The papal conclave to elect a new pontiff to succeed Pope Francis officially came to a close this week with the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV.
The Chicago native – who is the first American to hold the position in the church’s history – was said to have many of the qualities desired in a pope ahead of the conclave, but another deciding factor could very well have been his age.
At 69, Pope Leo XIV falls within the papal sweet spot. According to ABC, the ideal papal candidate is between 60 and 70 years old.
Those guidelines haven’t always influenced papal elections, but deviations have been chided in the court of public opinion.
A 58-year-old John Paul II was considered too young when he was elected in 1978, while much fuss was made about the advanced age of Pope Francis and how well he could serve the Catholic Church and fulfill his duties when he was elected pontiff at age 76 in 2013.
Francis ranked ninth on the list of oldest elected popes (on record) and, at the time of his election, statistician Nate Silver pointed out that the average reign of popes dating back to the first, St. Peter, is around seven years. Silver, however, went on to note that statistics “[do] not account for modern improvements in health and medical science. Acknowledging that there are considerable lifestyle differences between an Argentinian pope and an average American citizen, the life expectancy for a 76-year-old American man is now about 10 additional years.” Francis exceeded that estimate by two years, serving as pontiff for a total of 12.
Still, age is one thing, but effectiveness is another. As a result, we’ve put together a list of some of the oldest popes in history – and a few of the youngest – to show that when it comes to the papacy, you’re only as old, and devout, as you feel.
Pope Clement X
Year of election: 1670
Age at election: 79 years, 290 days
Died: Age 86
Years Served: 6
How’d it work out? Call it a case of papal peer pressure. Ironically, considering the hullaballoo given Pope Francis’s age, the oldest elected pope actually tried to refuse the job because of his advanced age. The previous pontiff, Pope Clement IX, praised him before his death, and he got a near majority vote from the Cardinals to give him the job.
As for his pontificate, Clement X installed Quebec’s first bishop, Blessed François de Laval, in recognition of the faith exhibited by the Catholic missionaries in the New World. Clement X was also notable for his constant desire to work for peace between warring European nations, clashing with would-be conquering monarchs in the process. He canonized six new saints, scrubbed the feet of weary pilgrims on many occasions and installed the fountains that remain in St. Peter’s Square. Not bad for a humble octogenarian who didn’t even want the job.
Pope Clement XII
Year of election: 1730
Age at election: 78 years, 100 days
Died: Age 87
Years Served: 9
How’d it work out? If you think the ruckus over Francis being elected pope at 76 was rough, imagine Pope Clement XII: two years older, blind, and bedridden. Yet, he still managed to get the papal coffers in order, attempted to bring Orthodox and Roman churches together, and was active in the building and restoration of ports, roads and major architectural projects, including Rome’s iconic Trevi Fountain.
Leo XIII
Year of election: 1878
Age at election: 67
Died: Age 93
Years Served: 25 years, 150 days
How’d it work out? Pope Leo XIII wasn’t the oldest elected pope, but he lived longer than any other pontiff. He also holds the distinction of being the first pope born in the 19th century and the first to die in the 20th century. He’s also the first pope who was ever recorded on video and on a voice recorder.
As far as his job as a pontiff, he receives generally favourable reviews, notable for trying to bring a level of modernity to the church and reconciling a relationship between the Church and science “so that everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and solid science, whether human or divine, but that they embrace it, encourage it and promote it with the fullest possible devotion.” He was also known to have fostered peaceful relations between many nations around the world and, on top of everything else, reportedly had a good sense of humour.
Pope Benedict IX
Year (first) elected: 1032
Age at election: Approximately age 20, the first time
Died: 44
Years Served: Unknown
How’d it work out? From some of the oldest popes to two of the youngest, we start with Benedict IX. He was a young man (some believe as young as age 11) and the nephew of two former popes (Benedict VIII and John XIX) who, before you could say “nepo baby,” found himself the leader of the Catholic Church. Variously described as everything from “a disgrace to the Chair of Peter” to “a demon from hell in the disguise of a priest,” it’s safe to say Benedict IX’s reigns weren’t very memorable.
We say “reigns” because he was pope three times. The first reign ended with him being overthrown and kicked out of Rome. He returned and overthrew his successor, reclaiming his papal title. Then he sold his seat as pope. Perhaps suffering from seller’s remorse, he once again returned to Rome and, upon the death of Clement II, reclaimed the throne. He was eventually run out of Rome by force, and the papacy went on without him. During his reigns, he became known for his depravity and not very pope-ish activities, such as being accused of having a hand in murder and, well, having multiple hands and other extremities involved in orgies at his papal home.
Pope John XII
Year elected: 955
Age at election: Approximately age 18
Died: Approximately age 27-34
Years Served: Approximately 9-16 years
How’d it work out? His road to the papacy was paved by his influential father, Roman ruler Alberic II of Spoleto, who helped secure him his seat. Evidently, he didn’t pay much attention to duties of the church, preferring to mingle in international politics. Also considered a prince of Rome, John XII lived more like a spoiled royal than a holy man. Sexy parties at the papal residence, murder, bribery, invoking pagan deities and even castration rank among the accusations levied at him. One account of his death claims, “John died whilst enjoying an adulterous sexual encounter outside Rome, either as the result of apoplexy or at the hands of an outraged husband.”
Whether true of exaggeration, John XII’s reign proves, yet again, that it’s not the age of the pope but the desire to serve the church in a meaningful way that matters.
A version of this story was published following the election of Pope Francis in 2013.
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