Opinion: Some sensible criteria for choosing the next pope

In recent days, numerous names for a possible new pope have been circulating in the halls of the Vatican and the editorial offices of the press. The atmosphere sometimes resembles that of a football club’s general meeting, where members want to elect their new president as quickly as possible.

But it seems unclear whether most people are aware that the future of the largest religious community, or rather the entire world, could depend on the election of the pope. The preservation of power by those currently in office disguised as continuity, the egotistical ambitions of colourful personalities touted as charisma, and fear of disrupting the liberal world order are certainly not reasonable criteria for electing the Bishop of Rome, who leads the universal Church.

Here, then, are some obvious criteria for any wise choice:

1. Good reputation

Today, as soon as their reputation is damaged, priests are immediately placed on temporary retirement by most dioceses. People have had enough of all the scandals. If this applies to ordinary priests, how much more should this caution apply to the future pope?

Whether it be sexual rumours, financial irregularities, connections with controversial secret societies, or political blackmail, the most elementary caution dictates that such persons should not even be considered for the Chair of Peter until the rumours and allegations have been completely cleared up. Nothing remains hidden today. But if a cardinal has repeatedly been in the press because of sexual, financial, or political ambiguities, or even has an ambiguous reputation, he will be confronted with his past even more so as pope.

The Church today can no longer cope with a pope with a past. The pope’s reputation must be as white as his robe!

2. Freedom from “movements”

A pope must be there for everyone, without preferences or dependencies. There are many spiritual families and groups among the clergy and laity in the Church, and all contribute in their own way to the vitality of the Church. The pope is the father of all: he must therefore stand above groups and movements. He must not proclaim and live a particular spirituality, much less a particular ideology, but rather the breadth and greatness of the Church.

For reasons of prudence alone, a candidate who is too committed to a movement of clergy or laity and has thereby lost much of his independence should not be elected. The Bishop of Rome must be open to all communities.

In the past and present, the affiliation of popes with religious orders has not always promoted unity. The powerful “pressure groups” of lay movements restrict the freedom of the pope if he is committed to them. The pope needs freedom for all!

3. Simple faith

The faith of many Catholics in secularized society has grown weak. Theological subtleties, so-called paradigm shifts, and constant adaptations of the Faith to the tastes of the day lead to confusion and disinterest among many.

The pope must therefore be a man who lives the Catholic Faith as clearly as he proclaims it. The promotion of worship through liturgy and catechesis, the revitalization of the faith of young people, popular piety, regular reception of the sacraments, etc.—that is, the essential elements of the life of the Church that give it strength and make it open to grace—must be at the center of his work.

Of course, the Church cannot and must not fulfil Christ’s mission without theological scholarship, without political commitment, without cultural relevance, without concern for the poor and disenfranchised, without the richness of different spiritualities. But all these expressions of her rich life depend on the content of the faith and the life of faith revealed by Christ to the apostles and their successors. This faith must be accessible to all.

The Pope has the task of protecting the faith of the simple, which is the faith of all of us, from the arrogance of artificial intellectualism and from being watered down by the spirit of the times. The pope’s way is the way of Christ, not the way of “synodality”!

4. Fatherly charisma

The Church does not live for or from show business. The future pope will be the center of attention, as were all his predecessors. His charisma should therefore be that of a father to all, not that of a vain actor, snobbish artist, or dazzling careerist.

We do not need a beautiful pope; we need a good pope whose kindness is paired with seriousness and whose love knows that those entrusted to him wish to be led by him to Christ. A good shepherd who is not afraid of wolves and who knows that it is not about him, but about the Son of God, whose place he only represents but can never fill. For him, humility in his demeanour does not mean ostentatious pauperism, and when he goes to the poor and persecuted, he does not call a camera crew every time.

Certainly, the pope needs charisma. Dry and soulless political bureaucrats who, through their constant calculations, serve their own ambitions more than the good of the flock, are out-of-place today. Charisma is necessary, but papal charisma comes from within, not from without; it comes from the Holy Spirit and is visible in the grace of office.

If the pope is aware that he will soon have to give an account of all his actions to God, he will become humble of his own accord. If he recognizes with St. Paul that he has only to pass on what he himself has received (1 Cor 11:23-26), he will not confuse creativity with self-expression. If he understands that he is only a representative and administrator, he will always act according to the will of Christ and without arbitrariness.

What we need is a shepherd to whom everyone can truly say: Holy Father!

5. Experience, competence, and wisdom

Every pope who understands the office he is taking on will have to weep with Peter over himself. But that does not mean that a pope should be unprepared. To govern the Church and be a good shepherd, however, experience is needed. Experience with the flock entrusted to him, experience in leading other shepherds and their helpers, experience with the joys and sufferings of the pastoral task.

That is why wise colleges of cardinals have rarely elected a young pope, but usually a very experienced bishop who at the same time distinguished himself through great expertise in theology, philosophy, law, history, diplomacy, or even in all these and other fields, such as Leo XIII, Pius XII, John Paul II, and many others. Knowledge of the universal Church, the Roman Curia, world political affairs, different cultures and languages, the human heart, and a realistic, experienced love for the Church must distinguish every pope who wants to be in any way equal to this office.

Because every pope is only a poor human being, he needs grace, which, however, always presupposes and permeates nature. A wise and experienced pope is the best instrument of grace!

Of course, everyone will understand that these five obvious and simple criteria of reason exclude some of the candidates who are now eagerly promoting themselves and ambitiously striving for the papacy. It is unnecessary to add names because it is too obvious: Sapienti sat! Let us pray to the Holy Spirit that the Church may once again have a blameless, free, faithful, fatherly, and wise pope.

This pope will surely tremble before the yoke of the papacy. That is precisely why he should be found and elected: Come, Holy Spirit!