Could the Papal Conclave elect a non Cardinal Pope?

[Lincoln Republican]

A monk was elected Pope in 1294 and took the name Celestine V, serving for a few months.

Five other non Cardinals were also elected Pope.

Is there any chance this Papal Conclave in 2013 could make history once again and elect a non Cardinal Pope?

Please discuss.

Technically, any Catholic male who has reached the age of reason, is not a heretic, is not in schism, and is not “notorious” for simony can be elected pope — there is no other requirement for election (although there are several requirements before a person can actually assume the papacy once elected). It might even be technically possible for them to elect a non-Catholic male, if they had reason to believe that he would immediately convert to Catholicism.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's conceivable, but most to all actual non-cardinals would almost certainly lack the necessarily familiarity with the Church's inner courts to be competent for the position.

[patrick1]

It is really time to clear out the stalls. It must be someone young-ish, vigorous, charismatic and above all courageous. A man of the world is needed and not a bookish scholar. Any ideological and geographical considerations are secondary, tertiary... Grave sin calls for a public contrition and penance.

[TJ in Oregon]

It is really time to clear out the stalls. It must be someone young-ish, vigorous, charismatic and above all courageous. A man of the world is needed and not a bookish scholar. Any ideological and geographical considerations are secondary, tertiary... Grave sin calls for a public contrition and penance.

I don't think they're going to pick someone very young because they don't want to pick a pope that will last 30 more years. I'd guess somewhere in the late 60s is the expected age of the new pope.

[patrick1]

It is really time to clear out the stalls. It must be someone young-ish, vigorous, charismatic and above all courageous. A man of the world is needed and not a bookish scholar. Any ideological and geographical considerations are secondary, tertiary... Grave sin calls for a public contrition and penance.

I don't think they're going to pick someone very young because they don't want to pick a pope that will last 30 more years. I'd guess somewhere in the late 60s is the expected age of the new pope.

That is why I said youngish. It needs to be someone fit and energetic.  I think the church needs dynamism now, the dynamism that John Paul II brought in his early years.  The church has been led by very elderly men for a long time now.

[Lincoln Republican]

Patrick, I would be interested to know what you think of Cardinal Tagle, age 55, Archbishop of Manila, as a potential Pope.

[patrick1]

Patrick, I would be interested to know what you think of Cardinal Tagle, age 55, Archbishop of Manila, as a potential Pope.

I think it would be excellent. By all accounts he is charismatic and a relative outsider of the Vatican politics. He also comes from a country where Catholicism is still actually practiced and I think could serve as a leader to the Global South. The Church needs energy and change.

[minionofmidas]

Only a Cardinal under 80 is capable of discreetly campaigning in a hung Conclave. Anybody else, the Cardinals voting are going to have no way to find out if they would even want the job. That's almost sufficient reason why it probably won't happen this century.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It is really time to clear out the stalls. It must be someone young-ish, vigorous, charismatic and above all courageous. A man of the world is needed and not a bookish scholar. Any ideological and geographical considerations are secondary, tertiary... Grave sin calls for a public contrition and penance.

That's why I've been saying for awhile that this guy should be Pope. He's a lot more similar to Jesus in style than any of the cardinals, that's for sure.