Electing a pope: conclave, oath of secrecy, smoke from chimney

The election of a pope follows a series of choreographed rules and rituals that have been tweaked over the centuries ever since the term “conclave” or “with a key” was used in the 13th century to describe the process of locking up the cardinals until they have chosen a new pope.

The conclave to choose Pope Benedict XVI’s successor began Tuesday and will likely last several days. In the past 100 years, no conclave has lasted longer than five days. Here is the procedure to elect the 266th pope:

Who can vote

• Cardinals eligible to vote – those under age 80 – are sequestered within Vatican City and take an oath of secrecy.

• There are currently 118 cardinals under age 80 and eligible to vote, 67 of whom were appointed by Benedict. The emeritus archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Julius Darmaatjadja, who is ill, and Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who recused himself after admitting to inappropriate sexual behaviour.

• Any baptized Roman Catholic male is eligible for election as pope, but only cardinals have been selected since 1378.

What is the ritual

• The conclave’s first day begins with the “Pro eligendo Romano Pontificie” Mass for the election of a pope. In the afternoon, cardinals gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and file into the Sistine Chapel chanting the Litany of Saints and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.

• Standing under Michelangelo’s “Creation” and before his “Last Judgment,” each cardinal places his hand on a book of the Gospels and pledges “with the greatest fidelity” never to reveal the details of the conclave. A meditation on the qualities needed for the next pope and the challenges ahead for the church is delivered by Maltese Cardinal Prosper Grech.

• The master of liturgical celebrations then cries “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.” Everyone except the cardinals leaves and the voting can begin.

How the voting process works

• Two ballots are held each morning and two each afternoon in the Sistine Chapel. A two-thirds majority is required. Benedict in 2007 reverted back to this two-thirds majority rule, reversing a 1996 decision by Pope John Paul II, who had decreed that a simple majority could be invoked after about 12 days of inconclusive voting. Benedict did so to prevent cardinals from holding out for 12 days then pushing through a candidate who had only a slim majority.

• Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words “Eligo in summen pontificem,” or “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.” They approach the altar one by one and say: “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.”

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• The folded ballot is placed on a round plate and slid into an oval silver and gold urn. In the past, a single chalice was used to hold the ballots. But conclave changes made by Pope John Paul II in 1996 required three vessels: one for chapel ballots, another for ailing cardinals at the Vatican who can vote from their beds and the third to hold the ballots after counting. No cardinals are expected to require the bedside voting, but all three flying saucer-shaped urns were in the Sistine Chapel regardless.

• The ballots are then bound together with a needle and thread – each pierced through the word “Eligo” – and burned in the chapel stove along with a chemical to produce either black or white smoke.

• Up to four rounds of voting are allowed each day after the first day, and a two-thirds majority – 77 votes – is needed.

• If no one is elected after three days – by Friday afternoon – voting pauses for up to one day. Voting resumes and if no pope is elected after another seven ballots, there is another pause, and so on until about 12 days of balloting have passed.

• Under norms introduced by Benedict XVI just before he resigned, the cardinals then go to a runoff of the top two vote-getters. A two-thirds majority is required; neither of the two top candidates casts a ballot in the runoff.

• Ballots are burned after each round. Black smoke means no decision; white smoke signals that cardinals have chosen a pope and he has accepted. Bells also signal the election of a pope to help avoid possible confusion over colour of smoke coming from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

What happens when a pope is elected

• Once a cardinal has been elected pope, the master of liturgical ceremonies enters the Sistine Chapel and the senior cardinal asks “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” Assuming the cardinal says “I accept,” the senior cardinal then asks: “By what name do you wish to be called?” The master of liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini, then enters the information on a formal document.

• At this point, white smoke pours out of the Sistine Chapel chimney and bells of St. Peters toll.

• The new pope then changes into his papal white cassock, and one-by-one the cardinals approach him to swear their obedience.

• In a change for this conclave, the new pope will stop and pray in the Pauline Chapel for a few minutes before emerging on the loggia of the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Preceding him to the balcony is French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the protodeacon, who announces “Habemus Papam!” Latin for “We have a pope” and then introduces him to the world in Latin.

• The new pope then emerges and delivers his first public words as pope.

How is the new pope announced

• The new pope is introduced from the loggia overlooking St. Peter’s Square with the words “Habemus Papam!” (Latin for “We have a pope!”) and he then imparts his first blessing.

• Pope John Paul II charmed the crowd of thousands on Oct. 16, 1978 when he first emerged on the loggia, no easy task given his predecessor had only lived as pope for 33 days and Karol Wojtyla was the first non-Italian elected in 455 years. Noting that he came from a far-away land – Poland – he told the crowd that he would speak in their (“our”) language. “If I make a mistake, you will correct me,” he said to cheers. Retired Pope Benedict XVI offered a similarly modest gesture on April 19, 2005, telling the crowd he was but a simple “humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”

• Once the new pope is selected he will spend his first night as pontiff in a special room in the Vatican’s Santa Marta hotel. It features a bed with a heavy, dark wood headboard featuring a carved image of Christ’s face. The residence also contains a restaurant, confessionals and a chapel.

With files from the Associated Press