Should there be a cap on how long a pope's in office for?

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Onwem's picture
Should there be a cap on how long a pope's in office for?

Do you think a pope should be in office for as long as he can and/or wants to? Or should there be an official limit on how long he can be? If so, how long's a reasonable length of time in your opinion?

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Tman127182's picture
I think there shouldn't be a

I think there shouldn't be a pope in the first place, especially when other humans can grant them infallibility. However I think there should be a limit and they should change the way they vote one in, the public should have a say in it, since it's basically their money.

Onwem's picture
Thanks for your reply,

Thanks for your reply, TMan127182. If you think there should be a limit, how long do you feel it should be for? I hear you on public voting. Maybe there could be a combination of private and public voting: a selection of potential popes are chosen and privately voted for, then the public get to vote from that selection. What do you think?

Tman127182's picture
I think it should depends on

I think it should depends on the age, the younger the longer, and the older the shorter, I don't think a lifetime commitment would be helpful or healthy in the decision making a pope makes that does affects billions of people both directly and indirectly.

Onwem's picture
Hmm, capping it based on age

Hmm, capping it based on age --- age doesn't necessarily determine one's state of health or mind as I'm sure you know. Some younger popes might get sick more often than some of their older predecessors.

dtommy79's picture
And actually the previous

And actually the previous Pope was in a much worse health condition than this one and he didn't resign.

dtommy79's picture
No offence buddy, but if you

No offence buddy, but if you really think about it, it makes no sense. The Catholic Church is like any other organization, institution, company etc. What is the one thing in common? They all have some kind of leader.

samking009's picture
Is the Pope a political

Is the Pope a political appointment? If you see it like a Political Appointment, then you might agree with me that there should be a cap. However, since its seen as religious, then suggesting a cap might just be a way of relating it to be political which shouldn't. So, personally, I wouldn't suggest a cap.

rider's picture
I think a Pope should remain

I think a Pope should remain a Pope for as long as he can do his duties. Once he becomes sickly, his term should end. Like if he gets an Alzheimer's disease, I don't think he could still do his job well.

SammyShazaam's picture
Well... no. At least not when

Well... no. At least not when thinking in the paradigm of the Catholic church. The Pope is not an elected official, he is one chosen by God to receive and interpret his message. So really, in that mode of thinking, the Pope will remain that chosen person for as long as God wants, and the Pope himself isn't even supposed to argue with that.

Of course, the last Pope resigned, so that pretty much blows that chosen by God crap right out of the water :/

DarkLight's picture
I think the pope should run

I think the pope should run as long as the entire structure around him is being lead properly. But to be honest I find no use for a pope because I find no good use for the catholic church.

Matty Arnold's picture
They should cap it at 1 hour.

They should cap it at 1 hour. That'd keep things interesting ;)

SammyShazaam's picture
LMAO! Musical Popes :)

LMAO! Musical Popes :)

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