Sir, – David McKervey (February 15th) is right. There are no specific canon law requirements as to qualifications such as age, ordination, seniority or status needed to be elected pope. For the past 624 years, since 1389, all 63 of the popes who have been elected have come from the ranks of the cardinal electors.
However, now that Pope Benedict has unexpectedly broken one 600 year-old tradition, maybe the cardinals now assembling in Rome for their conclave will follow by breaking another 600-year-old tradition and elect someone from outside their ranks.
Maybe readers could nominate suitable people to be pope, whose names could then be forwarded to the College of Cardinal electors in Rome? – Yours, etc,