As the world watches the Vatican prepare to elect a new pope, now’s a good time to ask: how much do you really know about the job? Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.
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00:00As the world watches the Vatican prepare to elect a new pope, now's a good time to ask,
00:05how much do you really know about the job? For one, there's no minimum age.
00:09One pope in the 900s was just 18. And while the role is spiritual, it's also political.
00:15The pope isn't just the head of the Catholic Church. He's also the ruler of Vatican City,
00:20a sovereign state with its own hospital, budget, and even a bank.
00:23Despite all that power, the pope doesn't actually own anything.
00:27Everything he uses, from his robes to his residence, is provided by the church.
00:31But he is expected to be multilingual, fluent in Latin and Italian at the very least.
00:36He also goes to confession regularly, some even weekly,
00:40and remains under the same spiritual obligations as other Catholics.
00:43And in case you're wondering, yes, there used to be a tradition of tapping the pope on the head
00:48with a silver hammer to confirm his death. Don't worry, they've since retired at practice.
00:53So while the role is filled with tradition and pageantry,
00:56it also comes with a lot of surprising responsibilities
00:59and a few quirks you probably didn't learn in Sunday School.