I don’t see that God gave any instructions at all in Scripture for selecting someone to the office that the Catholic church calls *pope*.
If anyone needs to simplify the process, it’s the organization that created it.
Jesus specifically designated Peter as the rock; if that means nothing to you (many people contest what that meant) then this discussion is meaningless and you’ll have to await judgment to discover whether you were right or wrong. He didn’t select John the Beloved (the only one to die a natural death), or any of the others; He chose the one who imperfect as he was, would draw a sword to defend Jesus. He chose the one who when the time came, insisted he not die in the same manner as Jesus because he was unfit to do so (resulting in his crucifixion upside down).
An omniscient God chose well, knowing the trials Peter would face and how he would face them. Jesus Christ knew 2,000 years ago we’d be discussing this on this very date in 2016; He certainly knew Peter’s fate even before He physically met him. He also knew what would result from the Protestant denominations’ failure to have a centralized structure; now you can’t find two that agree on anything.