Hypothetically, could the wrong person be chosen as Pope?

[Aeden]

Could the wrong person be chosen as Pope? It is a vote made by men, who are fallible, and I’ve read about a 12 year old Pope (benedict IX) and that just seems so incredulous to me. Basically, could the wrong person be chosen as Pope because of human error or sin?

 

[kozlosap]

I cannot look back on the very brave resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict or the election of Papa Francis without the stark realization that the Holy Spirit was present in both instances.

 

[Aeden]

Oh I’m not questioning who we have as Pope nor anything else regarding the Papacy. Just wondering if it it, hypothetically, possible.

 

[Corki]

Could the wrong person be chosen as Pope? It is a vote made by men, who are fallible, and I’ve read about a 12 year old Pope (benedict IX) and that just seems so incredulous to me. Basically, could the wrong person be chosen as Pope because of human error or sin?

Wrong, according to whom? There have certainly been “bad” Popes but the lessons learned by the Church from those papacies made the Church better and more holy in time.

 

[Aeden]

Perhaps I shouldn’t have used the word “bad.” What I meant was “could someone be chosen for the Papacy when God had a different person in mind?” I was just wondering if it is possible on account of human error or people just doing the wrong thing.

 

[Lormar]

The following is a response that I received when I asked a priest that works here at Catholic Answers a similar question:

The only protection that the Church teaches regarding the leadership of the Church is that the Holy Spirit will protect the Church teaching error regarding faith and morals. It does not teach that the Holy Spirit chooses the pope. That is left to the cardinals. This is why they pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit. History shows us that we have had some popes who were poor leaders and morally corrupt.

 

[adrift]

Could the wrong person be chosen as Pope? It is a vote made by men, who are fallible, and I’ve read about a 12 year old Pope (benedict IX) and that just seems so incredulous to me. Basically, could the wrong person be chosen as Pope because of human error or sin?

Although Pop Benedict IX was young he was not 12 but around 20. No matter who is elected the Holy Spirit will be an active participant in his reign. I don’t think there is such a thing as a wrong man being elected to being a Pope as the Holy Spirit is the one who is really in charge.

 

[sennincatholic]

I cannot look back on the very brave resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict or the election of Papa Francis without the stark realization that the Holy Spirit was present in both instances.

Exactly!As a matter of fact, If Pope Benedict had not resigned we probably would have never had a Pope Francis because Cardinal Bergoglio would surely have been above age by the next conclave after Ratzinger’s death.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit!

 

[MorEphrem]

One must be careful when they speak of the “work of the Holy Spirit.” Coercively forcing humans to choose another human is not “work of the Holy Spirit” since God gives Himself to us in a manner where we are free to reject Him. To say the Holy Spirit selects the Pope is naive, at best, and superstition, at worst. Cardinals should pray, as do bishops of any Synod, for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that they may know God’s will - normatives are not always the reality, and as the passage was cited above, the Church does not teach the Holy Spirit unilaterally select the Pope.

Anyway, in terms of the “wrong” person being selected, in short: yes. If Pope Francis wasn’t selected pope, I’m sure there were many other fine candidates. However, as history has shown, there have been morally corrupt popes - I would venture to say those men were “wrongly selected.” Again, God gives us free will to accept or reject His will - to say the Holy Spirit is forced upon the Cardinals would be to say they lose certain aspects and realities of their humanity.

 

[Jeanne_S]

Wrong, according to whom? There have certainly been “bad” Popes but the lessons learned by the Church from those papacies made the Church better and more holy in time.

This is my belief as well.The Holy Spirit will give us the Pope we need ,always,for better or worse.

 

[Cricket2]

Oh I’m not questioning who we have as Pope nor anything else regarding the Papacy. Just wondering if it it, hypothetically, possible.

I think that this can happen. But, this person has usually been identified as an anti-pope before long. Even in cases like this God has a way of seeing to it that their erroneous teachings or practices don’t take hold, and that His will continues. God is not limited or diminished by those that oppose Him. Even those who hate Him can unknowingly serve Him.

 

[Corki]

Exactly!As a matter of fact, If Pope Benedict had not resigned we probably would have never had a Pope Francis because Cardinal Bergoglio would surely have been above age by the next conclave after Ratzinger’s death.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit!

