Frequently I am asked about my preferences with regards to popes. It is most likely due to the job I once held in Rome. But it is a question that often confuses me, especially when asked by Catholics, as I fear they are inserting democratic norms and principles into the papacy. The papacy, like monarchies or empires, is not dependent on a democratic mandate. Of course, all types of leadership require a degree of popular mandate, but in the case of the papacy that is not the same as comparing it to other types of temporal democratic leadership or institutions. But the questions about preferences start me thinking about the leadership styles displayed by various popes in recent times. The papacy is the Western world’s oldest office and many cite the historical influences of the Roman