Okay, implausible. But I still think it's the most plausible way to meet the challenge without changing one of the Kennedy's life so much that he becomes almost unidentifiable. I think it's more likely the College of Cardinals will choose a President than the American people will elect a Pope, and I think communism is the one issue which might conceivably force the cardinals to choose an American President as Pope.
If this happens, I think many Roman Catholics would feel that the Church has lost its way - turning to worldly power over spiritual strength (e.g. the Christians before Constantine against many emperors; OTL's John Paul II against the Communists). Of course, the Church has a long tradition of doing that in the Middle Ages...
So, assuming this happened and Kennedy did get killed in Dallas (probably before he could make any long-term decisions as Pope), I see two tracks the cardinals could take. They bet on American political power against Communism, and it didn't work. They could take this as a sign of God's disapproval and try the other way - it's barely possible we could see then-Bishop Wojtyła of Krakow in Poland ascend as Pope John Paul II. Or, they could simply try again. It's too bad for TTL that new President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Protestant, else we could see a personal union between the United States and Vatican City!
As it is, they could choose some prominent American political figure and continue seeking help against the Red Menace.
If this happens, I think many Roman Catholics would feel that the Church has lost its way - turning to worldly power over spiritual strength (e.g. the Christians before Constantine against many emperors; OTL's John Paul II against the Communists). Of course, the Church has a long tradition of doing that in the Middle Ages...
So, assuming this happened and Kennedy did get killed in Dallas (probably before he could make any long-term decisions as Pope), I see two tracks the cardinals could take. They bet on American political power against Communism, and it didn't work. They could take this as a sign of God's disapproval and try the other way - it's barely possible we could see then-Bishop Wojtyła of Krakow in Poland ascend as Pope John Paul II. Or, they could simply try again. It's too bad for TTL that new President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Protestant, else we could see a personal union between the United States and Vatican City!