UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS OF ELECTING A POPE
Pope
Benedict XVI is to resign at the end of the month, at the age of 85.
He
is the first pontiff to have stepped down since Gregory XII in 1415.
Canon
Law states: "If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it
is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly
manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone."
Pope
Benedict's resignation has set in motion the centuries-old process of electing
a new pope.
Cardinals
summoned to Rome
Popes
are chosen by the College of Cardinals, the Church's most senior officials, who
are appointed by the Pope and usually ordained bishops. They are summoned to a
meeting at the Vatican which is followed by the Papal election - or Conclave.
There
are currently 203 cardinals from 69 countries. The rules of the Conclave were
changed in 1975 to exclude all cardinals over the age of 80 from voting. The
maximum number of cardinal electors is 120.
During
the forthcoming Conclave, there will be 117 cardinals who are younger than 80
and thereby eligible to vote.
Normally
the Dean of the College of Cardinals would be responsible for the convoking the
Conclave. However, as the Dean, Italian Cardinal Angelo Sodano, is 85 and too
old to vote, the senior cardinal-elector, Giovanni Battista Re, takes on the
responsibility.
Sixty-seven
of the current cardinal-electors were appointed by Benedict XVI, and 50 by his
predecessor John Paul II. About half (62) are European, and 21 are Italian.
There will also be 19 Latin Americans, 14 North Americans, 11 Africans, 11
Asians and one cardinal from Oceania among the voters.
During
the time between the Pope's resignation and the election of his successor, the
college of cardinals will govern the Church, headed by Cardinal Tarcisio
Bertone, as the cardinal camerlengo - or chamberlain.
It
is his job to supervise the whole election process, with secret votes being
held four times daily inside the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. During the Conclave,
cardinals reside within the Vatican and are not permitted any contact with the
outside world.
During
this period all the cardinals - retirees included - will begin to discuss in
strict secrecy the merits of likely candidates.
The
cardinals do not have to choose one of their own number - theoretically any
baptised male Catholic can be elected pope - but tradition says that they will
almost certainly give the job to a cardinal.
The
Vatican talks about the cardinals being guided by the Holy Spirit. But although
open campaigning is forbidden, a papal election is still a highly political
process.
The
coalition-builders have about two weeks to forge alliances and senior cardinals
who may themselves have little chance of becoming pope can still exert a
considerable influence over the others.
Secret conclave
The
election of a pope is conducted in conditions of secrecy unique in the modern
world.
The
cardinals are shut away in the Vatican until they reach agreement - the meaning
of the word conclave indicating that they are literally locked up "with a
key".
The
election process can take days. In previous centuries it has gone on for weeks
or months and some cardinals have even died during conclaves.
The
process is designed to prevent any of the details of the voting emerging,
either during or after the conclave. The threat of excommunication hangs over
anyone tempted to break this silence.
John
Paul II changed the rules of the Conclave so a Pope could be elected by simple
majority. But Benedict XVI changed the requirements back so that a
two-thirds-plus-one vote is required, meaning the man elected is likely to be a
compromise candidate.
Before
the voting begins in the Sistine Chapel, the entire area is checked by security
experts to ensure there are no hidden microphones or cameras.
Once
the conclave has begun, the cardinals eat, vote and sleep within closed-off
areas until a new pope has been chosen.
They
are allowed no contact with the outside world - barring a medical emergency.
All radios and television sets are removed, no newspapers or magazines are
allowed in, and mobile phones are banned.
Two
doctors are allowed into the conclave, as well as priests who are able to hear
confessions in various languages and housekeeping staff.
All
these staff have to swear an oath promising to observe perpetual secrecy, and
undertake not to use sound or video recording equipment.
Voting
rituals
Voting
is held in the Sistine Chapel, "where everything is conducive to an
awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be
judged".
On
the day the conclave begins, the cardinals celebrate Mass in the morning before
walking in procession to the chapel.
Once
the cardinals are inside the conclave area, they have to swear an oath of
secrecy. Then, the Latin command "extra omnes" ("everyone
out") instructs all those not involved in the election to leave before the
doors are closed.
The
cardinals have the option of holding a single ballot on the afternoon of the
first day. From the second day, two ballots are held in the morning and two in
the afternoon.
The
ballot paper is rectangular. Printed on the upper half are the words
"Eligio in Summum Pontificem" ("I elect as Supreme
Pontiff"). Below is a space for the name of the person chosen. The
cardinals are instructed to write the name in a way that does not identify
them, and to fold the paper twice.
After
all the votes have been cast, the papers are mixed, counted and opened.
As
the papers are counted, one of the scrutineers calls out the names of those
cardinals who have received votes. He pierces each paper with a needle -
through the word "Eligio" - placing all the ballots on a single
thread.
The
ballot papers are then burned - giving off the smoke visible to onlookers
outside which traditionally turns from black to white once a new pope has been
chosen.
Damp
straw was once added to the stove to turn the smoke black, but over the years
there has often been confusion over the colour of the smoke. More recently a
dye has been used.
If
a second vote is to take place immediately, the ballots from the first vote are
put on one side and then burned together with those from the second vote. The
process continues until one candidate has achieved the required majority.
Reaching
a decision
Pope
John Paul II changed the rules of election in 1996. Previously, a candidate had
to secure a majority of two-thirds plus one to be elected pope.
John
Paul II ruled that the voting could shift to a simple majority after about 12
days of inconclusive voting.
In
2007, Pope Benedict passed a decree reverting back to the two-thirds plus one
vote majority, thus encouraging cardinals to reach consensus, rather than one
bloc backing a candidate with more than half the votes and then holding out for
12 days to ensure his election.
If
after three days of balloting nobody has gained the two-thirds majority, voting
is suspended for a maximum of one day to allow a pause for prayer, informal
discussion and what is described as "a brief spiritual exhortation"
by the senior cardinal in the Order of Deacons.
At
the end of the election, a document is drawn up giving the results of the
voting at each session, and handed over to the new pope. It is kept in an
archive in a sealed envelope, which can be opened only on the orders of the
pope.
The
only clue about what is going on inside the Sistine Chapel is the smoke that
emerges twice a day from burning the ballot papers. Black signals failure. The
traditional white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
New
pope announced
After
the election of the new pope has been signalled by white smoke rising from the
Sistine Chapel chimney, there will be a short delay before his identity is
finally revealed to the world.
Once
one candidate has attained the required majority, he is then asked: "Do
you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?"
Having
given his consent, the new pope is asked: "By what name do you wish to be
called?"
After
he has chosen a name, the other cardinals then approach the new pope to make an
act of homage and obedience.
The
new pope also has to be fitted into his new robes. The papal tailor will have
prepared garments to dress a pope of any size - small, medium or large - but
some last-minute adjustments may be required.
Then,
from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the traditional announcement will echo
around the square: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum... habemus papam!"
- "I announce to you a great joy... we have a pope!"
His
name is then revealed, and the newly-elected pontiff will make his first public
appearance.
After
saying a few words, the pope will give the traditional blessing of Urbi et Orbi
- "to the city and the world" - and a new pontificate will have
begun.
SOURCE: COPIED FROM BCC NEWS.COM
