Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J., editor in chief of America,
the Catholic weekly magazine, and author of Inside
the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church
(Harvard University Press, 1996), answers questions about the transition from
one papacy to the next. This page will be updated as needed. Journalists with
questions, suggestions or corrections, may contact Father Reese at americaeditor@americamagazine.org.
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The interregnum and election of a new pope are governed by the rules
established in the 1996 constitution Universi
Dominici Gregis ("Of the Lord's Whole Flock") of John Paul II.
When the pope dies, the prefect of the papal household (Bishop James Harvey)
informs the camerlengo or chamberlain who must verify his death in the presence
of the papal master of ceremonies, the cleric prelates of the Apostolic Camera,
and the secretary of the Apostolic Camera who draws up a death certificate. As
late as 1903, at the death of Leo XIII, this was done by striking the forehead
of the pope with a silver hammer. It may also have been used on John XXIII. One
colleague remembers a picture in Life magazine (which I have not had time to
look for) in 1958 showing Cardinal Tisserant, then Dean of the College of
Cardinals, striking the dead Pope on the forehead and asking, three times,
"Eugenio, are you dead?" after each stroke, before saying: "I
declare that His Holiness Pope Pius XII is truly dead". The camerlengo
(Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo) tells the vicar of Rome (Cardinal Camillo
Ruini) of the pope’s death and the vicar then informs the people of Rome.
Meanwhile the prefect of the papal household tells the dean (Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger) of the college of cardinals who informs the rest of the college, the
ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, and the heads of nations. Although this
is the formal procedure, in fact most people will first hear of the death of the
pope from the media.
The camerlengo locks and seals the private apartment of the pope. In the past
looting of papal apartments by his staff, the cardinals or the Roman populace
was a common custom. Today popes are more concerned that their private papers
not get into the wrong hands. If the pope writes a will, the executor he
appoints will take care of his private property and his private papers. This
executor is answerable only to the next pope. The pope’s Fisherman’s ring
and his seal are broken to symbolize the end of his reign and to prevent
forgeries. No autopsy is performed, which can lead to wild media speculation if
the pope dies suddenly as occurred with John Paul I.
After the death of the pope, the cardinals arrange for the funeral rites for
the pope, to be celebrated for nine consecutive days, in accordance with the Ordo
Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis. The date for the funeral and burial is set by
the college of cardinals but Universi Dominici Gregis states it is to
"take place, except for special reasons, between the fourth and sixth day
after death." The funeral is arranged by the camerlengo in accordance with
instructions left him by the pope.
All the cardinals and archbishops in charge of departments in the Roman
curia, including the secretary of state (Cardinal Angelo Sodano), lose their
jobs when the pope dies. The ordinary faculties of these offices, which are run
by their secretaries during the interregnum, do not cease on the death of the
pope, but serious and controversial matters are to await the election of a new
pope. The offices are run by their secretaries who remain in position, as do the
secretary for relations with states (Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo) and the
sostituto (Archbishop Leonardo Sandri). If the matter cannot be postponed, the
college of cardinals can entrust it to prefect or president who was in charge of
the office when the pope died (or to other cardinals who were members of that
congregation or council). Any decision made is provisional until confirmed by
new pope.
Three major officials do not lose their jobs: the vicar of the diocese of
Rome (Cardinal Camillo Ruini), the major penitentiary (Cardinal J. Francis
Stafford) and the camerlengo. The vicar for Rome provides for the pastoral needs
of the diocese of Rome and continues to have all of the powers he had under the
pope. The major penitentiary deals with confessional matters reserved to the
Holy See, and he is allowed to continue because door to forgiveness should never
be closed.
The camerlengo (Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo) is the most important
official during the interregnum. While the pope is alive, he has the authority
to act for the pope in certain areas when the pope is away from Rome. On the
death of the pope, the camerlengo takes charge of and administers the property
and money of the Holy See with the help of three cardinal assistants who are
chosen by lot from among those cardinals under 80. During the interregnum he
reports to the college of cardinals, which governs the church until a pope is
elected. He also organizes the conclave.
