Q. Does the Pope have to live in Rome? Can he move back to Antioch or Jerusalem or maybe to Abidjan, Melbourne or Montreal?
A. The Pope - like any other bishop - must reside in his diocese much like the father of any family must live at home, where his family is rather than in a different city.
The one time in the Church history that the Popes tried to make their abode outside of Rome - specifically in France - God raised St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Catherine of Sienna precisely to get the Pope to return to Rome.
Q. Can the pope be a woman?
A. No because a woman can't be a priest and the Pope must be a priest.
Q. Isn't that a bit old school male chauvinism?
A. Two ideas: first a priest officially represents Christ. Christ was and remains a man; the divine groom; the new Adam. And He constantly seeks his bride the Church - the divine bride, the new Israel, the new people of God. It is fitting that the representative of this Divine Groom be a man.
Secondly, Christ never ordained any women or called them to the apostleship. Not even the holiest person - his mother Mary - was made an apostle or priest. Only men were apostles. The Church can't change that.
Q. Can the pope retire?
A. Yes. Just like Benedict XVI of recent memory did.
However, like any father of a family, the Pope is not obliged to do so. He doesn't have a "term in office". Fathers of families don't have a "term in office".
They may however, for various reasons (e.g. old age, incapacitating illness, etc.), both find it prudent that some other member of the family be the one to lead the family actively.
25th October 2015