CAN A LAY person be elected pope

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modesto

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Can a lay person be elected pope My sons attend catholic school and where told that the pope dose not have to be a priiest.
 
Technically they can, but the chances of it happening are slim to none
 
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. While it may be possible for a layman to be elected, in order to assume office he would need to be eligible for episcopal ordination and actually be ordained.
 
He does not have to be a priest at the time of his election, but he’d have to be ordained upon that election.
 
A layman can be elected to the papacy, but he cannot assume the office until he is ordained to the full priesthood. A layman, if elected, would have to be ordained to the diaconate, priesthood, and bishop before assuming the office. (To the best of my knowledge, my own name was not place in nomination at the last conclave. Although who would know, as the cardinal electors are bound to secrecy?)
 
Our bishop told us that all Catholic males over the age of 21 are eligible. Imagine the crash course you’d need to go from unordained to bishop!
 
Note that Saint Ambrose went from catechumen to Bishop of Milan in one day - Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, and ordination as deacon, priest and bishop.
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Note that Saint Ambrose went from catechumen to Bishop of Milan in one day - Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, and ordination as deacon, priest and bishop.
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Now there’s an effective RCIA program! Nowadays it takes at least nine months just to become Catholic!
 
JimG said:
Now there’s an effective RCIA program! Nowadays it takes at least nine months just to become Catholic!
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he studied for years, almost a lifetime, as a catechumen before this, not nine months.
 
LRThunder said:
I know, the poster before you was probably joking a bit. 😉
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Yes I was, although I’m a little disappointed to hear that he had to stay in the program even longer than is now the norm. I’m reminded of the alcoholic who said he would like to quit drinking but he just didn’t have time to go to all those meetings.
 
Peter was a layman when elected, not even a Catholic. But he received the HS (confirmation/baptism?) at Pentecost, communion at the Last Supper, and was ordained by Jesus after the resurrection by the laying on of hands.

So, It’s happened before.
 
John XIX was a layman at his election. He may be the only example (other than St. Peter of course!).

From the CE:
“After Benedict’s death Romanus, though a layman, was elected pope between 12 April and 10 May, 1024, immediately after which he received all the orders in succession, took the name of John…”
 
From saint-mike.org/qa/his/ViewAnswer.asp?QID=86
At one time a Cardinal could be a layman, but not today. I believe the last Lay Cardinal was Cardinal Giacomo Antonelli (1808-1876) who was raised up to the dignity of cardinal deacon in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. He was in minor orders but never ordained a deacon or priest.

There were several deacons who were Cardinals but never ordained into the priesthood. The last of those I believe was Carlo Cristofuri (1813-1891).

Today, since the pontificate of John XXIII (1958), a candidate for Cardinal must be a priest (cic 351.1), but not necessarily a bishop. If a non-bishop priest is appointed a Cardinal he will be ordained a bishop.

As for the Papacy, theoretically an ordinary layman can be elected. In fact it has happened more than once.

Although there are some discrepancies in histories from what I can gather the first layman elected Pope was either Leo VIII (963) or Benedict VIII (1012). The last layman elected Pope was Callixtus III (1455).

The last non-bishop elected Pope was Gregory XVI (1830) and the last non-Cardinal was Urban VI in 1378

The procedure is that if a layman were elected Pope he would be ordained a deacon, priest, and bishop essentially all in one day.

A Pope does not have to be a Cardinal, but he does have to be a bishop. Current Canon Law (cic. 312.1) states that if an elected Pope is not a bishop, he will be ordained a bishop immediately.

There has been at least one Pope, however, who was a layman and never ordained. Following the death of Pope Innocent V in 1276, and after a drawn out conclave, the electors chose Cardinal Ottobono Fieschi (Pope Adrian V), a successful and highly respected papal diplomat, and a layman. Pope Adrian V ruled from July 11 to Aug. 18, 1276, but died without ever being ordained priest or bishop.

As for who elects a Pope, since the Third Lateran Council (1179) the electors of a Pope were reserved to Cardinals.
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modesto said:
Can a lay person be elected pope My sons attend catholic school and where told that the pope dose not have to be a priest.
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The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, so I would have to say no, unless he was eligible and willing to be consecrated as a bishop. Normally the “candidates” for Pope are all members of the College of Cardinals.

There was a time when one could be a Cardinal and be a lay person, deacon or priest, but not Pope.

Recently we had a Cardinal who was not a bishop, Cardinal Avery Dulles. His titular assignment was as Cardinal-Deacon of SS. Nome di Gesù e Maria in Via Lata (the Most Holy Names of Jesus and Mary).

"I announce to you tidings of great joy. We have a pope!"
 
Erm, I always thought that the moment from which St Peter could be considered a bishop (Last Supper) was before the moment from which he could be consider Pope, although one could admittedly argue about the various points from which St Peter would be Pope. Note: St Peter was Pope before the See of Rome was established. He was not the bishop of Jerusalem, either, because that was St James the Brother of the Lord. St Peter was then the head but didn’t have a see for a long time. He made Rome his see and so it stayed. 😉

And deacons aren’t laymen, even if they aren’t priests. I’ve heard rumours about some lay cardinal in 19th century, but I haven’t been able to confirm that one. As far as I know, Card. Antonelli was a deacon.
WMM said:
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, so I would have to say no, unless he was eligible and willing to be consecrated as a bishop. Normally the “candidates” for Pope are all members of the College of Cardinals.
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Wonder what’s the position of a non-bishop pope between election and consecration as bishop. It’s possible he’s actually the Pope already but not bishop of Rome yet, at least in the canonical sense (obedience is already owed).

Currently, there’s a set of instructions for the Conclave instituted by Pope John Paul II. The candidate is supposed to be a cardinal and if the cardinals can’t name one of their college, then at least an archbishop. The Canon Law has remained unchanged, however, so I’m not sure if this precludes the election of a layman. By the way, a cardinal could be a non-bishop still, such as Card. Dulles.
 
A layman could be elected, but he would need to be ordained priest and then bishop before he could assume the office.

All three ceremonies would likely be conducted in one day.

God Bless
 
bilop said:
A layman could be elected, but he would need to be ordained priest and then bishop before he could assume the office.

All three ceremonies would likely be conducted in one day.
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Yes, that’s just about what I was going to say. There’s nothing I’ve ever heard of that precludes any baptized male from being elected. Of course the primary office involved is Bishop of Rome, and that means the person could not serve as a layman.

I suspect that if the person were a layman, he would be ordained Deacon one day, priest the next, and bishop on the 3rd, before being formally enthroned as Pope. (In the “old days” (i.e. before the Latin Rite abolished the ancient and venerable Minor Orders and sub-diaconate) I would have added one day for all of those together.)
 
I read someplace that if the one elected is a bishop he immediately becomes pope upon his declaration that he accepts the office. If he is not a bishop, he must be immediately ordained bishop and becomes pope upon his ordination.

I don’t think Pope is an official title. The official title is Bishop of Rome as I recall.
 
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