Although the government of the church is in the hands of the college of
cardinals until a new pope is elected, the powers of the college are limited. It
cannot change the rules governing papal elections, appoint cardinals, or make
any decisions binding on the next pope. The cardinals meet daily in a general
congregation presided over by the dean of the college until the conclave begins.
All the cardinals attend the general congregation although attendance by those
over 80 is optional. A commission headed by the camerlengo with three cardinals
(chosen by lot and replaced every three days from among the cardinals under 80)
can deal with lesser issues.
Even discussion, let alone campaigning, prior to the death of a pope is
strictly forbidden. The prohibition against discussing papal succession while
the pope is still alive dates back to Felix IV (526-530), who instructed the
clergy and the Roman Senate to elect his archdeacon, Boniface, as his successor.
The senate objected and passed an edict forbidding any discussion of a pope's
successor during his lifetime.
Discussions prior to the conclave do occur privately among cardinals, but
public campaigning even after the pope's death is frowned upon and would
probably be counterproductive. Cardinals who travel a lot are sometimes
suspected of traveling so that they can meet and become known to other cardinals
prior to the conclave. The cardinals have also gotten to know each other at
synods of bishops, extraordinary consistories and other meetings where they see
each other in action. Normally the discussion of candidates is done privately by
cardinals over dinner or in small groups.
Unless circumstances prevent it, the conclave takes place inside Vatican City
and begins 15 days after death of the pope. For serious reasons, the cardinals
can defer the beginning of the conclave, but it must begin within 20 days of the
pope's death. The actual date and time is set by the college of cardinals. The
actual election is in the Sistine Chapel, with the cardinals living in the
five-story Domus Sanctae Marthae, a Vatican residence with 105 two-room suites
and 26 single rooms built in 1996, which is vacated of its normal residents
during a conclave. The rooms are assigned by lot. A number of elections in the
19th century were held in the Quirinal Palace, which was one of the pope's
palaces until the fall of the Papal States in 1870. The last election to take
place outside Rome was in Venice in 1800.
In the 13th century the papacy was vacant for a year and a half before the
election of Innocent IV and for three and a half years before the installation
of Gregory X. In the first case the election was finally forced by the senate
and people of Rome, who locked up the cardinals until a pope was chosen in 1243.
Likewise, in the second case, the people of Viterbo in 1271 not only locked the
cardinals in, but tore off the roof of the building and put the cardinals on a
diet of bread and water. The word "conclave" comes from the Latin,
"with a key," as locked with a key. Today the cardinals are locked in
to ensure secrecy and to protect them from outside influence. Before the
conclave begins, all telephones, cell phones, radios, televisions and internet
connections are removed. No letters or newspapers are permitted. All the rooms
are swept for electronic bugs by trained technicians. Whether this will be
sufficient to stop more sophisticated eavesdropping remains to be seen.
All cardinals under 80 years of age when the pope dies have the right to vote
for the next pope, unless they have been canonically deposed or, with the
permission of the pope, renounced the cardinalate. Even an excommunicated
cardinal can attend. A cardinal who had resigned and joined Bonaparte attempted
to enter the 1800 conclave but was turned away. Once inside the conclave, an
elector may not leave except because of illness or other grave reasons
acknowledged by a majority of the cardinals.
Also permitted in the conclave are nurses for infirm cardinals, two medical
doctors, religious priests who can hear confessions in various languages, the
secretary of the college of cardinals, the master of papal liturgical
celebrations with two masters of ceremonies and two religious attached to the
papal sacristy, and an assistant chosen by the cardinal dean. Also permitted are
a suitable number of persons for preparing and serving meals and for
housekeeping. They must swear absolute and perpetual secrecy concerning anything
they learn concerning the election of the pope.
