Election of the Pope: how the pontiff is elected

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Do you know how the elections of the Pope take place? Have you heard about the rules for electing a pontiff? If not, we will tell you about it now. Most often, the election of a new head of the Roman Catholic Church occurs after the transition to the world of another incumbent pope. But it happens that the current minister of the Throne of St. Peter renounces such an honorary place at will.

When is it customary to elect a new high priest?

After the abdication procedure, the election of the Pope is also carried out, capable of replacing the current head. Therefore, during the abdication, the pontiff who descended from the throne proposes a candidate for a minister worthy (in his opinion) of such a high rank and considerable responsibility. Naturally, before revealing to others the name of the successor, the Pope first coordinates his decision with him. There is a vote. Also, if it is necessary to choose a new pope because of the deceased previous one, the decision is made by secret ballot with the participation ofdignitaries of the clergy.

What is a conclave?

It is difficult for a person who is ignorant in matters of religion to understand where this word came from. A conclave is a locked room. The conclave meeting is nothing more than a meeting of dignitaries for the election of the Pope. And 1871 was the year when the conclave began to meet in the Sistine Chapel. And to this day, the event to vote for a new high priest takes place there.

How is the election of the Pope: in stages

The highest clerics gather in the chapel. Their number does not exceed one hundred and twenty people. Cardinals who have crossed the age limit of eighty years are deprived of the right to vote, but they can be elected to such an honorary post.

The election of a new Pope takes place by secret ballot. The action is devoid of modern technology, and everything is done as hundreds of years ago. We are not even talking about any mobile phones and other modern means of communication. The Internet is unavailable during the meeting, as is any connection to the outside world. This is done in order to exclude any influence on the participants in the conclave when choosing the Pope.

The whole spirit world waits for a decision with bated breath on the other side of the "closed room". Crowds of thousands of Catholic Christians watch with reverence the trumpet of the Sistine Chapel. With a successful election of the Pope, the smoke from the chimney will go white. It is he who, with a trembling heart, believers are waiting forpeople.

Meanwhile…

While the people are waiting, the clergy are busy. On the sheet of ballot given to each cardinal, the name of the candidate is written. You need to write in such a handwriting that no one can determine whose hand was holding the pen at that moment. But the name of the alleged Supreme Pontiff should be written very clearly so that there are no additional problems.

First stage

The cardinal lifts the completed document up (having previously folded it so that it was not visible for whom the vote was cast). Holding the ballot in this way, he walks in full view of the Altar and puts the sheet in the urn.

Following all the rules of this procedure is monitored by curators specially appointed from among the electors. Sometimes it happens that for he alth reasons or due to old age, one of the voters himself cannot stand up and carry the ballot to the ballot box. In this case, the curator does the whole procedure instead. In total, three curators, three informaries and three auditors are elected during the voting.

Stage 2

When each elector puts his ballot card into the ballot box, the second stage of the sacred act begins. The curators take the filled urn and shake it to mix the cards with the names of the candidates. After the ballot box is opened, the votes are counted. At the same time, the ballots are pierced and strung on a special strong thread. If the number of registration ballots did not match the number of participants in the election of the Pope, all papers are immediately burned in order to repeat the procedure from the very beginning (distribution of ballot cards). Sowill be repeated until all electors have voted.

By the way, when burning a garland of ballots that did not fulfill their purpose in the election of the Pope, the smoke from the chimney is painted black with resin. The people at this time are sad and stock up on patience in anticipation of a second (sometimes more than one) vote.

It should be clarified that all the time until the name of the new head of the Roman Catholic Church is announced, high clerics spend in the Vatican. Rather - in the same Sistine Chapel. No wonder the meeting is called a conclave. Until the name of the elected pope is revealed to the Catholic faithful, no one will leave the chapel.

Since 1996, members of the conclave have been allowed to leave the "locked room", but only during the night's sleep. The house of St. Martha, where the cardinals spend the night during the conclave, is also located on the territory of the Vatican.

Final stage

And now comes the moment when the number of cards and the number of electors matched. The cardinal curators again count the votes and string the sheets of paper onto a thread. The election of the Pope can be called valid only if one of the candidates receives 2/3 of the votes. If this does not happen, the third (and possibly subsequent) round begins.

In case of successful completion of the counting of votes and the election of the pontiff, the ballots are again burned in the oven and, adding dry straw, color the smoke white. In addition, the bell ringing announces the successful outcome of the case. The people sighrelief, and his joy knows no bounds. Pope elected!

From history

• Conclaves can take a long time. During the elections, it even happened that some representatives of the church went to another world right in the Sistine Chapel, without knowing who would become the supreme pastor of the Catholic world.
• The longest conclave was in 1268. Then the elections were held for almost three years. After the completion of these elections, the very rules came to the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the pope is elected to this day.
• The longest reign of one pope is considered to be a pontificate that lasted almost forty years.
• The 1958 conclave brought together cardinals from Africa, India and China for the first time.

When the name of the future head of the Catholic Church becomes known, it is necessary to make sure that he agrees to the post of Supreme Pontiff. Answer: "I accept" means the closing of the conclave. The pope is elected and has the right to choose for himself the name by which the flock will call him.

From the central Loggia of Blessing, it is heard loudly: Habemus papam! This phrase translates as "Dad is with us!" The new head of the Holy See comes out onto the balcony, addressing the people awaiting his election, and gives the believers his highest Apostolic blessing.

This is how the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope, is elected.