The U.S. President is elected by the free will of the American people working through the republican process designed by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. And, in addition to that, popes are not “directly placed in power by God” either. Only the first pope, St. Peter, was chosen directly by God the Son. His successors have been chosen by various means down through the centuries – currently by the College of Cardinals – but they have all been chosen by men. The Holy Spirit gives those men special graces to assist them in their job, but he does not create a pope ex nihilo. Before he was elected pope himself, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) said:
It would be a mistake to believe that the Holy Spirit picks the pope because there are too many examples of popes the Holy Spirit would obviously not have chosen.
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