# Should the Pope become senile... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 12, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017 "2003-10-12T17:47:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/1 "2003-10-12T17:47:21Z")
I’m fascinated by the possibility that the degeneration of Pope John Paul II’s health will put the Catholic religion in a bizarre position. If I’m not mistaken, the facts lay out like so: The only person who can declare the Pope unfit to continue in his office is the Pope. The only person who has authority in the Catholic Church over the Pope is, well, God. Church officials, along with the rest of the world, are becoming increasingly concerned about the state of the Pope’s health. Despite his obvious resilience, his case of Parkinsons’ disease is continuing to worsen, and though by all reports his mental faculties remain unimpaired, his physical condition is not good. According to [medline](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000755.htm#Symptoms), a service of the National Institute of Health, some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease include anxiety, confusion, depression, and dementia. Thus, we have a massive global religion in a position where its leader, who is recognized to be, on occasion, infallible, may become irrational. He cannot be deposed by current canonic law, he can only decide to retire, and he’s stated the he considers his position a calling from God, and will only retire if God tells him to. What if the Pope starts making proclamations that make no sense whatsoever? What if he starts making declarations that are dangerous to peoples’ lives? What if he does so under the onus of papal infallibilty? I’m fascinated by the ramifications this has for the Catholic Church. [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week703/perspectives.html](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week703/perspectives.html) ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/2 "2003-10-12T18:53:04Z")
Everybody sing: “We did it before and we can do it again.” ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/3 "2003-10-12T20:38:40Z")
My lord, man. I read the title and thought it was a yes or no question. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/4 "2003-10-13T00:57:13Z")
Well I think he has had senile ideas and proclamations that make no sense for over 20 years… he certainly made decisions that are dangerous to peoples lives too. Its just getting worse now. His staying in office until death is cruel and unecessary. Retire the poor old guy and put in another “chosen by god” please. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/5 "2003-10-13T06:17:49Z")
The pope isn’t really neccesary for the running of the Catholic Church. I mean, he’s important, but should he go senile, or get seriously ill, the Curia can, for the most part, function without his active participation. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/6 "2003-10-13T15:59:57Z")
Personally, I think there’s more entertainment value in letting him fulfill his term. As it is, he’s added a valuable simile to my vocabulary: “He was so drunk he was drooling like a Pope!” ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/7 "2003-10-13T16:04:05Z")
I read somewhere recently that he had told his top guys that if/when the time comes that he is unable to fulfill his duties that they can replace him. I’ll try and find a cite. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/8 "2003-10-13T19:01:59Z")
If JPII really does lapse into dementia, things will go as they’ve gone for the last 15 years or so…Ratfinkzinger will run things, “speaking for the Pope”. I’d get incensed about the “good” cardinal, but I think I’ve exhausted that reservoir over time. Now I’m just “meh”… ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/9 "2003-10-13T19:23:11Z")
I predict a papal bull against whippersnappers. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/10 "2003-10-13T19:35:34Z")
[What happens when the pope goes senile?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=214198&highlight=senile) ---
**Author:** ![lucky\_henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@lucky\_henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucky_henry)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/11 "2003-10-14T01:06:28Z")
Why do I always read the title of this topic as “Should the Pope Become Sterile”? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-pope-become-senile/207017/12 "2003-10-14T06:43:26Z")
"Should the Pope become senile… " No, if he can help it. Well, that’s what I thought you asked. 😉