The cardinals gathered in Rome decided that the conclave (lac. “peace that can be closed”) intended to elect a fresh leader of the Catholic Church would begin on Wednesday, May 7.
How will the fresh Pope be elected? Procedure is the following: Members of the College of Cardinals will cast their votes behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. In order for the cardinal to vote in a conclave, he must be little than 80 years old. Of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals, presently 137 are entitled to choose a fresh pope. 109 of them are cardinals appointed by Pope Francis. W conclave The 5 cardinals appointed by John Paul II and 23 Benedict XVI denominations will besides participate.
The process of choosing Pope Francis' successor will begin between 15 and 20 days after his death. Before the Conclave, the College of Cardinals will meet at the alleged "general congregations" to discuss the problems facing the Church. These meetings will besides be an chance for fresh cardinals and those from distant geographical regions to meet their fellow believers. The Cardinals will attend a peculiar morning Mass, asking for spiritual guidance before the papal choice. They will then meet in the Sistine Chapel, which is the site of all the papal conclave since 1858.
The Conclave will formally begin erstwhile the master of the papal liturgical ceremonies announces “extra omnes” (Latin “everyone out”), which will origin all persons but those entitled to vote to leave the Sistine Chapel. The Cardinals will live in the home of St.Marty, a hotel-like facility in the Vatican, until the conclave ends. From the beginning, the conclave cardinals are cut off from the outside world, with the ban on telephones, television, radio and newspapers. Breaking the secret regulation threatens to excommunication.
Cardinals sit by rank. usually the dean of the College of Cardinals takes first place, but the current dean – Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re – has exceeded the voting age and will not participate in the conclave. Instead, the pope's election will be led by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. After the Cardinals' assembly, 9 will be randomly elected to run the elections, and 3 of them will be "scruttators" who will examine ballot cards and read them out loud.
Each cardinal records the name of his elected candidate on the card with the inscription “Eligo in Summum Pontific” (“I choose to be the advanced Priest”) and swears, “I call to the witness of Christ the Lord, who will think that my vote is to be given to whom I believe God should be chosen.”
The fresh Pope is elected by a two-thirds majority. If this majority is not reached during the first vote, the ballots will be burned in the oven. Black smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel will signal to the outside planet that the choice is inactive ongoing – a tradition that began erstwhile Benedict XV was elected in 1914.
After the first day – and in subsequent days – there will be a maximum of 4 votes a day, unless a two-thirds majority is reached. Both Benedict XVI and Francis were elected after a comparatively tiny number of votes: 4 in the case of Benedict and 5 in the case of Francis. In accordance with the principles established by Benedict XVI, if the fresh Pope is not elected after 13 days, there will be a day of prayer and reflection. The selection will then be between the 2 best candidates, 1 of whom must receive 2 thirds of the majority.
Conclaves are usually short, like the election of Pius XII in 1939, which followed 3 votes. In any cases, the gathering lasted much longer – the longest was the 1740 papal conclave, which chose Benedict XIV and lasted 181 days.
When the candidate receives adequate votes, he will be asked, “Do you accept your canonical election as advanced Priest?” Responding to the “Accepto” (“I accept”), he becomes the fresh leader of the Catholic Church. Then the ballots will be burned, creating white smoke that will inform the planet that the conclave has ended and a fresh pope has been elected.
Immediately after the election, the fresh pope decides his name. Choosing a name frequently indicates the direction of a fresh pontificate. The fresh Pope will then be brought to “The Peace of Tears”. In this chamber, outside the Sistine Chapel, he will have moments to reflect on the weight of his position. He'll wear white sutanna and another signs of his office. His choice will be announced from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica. Then the fresh pontificate begins.
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