As the papers are counted, one of the scrutineers calls out the names of those cardinals who have received votes. He pierces each paper with a needle - through the word "Eligio" - placing all the ballots on a single thread.
The ballot papers are then burned - giving off the smoke visible to onlookers outside which traditionally turns from black to white once a new pope has been chosen. Damp straw was once added to the stove to turn the smoke black, but over the years there has often been confusion over the colour of the smoke. More recently a dye has been used. If a second vote is to take place immediately, the ballots from the first vote are put on one side and then burned together with those from the second vote.
The process continues until one candidate has achieved the required majority. Pope John Paul II changed the rules of election in Previously, a candidate had to secure a majority of two-thirds to be elected pope two-thirds plus one vote if the number of cardinals does not divide by three. In , Pope Benedict passed a decree reverting back to the two-thirds majority, thus encouraging cardinals to reach consensus, rather than one bloc backing a candidate with more than half the votes and then holding out for 12 days to ensure his election.
If after three days of balloting nobody has gained the two-thirds majority, voting is suspended for a maximum of one day to allow a pause for prayer, informal discussion and what is described as "a brief spiritual exhortation" by the senior cardinal in the Order of Deacons. At the end of the election, a document is drawn up giving the results of the voting at each session, and handed over to the new pope. It is kept in an archive in a sealed envelope, which can be opened only on the orders of the pope.
The only clue about what is going on inside the Sistine Chapel is the smoke that emerges twice a day from burning the ballot papers. Black signals failure. The traditional white smoke means a new pope has been chosen. After the election of the new pope has been signalled by white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney, there will be a short delay before his identity is finally revealed to the world. Once one candidate has attained the required majority, he is then asked: "Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?
Having given his consent, the new pope is asked: "By what name do you wish to be called? After he has chosen a name, the other cardinals then approach the new pope to make an act of homage and obedience.
The new pope also has to be fitted into his new robes. The papal tailor will have prepared garments to dress a pope of any size - small, medium or large - but some last-minute adjustments may be required. Then, from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the traditional announcement will echo around the square: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum His name is then revealed, and the newly-elected pontiff will make his first public appearance. After saying a few words, the pope will give the traditional blessing of Urbi et Orbi - "to the city and the world" - and a new pontificate will have begun.
During its first centuries of existence, the Catholic Church and the papacy were closely tied to Roman politics. He is famous for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome to covert the then pagan Anglo-Saxons in England to Christianity. Some may be shocked to know that throughout history popes have lead armies, levied taxes and commanded kings and queens.
Pope John Paul II largely influenced this world-view of the Pope, as he embraced his role as a spiritual leader and elevated the papacy into a position of considerable global influence. For the most part, prior to his tenure, popes conducted their affairs largely within Rome. As the most travelled Pope in history, Pope John helped propel the papacy onto the international stage.
During his travels, he defended human rights, individual liberties, and social justice, inspiring political change in places like Africa, the Philippines, and Haiti. With these changing attitudes and developments of the papacy in mind, we will now look at how a pope is chosen. From about the s onwards, a new pope was chosen when the old one died. He announced that the reason behind his resignation was due to his declining health and old age.
This was an unexpected move and put into motion the process of selecting a new pope. This is done by first summoning the College of Cardinals to Rome whose responsibility it is to choose the next pope.
The two popes, one in Avignon and one in Rome, both claimed to be the true leader of the church, going so far as to excommunicate each other. A council held in Pisa in sought to bridge the divide, but it only succeeded in adding a third pope to the mix. Finally, at the Council of Constance in what is now Germany, all three popes either resigned or were deposed. The Western Schism, as this fiasco became known, ended with the election of Martin V in Since the end of the Western Schism, the conclave has taken place in Rome every time but once.
The exception occurred in following the death of Pius VI, who had been taken prisoner during the French Revolution and exiled to France. Getting to the conclave used to be especially hard for American cardinals. Later U. There are only two requirements for becoming pope: being male and being baptized into the Catholic Church. Only cardinals younger than 80 can vote. In , Paul VI limited voting at conclaves to those cardinals younger than 80, reportedly as a way of building in term limits and preventing the elderly from having to travel to Rome.
Many in the over crowd still show up, however, and participate in pre-conclave meetings devoted to preparatory matters and discussions about the future of the church.
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