To become the Pope, one must be a baptized Catholic male, at least 35 years old, and usually unmarried and celibate. Technically, any baptized Catholic man can be elected Pope, even a layman, but in practice, the Pope is almost always chosen from among the cardinals, who are senior bishops appointed by previous popes

. Here is the typical path to becoming Pope:

• Become a Catholic priest: This requires extensive education, usually including a college degree in philosophy or theology, followed by seminary training and ordination. The process can take around 9 years or more

• Become a bishop: After serving as a priest for at least five years and usually holding advanced theological degrees, a priest may be appointed bishop, overseeing a diocese. Bishops are a much smaller group than priests

• Become a cardinal: Cardinals are senior church officials, usually bishops, who are appointed by the Pope. They form the College of Cardinals, which elects the Pope. There are about 200 cardinals worldwide, and only cardinals under 80 years old can vote in a papal election

• Be elected Pope by the College of Cardinals: When the papacy is vacant, the cardinals meet in a conclave, a secretive and locked meeting, typically held in the Sistine Chapel. They vote in multiple rounds until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority. The elected cardinal is asked if he accepts the election and chooses a papal name

• If the elected person is not already a bishop, he must be consecrated as one before taking office as Pope. This is rare since most popes have been cardinals who are already bishops

In summary, becoming Pope involves a long ecclesiastical career progressing from priest to bishop to cardinal, followed by election by the College of Cardinals in a conclave. While theoretically any baptized Catholic man could be elected, in practice the Pope is almost always chosen from among the cardinals