There is no official minimum age requirement to become pope; technically, any baptized male Catholic can be elected pope
. Historically, popes have usually been chosen from among cardinals, who are typically senior bishops and usually at least in their mid-40s or older due to the long progression through church ranks required to become a cardinal
. The minimum age to become a bishop, a necessary step before becoming a cardinal, is 35 years old
. Because it takes many years to advance from priest to bishop and then to cardinal, most popes tend to be older, often in their 60s or 70s at the time of election
. For example, the average age of popes elected since 1400 is about 62 years old
. Historically, there have been exceptions: the youngest pope was John XII, believed to have been about 18 years old when elected in 955
. However, such youthful elections are extremely rare in modern times. In summary:
- No official minimum age to be pope; any baptized male Catholic is eligible
- Practically, candidates are usually cardinals, who are generally at least 35 years old (minimum age for bishop) and often much older due to career progression
- Most popes are elected in their 60s or older because of the time needed to rise through church ranks
- The youngest historically was about 18 years old, but this is an exceptional case
