Bond gets M's predecessor installed as pope (7)
I believe the answer is:
clement
'installed as pope' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'bond gets m's predecessor' is the wordplay.
'bond' becomes 'cement' (I've seen this before).
'gets' indicates putting letters inside (gets can mean captures or absorbs).
'm's predecessor' becomes 'l' (letter before M in the alphabet).
'cement' enclosing 'l' is 'CLEMENT'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for clement that I've seen before include "Of weather, mild and gentle" , "9, the chef and MP" , "Merciful, lenient" , "Temperate" , "opponent for Winston" .)