I suppose that this is not very likely. I dont think the Pope would be kept alive through artificial means, so long as he was given food and water, so the chance of him remaining in a coma is low.
These days, I think the Vatican Sec. of State is considered the “number 2 guy”.
Because in the case of a diocesan bishop, the authority to remove him from his diocese (for whatever reason) comes from the pope. In the case of the pope, nobody can take away his office. He may abdicate, but no person or group may budge him from the throne. In such a situation, the Church would have to wait for his death before a conclave could be called.
The Pope has the authority to remove a Bishop. I suppose the Pope’s direct superior is the Lord Almighty, and if the Pope were in a coma, the Lord would decide when best relieve him of his office, if you know what I mean.
But nobody can remove the Pope from office. Think about it this way, if a situation like the one envisioned above took place and the curia or the College of Cardinals voted to remove the Pope from the Petrine Office, think of what a precident that would set- that would turn the authority of the Church into a democracy, usurping the hierarchy and allowing groups to impeach and overthrow the Holy Father by a vote.
He has a will. It specifies what is to be done with his personal belongings, the details of his Requiem Mass, and it might also contain additional documents to be published or destroyed after his death.
If that happens, then we wait. The Church will survive. Things will still get done. Like I said, there have been times when the Holy See was vacant for years; there have been other times when the Pope might as well have been in a coma.
Need a Doctor to chime in on this one.
Yes he has. We revert to natural law and do away with technology. If a Pope went into a Coma, say 200 years ago, what would happen without all of this technology?
Exactly. That is why such a situation would probably never take place- those we do not condone active euthanasia, we are not obliged to keep anyone alive through artificial means. So long as someone, in this case a pope even, is given food, water, hygene, and shelter we have done everything necessary. If he lives, Deo gratias, otherwise nature takes its course.
Actually, we don’t need a doctor to chime in on this one (except maybe a Doctor of the Church, LOL…), as the Church does not rely on the opinions of individuals on a message board to define what constitutes natural or articial means. She has already done that on numerous occasions, including in John Paul II’s *Evangelium Vitae. *Hydration and nourishment in and of themselves, even by an IV, are never considered extraordinary (which is why the Terri Shiavo case was so conspicuous.) Neither is a swallowing reflex in and of itself an indicator.