All cardinals under 80 years of age when the pope dies have the right to vote
for the next pope. Currently (March 29, 2005) there are 117 cardinal electors,
all but three appointed by John Paul II. Additional Cardinals turning 80 in 2005
include: Marco Ce (July 8), Alvarez Martinez (July 14), Razafindratandra (August
7) and Falcao (October 23).
The average age of the electors is 71.7 years of age. About 49.6% are from
Europe--17.1% from Italy; 22.2% from the rest of Western Europe (including
Berlin); 10.3% from Eastern Europe. About 37.3% are from the Third World. Asia
and Africa have 9.4% each; Latin America 17.9%; Oceania, 1.7%. The USA has 9.4%
(not counting Cardinal Husar, who gave up his U.S. citizen after returning to
Ukraine), second only to Italy; Canada 2.6%. Curial cardinals make up about
23.9% of the electors.
The maximum number of cardinals was set at 70 by Sixtus V in 1586. John XXIII
ignored this limit and the college grew to over 80 cardinals. In 1970 Paul VI
reformed the college of cardinals by increasing the number of electors to 120,
not counting those 80 years of age and over who were excluded as electors. John
Paul II exceeded this limit by two in 1998 and by 15 in 2001 and 2003.
John Paul II has made the college less Italian and more Eastern European. At
the death of Paul VI in 1978, 23.7% of the college was Italian and 5.3% was from
Eastern Europe (not counting Berlin); today, 16.9% is Italian and 10.2% is
Eastern European. There are also slightly more Latin Americans: today 18.6%
versus 16.7% in 1978. The percent from Africa (9.3% versus 10.5%) are Asia (9.3%
versus 8.8%) are almost exactly the same. The percent from the U.S. is 9.3%
today versus 10.5% in 1978.
Although the college of cardinals elects the pope today, this was not the
rule until the 11th century. A few early popes, including St. Peter, may
have appointed their successors, but this method did not gain acceptance. In the
early church, popes were usually chosen by the clergy and people of Rome in the
same way that bishops in other dioceses were elected. The one elected was then
ordained by bishops of the surrounding towns. This democratic process worked
well when the church was small and united. But disagreements led to factions who
fought over the papacy. As early as 217 the Christians of Rome were so divided
over an election that fighting broke out. Pagan soldiers broke up the fight and
exiled both men to the Sardinian tin mines. In 366, mobs and hired thugs from
opposing factions invaded churches and killed opponents by the hundreds. Roman
nobles, emperors and kings began interfering in papal elections as the church
became rich and powerful.
After the eighth century, the papal electors were limited to the Roman
clergy. This followed the pattern of other dioceses where the clergy elected the
bishop. The man elected pope was normally a priest or deacon. A bishop was not
elected until 891 (Formosus) because it was considered improper for a bishop to
leave the diocese for which he had originally been ordained a bishop. A bishop
was considered "married" to his diocese and moving to another diocese
was comparable to adultery.
Nicholas II (1059-1061) proposed a system whereby the cardinal bishops would
meet to nominate a candidate and then invite in the cardinal priests to vote on
him. Alexander III modified this system by including all the cardinals in the
election process from the beginning. Since 1179, only cardinals have voted for
the pope except for the 1417 election ending the Western Schism. In this
election, 30 representatives chosen from the Council of Constance joined the 23
cardinals (5 from the Roman line and 18 from the Pisa line) in electing the new
pope.
The cardinals are divided into three orders or categories: cardinal deacons,
cardinal priests, and cardinal bishops. The cardinal priests were the pastors of
major churches in Rome and the cardinal deacons were important administrators in
the diocese, often of what we would call charities or social services today. The
cardinal bishops were the bishops of the six dioceses surrounding Rome. In the
11th century popes began appointing prelates in distant lands as cardinals.
Sometimes laymen were also appointed cardinals but it was normally expected that
they would receive at least minor orders. John XXIII decreed that all of the
cardinals be bishops although he kept the three orders. Some priests, like Avery
Dulles, made cardinals after the age of 80 have been exempted from becoming
bishops.
