Tag Archives: oldest

‘Pope Francis’ Will Turn 87 On Dec. 17, 2023. He Is The 3rd OLDEST Pope In Recorded History.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 16, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. From one of my ‘magic’ papal excels.

The 2 keywords of note here are ‘recorded history‘. When it comes to papal birthdays, papal history only goes back to 1400. The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’. Don’t let anyone fool you into saying ‘oldest … pope‘. We just don’t know.

Francis became the 3rd OLDEST pope as of 1400
on December 30, 2023.

Francis could become the 2nd OLDEST KNOWN
on Oct. 17, 2024.

So, to be fair, this 87th birthday, though a BIG deal, didn’t change his standings in the ‘n oldest pope‘ stakes.

So, he has been 3rd oldest close to a year. He still has 11-months to go before the next HUGE milestone — and that is a tad out there in the future. If he makes it that would be quite the thing. Kind of WILD. I HOPE HE WILL. That will be a landmark for all of us to witness.

We have had 64 popes since 1400, & of those 64 Francis is the 3rd oldest.

Francis’ predecessor, who resigned in 2013, i.e., Benedict XVI, will remain in #5; John Paul II who was the previous will be at #8.

So, the last 3 popes will, respectively, hold the #3, #5 & #8 spots (as of 1400) — from among 64 popes.

IF Benedict XVI had not resigned, he, at 95, would have been the OLDEST pope as of 1400. That is a sobering thought.

Just two years ago Francis was at #7. He has been going up in the rankings fast.

But, given that he was elected quite old, i.e., 76.2 years (9th oldest since 1400 & 4th 76 old to be elected), his reign as pope is only 10.76 years. That is respectable but nowhere close to being a record.

He is currently #70 (out of 267).

So, not even halfway. So, he has a long ladder to climb to get up those rankings. 11 popes have reigned for 11-years!

‘Pope Francis’, Who Will Turn 87 In 25-Days, Will Continue To Be 3rd OLDEST In Recorded History.

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by Anura Guruge
on November 22, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. From one of my ‘magic’ papal excels.

The 2 keywords of note here are ‘recorded history‘. When it comes to papal birthdays, papal history only goes back to 1400. The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’.

Francis became the 3rd OLDEST pope as of 1400
on December 30, 2023.

So, he has been 3rd oldest close to a year. He still has 11-months to go before he becomes the 2nd KNOWN OLDEST. That is quite the thing. Kind of WILD.

We have had 64 popes since 1400, & of those 64 Francis is the 3rd oldest.

Francis’ predecessor, who resigned in 2013, i.e., Benedict XVI, will remain in #5; John Paul II who was the previous will be at #8.

So, the last 3 popes will, respectively, hold the #3, #5 & #8 spots (as of 1400) — from among 64 popes.

IF Benedict XVI had not resigned, he, at 95, would have been the OLDEST pope as of 1400. That is a sobering thought.

Just two years ago Francis was at #7. He has been going up in the rankings fast.

‘Pope Francis’, Who Turned 86 Yesterday, Will Become The 3rd OLDEST Pope In Recorded History, In 12-Days!

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by Anura Guruge
on December 18, 2022

Click to ENLARGE. From one of my ‘magic’ papal excels.

The 2 keywords of note here are ‘recorded history‘. When it comes to papal birthdays, papal history only goes back to 1400. The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’.

So, Francis will be the 3rd OLDEST pope as of 1400
in 12-days!

Wow. This is pretty incredible.

We have had 64 popes since 1400, & of those 64 Francis will be the 3rd oldest.

Francis’ predecessor, who resigned in 2013, i.e., Benedict XVI, will remain in #5; John Paul II who was the previous will be at #8.

So, the last 3 popes will, respectively, hold the #3, #5 & #8 spots (as of 1400) — from among 64 popes.

IF Benedict XVI had not resigned, he, at 95, would be the OLDEST pope as of 1400. That is a sobering thought.

Just a year ago Francis was at #7. He has been going up in the rankings fast.

It will take Francis 666 more days to get to the #2 spot. That would be as of October 16, 2024. Basically 2-years from now. That is a fair distance away. So, lets not talk too much about that for now.

Despite his age, Francis’ near 10-year reign does NOT even put him in the top 80! He is still around #82 when it comes to length of papacy. He became pope quite late in life.

So, that is the story for now.

So, come December 30, 2022, Francis will be the THIRD OLDEST pope in recorded history. Amen.

‘Pope Francis’ On December 30, 2022, Will, Quite Incredibly, Become The 3rd OLDEST Pope In Recorded History.

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by Anura Guruge
on October 23, 2022

Click to ENLARGE. From one of my ‘magic’ papal excels.

The 2 keywords of note here are ‘recorded history‘. When it comes to papal birthdays, papal history only goes back to 1400. The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’.

So, Francis will be the 3rd OLDEST pope as of 1400
in just over 2 months!

That is pretty incredible.

We have had 64 popes since 1400, & of those 64 Francis will be the 3rd oldest.

Francis’ predecessor, who resigned in 2013, i.e., Benedict XVI, will remain in #5; John Paul II who was the previous will be at #8.

So, the last 3 popes will, respectively, hold the #3, #5 & #8 spots (as of 1400) — from among 64 popes.

IF Benedict XVI had not resigned, he, at 95, would be the OLDEST pope as of 1400. That is a sobering thought.

Just a year ago Francis was at #7. He has been going up in the rankings fast.

It will take Francis 666 more days to get to the #2 spot. That would be as of October 16, 2024. Basically 2-years from now. That is a fair distance away. So, lets not talk too much about that for now.

