In this Easter season, Christ’s resurrection continues to inspire hope. These are historic days in the history of the Catholic Church. Following the death of Pope Francis, the Church is now invited to select a new Peter.
I pray sincerely that the process of selecting a new pope will truly be anointed with wisdom, discernment and prayer. I pray that the cardinals fuelled with the spirit of hope will select a leader capable to present the Gospel message, knowing the signs of our times.
As the world continues to mourn the late pope, preparations are underway for the highly regulated conclave process, the means by which a new pope is elected.
The task of electing the new pope falls solely upon the members of the College of Cardinals, who are younger than 80 and otherwise eligible or able to participate, of which there are currently 134.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re (91) is the current dean of the College of Cardinals. However, he is too old to take part in the conclave, as is his vice-dean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri. So the upcoming conclave will be directed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the next most senior cardinal bishop and the Vatican’s secretary of state.
The conclave system was formalised in 1274. Normally, the day on which the conclave begins is the 15th day after the death of a pope. It can begin up to the 20th day “for serious reasons”, or earlier than the 15th day if all the cardinals are present.
The conclave will begin on 7 May with the Holy Mass for the election of the pope in St Peter’s Basilica. That afternoon, the cardinals (only the electors) will make their entrance into the Sistine Chapel, chanting the ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’, invoking the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Once inside, each cardinal will take an oath to observe the procedures, maintain secrecy and vote freely for the candidate he believes most worthy.
When the last of the cardinal electors has taken the oath, the master of papal liturgical celebrations, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, will give the order ‘extra omnes’ (everyone out), indicating that all those not taking part in the conclave must leave the Sistine Chapel.
Other than the cardinals, the only people allowed to remain in the chapel are the master of papal liturgical celebrations and a clergy member chosen to preach a meditation to the cardinals. After the meditation is given, he and the master of papal liturgical celebrations will leave the chapel.
The chapel doors will then be closed to the outside world until a new pope is chosen. The cardinals must swear to absolute secrecy both during and after the conclave process, and great care must be taken to ensure the Sistine Chapel has not been bugged.
Whenever they leave the chapel, the cardinals are not allowed to discuss anything about what took place. Inside the locked chapel, votes are taken among the cardinals once on the first afternoon session and twice on each morning and afternoon session for each day of the conclave.
During the vote, cardinals individually approach Michelangelo’s painting of the Last Judgment, profess an oath in Latin and drop their ballot into a large urn. Four rounds of balloting take place each day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
The result of each ballot is counted out loud and recorded by three designated cardinals. If no-one receives the necessary two-thirds, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke. If the electors fail to reach agreement after three days of inconclusive voting, a break of up to one day is allowed for prayer, free discussion among voters and a ‘brief spiritual exhortation’, according to the Vatican.
When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him whether he is willing to serve. If he is, the new pope chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments.
The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope.
The Roman Catholic Church has seen 266 popes during its nearly 2,000-year history. Francis was the most recent pope, who was elected following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.
There has been much speculation regarding who will be the next pope. My sense is we will be greatly surprised. The example of Pope Francis regarding humility, courage and holiness are important gifts for us all to learn.
May the Spirit of God anoint all of us as we please God and walk in pathways that are level and smooth.