With Benedict’s resignation taking effect today, the next big question on every Catholic’s (and most everyone else’s) mind is “How do they get a new one?” The short answer is “The Conclave.”
The Conclave is when Cardinals
(those nominated by the Pope to elect the next pope) come together in a retreat
to select the pope. For the past 600
years or so, the Conclave has been held in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve seen the
Sistine chapel before it looks like this:
Before the Conclave all the
Cardinals who want to come together to meet and discuss what they think the
next pope should be like, but on the day the Conclave begins, only those
cardinals under 80 years of age may enter to vote. Pope Benedict will not be voting in the
conclave. (There are currently 117
cardinals eligible to vote, but two of them said they won’t be attending, so
there will be 115 voters).
The Cardinals will enter the
Sistine chapel in solemn procession (think lots of red and crucifixes). Before they enter, they will be searched to
make sure that no one has planted any bugs on them, so that the process may
remain secret. All of their cell-phones
and personal electronics capable of transmitting a signal will be confiscated for
the duration of the conclave. Further, signal blockers are erected around the
chapel to prevent electronic eavesdropping.
Once all the cardinals are inside the chapel,
the Master of Ceremonies stands at the door and yells “Extra Omnes!” Which
roughly translates as “Everyone else, Get out!” and locks the door from the
inside. This is where the name
‘conclave’ comes from because the cardinals are literally locked in –cum clave-
(with a key). The locked doors, confiscated
cell phones, and James Bond-esque surveillance countermeasures are to avoid any
pressures from the outside world to bear influence on their decision.
Once inside things get real.
The cardinals can elect any single catholic adult male. If they elect
someone who isn’t a bishop, or for that matter, isn’t a priest at all, he must
be ordained immediately after his assent.
In practice though, the cardinals choose a cardinal. On the afternoon of the first day, the
cardinals can vote for the first time. The
cardinals are all given two cards which have written on them “Eligo in summum
Pontifecem...” (I elect as Pope…) they secretly write on the ballot the name of
the person they want to be pope. They
take an oath to obey the rules of the conclave, and place their ballots on the
altar. Nine cardinals are chosen at
random. Three pick up the ballots from
cardinals that are too old or sick to walk, three are Revisers, and three are Scrutinizers.
The Scrutinizers, in full view of the other cardinals, make sure the number of
ballots on the altar must match the number of electors. If it is off, the ballots are destroyed and
there is a new vote.
If no-one is elected after the first ballot the cardinals
will hold 4 ballots every day until someone wins. After each inconclusive vote, the ballots are
burned, and black smoke can be seen by the people outside the conclave. After 3 days of inconclusive ballots, the
cardinals are given a day off for prayer and reflection (although they still
can’t leave).
If after another seven ballots there is still no winner, the
two people with the most votes will run against each other. When a cardinal has 2/3rds of the vote, the
Cardinal Dean asks if he accepts and what name he will take. As soon as he accepts he is the Pope. The ballots are then burned, but this time a
chemical is added, and white smoke can be seen outside. This is the sign to the world that we have a
pope.
The new Pope proceeds to where he is dressed like a pope for
the first time. Tailors have
pre-prepared papal vestments in small, medium, and large, so that whoever is
elected is sure to have something that (sorta) fits. It is normally about this time that it hits
the new Pope what just happened. It
begins to take a hold of him, and most Popes cry in joy, fear, thanksgiving,
and awe. For this reason, the dressing
area is known as the “Room of Tears.”
The Pope returns to the cardinals, and they swear their
obedience to him. Shortly after, a
cardinal goes out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and exclaims,
“Annuntio vobis Gaudium magnum, Habemus Papam!” “I announce to you with great
joy, we have a pope!” followed by the first and last name of the man elected,
and his papal name.
The Pope processes out onto the balcony and makes a brief
speech, and gives his first blessing to those gathered, and to the entire
world. Pope John Paul the Great began
his pontificate with the words, “Be not Afraid!”, Benedict with, “Stay with us
Lord!”, soon we will hear a new pope speak to the world for the first time.
In the coming days, we will have a new conclave, and a new
pope. Remember in prayer those men whose
heavy responsibility it is to choose, and even more so, the man whom they will
elect.
- Tim Olson
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