When a Pope dies or steps down, a centuries-venerable course of kicks in to resolve who will take the mantle as the subsequent leader of over a billion Catholics worldwide.
From sacred oaths to secret ballots and smoke signals, the election of a new pope is both spiritual and steeped in tradition. But how exactly does it work?
The feature of the cardinals
At the heart of the course of is a community identified as the College of Cardinals. These are senior church officials principally bishops appointed by the pope. While they come from various parts of the world, they all wear red robes and carry one major accountability when a papal seat becomes vacant: picking the subsequent pope.
Handiest cardinals below the age of 80 are eligible to vote, and while in theory, any baptized Catholic male can be elected pope, in practice, every pope since 1379 has been picked from among the cardinals themselves.
When the papal seat becomes vacant
A papal election is precipitated by either the death of a pope or his resignation, which is rare but that you can recall to mind as seen in 2013 when Pope Benedict XVI stepped down. As soon as the seat is vacant, eligible cardinals make their way to Rome.
While waiting for the election, the Church is temporarily ruled by a key figure called the Camerlengo, or Chamberlain, who handles administrative tasks but cannot make major decisions.
The Conclave tournament
The actual election takes place in an tournament called the Conclave. Here is Latin for “with a key,” regarding the locked-door nature of the course of. All cardinal electors are sealed internal the Sistine Chapel, away from the out of doorways world. No phones, no net, no newspapers factual prayer, discussion, and decision-making.
Security is intense. Earlier than the vote casting begins, the chapel is checked totally to make certain there are no hidden microphones or recording gadgets. Everyone involved, from medical staff to cleaners, takes an oath of secrecy.
Ritual of vote casting
The vote casting itself is done the usage of paper ballots. On the first day, the cardinals usually withhold one round of vote casting. After that, they vote four times daily two in the morning, two in the afternoon.
Each cardinal writes the name of their chosen candidate on a folded ballot marked with the Latin phrase “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.” The ballots are then counted, threaded together with a needle, and burned.
The smoke rising from the chapel’s chimney tells the world what’s happening internal. Black smoke means no decision has been reached. White smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
The Two-Thirds Rule
To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority vote. This rule was temporarily changed to a clear-slit majority in 1996 but was later restored by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.
There’s no campaigning involved, no public pitches or lobbying. Discussions are discreet and achieved fully within the community. Some elections in the past took weeks—even months. These days, the course of tends to circulate faster.
“We Have a Pope!”
As soon as anyone secures the required votes, he’s asked a clear-slit but weighty query: “Attain you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” If he agrees, he’s also asked to resolve a papal name.
Then comes the transformation. The new pope is wearing white papal robes—tailors prepare multiple sizes in advance and greeted by the other cardinals in a gesture of loyalty and recognize.
Finally, he appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, and the announcement is made: “Habemus Papam”—“We have a Pope!”
The new pontiff provides his first blessing to the crowds gathered beneath and to the world watching on monitors in every single place.