Despite his age, Francis’ near 10-year reign does NOT even put him in the top 80! He is still around #82 when it comes to length of papacy. He became pope quite late in life.

So, that is the story for now.

So, come the end of 2022 Francis will be the THIRD OLDEST pope in recorded history. Amen.

Next Pope In The Era Of BIONIC Popes.

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by Anura Guruge
on February 22, 2022

Click to ENLARGE.

Francis has now overtaken beloved (& long-serving) St. John Paul II to become the 7th oldest pope as of 1400. In September he will leapfrog the prior pope, i.e., Benedict XVI, to become the 4th oldest pope. At year end, IF he is still pope, he will become the 3rd oldest pope as of 1400.

The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’.

Click to ENLARGE.

Longevity is UP across the world; people are just living to be older. That is irrefutable.
Yes, better healthcare, nutrition & increasing awareness to fitness have all played a role.

The Queen is 95 & has ruled for an unprecedented 70-years!

The last pope, Benedict XVI resigned at 85.7 years. (See above) He is currently 94. If he had NOT resigned he would be the OLDEST pope since 1400!

The current pope is 85 years old.

The pope prior to Benedict XVI, i.e., the beloved John Paul II, reigned until he was 84.9 years old (i.e., nearly 85).

So, the last 3 popes have all lived beyond 84.

Then, look at the last chart above — the reign lengths of the last 14 popes. We have seen some very long pontificates.

Starting in 2010 I was adamant that the next pope after Benedict XVI would be over 75 when elected. Many disagreed with I. Many called me delusional. I was RIGHT. Francis was 76; 9th oldest to be elected.

Soon after his election he hinted that he may resign when he got ‘too old’. That now seems unlikely.

This creates a dilemma, i.e., popes who per their longevity can rule into their late 80s & maybe even 90s. Even more than their age, it becomes a matter of how long they reign. A pope elected at 70 can now easily have a pontificate that stretches into two decades.

I, until quite recently, was steadfast that the pope that succeeds Francis will also be over 75. I am NOW rethinking that.

I think the next pope will be even older! Yes, even older meaning close to 78 or 79. Yikes. I think that the electors might even consider an over 80 cardinal. NOTHING, BUT NOTHING in the laws that says a pope elect has to be under 80. NOTHING.

So, that is my current thinking. I even have some new papabili names. That will be my next post.

‘Pope Francis’, When He Turns 85 On December 17, 2021, Will Rank 97th In Terms Of ‘Length Of Papacy’.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 5, 2021

Click to ENLARGE. From one of my ‘magic’ papal Excel spreadsheets.
Click to ENLARGE. From my ‘Electing the Next Pope‘ (2021) book.

A few days ago, in my post about Pope Francis turning 85 & thus becoming the 7th oldest pope (as of 1400), I mentioned in passing that he has had ‘quite a good innings‘ (as we say in cricket) as to how long he has reigned. I knew that I would have to elaborate on this sooner than later. And yes someone raised this topic at once.

So, I went & did the sums.

96 popes (based on data we have/use) have reigned for longer; 170 for shorter.

The average length is 7.2 years. So, he has easily exceeded that.

In March 13, 2022, he would have been pope for 9 years. At that point he will go up by 4 in the rankings to #93 (or #92). Then he will start to climb up quite quickly. By the Summer of 2022 he will be around the #88 mark.

I will keep you posted. Easy enough to do. Just a question of making time.

‘Pope Francis’ On December 17, 2021, Will Turn 85 — He Will Be The 7th Oldest Pope As Of 1400.

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by Anura Guruge
on December 3, 2021

Click to ENLARGE.

So he has now overtaken beloved (& long-serving) St. John Paul II to become the 7th oldest pope as of 1400.

The birthdates of popes prior to 1400 are either unavailable or unreliable. Hence, any meaningful age-related claims as to popes have to be ‘as of 1400’.

Francis’ predecessor, who resigned in 2013, i.e., Benedict XVI, was 85.739 years. He currently holds the #4 spot (as of 1400).

If Francis is still pope on September 14, 2022, he will overtake Benedict XVI to become the 4th oldest (as of 1400).

In July 2022 he will become the 6th oldest. So, he is now climbing through the ranks quite rapidly.

Also note that he has been pope for a year longer than Benedict XVI. In March 2022 he will reach his 9th anniversary. Yes, there are popes, including John Paul II, who have reigned for much, much longer. But, 9 years is quite a good span to be a pope.

But, he will be 85 in 2 weeks & that too is a very respectable span of time.

Pope Francis’ Surgery For Diverticulosis & The Implications

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by Anura Guruge
on July 4, 2021

Click image to access post from the Vatican.

Click images to ENLARGE.
From ‘Harvard Health Publishing‘,
click here to access full article.

That Pope Francis needed surgery was not good. Meant it had got serious & he likely had an internal infection. He probably was in quite a bit of pain. That could explain why he has looked increasingly glum of late.

Appears, though not certain, that he might have to wear a ‘colostomy bag‘. John Paul II, we have learnt, also had to wear one after the unsuccessful attempt on his life. He kept that secret. Not sure what Francis will do.

He obviously is getting the best care possible in Italy. But, age is a factor & his overall health. He is 84 & his health has deteriorated.

This year he will overtake John Paul II to become 7th oldest pope as of 1400. [We do not have birth dates for the popes prior to that.] So, he is getting up there.

Click to ENLARGE.

This is STILL PREMATURE.

Pope Francis could remain pope for many years to come.

But, when the next conclave is on the cards you will need this book — for sure. This book available in print & eBook form multiple sources including Apple, Amazon, etc.