On the morning the conclave begins, the cardinal electors celebrate Mass in
St. Peter's Basilica. In the afternoon, they gather in the Pauline Chapel in the
Apostolic Palace and solemnly process to the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals take
an oath to observe the rules laid down in Universi Dominici Gregis,
especially those enjoining secrecy. They also swear not to support interference
in the election by any secular authorities or "any group of people or
individuals who might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman
pontiff." Finally, the electors swear that whoever is elected will carry
out the "munus Petrinum of pastor of the universal church" and
will "affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal rights and
liberty of the Holy See." Another section of the constitution says that the
new pope is not bound by any oaths or promises made prior to his election.
After the oath is taken, everyone not connected with the conclave is ordered
out with the Latin words "Extra omnes." The Sistine Chapel and
the Domus Sanctae Marthae are closed to unauthorized persons by the camerlengo.
Outside the conclave, the camerlengo is assisted by the sostituto of the
Secretariat of State, who directs Vatican personnel to protect the integrity and
security of the conclave.
After everyone else leaves, an ecclesiastic, chosen earlier by the college of
cardinals, gives a meditation "concerning the grave duty incumbent on them
and thus on the need to act with right intention for the good of the universal
church, solum Deum prae oculis habentes [having only God before your
eyes]." When he finishes, he leaves the Sistine Chapel with the master of
papal liturgical ceremony so that only the cardinal electors remain. The time in
the chapel is for prayer and voting in silence, not campaign speeches.
Negotiations and arguments are to take place outside the chapel. If they wish,
the cardinals can immediately begin the election process and hold one ballot on
the afternoon of the first day. If no one receives the required two-thirds votes
in the balloting on the afternoon of the first day, the cardinals meet again the
next morning.
The regulations for balloting are very detailed to eliminate any suspicion of
electoral fraud--no hanging chads here. Three "scrutineers" (vote
counters) are chosen by lot from the electors, with the least senior cardinal
deacon drawing the names. He draws three additional names of cardinals (called infirmarii)
who will collect the ballots of any cardinals in the conclave who are too sick
to come to the Sistine Chapel. A final three names are drawn by lot to act as
revisers who review the work done by the scrutineers. Each morning and
afternoon, new scrutineers, infirmarii, and revisers are chosen by lot.
The electors use rectangular cards as ballots with "Eligo in summum
pontificem" (“I elect as supreme pontiff”) printed at the top. When
folded down the middle the ballot is only one inch wide. Each cardinal in secret
prints or writes the name of his choice on the ballot in a way that disguises
his handwriting. One at a time, in order of precedence, the cardinals approach
the altar with their folded ballot held up so that it can be seen. On the altar
there is a receptacle (traditionally a large chalice) covered by a plate (a
paten). After kneeling in prayer for a short time, the cardinal rises and
swears, "I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my
vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected." He then
places the ballot on the plate. Finally he picks up the plate and uses it to
drop the ballot into the receptacle. The use of the plate makes it difficult for
a cardinal to drop two ballots into the chalice.
The first scrutineer uses the plate as a cover when shaking the receptacle to
mix the ballots. The last scrutineer counts the ballots before they are
unfolded. If the number of ballots does not correspond to the number of
electors, the ballots are burned without being counted and another vote is
immediately taken. If the number of ballots does match the number of electors,
the scrutineers, who are sitting at a table in front of the altar, begin
counting the votes.
The first scrutineer unfolds the ballot, notes the name on a piece of paper,
and passes the ballot to the second scrutineer. He notes the name and passes the
ballot to the third scrutineer, who reads it aloud for all the cardinals to
hear. If there are two names on a single ballot, the ballot is not counted. The
last scrutineer pierces each ballot with a threaded needle through the word
"Eligo" and places it on the thread. After all the ballots have
been read, the ends of the thread are tied and the ballots thus joined are
placed in an empty receptacle. The scrutineers then add up the totals for each
candidate. Finally, the three revisers check both the ballots and the notes of
the scrutineers to make sure that they performed their task faithfully and
exactly.
