The Catholic Church has chosen a new Pope.
This is the American (with Peruvian nationality) Robert Prevost, who chose the name of Leo XIV.
Unlike Francisco, his predecessor, the new Pontiff appeared before the world with the traditional clothing of the potatoes.
Francisco had also broken with tradition when wearing black shoes instead of red. But why is that color symbolic? Here we review that and other curiosities about the maximum hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
What exactly does the Pope do?
The Pope is the spiritual leader of more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world.
Catholics consider him the successor of St. Peter, one of the first leaders of the Christian Church.
In the Christian faith, Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Saint Peter is one of his 12 apostles or followers.
Catholics believe that this connects the Pope directly with Jesus, which makes him a key source of spiritual guidance.
The Pope usually presides over the religious celebrations of all the important ecclesiastical parties of the year in the interior of San Pedro, including Christmas and Easter.
It also appears on the same balcony in which Pope was proclaimed after his choice to pronounce his message “Urbi et Orbi” (in Latin, “to the city and the world”), a special papal blessing that is usually given in the great religious festivities and other special occasions.
The Pope has a small personal team of nuns who deal with his home, kitchen and cleaning, and can have a personal chamber aid or butler.
It also has a team editors team.
One of the Pope’s obligations is to meet at least once every five years with his more than 5,000 bishops around the world, about 1,000 per year, or 20 a week.
Today, trips abroad are also part of the responsibilities of a Pope.
Can the potatoes marry?
There have been married potatoes in the past “In fact, San Pedro, considered the first Pope, had a wife,” but in the current circumstances it is very unlikely to choose a married man.
The history of the first popes is a source of great academic debate and it is not clear how many, like San Pedro, married before becoming pontiffs.
It is believed that Pope Hormisdas (514-23) was the father of Pope Silverio, his successor, and it is said that Pope Adriano II (867-872) transferred his wife and daughter to the Lateran Palace.
Many historians also believe that John XVII (1003) and Clemente IV (1265-68) were married men when they became popes.
There are few evidence that suggests that any of the 266 potatoes appear in the Vatican list will marry after being a pontiff, although it is believed that several popes had illicit romances.
Although technically any baptized Catholic male can be considered for office, all potatoes from Urban VI in 1378 –64 in total – have left the ranks of the cardinals who choose the pontiff.
None of the current voting cardinals are already married Catholic priests are generally required to be celibate when they are ordered.
Although Catholicism usually demands clerical celibacy, there are exceptions for married men in Eastern Rite Catholicism and for some Anglican priests that become Catholicism.
However, married men, including those of these exceptions, cannot be cardinals.
Does the Pope have salary?
It is said that Pope Francis donated his salary to charity works.
However, in 2021, a Vatican spokesman tried to put an end to speculations stating that “the Pope has never received a salary.”
Francisco also rejected some of the opulences of his position and chose to live in the Vatican’s guest house, the Santa Marta house, instead of the luxurious papal apartments.
His predecessor, Benedict XVI, gave the unusual step of retiring in 2013, claiming health reasons. The media, including the Italian newspaper La Stampa, reported that he received a pension.
How long does the papacy last?
The vast majority of the potatoes exert the position until their death, such as Francisco, who did it from 2013 to 2025.
No other Pope had resigned from Gregorio XII in 1415 and Benedict XVI was the first to do so voluntarily from Celestino V in 1294.
Historians discuss how many other potatoes have resigned, but they are believed to be:
- Ponciano in 235
- Silverio in 537
- John XVIII in 1009
- Benedict IX in 1045
- Celestino V in 1294
- Gregorio XII in 1415
How do you get to be a potato?
According to canon law, the system of religious laws that governs the Church, the following people can be chosen Pope, says Catholic online:
- “Any male baptized with use of reason.”
- “Although more than 500 years ago someone who is not cardinal is not chosen, the historical precedents allow to choose other clergy or even laity.”
- “If the chosen candidate is no longer a bishop, he must be ordered immediately before assuming the papacy.”
Several experts report that being of good character is an unofficial requirement.
Only the senior Catholic leaders, known as cardinals – who must be less than 80 years old – can vote to choose the Pope, and the choice of a new pontiff is considered both a duty and a spiritual responsibility.
The conclaves have been held for centuries, following strict rules designed to protect the secret and avoid external influences.
Why does the Pope wear red shoes?
In the Catholic faith, the red color symbolizes the martyrdom and the passion of Christ: the arrest, judgment and crucifixion of Jesus, as described in the New Testament.
Benedict XVI and many other potatoes before he followed the tradition of wearing red shoes.
However, as Pope, Francisco chose to wear black shoes, a gesture that the observers considered a symbol of their desire to avoid the pomp of office.
In fact, a couple of black shoes were placed on their feet when their body lay in the coffin.
There have also been variations on the subject. It is said that John Paul II sometimes wore garnet shoes.
The American lifestyle magazine Esquire He says he also had “brown moccasins.”
Why does the Catholic Church have a Pope?
To answer this question it is necessary to resort to an appointment from the sacred book of Christians, the Bible.
Jesus renames his disciple Simon as Pedro, a word that also means stone or rock: “And I tell you that you are Pedro, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).
As explained before, Catholics consider the Pope as the successor of St. Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus.
Therefore, the Pope can be considered the leader and a crucial part of the living foundations of the Catholic Church.
It constitutes a reference point for Catholics and advises them on how to face the challenges and dilemmas of life, both large and small.
He also helps the youngest ecclesiastical leaders to find the direction in which to guide their communities.
Feligresses from all over the world travel to the Vatican to hear the Pope give Mass in the Plaza de San Pedro.
His visits to other countries attract crowds, a sign of the importance of the Pope for Catholics around the world.
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