"The Workings of a Conclave" By Father Chris House

The election of a pope is one of the most ancient and carefully guarded traditions in the world. Known as a Papal Conclave, this process is rich in history, symbolism, and strict regulation. The word conclave comes from the Latin cum clave meaning “with a key,” referring to the tradition of locking the electors away until a decision is reached. This practice originated in the 13th century after long papal vacancies caused political instability. The conclave ensures that the choice of pope is made prayerfully, free from external pressures. The conclave process is governed by Universi Dominici Gregis (hereafter UDG), an apostolic constitution issued by Pope St. John Paul II in 1996, with two later revisions by Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis made no changes to the document.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 at the time of the pope’s death or resignation are eligible to vote in the following conclave. The maximum number of voting cardinals allowed by UDG is 120 although a pope can appoint as many cardinals as he wants at any given time. Currently, there are 252 total living cardinals, of which 135 are eligible to enter the conclave and are termed as “cardinal electors.” Of the 135 cardinal electors, there are reports that one or two may not participate due to health reasons. Other officials such as medics, cooks, secretaries, and other clergy assist the cardinals but are sworn to secrecy and do not participate in voting.

After a pope dies or resigns his office, the See of Rome becomes vacant (sede vacante). The College of Cardinals organizes general congregations (meetings) to handle the Church’s interim affairs and prepare for the conclave. A conclave typically begins 15 to 20 days after the vacancy to allow time for a papal funeral in the event of the death of the previous pope, travel, and preliminary discussions. The College of Cardinals as a body governs the day-to-day workings of the Church but they may not make any changes or innovations concerning the Church. They also may not act in any way that would infringe on the prerogatives of the Bishop of Rome nor may they make any changes to UDG or to how a conclave is organized and functions.

The actual conclave is held in the Sistine Chapel within Vatican City. The cardinals live nearby in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a Vatican guesthouse. Strict measures are taken to maintain secrecy: jamming devices are used to block external communications, and all locations are swept for electronic listening devices. The cardinal electors are sworn to confidentiality under pain of automatic excommunication.

The current conclave is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 7th. On that first day Mass for the Election of the Pope (Missa Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice) will be celebrated, invoking the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Later the cardinal electors will process into the Sistine Chapel singing the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (“Come, Creator Spirit”). After prayers, a meditation, and the swearing of an oath by each elector, all non-electors must leave. Extra omnes (Everyone out!) is exclaimed and the doors to the Sistine Chapel are locked.

Voting is conducted under strict protocols. Each cardinal elector writes a name legibly on a ballot with the instruction to disguise his handwriting, folds it, and places it into a large chalice/ciborium atop the altar. The ballots say on the top half Eligo in Summum Pontificem (I elect as Supreme Pontiff), and the elector writes his choice’s name on the bottom half. Each elector must process to the chapel altar before the fresco of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement” and swear an oath before placing their ballot in the vessel: I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who is to judge me, that I choose him whom according to God I judge ought to be elected. There are up to four votes per day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon; generally, one vote is taken on the first day but that is not required. Each round involves distributing ballots, voting, counting, verifying, and burning the ballots.

Once a vote is complete, the ballots are counted to make sure that there are no more or no less ballots than there are electors. The ballots are reviewed by three electors called scrutineers who are chosen by lot. They individually review each ballot with the third scrutineer announcing each vote. A candidate must receive a two-thirds majority to be elected pope. Ballots are burned in a special stove after the two morning votes and after the two afternoon votes. If a vote is successful, the ballots are immediately burned after that vote. To communicate results to the public, black smoke indicates no election, and white smoke signals a successful election. The ballots today are burned with chemicals to create the needed color. Formerly, the ballots were burned with wet straw to achieve black smoke or dry to achieve white smoke. Since 2005, bells have also been rung to avoid confusion due to indiscernible smoke color in the event of a valid election. If voting is protracted for several days, there are mechanisms for the cardinal electors to pause for a day of prayer.

Upon receiving the necessary votes, the Dean of the College of Cardinals asks the elected cardinal: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” If he accepts the newly elected pope becomes pope immediately with all rights, powers, and prerogatives. He is then asked: “By what name shall you be called?” He chooses a papal name. He then moves to the Sistine Chapel sacristy, nicknamed the “Room of Tears,” and is dressed in papal vestments which have been prepared in several sizes. The Cardinal Protodeacon then announces to the world from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: Habemus Papam (“We have a pope!”). The Cardinal Protodeacon’s announcement will follow the white smoke with anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes to one hour between the smoke and the announcement. He introduces the new pope by both his baptismal and new papal name. The new pope then appears and gives his first Urbi et Orbi (“to the city and to the world”) blessing.

For reference, here is a list of previous conclaves and their durations: Pius XII, 1939: 2 days, 3 ballots; John XXIII, 1958: 4 days, 11 ballots; Paul VI, 1963: 3 days, 6 ballots; John Paul I, 1978: 2 days, 4 ballots; John Paul II, 1978: 3 days, 8 ballots; Benedict XVI, 2005: 2 days, 4 ballots; Francis, 2013: 2 days, 5 ballots.

Let us keep the cardinal electors in our prayers, the man at present known only to God who will be elected pope, and the whole Church. God bless you and yours!

Father Chris House