The College of Cardinals. This is the fancy name for all the cardinals of the Catholic church. They range in age, but only cardinals under 80 years old are eligible to vote for the pope. Currently, there are cardinals, but because a lot of them have been around since the era of Mussolini, only could vote if a papal election were held today. Where and when does the electing take place? Here is where the process gets a bit Skull and Bones. This is a secret meeting held in the Sistine Chapel where the cardinals can cast their ballots for whom they think should be the pope.
The voting can go on for days, but once a two-thirds majority is reached, we have a new pope. They will also prepare for the upcoming papal election, called a conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election.
In the past, they made arrangements for the funeral and burial of the deceased pope. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote. In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for a Mass invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. How will the conclave begin? What is the process of balloting? What happens when a cardinal is elected pope?
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The Ten Commandments guide us in making choices and help us to live a God-driven life. Read about the Ten Commandments at Loyola Press. 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. Pope John Paul II changed the rules of election in Previously, a candidate had to secure a majority of two-thirds to be elected pope two-thirds plus one vote if the number of cardinals does not divide by three.
In , Pope Benedict passed a decree reverting back to the two-thirds 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. 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.
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