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How do you become the pope? A 5-minute video explains the priest-to-pope career path.

A helpful explainer for non-Catholics.

CGP Grey/YouTube

Becoming pope is a multi-step process of ascending the Catholic church hierarchy.

Understanding the basics of different religious beliefs is an important part of living in a diverse world. Understanding the internal clerical or administrative structures of different religions, however, takes a bit more effort and can be confusing to those who haven't grown up within those systems.

Most of us know that the pope is the head of the Catholic church, and even people who aren't Catholic are familiar with terms like priest, bishop, and cardinal. But that's the extent of knowledge of the hierarchy for many. The holy roles and how one moves from one level to another within the Catholic priesthood can be confusing. Though the fictional movie Conclave offers a compelling glimpse into the process of choosing a new pope, the full career path from priest to pope isn't really clear for a lot of us.

catholic priest, catholic church, becoming pope, choosing a new pope, popeYou have to be a priest first, then move up the Catholic hierarchy to have any chance of becoming pope.Photo credit: Canva

Enter CGP Grey, who has a knack for explaining things simply and concisely with cool illustrations and just enough humor to make boring explanations entertaining. Grey made a video in 2013 just a month before Pope Francis was elected as the 266th pope, and it's become relevant again in 2025 with his passing.

The "How to Become Pope" video has been viewed 29 million times, so clearly this is a question of curiosity for many. Considering that there are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world and how powerful the pope is as a global figure, it's a good thing to know.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"Let's say you want to become pope, head of the Catholic church and shepherd to over one billion faithful," the video begins. "What requirements must you have for this lofty station?"

There are only two actual requirements. 1. Be a Catholic. 2. Be a man. Simple enough, right?

Technically speaking, any male Catholic could be chosen as pope, but there has never been an average Catholic person who is not part of the priesthood. In fact, it's been over 600 years since a non-cardinal became pope. So the career path for pope starts with becoming a priest, then moving up to becoming a bishop and then a cardinal.

Moving up the ladder in the Catholic church requires a lot of specific education. Becoming an ordained priest usually requires a degree in Catholic Philosophy and a master's degree in Divinity. To move up to bishop, you have to wait for a local bishop to retire or die, be on a list of potential bishops, be 35 years old, be a priest for at least five years, and generally have a PhD in theology. A congress of bishops examines the candidates for bishop, chooses one, and sends the name to the pope. The pope then approves or vetoes the choice. It's a long process.

catholic priest, catholic church, becoming pope, choosing a new pope, popeThere are around 5,000 Catholic bishops, and around 200 of them are designated as cardinals.Photo credit: Canva

There are about 400,000 Catholic priests in the world, according to the video, but only about 5,000 bishops. Of those bishops, about 200 are given the additional title of cardinal, which can only be bestowed by the pope.

When a pope dies or retires, the cardinals under age 80 gather together in the Vatican to elect the new pope, pretty much always from among themselves. They are isolated from the outside world in what's known as the conclave, where they go through whatever election process the previous Pope specified for choosing his successor. Typically, they vote four times a day, six days a week, and it can take weeks or sometimes even months to reach the two-thirds majority required to elect the pope.

Once the pope is elected, he chooses a new name for himself—it can be anything, but it's often the name of a previous Pope—and white smoke is released from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, announcing to the world that a new pope has been chosen.

pope, pope selection, catholicism, choosing a new pope, Sistine Chapelbecomes pope francis GIFGiphy

"So that's the career path," CGP Grey concludes, "Be born into the right half of the population, become one of a billion Catholics, then one of 400,000 priests, then one of 5,000 bishops, then one of 200 cardinals, wait for the current pope to die or retire, and convince two-thirds of your fellow cardinals to select you as the one, the only pope."

There you have it, all wrapped up in one sentence.

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Heroes

The pope just gave Trump this gift. It's a powerful wake-up call for the president.

On May 24, 2017, President Trump met the pope. Trump called the meeting "a great honor," according to Reuters, and it seemed to go well, even though the two have sparred before.

During the meeting, the pope urged Trump to be a peacemaker.

Photo from Alessandra Tarantino/AFP/Getty Images.

On the way out the door, the two exchanged gifts, most of which seemed to fit the peace theme: a set of books by Martin Luther King Jr. for the pope, a medallion sculpted with an olive tree for Trump — as in literally a bunch of olive branches. (Maybe not the most subtle .... )

But there was another gift that stood out: a letter from the pope on climate change.

Back in 2015, Pope Francis wrote a letter to the world critiquing consumerism and the destruction of the environment, and calling for humanity to recognize and combat climate change.

With any other president, this might seem like a simple reminder. But considering thatTrump has called climate change a hoax and proposed cuts to many environmental offices and regulations while in office, it comes across as a pointed bit of extra homework.

But since the meeting centered on peace, reminding Trump about climate change makes perfect sense.

