Question regarding the Papacy

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Wolseley

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Canon 332 of the Code of Canon Law states that the Pope may resign his office, but he must do so freely and must not be influenced or forced into it by anyone.

Over the course of the centuries, dozens of popes abdicated or were deposed, but the number of those forced to resign by political factions far outnumbered those who resigned on their own. The first Pope to resign was Pontian, in 235 AD; there have been others.

And yes, Popes are elected for life, although the Church, as indicated in the canon above, does make provision for other scenarios should the situation arise.
Let's say that the Pope goes into a coma or is otherwise incapacitated--but still alive, and can't fufill the duties of office, what happens then?

Canon 335 states that the business of the Holy See is to be carried out by the Curia in normal fashion until a new Pontiff is elected; the Dean of the College of Cardinals acts as a sort of interim functionary during this period.
And is there any impeachment process like there is the for the President of the U.S, in case the Pope... umm.. acts up?

Canons 192 to 195 explain removal from offices; in order for this to happen, the Pope would have to do something completely from left field, such as desecrate the Eucharist, defame the Catholic Faith, apostasize, or attempt marriage. None of these scenarios are very likely to happen.
 
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Wolseley

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Yes, I knew that Peter was married. Several early Popes were. Did you know that Paul recommended celibacy for those in full-time ministry? See 1 Cor. 7:32-35.


"Round and around and around and around we goooooo again..."
 
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Wolseley

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Wolseley

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Canon 332 specifies that one who is elected to the office of Supreme Pontiff must be a bishop. Since bishops are appointed by the reigning pope from among priests, and since it takes at least a Bachelor's degree in theology to become a priest, if a man entered the major seminary at age 18, he would leave it at age 22 or 24, depending on whether he obtained a Master's or not. From there he would serve as a parish priest for at least upwards of ten years or so, at least in the United States, before a bishop retired or died; then probably anywhere from another 15 to 20 years as a bishop before he'd even be considered eligible.

Usually, however, the Pope is chosen from the College of Cardinals. Cardinal is an honorary title bestowed upon a bishop, meaning that he is now in the select group which can vote for the new Pope when the reigning Pope dies. Cardinals, as a general rule, are usually in their late 40's before being appointed as such. John Paul II was one of the younger Popes in several decades, and he was nearly 60 when elected in 1978.

What this all means is, realistically, a Pope will not be elected as such until he's in his late 50's, and possibly not until he's in his late 60's. I have no idea who the youngest Pope was.
 
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Wolseley

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Yep, Tesserkit, it sure has; the thread I hyperlinked to pretty well covers it. And no matter how hard you beat dat hoss, he jes' ain't gonna pull no mo'.

It's a Mexican standoff, and the best thing to do is for both sides to stand down. Besides, this is a relatively unimportant point. A Christian's salvation is not dependant on whether his clergy is celibate or not. :)
 
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ZooMom

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I don't see the problem ppl have with this. Blalron, are you considering becoming a priest? Is that why the celibacy issue concerns you? I assure you that the Catholic Church is a HUGE supporter of marriage. In fact, all of the Catholic families I know consist of married people and their children. :D

And priests ARE married. To the Church. Wols, I know I read somewhere that there is even a marriage ceremony when a priest is ordained. Is that right?


God bless...


Sandy
 
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