To be elected, two thirds of the votes are required, calculated on the basis
of the total number of electors present. Should it be impossible to divide the
number of cardinals present into three equal parts, for the validity of the
election one additional vote is required. Thus if the current 117 cardinal
electors were present, 78 votes would be required to elect a new pope.
The ballots and notes (including those made by any cardinal) are then burned
unless another vote is to take place immediately. The ballots are burned by the
scrutineers with the assistance of the secretary of the conclave and the master
of ceremonies, who adds special chemicals to make the smoke white or black.
Since 1903, white smoke has signaled the election of a pope; black smoke signals
an inconclusive vote. The only written record of the voting permitted is a
document prepared by the camerlengo, and approved by the three cardinal
assistants, which is prepared at the end of the election and gives the results
of each session. This document is given to the new pope and then placed in the
archives in a sealed envelope that may be opened by no one unless the pope gives
permission.
The conclave lasts until a new pope is elected. The last conclave to go more
than five days was in 1831: it lasted fifty-four days. In the 13th century the
papacy was vacant for a year and a half before the election of Innocent IV and
for three and a half years before the installation of Gregory X. Since then 29
conclaves have lasted a month or more. Often wars or civil disturbances in Rome
caused these lengthy interregnums. Sometimes delays were caused by the
cardinals, who enjoyed the power and financial rewards of running the papacy
without a pope. These abuses led to rules governing an interregnum and requiring
the speedy calling of a conclave.
If no one receives the required two-thirds votes in the balloting on the
afternoon of the first day, the cardinals meet again the next morning. If they
are again unsuccessful, they immediately vote again. From then on, there can be
two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon. Each morning and afternoon,
new scrutineers, infirmarii, and revisers are chosen by lot. If a second
vote takes place, the materials from two votes are burned at the same time. Thus
twice a day there will be black smoke from the stove until a pope is elected.
If after three days the cardinals have still not elected anyone, the voting
sessions can be suspended for one day for prayer and discussion among the
electors. During this intermission, a brief spiritual exhortation is given by
the senior cardinal deacon. Then another seven votes take place followed by a
suspension and an exhortation by the senior cardinal priest. Another seven votes
take place followed by a suspension and an exhortation by the senior cardinal
bishop. Voting is then resumed for another seven ballots.
If no candidate receives a two-thirds vote after all of these ballots, the
camerlengo invites the electors to express an opinion about the manner of
proceeding. It is at this point that John Paul II dramatically changed the
election process by allowing an absolute majority (more than half) of the
electors to waive the requirement of a two-thirds majority vote. Thus, an
absolute majority of the electors can decide to elect the pope by an absolute
majority. They can also decide to force a choice between the two candidates who
in the preceding ballot received the greatest number of votes. In this second
case only an absolute majority is required.
As a consequence, if an absolute majority of the electors favored a candidate
in the first ballot of the first day of the conclave, in theory they could hold
firm for about 12 days through about 30 votes until they could change the rules
and elect their candidate. In the past, the two-thirds requirement was an
incentive for the electors to compromise or move to another candidate. Now a
majority does not have to compromise. It can hold tight, while the minority is
encouraged to give in since everyone knows that eventually the majority will
prevail. In actuality, the minority would undoubtedly give in rather than
scandalize the faithful and upset the man who inevitably would become pope.
John Paul II did not explain in Universi Dominici Gregis why he made
this change. Perhaps John Paul fears a long conclave. By giving the cardinals
more comfortable quarters, he reduced the discomfort factor that discouraged
long conclaves. Allowing the cardinals to elect a pope with an absolute majority
reduces the likelihood of a conclave going on for months. On the other hand,
allowing an absolute majority to elect a pope after about 12 days increases of
the likelihood of a conclave lasting that long.
