Question: who is the pope and why is he important

title: Pope
text: The pope was originally chosen by those senior clergymen resident in and near Rome . In 1059 the electorate was restricted to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church , and the individual votes of all Cardinal Electors were made equal in 1179 . The electors are now limited to those who have not reached 80 on the day before the death or resignation of a pope . Since the pope is Bishop of Rome , only those who can be ordained a bishop can be elected , which means that any male baptized Catholic is eligible . The last to be elected when not yet a bishop was Pope Gregory XVI in 1831 , and the last to be elected when not even a priest was Pope Leo X in 1513 , and the last to be elected when not a cardinal was Pope Urban VI in 1378 . If someone who is not a bishop is elected , he must be given episcopal ordination before the election is announced to the people .