non-Christian convert becomes Pope

I think it should be an non-christian convert becoming the pope anytime after the East-West Schism and before the, say 1800s. That's when the attributes of the pope as, well, a pope become more clearly defined (as opposed to 'just' the Bishop of Rome) and before it became too close to what we have today.
 
Clement was a gentile convert and a Bishop of Rome. The Papcy as we know it evolved over centuries so if we want a convert after the 4th or 5th centuries, the result is that we may have a more religious Pope, maybe on par with Gregory the Great.
 
Maybe we can have a Mongol conquest of Europe. Following the same tactic elsewhere, the Khan decides to co-ope an indigenous institution to grant the conquest more legitimacy. Since Europe, unlike China or Iran, had no tradition of centralized Empire, the Khan decides to use the one pan-European institution - the church.

A relative is sent to Rome, ostensibly as a legation to the Papal States. The legation lasts several months where the Pope is advised to abdicate on the grounds of ill health, while the relative somehow undergoes a miraculous Paul-like conversion to the one and true Catholic faith.

The next Papal Conclave, held while Mongol cavalry are parked outside Rome's city walls, elects the Mongol as Pope. The new Pope then floats a theory about how he's Prester John and pays lip service to liberating the Holy Land from the infidels, but quietly discards it later.

The new Mongol Pope then swiftly packs the church hierarchy throughout Europe with his friends and allies. Of course, these are all supported by his fearsome cavalry, who are now flying banners with crosses. All of Europe's monarchs are at least nominally vassals of the Holy Roman Empire, whose Emperor is crowned by the Pope.

Long term legacy: even after the Mongols collapse, the Catholic Church becomes even more cesaropapist than its eastern brother.
 

Saphroneth

Banned
The problem with using a religious tradition to determine what religion someone was (and if he existed) is that you then have to treat them all as correct - notably you end up with the situation that Jesus was a believer in Islam as well as the Son of God as well as a mortal given revelations (some older Christian denominations).

That said.

Logically there should have been at least some Bishop of Rome who was not born Christian, unless the religion had been around for a full lifetime by the time of the first Pope. (Since most early Popes are recorded as being Roman, this suggests that there would have had to have been a Roman Church for decades before a Bishop of Rome was appointed).

As such, whether you believe Peter was the first Pope or not, then at least someone should have been both convert and Pope.
 
Top