Is the papacy an elective monarchy or a presidency for life?

[Simfan34]

Of course, the proper answer is "neither- it's a sui generis post", but if you had to compare to something, would it be one or the other? Yes, the pope might have worn a crown, robes, and carries an ordinal, but if Obama wore a crown and was known as "His Elective Majesty, President Barack I", would it really be any different. The papacy today is a post elected from one's fellows, many of which come from ordinary backgrounds and rose to their position through a process accessible by any man, not through heredity as many other elective monarchies are/were (HRE, Malaysia). The pope today is far more "presidential" in his role- leading an organization actively- than most monarchs.

[Simfan34]

Yes, the pope might have worn a crown, robes, and carries an ordinal, but if Obama wore a crown and was known as "His Elective Majesty, President Barack I", would it really be any different.

In that case, he would be a monarch.

But are those just not just superficial trappings? Nicolae Ceausescu carried a sceptre. Did that mean Ceausescu was a monarch?