COMMENTARY: Unlike a politician focused solely on this world, a pope’s chief responsibility is helping to guide millions of souls to the next.

VATICAN CITY — The qualities of a pope go far beyond merely being a kind of CEO of the Catholic Church. 

Inevitably, at a minimum, he should possess a strong faith and humility, be willing to adhere to the Church’s teachings and apostolic tradition, and personify the Pope’s ancient title as servus servorum Dei, the Servant of the Servants of God. 

But he should also possess other exceptional qualities, and ideally exhibit great holiness and outstanding virtue — virtue which, as I wrote in my 2020 book The Next Pope, can best be understood by looking at the example of St. Peter in the New Testament. 

Asked by the Resurrected Christ to “tend my sheep, feed my sheep” after Peter had denied Him, a pope should manifest a love for Christ that extends to every member of Christ’s mystical body — the “flock” for whom Christ is the Good Shepherd. 

Unlike a politician focused solely on this world, a pope’s chief responsibility is helping to guide millions of souls to the next. His charity must therefore enable him to “tend” the flock through governance, “feed” them through the liturgy, and teach them sound doctrine as a prophet — in essence the three munera (duties) of a bishop: to teach, govern and sanctify.  

St. Peter expands on these themes, exhorting priests: 

“Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:2). 

Furthermore, also in common with St. Peter, who was dressed and led where he did “not want to go,” a pope must remain humble and submissive to Divine Providence. And as Peter, the “rock” upon whom the visible Church was founded, his successor must, through grace, be strong in both character and faith. 

Entrusted with the “keys to the kingdom of heaven,” with the power to “bind and loose,” the pope must judge justly, tempering justice with mercy for the salvation of souls. He is also called to confirm the faithful in the Church’s teachings, uphold tradition, and safeguard orthodoxy — responsibilities that ultimately define Peter’s primary mission. He is to guard the deposit of faith and, in so doing, maintain the unity of the Church. 

One of the best guides on papal qualities comes from St. Bernard of Clairvaux in an instruction titled On Consideration. The Cistercian monk’s thoughts had an impact on popes throughout the centuries, especially Benedict XIV (1740-1758) who considered it to be the rule by which papal sanctity is measured. Benedict summarized the “golden advice” of St. Bernard, which give a good clue of what to look for in cardinals considered papabile, as follows: 

1. The Pope must not be wholly absorbed in activity but should remember that his principal work is to edify the Church, to pray, and to teach the people. 
2. Above all other virtues, a pope must cultivate humility: “By the amount you are raised above others, even more should your humility be manifest.”
3. A pope’s zeal should regard his personal sanctity, and not worldly honors. 
4. A pope should have friends known for their goodness. 
5. Because power structures more easily receive good men than make men good, the pope should strive to promote those who have proven virtue. 
6. In dealing with the wicked, the pope should turn his face against them: “Let him dread the spirit of your anger who is not afraid of man. Let him dread your prayers who has despised your admonition.” 

Benedict XIV also noted a seventh characteristic, underlined by the Council of Trent: that a pope should choose cardinals from the men most eminent in learning and virtue, ones who are good and well-qualified pastors. 

According to the ancient oath that popes made upon assuming the office of the bishop of Rome, they are also to have zeal for the propagation of the Catholic Faith, for the encouragement and restoration of ecclesiastical discipline, and the defense of the rights of the Holy See. 

The 16th-century Jesuit and doctor of the Church St. Robert Bellarmine underlined the importance of a pope being able to appoint good bishops, ensuring that they fulfill their duties, and, if necessary, compelling them to do so. Moreover, acutely aware of what was necessary for a man to be a good and holy pontiff, St. Robert lamented before a conclave in 1605, that he could not think of a single candidate who was suited to become bishop of Rome. 

“We have need of much prayer,” he wrote, “for I do not see a single person in the Sacred College [of Cardinals] that possesses the qualities [necessary]. And what is worse, no one is looking for such a person. It seems to me that for the Vicar of Christ, we are not looking for someone who knows the will of God, that is, who is well-versed in Sacred Scripture; instead [we are looking] only for one who knows the will of Justinian [the legislator] and other similar authors. We are looking for a good temporal prince, not a holy bishop who truly spends himself for the good of souls.” 

In the end, the cardinals elected 52-year-old Cardinal Camillo Borghese who took the name Paul V. His pontificate was strained by conflicts such as the Thirty Years War, the dispute with Galileo Galilei, and nepotism, but he made significant contributions to the architectural landscape of Rome before his death at the age of 70. 

It is often wondered how much the Holy Spirit intervenes in a conclave. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explained that the Third Person of the Holy Trinity “does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. 

“Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.” He added: “There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!” 

Many other factors will also determine who the cardinals ultimately choose, such as age, geographical location, theological leaning, experience, and personal health. But as far as personal qualities go, these are the ones that, at least historically, have served as a template to govern the cardinals’ choices.