It’s important not to fall into a mindset of pre-destiny. If Pope Francis was not Pope, there are many other Cardinals who might have been wonderful for the Church or a wonderful Cardinal might have been elevated in the additional years of Pope Benedict had he not stepped down. A different election also would have been the work of the Holy Spirit.

 

[TRH1292]

Yes, it is possible to choose a poor candidate. But whomever is chosen, they are still the pope.

 

[DelsonJacobs]

Could the wrong person be chosen as Pope? It is a vote made by men, who are fallible, and I’ve read about a 12 year old Pope (benedict IX) and that just seems so incredulous to me. Basically, could the wrong person be chosen as Pope because of human error or sin?

Hypothetical questions can be great ways of expanding the mind. They open one to stretch out from their normal confines of thinking and can enlighten us to new possibilities. It can be a mistake, however, to mix the hypothetical into a world where there are definitive lines that cannot or will not bend and transcendent mysteries that cannot be breached by human wisdom. How so?

Hypothetical questions are better known as “thought experiments.” While practical applications can be found by introducing such a hypothesis, you have to accept the fact that without direct response from God some questions can’t be answered.–Compare Job 42:1-6.

Again, this doesn’t mean one can’t do this. Thought experiments are often undertaken with the understanding that it may be impossible to actually recreate or demonstrate the circumstances and results one’s hypothetical question raises. Take for example the famous Gedankenexperiment known as “Schrödinger’s cat.” You don’t give up on thinking the impossible just because it’s impossible.

Your question is similar to the example above. What you are presenting is a paradox. For it to be possible to ascertain whether the “wrong” person could be chosen as Pope, one has also to prove how choice of the “right” person can be verified. Can you do one without the other? Probably not, but I can only offer that as a “probably.”

Without having the transcendent knowledge of the universe that God possesses there is always the possibility of an applicable variable that we cannot at present know about. There may be three or more possibilities to weigh from God’s vantage, but only two in our present temporal existence. (Yep, this can be a trip in a can of worms unlike anything you’ve experienced–so I hope you like worms!)

And I hope you find an answer that brings you enlightenment. It may not be the one you hope to find as it may not be “yes” or “no.” But if you are open to search for it and open to the idea that the answer may be something you will not like at all, then the journey to that answer can be as exciting as the answer when and if you find it.

For now I can say that there is no official answer to this thought experiment of yours, interesting as it is.

 

[LegoGE1947]

This is my belief as well.The Holy Spirit will give us the Pope we need ,always,for better or worse.

What about the “bad Popes” of the Middle Ages? Some of them were brought in under some mighty shady circumstances.

 

[getysbg]

Perhaps I shouldn’t have used the word “bad.” What I meant was “could someone be chosen for the Papacy when God had a different person in mind?” I was just wondering if it is possible on account of human error or people just doing the wrong thing.

To me, the fault lies with the electors who chose NOT to listen to the Holy Spirit. They knew the type of person they were voting for. What the Spirit protects us from is the Pope speaking incorrectly when teahing faith and morals.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

What about the “bad Popes” of the Middle Ages? Some of them were brought in under some mighty shady circumstances.

They were bad personally. They did not err in issues of faith and morals*.

*some did on morals , but they never erred in moral teaching

 

[Jon_S_1]

Could the wrong person be chosen as Pope? It is a vote made by men, who are fallible, and I’ve read about a 12 year old Pope (benedict IX) and that just seems so incredulous to me. Basically, could the wrong person be chosen as Pope because of human error or sin?

No. The Holy Spirit protects the office.

So even if a horrible pope was there or a 12 year old. They were there because God wanted them there.

 

[trapp00]

Dante assigns some popes to Hell. If he is right, it is hard to argue that those popes were not the “wrong” popes. And there is the case of Alexander VI, who is known as an especially immoral pope. However, even Alexander VI was perfectly orthodox in matters of faith and morals, and we can presume, he was also infallible. Hence, what God promises is that the Pope will never err in ex cathedra pronouncements of faith and morals, not that he is necessarily chosen by the Holy Spirit.

 

[Catholic1954]

Perhaps I shouldn’t have used the word “bad.” What I meant was “could someone be chosen for the Papacy when God had a different person in mind?” I was just wondering if it is possible on account of human error or people just doing the wrong thing.

Actually, I have wondered if John Paul I was elected in unintentional error. He passed away peacefully in his sleep after just a few weeks and then JPII was elected. Mistakes may happen from time to time, but the Holy Spirit never fails to lead the Church!