In theory, any man can be elected who is willing to be baptized and ordained
a priest and bishop. He does not have to be at the conclave. The last
noncardinal elected was Urban VI (1378). The last cardinal to be elected pope
who was a priest but not a bishop was Gregory XVI (1831). Callistus III (Affonso
Borgia 1455) was the last person to be elected who was not a priest. Most likely
a cardinal elector will be elected, all of whom today are bishops. Of the nine
popes who lived in the 20th century (beginning with Leo XIII), their average age
at the time of election was 65 years with John XXIII the oldest at 76 and John
Paul II the youngest at 58.
I think that the next pope will be a cardinal who is between 62 and 72 years
of age, speaks Italian and English, who reflects John Paul's positions (liberal
on social justice and peace, traditional in church teaching and practice, and
ecumenical but convinced the church has the truth) but has a very different
personality, and is a supporter of less centralization in the church and
therefore probably not a curial cardinal.
Age. The average age of popes elected during the 20th century was
65--John XXIII was the oldest at 76; John Paul II was 58. The average age of
current cardinals is 71.7. Some argue that the cardinals will elect an elderly
cardinal because they will not want another long papacy. On the other hand, do
they want to elect an elderly cardinal who will soon be elderly and sick like
the current pope? I don't think so.
Languages. John Paul has shown how important it is for the pope to be
multilingual. Italian is important because it is the language of the people of
Rome for whom the pope is bishop. It is also the working language of the Vatican
curia. English is important because it is almost everyone's first or second
language. Spanish is valuable because it is the language of so many Catholics.
Languages are also important because the cardinals will want to be able to talk
to the pope in a language they are comfortable with.
Positions. John Paul has appointed all but three of the current
cardinals under the age of 80 who will elect his successor. In appointing
cardinals, John Paul II has done what anyone would do if they were pope--he has
appointed men who agree with him on the major issues that face the church. The
next conclave, as a result, will not elect someone who will reject the legacy of
John Paul. With the next pope, we will see more continuity than change.
But governance style could change. For example, the cardinals may look for
someone who would allow more decentralization in decision making in the church,
with more power to individual bishops and bishops conferences rather than the
Vatican curia. Over three quarters of the cardinals are diocesan bishops who,
even if conservative, may prefer to have less interference from Vatican
bureaucrats.
As a result, there will be more continuity than change in church doctrine and
policy. That means someone who is liberal on political and economic issues but
traditional on sexual morality and internal church issues. Someone who supports
ecumenical and interreligious dialogue but is convinced the church has the
truth. In short, I do not support the "pendulum" theory when it comes
to doctrine, but it may be true on personality and governance style (see below).
Personality. While there will be a continuity in policy, there will be
a change in personality because there is no one in the college with John Paul's
personality and cloning is against church teaching. There is no one with a
personality like John Paul's in the college of cardinals, with a background as a
Polish actor, intellectual, teacher who grew up under Nazism and Communism.
Less Centralization. When the cardinals gather in conclave, they will
praise John Paul of happy memory, but there may be a backlash against the
Vatican curia whose power has grown during this papacy. Even the most
conservative cardinal wants to run his diocese the way he thinks best without
interference from Rome. As a result, the cardinals may look for someone who
would support more decentralization of decision making in the church--more power
to bishops and bishops' conferences.
Not a Curial Cardinal. Seventy-five percent of the cardinals are
diocesan bishops who are running local churches. They want someone who knows
what it is like to be a local bishop, not simply a Vatican bureaucrat. Many
Cardinals working in the curia had diocesan experience before they came to Rome,
and some Vatican officials left the curia and became cardinals as archbishops of
local churches. These cardinals with both experiences have an advantage. Of the
popes elected during the 20th century, only Pius XII had no diocesan experience,
and only three (Pius X, John Paul I and John Paul II) never worked in the
Vatican. The remaining five had worked in the curia but were leaders of
archdioceses when elected pope.
