With the death of Pope Francis, attention now turns to the selection of his successor. The next pope will be chosen in what is called a “conclave,” a Latin word meaning “a room that can be locked up,” or, more simply, “a closed room.”
Members ofthe College of Cardinalswill cast their votes behind the closed and locked doors of the Vatican’sSistine Chapel, famous for itsceiling frescoespainted by Michelangelo. Distinguished by their scarlet robes, cardinals are chosen by each pope to elect future popes. A cardinal must be under the age of 80 to be eligible to vote in the conclave. Of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals,138 are currently eligibleto elect the new pope.
As ascholar of global Catholicism, I am especially interested in how this will be the most diverse conclave in the history of the Catholic Church.
For many centuries, the College of Cardinals was dominated by Europeans – Italians, in particular. In fact, the first time anon-European cardinalactually cast a ballot in a conclave was only in the 20th century, when Baltimore’s archbishop,James Gibbons, voted in the1903 papal election. Now, the College of Cardinals has members from over90 countries, with Francis having appointednearly 80%of them.
Holding a conclave to elect a pope is a tradition that goes back centuries. The practicewas established in 1274underPope Gregory Xin reaction to the chaos surrounding his own election, which lastednearly three years. The tradition is old, but theresults can be surprising, as when Francis himself waselected in 2013as thefirst non-European popein almost 1,300 years and the firstJesuit pope ever.
The conclave begins
Before the conclave, the College of Cardinals will meet in what are called “general congregations” to discuss issues facing the church. These general congregations will also be an opportunity for new cardinals and those from distant geographical locations to get to know their fellow cardinals.
Thiscan be a time for politicking. In times past, the politicking was rumored to include bribes for votes, aswas allegedin the election ofAlexander VI, aBorgia pope, in 1492. Nowadays, it is considered to be bad form – and bad luck – for a cardinal to lobby for himself as a candidate. Buying votes by giving money or favors to cardinals is called “simony” and isagainst church law.
Two to three weeksafter the papal funeral, the conclave will begin. The cardinals will first make a procession to the Sistine Chapel, whereelectronic jamming deviceswill have been set up to prevent eavesdropping and Wi-Fi and cellphone use. As they file into the chapel, the cardinals will sing, in Latin, the hymn “Come Holy Spirit.” They will thenvowon a book of the Gospels to keep the conclave proceedings secret.
After these rituals,the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrationswill say out loud, in Latin, “Extra Omnes,” which means “Everyone Out.” The doors of the Sistine Chapter will then be locked, and the conclave will begin.
The voting process
The cardinals electing the pope will be seated inorder of rank.
Usually, the dean of the College of Cardinals is seated in the first position. But the current dean –Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re– is over the eligible voting age andwill not participate in the conclave. Instead, this papal election will be led by the Vatican’s secretary of state,Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
When the cardinals have assembled, nine will be chosen at random to run the election, with three of them being “scrutinizers” who will examine the ballots and read them aloud.
After writing down the name of their chosen candidate, the cardinals will bring their ballots to the front of the chapel and place them on a plate that isset on top of an urnin front of the scrutinizers. Using the plate to drop their ballot into the urn,they will say, “I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.”
A new pope is elected by a two-thirds majority. If this majority is not reached during the first ballot, the ballots will beburned in a stove. Black smoke rising through the Sistine Chapel’s chimney will signal to the outside world that the election is still ongoing, atradition that beganwith the election ofBenedict XVin 1914. Chemical additives are used to make sure the smoke is black because during theelection of John Paul II, there was confusionover the smoke’s color.
Following the first day – and on the days thereafter – there will be up to four ballots a day if a two-thirds majority is not reached. BothBenedict XVIand Francis were elected after relatively few ballots:fourin the case of Benedict;fivewith Francis. According torules set by Benedict, if a new pope is not chosen after 13 days, there will be a day of prayer and reflection. Then the election will be between the top two candidates, one of whom must receive a two-thirds majority.
This new rule,some commentators have suggested, could lead to a longer, or evendeadlocked, conclave because a compromise candidate is less likely to emerge.
The Room of Tears
Conclaves are usually short, such as thethree-ballot electionthat chosePope Pius XIIin 1939. On a few occasions, deliberations have been quite long – the longest being the1740 papal conclave, which electedBenedict XIVand lasted 181 days.
But regardless of the time frame, a new pope will be chosen. Once a candidate receives enough votes,he is asked, “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” By saying “Accepto,” or “I accept,” he becomes the new leader of the Catholic Church. This time, the ballots will be burned to create white smoke that will tell the world that the conclave has ended and that a new pope has been chosen.
Immediately after being elected, the new pope decides on his name, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio did when he was the first pope to choose the name Francis. The choice of a name – especially one of an immediate predecessor – often indicates the direction of the new pope’s pontificate. InFrancis’ case, his name honoredSt. Francis of Assisi, a 13th century mystic known for his simplicity and love for nature.
The new pope is then led to the “Room of Tears.” In this chamber, off the Sistine Chapel, he will have moments to reflect on the burdens of his position, which have often brought new popes to tears. He will put on awhite cassockandother signsof his office. His election will be announced from the balcony ofSt. Peter’s Basilica.
From the balcony, the new pope will greet the crowd below and deliver his first blessing to the world. A new pontificate will have begun. – The Conversation/Rappler.com
Mathew Schmalz is a professor of Religious Studies,College of the Holy Cross.
This article was first published in The Conversation.
