spanish Civil War throughout which the league programme was cancelled.