What it takes to become Pope
MARQUETTE — On his first visit to the U.S. Pope Francis is the first Pope to ever hold a U.S. Mass and address congress. Pope Francis is the leader of the largest group of Christians in the world. So how do you rise to such a title? You have to be a baptized male over 35 years old. You have to have been a priest for at least 10 years and meet the qualifications for a bishop. Along with a few other criteria.
“It is the college of cardinals that elect the Pope. For the past thousands of years they almost always have chosen one of their cardinals to be Pope. So realistically you would have to be a cardinal, you would have to be a bishop, have to be a priest to be elected Pope. Other than that the door is wide open,” said Father Tim Ferguson, St. Peters Cathedral.
Pope Francis is the first Pope from Latin America and the first Christian outside of Europe selected since the 11th Century. He is also known for showcasing his uniqueness.
“He uses a phrase in Spanish, it means let’s make a mess of things. He likes to stir the pot and cause a little bit of chaos out of which we can pull the truth and the joy of the gospel,” said Father Ferguson.
The U.S. is home to 70 million Catholics but this pope likes to speaks to a universal church.