Is it time to think again about a mandatory retirement age for Popes?

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This subject came up during the end of the Pontificate of St Jean-Paul II; indeed the best selling novelist Morris West dedicated an entire novel to the issue.

Since the top age of a voting Cardinal is now 80, it would suggest that a top age for a Pope could be somewhat higher, say 85. The Pope Emeritus has set a superb modern example to show that the abdication of a Pope is perfectly feasible.

What do you think?
 
I think we, the laity, should not be worried about such things. It is way above our pay grade.
 
If the Pope Emeritus has cleared the way to show that a Pope may choose to step down whenever he decides in his prudential judgment that the job is too much for him, then why do we need a mandatory retirement age rule?

Popes are in close contact daily with God. I have no doubt that God is quite capable of letting them know when it’s time for them to retire, if indeed there is such a time.
 
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I think it would be unenforceable. A pope who chose not to retire* at the mandated age could simply change the law there and then.

*In the case of the papacy, I think the correct term would be “abdicate”.
 
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Actually it is up to the Pope and GOD what is the best course of action.
St. John Paul II set a wonderful example for us Catholics on the value of suffering and offering it up to GOD as well as let HIM decide when it is enough.
Pope Emeritus thought otherwise and that is OK too.
Again the Law giver is the only one in charge except for GOD Himself.
What we think is totally irrelevant. The Church is NOT a democracy,

Peace!
 
There is no way to set a “mandatory” age, because only a sitting pope could do that, and the sitting pope would also have the authority to wave that requirement for himself.

Still, Benedict set a powerful precedent that future popes will weigh heavily.
 
Often one of the choices met in the conclave is to elect a “transitional” Pontiff who is aged and infirm, or to elect a “long-lasting” Pontiff who is young and spry (e.g. John Paul the Great.)

I wonder what more pressure there would be on the College of Cardinals to avoid electing an 84-year-old man (or what scandal if they elected an 86-year-old!) The “mandatory” retirement age would certainly put a bright line on the length of the papacy. It would be interesting to see the strategies that emerged.

However, we will never see a mandatory retirement age, because one Pope can never bind a future Pope in this manner. As has been said, the lawgiver can simply change the law as it pleases him. The Pope reigns subject to no human force, and thank God for that.
 
I think its up to God and not man to decide who and when His pope changes.
 
BartholomewB said:
*In the case of the papacy, I think the correct term would be “abdicate”.
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Absolutely. I did not use this word in the headline of this topic because I notice that a great many people seem not to, but I used it in the comment I attached to it.
 
Depends on why he stepped down, and if he felt called or even received message from God to step down. My point was not that the Pope can’t decide AS POPE what he does during his papacy. My point is that other men who are not pope should not meddle in things that are between God and his chosen Shepard.

Lightning struck the Vatican twice the night he resigned, something definitely happened with Pope Benedict XVI, but I don’t doubt that what happened was not part of God’s plan.
 
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No.

And honestly, I’m not really a fan of mandatory retirement ages for bishops at 75 and for Cardinals to lose their vote at 80.
 
phil19034 said:
No.

And honestly, I’m not really a fan of mandatory retirement ages for bishops at 75 and for Cardinals to lose their vote at 80.
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It’s a very worldly thing. It eats into the concept of the vocation of Holy Orders and makes it more like an office job. One that you cast away and go fishing once you are over the hill.

The whole idea of bishops retiring at the drop of a galero is an unfortunate development. Now, it is easy for detractors to call out for resignation as soon as malfeasance is hinted at. If a bishop behaves badly, he should be removed, but it should be by due process, in a trial that exposes and considers all the evidence. (Notice that even now, the Roman Pontiff can and does remove bishops unilaterally, without a fair trial.)
 
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I don’t see why this decision is either more or less a matter for God’s guidance than any other.
 
No, this is ageism. They should continue until they feel no longer able to do the job. But I agree there should be an easy way of retiring should the need arise. There is a lot of nonsense online from people who believe Benedict is still pope, so that needs to be addressed.
 
The College of Cardinals could decide not to elect a Pope beyond a certain age but once the Pope is the Pope there is no way to require him to abdicate after a certain point.

There is a give and take on it. There is a human tendency to turn the Pope into a presidential figure or a superhero, when the historical reality is that millions of Catholics have lived and died without ever having contact with the Pope or ever having much of a clue what is happening in the Roman diocese.
 
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Bit of a silly comparison there. If you have someone at 80 who can run up and down a ladder and carry a body then yes but they’ll be rarer than hen’s teeth. Similarly pilots need to be very healthy, here in Ireland, the maximum retirement age for a pilot is 65 probably similar in America.
 
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