John Allen, the Roman correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, is an
astute observer with good sources. Here is his Top Ten list (in alphabetical
order, not in order of electability):
Since there has been much discussion of the possibility of electing an
Italian or Third World pope, in a
Mar. 5, 2004, e-column, John Allen listed his top five Italian and Third
World candidates:
Italian
Almost zero. First, Americans are not great linguists, although a number of
the U.S. Cardinals know Spanish. Second, and most important, the cardinals would
worry about how the election of an American would be perceived around the world,
especially in the third world and Muslim nations. Many in the third world would
think that the CIA fixed the election or Wall Street bought. Muslims would fear
that an American pope was going to be a chaplain for the White House. Finally,
through the centuries, the church has tried to keep the papacy out of the hands
of the reigning superpower whether it be the Holy Roman Empire, France or Spain.
When France captured the papacy it moved it to Avignon in 1309 where it stayed
until 1377.
Tip O'Neil was correct, "All politics is local," even in the
Catholic Church.
The cardinals from the Third World have people who are starving and suffering
from the negative impact of globalization of the economy. They will want a pope
who will speak out for social justice, forgiveness of Third World debt and be
willing to stand up to the American superpower. Cardinals from Africa and Asia
are confronted by growing Islamic fundamentalism. They will want a pope who
understands Islam and will not use inflammatory words like "crusade,"
as did President George W. Bush. They want a pope who, like John Paul, will
support dialogue with Muslims but at the same time stand up for the rights of
Catholics. On the other hand, in Latin America there are few Muslims. Their
concern is the Evangelicals and Pentecostals who are "stealing their
sheep." In North America and Europe, the cardinals will want a pope who
supports ecumenical dialogue with Protestants and Jews. Granted the growing
alienation of educated women, they would also want someone who projects an
understanding of women's concerns. The last thing they would want, for example,
is a pope who decided to get rid of altar girls. The American cardinals would
also want someone who understands and supports what they are doing to deal with
the sexual abuse crisis.
One issue that may unite them is a desire for less curial interference in
local church affairs.
The cardinal dean asks the man, "Do you accept your canonical election
as supreme pontiff?" Rarely does anyone say no. When offered the papacy at
the 1271 Viterbo conclave, St. Philip Benizi fled and hid until another
candidate was chosen. Likewise St. Charles Borromeo, one of the few cardinals to
be canonized, turned down the papacy. When Cardinal Giovanni Colombo, the
76-year-old archbishop of Milan, began receiving votes during the October 1978
conclave, he made it clear that he would refuse the papacy if elected. If the
man says yes, then he becomes pope immediately if he is already a bishop. The
rest is simply ceremony. If he is not a bishop, he is to be ordained immediately
by the cardinal dean and becomes pope as soon as he is ordained a bishop. The
dean in ancient times was the bishop of Ostia, a nearby town.
He is then asked by what name he wants to be called. The first pope to change
his name was John II in 533. His given name, Mercury, was considered
inappropriate since it was the name of a pagan god. Another pope in 983 took the
name John XIV because his given name was Peter. Reverence for the first pope
precluded his becoming Peter II. At the end of the first millennium a couple of
non-Italian popes changed their names to ones that their people could more
easily pronounce. The custom of changing one's name became common around the
year 1009. The last pope to keep his own name was Marcellus II, elected in 1555.
The cardinals then approach the new pope and make an act of homage and
obedience. A prayer of thanksgiving is then said, and then the senior cardinal
deacon announces to the people in St. Peters Square that the election has taken
place and the name of the new pope. The pope then may speak to the crowd and
grant his first solemn blessing "urbi et orbi," to the city and
the world. John Paul I and John Paul II prolonged the conclave until the
following morning so that they could meet and dine with the cardinals.
John Paul II had audiences for diplomats and the press in the week after his
election. The inauguration mass took place on Oct. 22, six days after the
election (in the past this would have involved crowning the pope with the papal
tiara, but since John Paul I involves the receiving of the pallium). Later still
he took possession of his cathedral, St. John Lateran.
