Rachel Evans
The papal conclave is a highly secretive and spiritual event that takes place in Vatican City to elect a new pope. The process has been refined over the centuries, with the cardinals assembling in the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes in secret. The conclave is convened following the death or resignation of the pope, and the cardinals remain in seclusion until a successor is chosen. The voting process involves several rounds of balloting until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority, at which point white smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel to signal the election of a new pope.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Occurrence | A papal conclave occurs when there is a change in popes, either through death or resignation. |
| Participants | Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave. |
| Location | Cardinals assemble inside the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican Palace. |
| Voting process | Cardinals vote by secret ballot. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. |
| Ballot counting | The result of each ballot is counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders. |
| Ballot burning | If no candidate receives two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke. |
| Pope elected | When a cardinal receives the required two-thirds of the vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks if they accept their election. If they do, they choose a papal name and are dressed in papal vestments. |
| Announcement | The senior cardinal deacon announces "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. White smoke is released from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel to signal that a new pope has been elected. |
| Secrecy | Cardinals take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors of the Sistine Chapel. |
| Historical variations | In the early centuries of the Church, popes were chosen with the involvement of clergy, laypeople, and local magistrates. The Second Council of Lyons in 1274 formalized the conclave system, requiring cardinals to be secluded in a locked room and imposing strict regulations to guide the election. |
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What You'll Learn
Who can be elected pope?
The pope is chosen by the cardinal electors in a voting process during the papal conclave. This event occurs after a pope dies or resigns. The College of Cardinals is responsible for electing a new pope. During the conclave, the cardinals are not allowed to communicate with the world and stay in a two-room suite in the Vatican. The cardinals take an oath that the proceedings of the conclave will remain secret.
Canon 332 § 1 of the 1983 Code simply states that one already a bishop (not necessarily a cardinal) who accepts a legitimate papal election becomes pope immediately. One who is not yet a bishop (and the Church has elected several non-bishops to the papacy) can accept the election but must be immediately consecrated bishop. By implication, that would seem to require that a papabile (a) be male, (b) be willing to be baptized, (c) ordained deacon, priest, and bishop, and (d) have the use of reason in order to accept the election and, if necessary, holy orders.
Although there is no formal requirement to select a new name, the tradition is well established. The last pope to keep his baptismal name was Marcellus II in 1555. The process of using white smoke to signal that a pope has been elected (black smoke means a failed vote) began in 1914. The smoke is a combination of the ballots that are burned and a mix of chemicals. However, because it is sometimes difficult to discern the difference between the white and black smoke, more chemicals are added, and beginning in 2005, bells will chime once a pope has been elected, and it will be announced “Habemus Papam!” (“We have a pope!”).
The majority of popes have been European, particularly Italian, and 53 of the eligible cardinals are European. However, after three consecutive non-Italian popes (John Paul II, Poland; Benedict XVI, Germany; and Francis, Argentina), it is possible that some cardinals will converge around an Italian candidate. Pope Francis was the first Jesuit pope in the Catholic Church’s history.
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The College of Cardinals
The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment, saying a prayer, and dropping their twice-folded ballot into a large chalice. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority. Cardinals over the age of 80 cannot vote. The result of each ballot is counted aloud and recorded by three cardinals designated as recorders. If no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the votes, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke. When a cardinal receives the required two-thirds majority, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he does, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before appearing on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to bless the city of Rome and the world. The ballots from the final round are burned with chemicals to produce white smoke, signalling to the world the election of a new pope.
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Voting process
The voting process during a Catholic conclave is a highly secretive and spiritual event. The College of Cardinals is responsible for electing a new pope, and any baptised male Catholic can be elected, although it is usually a cardinal. Cardinals over the age of 80 cannot vote.
The conclave takes place in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, where the cardinals take an oath of absolute secrecy. The cardinals vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgement. Here, they say a prayer and drop their twice-folded ballot into a large chalice. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. Three cardinals are designated as recorders and count the votes aloud. If no candidate receives two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke.
Once a cardinal receives two-thirds of the votes, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before going out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals to produce white smoke, signalling to the world that a new pope has been elected. The senior cardinal deacon announces "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") from the balcony before the new pope imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the world.
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Centuries-old rituals
The process of electing a new pope is steeped in centuries-old rituals. The word "conclave" comes from the Latin phrase "cum clave", meaning "with a key", and refers to the assembly of cardinals who meet in strict seclusion to elect a new pope.
The conclave is a highly secretive and deeply spiritual event that takes place in Vatican City, drawing global attention to this sacred process. The College of Cardinals has the responsibility for electing a new pope, and any baptised male Catholic can be elected, although it is usually a cardinal. The last time a non-cardinal was elected was in 1378, when Urban VI became pope.
The cardinals take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors of the Sistine Chapel, where the conclave takes place. They vote by secret ballot, processing one by one up to Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment, saying a prayer, and dropping their ballot in a large chalice. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the votes. If no candidate receives the required number of votes, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke. When a cardinal finally receives the necessary two-thirds of the votes, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he does, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The ballots from the final round are burned with chemicals to produce white smoke, signalling to the world that a new pope has been elected. The senior cardinal deacon then announces from the balcony, "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope"), before the new pope imparts his blessing on the city of Rome and the entire world.
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History of the conclave
The history of the conclave, the assembly of cardinals that elects a new pope, dates back to the 13th century. The word "conclave" comes from the Latin phrase "cum clave", meaning "with a key", and refers to the system of strict seclusion that the electors submit to during the election process.
In the early days of the conclave, the process of electing a pope was often lengthy and influenced by powerful monarchs and governments. For instance, the election of Pope Gregory X in 1271 took two years and nine months, prompting local authorities to lock the cardinals in a room and feed them only bread and water until they elected a new pope. Gregory X then promulgated the law of the conclave at the Second Council of Lyon in 1274, imposing strict regulations on the election process.
Over the centuries, various popes have issued decrees and legislation to further regulate the conclave procedure. Pope Boniface VIII incorporated Gregory X's decree into canon law in 1294. Pope Pius IV in the 16th century and Pope Gregory XV in the 17th century also contributed to the codification of conclave laws. From the 16th century onwards, Catholic monarchs claimed a right of exclusion or veto over papal elections, which was usually exercised through a crown-cardinal. The last exercise of the veto occurred in 1903.
In modern times, the conclave process has remained relatively unchanged for almost 800 years, with the College of Cardinals gathering in the Sistine Chapel to cast their votes in secret. The cardinals take an oath of secrecy, and the Sistine Chapel is closed to the public and safeguarded from any eavesdropping devices. The election of a new pope begins within three weeks of the previous pope's death or resignation, and the successful candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of votes.
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Frequently asked questions
A Catholic conclave is a highly secretive and spiritual event where the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church meets to elect a new pope. The term conclave comes from the Latin phrase "cum clave", meaning "with a key".
A Catholic conclave occurs when there is a change in popes, either through death or resignation.
Any baptised male Catholic can be elected as the pope. While it is almost always a cardinal, there is no formal requirement for the pope to be chosen from the College of Cardinals.
Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave. They take an oath of secrecy and vote by secret ballot. Four rounds of balloting are held every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the votes. If no candidate receives the required votes, the ballots are burned to produce black smoke. When a cardinal receives the necessary votes, he is asked if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments.
