Tag Archives: white smoke

The 2013 Conclave Begins: Electing The New Pope

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“May the Lord, who guides our hearts in the love and patience of Christ, be with you all.”

“Venerable Brothers, after having celebrated the divine mystery, we now enter into Conclave to elect the Roman Pontiff.
The entire Church, joined with us in prayer, constantly calls upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, to elect from among us a worthy Pastor of all of Christ’s flock.
May the Lord direct our steps along the path of truth, so that, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, we may always do that which is pleasing to him.”

With these words, once the mass  “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontefice” (“For the Election of the Roman Pontiff”) is over, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will invite all those Cardinals elegible to vote, to proceed to the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave will take place.

papal-conclave2

“Leeeeeeeet’s get ready toooooooooo  …  cast a vote!”

The ballots have been printed and cut, the two stoves have been installed, and the chimney has been put in place.

The Conclave officially starts at 5:00 p.m. – after prayers, the Cardinals will hold a first vote.

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Short Conclave 2013 expected

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The election of a new Pope starting on Tuesday is expected to be only a short procedure. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the ANSA News Agency the election process could be over “very quickly”.

Observers expect a relatively short Conclave 2013. The Roman newspaper “La Repubblica” reported on Sunday, that many Cardinals expected that a new Church leader would be found soon. With four daily ballots, the Cardinals want to elect a new pontiff in the upcoming conclave.

Smoke after two ballots

On Tuesday evening, the opening day, a first vote is already scheduled, in accordance with the electoral code. “With four rounds per day, it is easy to orient the votes on those candidates who can unite the strongest consent on themselves,” Lombardi said.

As of Wednesday, the 115 electors want to cast a vote twice each morning and afternoon. If the ballot fails, the second followes immediately; afterwards, the ballots are burned along with a dark smoke cartridge. This should be the case each day around noon and 7:00 p.m., Lombardi announced reported. Once the election was successful, the notes will be burned immediately with a white smoke cartridge.

Full day program

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An insight into the Papal Conclave 2013

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The Pope election rules of the Roman Catholic Church regulate the Conclave to the smallest detail – including the nature of the ballot. Although black or white smoke are not mentioned.

“The ballots must be rectangular and must contain if possible in the upper half of the printed form the words: Eligo in Summum Pontificem, while the lower half must remain free to write the name of the selected here.” So it is written in section 65 of the Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis” of Pope John Paul II, the Pope’s election regulations currently in effect for the Conclave.

papal-ballotPapal voting card

But not only the nature of the ballot is regulated in detail. The Pope election rules dating back to 1996, which were changed in one point by Benedict XVI in 2007, contain some strict provisions, which go far beyond the election process itself.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals shall preside at the election, unless he is over 80 and thus no longer eligible to vote. In this case, he will be replaced by the Vice-Dean. If he is also over 80, the oldest of the highest ranking Cardinals takes over. This scenario will occur in the current conclave. Dean Angelo Sodano and Subdean Roger Etchegaray are over 80, so the 79-year-old retired Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops Giovanni Battista Re will take over the presidency of the conclave.

Room distribution by lot

During the conclave, the cardinals will reside in the premises of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the guest house of the Vatican. The rooms are – mandatory by the electoral law – allocated by lottery. In addition to the Cardinals a few more people are involved, who need to swear under oath their ‘obligation to secrecy’. These include, among others, “two doctors for emergencies”, “some religious priests of different languages ​​for confession” and “an appropriate number” of people “for service and cleaning.”

What happens behind the doors of the Sistine Chapel, is to stay there. The Electoral Code provides a number of steps to prevent eavesdropping.

sistine-chapelSistine chapel

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