Yes, there is precedent. Some random Catholic who wasn’t even a priest got selected after a conclave had been stuck in political deadlock for literal years. He couldn’t actually take the job till he was ordained, which he did. He immediately instituted a bunch of rules including locking them away together with no luxuries until a decision was made to make sure that problem didn’t happen again. (It happened again multiple times anyway.)
Fun fact if he was baptized as a catholic he is eligible.
Yes, there is precedent. Some random Catholic who wasn’t even a priest got selected after a conclave had been stuck in political deadlock for literal years. He couldn’t actually take the job till he was ordained, which he did. He immediately instituted a bunch of rules including locking them away together with no luxuries until a decision was made to make sure that problem didn’t happen again. (It happened again multiple times anyway.)