A brief history of the secret meeting
that elects a pope
The white smoke, the “habemus papam” announcement, and the revelation of the new pope’s name are elements of a papal election that everyone knows about. Most of the process, though, is shrouded in secrecy. The very name of the meeting during which a pope is elected — conclave — refers to that secrecy. The name is derived from two Latin words, meaning “with a key.” In other words, after the cardinals enter the room to elect a new Successor of St. Peter, they are locked in.
It was not always that way.
Before the year 1059, the Bishop of Rome was chosen “with the participation of the ecclesial community: clergy assessed candidates proposed by the faithful, and the bishops chose the Pope,” writes Vatican News’s Lisa Zengarini.
The problem was that this left the process vulnerable to external influences and interferences from political powers. In 1059, then, Pope Nicholas II directed that only cardinals could elect the Roman Pontiff.
A couple of centuries later, in 1274, Pope Gregory X ruled that cardinals be locked in seclusion “cum clave,” from both inside and outside. This, he reasoned, would preclude any political or personal interference. There was a very good reason for Gregory’s reform: electors deliberated from 1268 to 1271 before they could decide on him. External interference was largely responsible for the delay, the longest papal election in history.
But as time went on, new reforms were introduced, and in the 20th century, several popes introduced changes. In 1945, Pope Pius XII required that when a pope dies, all cardinals cease their duties, except for the Camerlengo, the Penitentiary, and the Vicar of Rome. Later, Pope St. Paul VI decreed that only cardinals under 80 years old could vote.
There’s another feature of a conclave with which most people are familiar: its setting in the Sistine Chapel. But that was not always the case, either. Some papal elections were even held outside of Rome. The first conclave to be held in the Sistine Chapel was in 1492, and every conclave has been held there since 1878. It was only in 1996 that Pope St. John Paul II, in his Apostolic Constitution, “Universi Dominici Gregis,” confirmed the Sistine Chapel as the official location for the election of a new pope.
News from the Vatican
What to know about papal conclaves
The April 21 death of Pope Francis has left the Catholic Church in a period of sede vacante – a vacant see. But that is about to change, as cardinals from around the world enter the conclave to elect Francis’ successor.
ACN presents a number of questions that readers might have at this time, to guide you as we continue to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit to guide the College of Cardinals in their selection of the next Bishop of Rome.
A papal conclave is a special election in which eligible cardinals of the Catholic Church gather to elect a new Bishop of Rome. It is similar to an election carried out by a Synod of Bishops in an Orthodox Church or an Eastern Catholic Church to elect a new primate.
Centuries ago, the election of a new bishop of Rome was carried out by neighboring bishops and the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Rome. But over time, the process became vulnerable to outside interference, particularly from emperors and kings. After several reforms, the Tenth Ecumenical Synod in 1139 restricted the entire choice to the cardinals.
An important reform came after it took almost three years to elect a new pontiff. The 13th century Pope Gregory X decreed that cardinal electors be entirely shut out from all outside influences — locked with a key “cum clavis,” hence the word “conclave.”
“If they did not come to an agreement on a candidate in three days, their victuals were to be lessened, and after a further delay of five days, the food supply was to be still further restricted,” the Catholic Encyclopedia explains.
Although it’s become traditional for the College of Cardinals to choose among themselves who will become the next pope, technically, any baptized male can be elected, according to canon lawyer Edward Peters.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law says that a bishop who accepts legitimate papal election becomes pope immediately upon election. It’s become a tradition for a new pope to celebrate a Mass inaugurating his new ministry, but he is already pope when he appears on the balcony right after his election.
In theory, a man who is elected pope could say No. “Rumor has it that some individuals have declined the office, but because the events of the conclave are secret, no one knows for certain if this has occurred,” says OSV News.
Again, this was not always the case. Early popes kept their birth names. But in the early 6th century, a man who bore the name of a Roman god – Mercurio – was elected Bishop of Rome. Perhaps thinking that it was better to not be known as the same name as a pagan god, he changed his name to John.
The practice really caught on in the 11th century, though, and very few popes since then have kept their original names.
Rules require a two-thirds majority vote for a successful candidate. There are 133 electors in this conclave, so the first cardinal to attain 89 votes is elected pope. When that happens is anyone’s guess.
Voting occurs four times daily — twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon, according to Vatican News. If, after three days, no candidate has been chosen, voting is paused for one day of prayer, informal discussions, and a brief spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon.
But recent conclaves have not lasted more than a few days. Pope St. John Paul II was elected on the fourth day of the second conclave of 1978, following the brief pontificate of Pope John Paul I. Popes Benedict XVI and Francis were chosen in two days.
The white cassock and skull cap make a Catholic pope one of the most recognizable figures in the world. The papacy has the Dominican Order to thank for this.
“It is believed that the white cassock became standard dress for the pope because of Innocent V, who was elected in 1276,” according to the magazine U.S. Catholic. “He was a learned friar of the religious order founded by St. Dominic. As the first Dominican pope, he continued to wear the white habit of the order during his short pontificate. … His renown must have affected his successors as it soon became common for the pope to appear in daily attire consisting of a white habit similar to the dress of the Dominican order.”
The Vatican takes this seriously. According to Omnes magazine, cardinals will have their belongings searched for communication devices before they’re allowed to occupy their rooms in the Santa Marta Guesthouse. Signal jammers, anti-drone systems and laser protection are used to prevent any leakage of information, not only in the Sistine Chapel, but also in the inner perimeter of the Vatican City.
