Question for Catholics About the Pope

There is no age requirement to become pope. The Cardinals at the conclave choose the Pope. Truthfully, though, (not to correct pp) even being a Cardinal is not a REQUIREMENT. Any confirmed, Catholic man CAN be elected Pope. The tradition, however, is that he is chosen form the Cardinals themselves (for lots of reasons including the fact that it's unlikely that enough of them would KNOW enough about another rman). The Pope is typically older by virtue of the fact that Cardinals are older because they've been in the priesthood for quite some time before reaching that designation.

Another reason for the age of Popes is that the papacy is a lifetime position. Unless the Pope steps down (as happened recently, but almost never happens) you can't get a new Pope until the Pope dies... so (not to be morbid but) an older Pope allows for a new choice for frequently.

That being said, I'm much more interested in the Pope's view of the Church, and doctrine in the world than I am about the age of the man himself.

HTH
T.

It's believed that Pope Benedict IX was between 11 years old and 20 years old when he was ELECTED and then went on to reign (in the year 1012).

Then there was Pope John XII who was 18 years old when he was elected and then went on to reign (in the year 937 or so).

Since 1400 the youngest pope has been 37 years old... Leo X in the early 1500's.

If you take what's believed to be the ages of all 63 popes when they were elected, the AVERAGE age has been about 62/63 years old when they were first elected.

There's a lot of discussion and debate about the youngest a pope can be when elected now... there's no hard and fast rule but I would briefly hesitate to guess a theoretical age minimum of 40 years old.

The fact is that a pope does need to theoretically be a cardinal first and it can take time for them to achieve that level in the hierarchy. He would have to be a cardinal since 2/3 of 120 cardinals vote him in.

Plus, the cardinals no longer elect laymen as popes (like Pope Benedict IX), and they no longer pass along the papacy down family lines (as was done with Pope John XI, the uncle of Pope John XII, ensuring on his deathbed that his nephew would get the papacy upon his death), both reducing the likelihood of a pope in his teens or twenties.

I could go on and on, but there are a lot of reasons why I think the youngest electable would be 40 or so at this point.

P.S. I'm Catholic and not offended at all because this isn't an offensive question. When you're curious and you don't know the answers, especially if you have some assumptions you want to clarify, the best way to find out is to ask questions. And you did.

Not all Catholics are holier than thou, and most of us don't feel persecuted every time someone asks questions.

Wow!! I always wondered the same thing so I don't think it is a stupid question at all. Thanks to all the non-cranky responses.

Nothing wrong with sincerely asking questions and seeking information. Your post is not offensive.

Certain firey root vegetables need to relax, ya know?

Don't pull your question, R.. You're asking from the point of view of a non-Catholic. You will not understand the feelings that Catholics have concerning the Pope, the richness of the Catholic culture and centuries of tradition, BECAUSE you aren't Catholic (or perhaps because you aren't a student of history.)

You've gotten some good answers here. You didn't mean to offend.

Yep, no age requirement. Yet another clarification, though. Both Thea and Flaming Turnip are incorrect about the requirements to be pope. There are only two:

1. Male
2. Free to become a priest (if not already a priest) - In other words, not married.

The person does not even have to be baptized. He just has to be free to be baptized and ordained.

But I'd have to do some research to find the last time the man elected pope wasn't already a cardinal.

R.,

I am not Catholic. But I would like to say....

Age is relative. Forget the Pope. I am talking about your thoughts on not wanting an 80 yr old person to be your child's teacher. I am sure you are right it would be difficult to keep up with children, however there are many 80 year olds that have much to contribute. My father volunteered full-time until he was 92 years old. He taught a lot of people a lot of things that possibly a younger person would not be able to contribute. His stories were a living history.

When I was young older people kinda creeped me out LOL! But..... as I have aged I have learned they are treasures of knowledge. You may be oversimplifying. This is truly not simple!

You got some really well thought out and insightful answers. Really just one jerky one- don't let it bug you or keep you from posting. Responses like that make me crabby! :-) If I hadn't liked your post, I just wouldn't answer, sheesh.

I really didn't know the answer to this either, so it was interesting to read the different perspectives! Some smart mamas on here!

interesting question as a non catholic I assumed as you did, I"m also curious as you mentioned how much rule the actual pope has or are there checks and balances and others behind the scenes that do most of the duties making him more of a figure head that and active decision maker.

What a total jerk your first responder was. But she won't be recruting many to "her" faith that way.

Catholic and not offended. That is what this board is for. To ask questions and learn from each other. Some people just like to take out their frustrations on this board. I will make sure I thoroughly reasearch a question before I ask a question here....mainly beacuse everything on the internet is true...

You have to keep in mind that while the Pope is a religious leader, he is also the sovereign of a country. Having said that, we could ask the same question of our Presidential requirements. Technically speaking, the Pope does not "have to be" a Cardinal, nor does the President "have to be a political leader", but it's certainly the trend!

There is no age requirement, but there is definitely an expectation of having worked to earn the responsibility. I'm sure if there was a 30 year old Cardinal with demonstrated leadership and responsibility, he would be considered. Also keep in mind that like other monarchs, the Pope is entitled to the office until death. Today, that could be a long long time...

No offense taken because none was clearly intended.

I love how Catholics can be so nasty about a simple question. Maybe THEY should think about what they say before they say it, lest it reflect badly on their religion.

(And that's why I rarely ask questions on here. You can get blasted for even simple, honest ones.)

It isn't offensive at all! I've often wondered myself why only old men get to be the pope. And all the pomp and circumstance is so weird to me. I am a Christian and I have my own relationship with God. I don't need some old guy to be the middle-man.

Thanks for your thoughtful question. Sorry for any responses that are using your question to cause hurt. Peace.

Hi, R.:

Your question is a good one. Maybe no one ever considered that question before. It gives food for thought and for a conversation.
Personally, I really don't care how old a person is to perform a duty. People who don't think they are capable to do a good job, won't step up to the plate to do it.

The law in the united States protects all ages from being discriminated against.

The question for me to ask you, Why do you question the age? How many older adults have you seen doing work that you are pleased with?

I've always heard that there is never a dumb question!

Good luck.
D.