Selection of the 264th Pope

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Selection of the 264th Pope
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The Death of a Pope

• When the Pope dies, the Cardinal Camerlengo
  (currently Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo) must
  verify the death, traditionally by calling the
  Pope three times by his name without response. He
  must then authorize a death certificate and make
  the event public by notifying the Cardinal Vicar
  for the Diocese of Rome (currently Camillo
  Cardinal Ruini).

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The End of A Papacy

• The Camerlengo then seals the Pope's private
  apartments. He would also arrange for the "ring
  of the fisherman" and the papal seal to be
  broken. He then makes preparations for the Papal
  funeral rites, the novemdieles, the nine days of
  mourning.

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After the Pope Dies

• Burial takes place between the fourth and sixth
  day after death (except for special reasons).
  Popes are usually buried in St Peter's Basilica,
  where the body will be laid in state for people
  to pay their respects.

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Conclave?

• The word itself comes from the Latin cum clave
  (literally "with a key") and meant that the
  cardinals were locked in the Apostolic Palace
  until they produced a result.

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• Now the Cardinals are housed in a new building
  inside the Vatican's walls called the Domus
  Sanctae Marthae (St Martha's House) and move from
  there to the Papal Palace and the Sistine Chapel
  for the actual voting process.

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Number Of Cardinal Electors125
(from 54 countries)

• Latin America 20
• W. Europe 19.3
• Italy 17.8
• E. Europe 11.1
• N. America 9.6
• Africa 9.6
• Asia 9.6
• Oceania 3

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Cardinals from the United States

• U.S.A. (11/14)
• Baum, Bevilacqua, Dulles, Egan, George, Hickey,
  Keeler, Law, Mahony, Maida, McCarrick, Rigali,
  Stafford, Szoka

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The Election Process  

• 15 days after the pope's death (and not later
  than 20 days) the election begins with a mass in
  St Peter's celebrated by all the cardinals. That
  afternoon the cardinals proceed to the Sistine
  Chapel, where voting has traditionally taken
  place beneath Michelangelo's fresco of the Last
  Judgement.

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Shhh

• The cardinals take an oath promising secrecy and
  the order is given, Extra omnes ("all outside").
  The oath of secrecy forbids them to communicate
  with anyone not involved in the election, or even
  to disclose details of the votes when the
  election is over.
• The penalty for disclosing anything about the
  conclave that must be kept secret is automatic
  excommunication.

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Ballots  

• The Papal Master of Ceremonies hands out voting
  papers, giving at least two or three to each
  cardinal.
• The ballot paper is divided in two the top half
  carries the words "Eligo in Summum Pontificem" (I
  elect as pope...) and the bottom half is blank
  for the name to be written in. The handwriting on
  the bottom part should not be identifiable as
  belonging to any cardinal.

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The Voting

• The Master of Ceremonies and others leave, the
  doors of the Sistine Chapel are closed and the
  vote begins. In order of precedence, each
  cardinal elector holds up his completed ballot
  paper.

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I Voted

• He then carries it to the altar and places it in
  a receptacle. He swears that his vote is for his
  choice and puts the paper onto a plate, which he
  uses then to drop the voting slip into the
  receptacle on the altar.

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No Hanging Chads

• When all votes have been placed in the urn
  (including the votes of any sick cardinals whose
  votes have been collected from the Domus Sanctae
  Marthae), the urn is shaken. A scrutineer takes
  the votes out one by one, in full view, and puts
  them into another container, making sure that the
  number of slips corresponds to the number of
  voters. If not, the ballot is void.

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Threading a Needle

• The scrutineers sit at a table in front of the
  altar. The first scrutineer unfolds each paper,
  notes the name and passes it to the second, who
  does the same. The third then reads out the name
  that has been written down and the electors can
  make note of the names and votes. The scrutineers
  write down the number of votes received by each
  name and the last scrutineer collects the voting
  slips by threading a needle through the word
  Eligo and collecting the slips on a thread which
  is then knotted.

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Hopefully, but if not

• The names are counted and if a name has received
  two-thirds of the votes, the pope has been
  elected.
• If the first ballot does not produce a result,
  the process is repeated for three days only.
  After three days of unsuccessful voting, the
  procedure is suspended for a day to give time for
  prayer, reflection and informal discussions.

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Couldnt We All Just Agree?

• The voting then begins again for a series of
  seven more ballots. If there is still no
  conclusion, another pause is taken before a
  further seven ballots. If this still does not
  produce a result, one more pause and another
  series of seven ballots follow. Finally, however,
  the cardinals are addressed by the Chamberlain
  about what to do next.  

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Resolving Deadlock

• The election goes forward in the way that the
  majority of electors decide. A result can now
  come from an absolute majority or by a vote on
  the two names that received the largest number of
  votes in the last ballot. Here, too, an absolute
  majority is required

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New Pope  

• The successful candidate is then asked by the
  Dean of the College of Cardinals, "Do you accept
  your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?" When
  he gives his agreement, he is then asked what
  name he will choose as Pope. This agreement and
  choice is then signed and (assuming that the
  person is already a bishop) he is immediately
  Bishop of Rome.

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Smoke Signals

• Traditionally, the results have been sent to
  people outside the Vatican using smoke signals.
•  After the votes are counted each time, the
  ballots are burned. If there has been no winner,
  a chemical is mixed with the ballots to produce
  black smoke when they are burned. Sight of the
  black smoke emerging from the roof of the Vatican
  Palace told those waiting in St. Peter's Square
  that a pope had not yet been selected. When a
  winner was selected, the ballots were burned
  alone, and the white smoke indicated there was a
  new pope.

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Habemus Papam

• The cardinals pay the new pope their respects and
  the oldest cardinal (the Cardinal Deacon) then
  steps out on a balcony overlooking St. Peter's
  Square and says to the crowd, "Habemus papam" --
  "We have a pope." He then introduces the pope,
  who steps out on the balcony to bless Rome and
  the world.

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Assuming the Mantle of Leadership

• There is no longer a coronation ceremony, but the
  Pontificate is inaugurated at a ceremony in St
  Peter's a short time later (in the case of Pope
  John Paul II it was six days later.)

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How Long Do Popes Reign?

• Lengthy papacies
• Pius IX 31 years(1846-1878)
• Leo XIII 25 years(1878-1903)
• Pius VII 23 years(1800-1823)
• JP II 27 years(1978- )

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Prayer for the Pope

• Lord, source of eternal life, and truth,
• Give to your Shepherd a spirit of courage and
  right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love.
• We pray that through his leadership the world may
  seek peace and unity.
• We ask this through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.