A 10-year rule?

Terms of office, even in the church, change. Paul VI introduced the retirement age of 75 for all bishops except himself, the bishop of Rome. He served in that capacity, also known as pope, until his death on Aug. 6, 1978, just a few months shy of his 81st birthday.

Popes come and go, some for short stays, others for length of days. Isn't it about time to set limits on papal reigns? Might it be wise to hold the bishop of Rome to the same retirement age as other bishops? Since Jesus left no instructions on papal term limits, it's an open question to be answered by the church, perhaps differently for the future than in the past.

A quick romp through the eight papacies of this last century reveals a diverse pattern of office holders. Pius X, now officially sainted, was elected in 1903 at age 68 after the quarter-century reign of Leo III and served just 11 years. Next came Benedict XV, the only man to break up the string of three popes named Pius. He was 59 when elected and reigned for a little less than eight years.

Then Pius XI took charge at 63 years old and died 17 years later. The next Pius, the 12th, elected on his 63rd birthday, reigned for more than 19 years. Then came John XXIII, elected at 76, whose papacy was the second shortest of the 20th century--four and a half years. Pope Paul VI was elected at 66 and reigned for 15 years. He was followed by John Paul I, elected at 65, whose extraordinarily brief papacy was measured in days--just 34. And setting the record for 20th-century longevity is John Paul II, who assumed the papacy in 1978 at the age of 58 and has continued to rule for almost 26 years.

It seems that some sort of term limit would be a good thing for the papacy of the future. The length of papal service and how to accomplish this change are questions open for discussion, especially since it's never been done before. But here's one suggestion: Popes should serve for 10 years or until they are 75, whichever comes first.

The change could come during the next papal conclave. Cardinals eligible to elect the next pope, those under 80 years of age, would first put in place a policy on term limitation, then proceed with the election of the next pope with the limitation in mind.

Had this proposed arrangement been in place during the 20th century, Pius X would have served seven years instead of 11, Benedict XV's term of office would have remained unchanged, Pius XI and Pius XII would have each ruled for a decade, and Paul VI would have reigned for nine years, retiring in 1972.

John XXIII would not have been electable in 1958 due to age, but if the popes before him had been held to the 75-year age limit or the 10-year term limit, he might have been elected 15 years earlier. The cameo papacy of John Paul I would have remained unchanged, and the reign of John Paul II would have ended upon his 75th birthday in 1995.

Being pope is no easy task and requires long and hard hours. Especially because life expectancy continues to rise, let's honor the dedication and hard work of future popes through term limitation.

PETER GILMOUR ([e-mail]) teaches at the Institute of Pastoral Studies of Loyola University Chicago.