Climate change doesn't just affect plants and animals. It affects people, too. Droughts, famines, and sea level rise make climate change an accelerant of instability, according to the Department of Defense.

In short, one of the best ways to promote peace is to take care of both the planet and each other.

The two messages — promoting peace and protecting the environment — are pretty well linked.

Trump reportedly promised to read the letter. Let's hope he does.

Heroes

The pope has some blunt opinions about taking care of the Earth.

It's not a stretch to say that Pope Francis has been a bit of a surprise.

Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images.

Let's see. First, there was the fact that the previous pope, Benedict XVI, stepped down — the first resignation since 1415. So that was already a pretty big deal.

Then the Vatican elected, of all people, this guy — a Jesuit, which had never happened before; a person from the Western Hemisphere, which had never happened before; and a non-European, which hadn't happened since the 700s!

Then the surprises continued, with his remarkably tolerant statements about gay priests and atheists (although he's still pretty conservative on other topics, like birth control and trans people).

One very pleasant surprise, at least for me, has been just how much Pope Francis seems to care about the environment.

Pope Francis addressing the United Nations in 2015. Part of his message was confronting climate change and ecological degradation. Photo from Bryan Thomas/Getty Images.

Science and religion haven't always gotten along. But when it comes to the environment, Pope Francis has been an outspoken supporter. On Sept. 1, the Catholic Church's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (which he started, by the way), Pope Francis said: "We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behaviour."

When we take care of the Earth, we're taking care of each other too.

"Human beings are deeply connected with all of creation. When we mistreat nature, we also mistreat human beings," the pope said.

Environmental degradation, pollution, and climate change affect people all across the world, and Francis pointed out that it's disproportionately people who are already suffering — such as the poor or refugees — who bear the brunt of it.

Droughts and other natural disasters are likely to become more severe and common as climate change worsens. Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images.

Thus, fixing the environment goes hand in hand with addressing other problems.

"To give polluted water to someone who is thirsty doesn't make sense," Vatican panelist and author Terrence Ward said. "You have to clean it up first."

Pope Francis even gave examples of what we can do to make the world a better place.

He suggested consuming less, showing care for other living things, and planting trees, for example. He also highlighted the 2015 Paris Agreement as a step forward and advocated for citizens to push for "even more ambitious goals."

Pope Francis even suggested that caring for the planet should be added to the seven Corporal Works of Mercy, which would put taking care of the Earth on the same level as charitable actions like feeding the hungry and giving alms to the poor.

It's tremendous to see this marriage of mercy, responsibility, and environmental stewardship broadcast to such a large audience.

After all, there are more than a billion Catholics in the world.

Although maybe we shouldn't betoo surprised that the pope's so concerned with the environment. After all, he did take his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi. And while the pope said it was because of St. Francis' care of the poor, St. Francis does just so happen to be the patron saint of animals and ecology, too. Just saying.

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Pope Francis paid a silent visit to Auschwitz, and the photos are powerful.

From 1942 to 1944, at least 1.1 million people were killed at the Nazi concentration camp known as Auschwitz.

Many of us learn about this in history class or see the horrifying grainy, black and white photographs of human beings lined up for execution.

Images like those are haunting and important to see, but no experience can come close to actually visiting the camp, which now operates as a memorial to those who were killed inside its gates.


The German phrase above the entrance gate translates to "Work sets you free." Photo by Keystone/GettyImages.

On July 29, 2016, Pope Francis visited Auschwitz for the first time. He didn't speak a single word on record, but the images of his visit speak for themselves.

Auschwitz was home to one of the darkest chapters in modern human history, and today it's a reminder of the ugliness of hate.

More than 70 years after Auschwitz was liberated, there are still many who deny that the Holocaust ever happened. In 2016, we're dealing with an ongoing refugee crisis and vocal anti-immigrant sentiment as the result of xenophobia rocketing through Europe and the United States — stark reminders that the ugliness of hate is not something left in the past.

The striking visual of the Pope walking alone, his head hung low in somber prayer and reflection, through streets that were once filled with the dead and the dying, shows how very real it was.

Pope Francis entering Auschwitz. Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images.

His visit is a reminder that we shouldn't ever let this happen again.

Photo by Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images.

Pope Francis spent the first minutes of his visit to Auschwitz sitting on a bench praying, according to a report in The Guardian.

Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images.

He also spent several minutes alone in the cell of Maximilian Kolbe, a priest who volunteered to take the place of a prisoner selected for death. Kolbe died on Aug. 14, 1941, and was later canonized by Pope John Paul II.

Pope Francis met and prayed with several Holocaust survivors, paid a visit to neighboring concentration camp Birkenau, and prayed with Poland's chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich.

Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images.

Before leaving, he signed the guestbook with a simple and powerful message that speaks to religion as something that should bring us together, not set us apart.

“Lord, have pity on your people," Pope Francis wrote. "Lord, forgive so much cruelty.”

Photo by Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images.


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