• blarghly@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    One more thing that hasn’t been mentioned - the pope is the figurehead of the church, and needs to look the part. Why does the pope have grey hair? Because people expect the pope to have grey hair. Stable symbolism is important in an institution like the church, as much for followers as leaders. Electing a pope who doesn’t “look the part” could cause defections and schisms.