Pope

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How was the pope elected? The Pope is the head of the Catholic church. Technically, the only requirements of becoming pope are that you be male and a practicing Catholic. This leaves a pretty wide field, but popes for the last 600 years have been cardinals who are elected in a papal conclave by other cardinals. Become pope by starting as a priest and working your way up through the Catholic hierarchy until you are elected by your peers.The cardinals meet in the Rome 15 to 20 days after the death of a pope and pick a successor from among themselves in sacred balloting.The cardinals may elect whomever they wish, as long as the person is a baptized male. There have been occasions in the past when laymen were elected. After their election they had to be …show more content…

What are the functions of his positions in the Catholic Church? Well, the pope is the head of the church on earth. He is the vicar of Christ in that he guides the church in faith and morals. First among equals. Of all to bishops and archbishops in the world he is the leader. While he himself is the bishop of the diocese of Rome, he is the leader of the entire Catholic flock, as commissioned by Jesus. The pope by the power of the key and promise of Jesus to protect the church, he has the ability infallible ex cathedra or matters of faith and morals only. This does not mean that he is impeccable or that everytime he speaks he is infallible. Infallibility also extends to all other bishops as long as they are speaking together with the pope. The pope does not make infallible pronouncements as a private person, but rather does so as the supreme teacher of the Catholic faith. Even when he is not speaking ex cathedra his teaching authority is to be respected.The present day process for selecting a pope is through election. The election is held amongst the cardinals of the Church that form a conclave and select the next

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