What are the duties of the pope

Duties of the Pope

In the Catholic Church, it is believed, that the Pope is Christ's substitute on Earth. It was Saint Peter who was elected pope by Jesus himself, and for two thousand years the pope has been elected in the Church. The pope must be elected by the votes of the majority of cardinals. A special conclave is held, which decides in the Sistine Chapel about it, who will be the new pope. This happens after the death of the previous pope or after his abdication, what happened recently, when Benedict XVI abdicated, and Francis appeared in his place. The Pope does not have an easy and fairy-tale life. They are usually elderly (the exception was John Paul II, who became pope very early), that have tons of activities throughout the day.

The Pope must stick to a set plan. Gets up in the morning, he says matins, then Holy Mass, breakfast, reading, prayer, work in the papal chancellery, papal audience, your angel, speeches in St. Peter's Square. In addition, the Pope also celebrates Holy Masses during holidays and important celebrations – it is the pope who beatifies and canonizes new blesseds and saints in the Catholic Church. The Pope also travels outside the Vatican, to meet the faithful. Most often these are long journeys, and you know, that they are very tiring for older people. In a word, the pope must be really strong.