Dies. I've seen it in movies and read it in books, that theres an electoral process but I'm not exactly sure what happens or how it works. If anyone knows fill me in.
why do Catholics need a pope? Is he supposed to be closer to God, or Holier than anyone else? Is he not merely a man like the next guy? That would be weird if Christians had the "leader Christian dude".
^lol, catholics comprise the largest and oldest christian denomination. so it could be said why do protestants reject the idea of a moral leader on earth.
God tells us to worship and follow only Him. We make the mistake of following the follwers instead of following God. Once we had an awesome pastor that everyone loved TOO much, and when he was called to move and preach in another church, the one he left behind became broken and lost. We put our pastor before God. We learned a valuable lesson! We do have spiritual leaders, teachers, pastors, ectt. ..but having ONE DUDE that we all hold in such high esteem is dangerous. I see it as idolatry.
No one has really answered this well... so I'll go ahead and do that. When a Pope dies, all the Cardinals from around the world converge in Rome. They basically "vote" for the next Pope from among the bishops and/or cardinals from around the world. It isn't exactly an election in the way that most would view it. They discuss the various works of the "nominated" and hold several conferences. Once they're ready, they vote. I can't remember for sure if it has to be a unanamous (i can't spell... b/ everyone agrees) vote, or if there's some sort of regulated majority. Either way, once they vote, black smoke is emitted from the specified fireplace and that lets us all know we have a new pope. LIke I said, it's a long process and they can vote many times before reaching a decision. Also, I think it's important for me to address the posts by seahorse. You asked why a pope is necessary. The most concrete answer i can give you, without going into a long schpiel, is that with such a immense Church body, a leader is necessary. This is especially true when you take into consideration the many topics of controversy in the world today, and the complicity of the cathecism. Catholics need someone to help make offical rulings on these matters. It is important to understand that the Pope himself does not make all decisions and decries for the Church. Just like the leader of almost any other organized body, he is advised by many committees of well educated priests, bishops, and cardinals. For many Catholics today, the Pope is just as much a fatherly figure as he is a religious authority.
You have to be a Cardnial to become a Pope and it a vote of Bishops and achbischops that will then decide who becomes the Pope.
