Death and Election of the Pope

By Daniel J. Wathen
Seminarian of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings

The Sede Vacante period, or the Vacant See, is the term used to denote the period within the Catholic Church from the death of a pontiff to the election of another successor of Saint Peter. It is a time when the eyes of the world focus on the smallest sovereign nation in the world—the Vatican City State—and watch with wonder and awe at what is taking place.

The announcement of the death of Pope John Paul II has brought an end for many of us the only pontificate that we have known in our lifetime, a pontificate which has lasted more than twenty-six years. The See of Saint Peter—the Holy See—though, may not lie vacant forever. A shepherd must be selected to lead the Church that that Christ founded on earth.

With the passing of the Holy Father, the Camerlengo (Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo, Spain) became the single most important person in the Vatican. After entering the room where the Holy Father expired, the Camerlengo called out the baptismal name of the Pope, which he has not been called by since his election. With no answer to the third calling, the Camerlengo announced “Vere Johannes Paulus II mortuus est” (Truly Pope John Paul II is dead), a fact that was officially certified by the notaries, the Master of Ceremonies and by three physicians.

Once the Pope’s body was taken from the Papal bedroom, the Camerlengo sealed it along with the papal study so that no one may enter them. After this, he informed the Vicar General of Rome (Camillo Cardinal Ruini, Italy) of the death of the Pope, who in turn ordered all the church bells of Rome to announce the death to the people of Rome. With the announcement having been made, Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic constitution concerning the Sede Vacante period, calls upon all of the faithful from around the world to pray in a special way for the Church and for a speedy election.

While the world was learning of the Pope’s death, the Penitentiaries—the black robed Conventual Franciscans that hear confessions in every language at the Basilica of Saint Peter—prepared the Pope’s body for viewing and laid him in state in the Sistine Chapel. The day after the Pope’s death, furthermore, began a period of nine days of mourning called the Novemdial. While the Papal Funeral usually takes place within three days, until the Pope is buried, it is historically a time period noted, at least ever since the year 607, by a lack of any talk of succession by the cardinals.

On the day following the death of the Pope, the chapter of clergy of the Basilica appeared in the Sistine Chapel and took procession of the body from the Penitentiaries. The chapter of clergy then took the body in procession to the Most Holy Sacrament Chapel in the Basilica of Saint Peter where the Pope was laid in state so that the people of Rome and visitors from around the world may pay their respects.

When the Papal Funeral takes place, the Pope will eventually be placed in three coffins by three cardinals that were created by the late Pope. The first is of cypress wood and before it is sealed the first living cardinal created by the Pope will place a red ermine blanket over the Pope’s body. Medallions of precious medals bearing the image of the Pope and corresponding in number to the number of years that the Pontiff has reined will also be placed in the coffin. The Pope is then placed in the second coffin made of lead, which has the Pope’s coat of arms on it, along with a copy of the certificate of death. He is finally placed in a coffin of elm wood. The three coffins are primarily to conserve and protect.

The Cardinals

Upon receiving word of the Holy Father’s death, the cardinals began immediately to make preparations to journey to the Eternal City to compose and to take part in the General Congregation, which mainly plans and oversees the Papal Funeral and makes sure that the necessary preparations are being made for the conclave. Each of the cardinals carries a title that comes from the Latin word “cardo” meaning “hinge.” And, it is upon them that the weight of the Church temporarily rests during the Sede Vacante. Those cardinals over the age of eighty, though, no longer participate or vote in the conclave, but they are encouraged nonetheless to assist the Church by attending the General Congregation as a member.

According to the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, the cardinals must wait fifteen days for those cardinals who have not yet arrived and may delay the start of the conclave up to twenty days after the death of the Pope. This lengthened delay originally set at ten to fifteen or possibly eighteen days was made by Pope Pius XI in 1922 at the suggestion of Cardinal O’Connell, Archbishop of Boston.

The cardinals will gather in the morning on the day that the eighty-third conclave is to begin to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit, where they will call upon God to guide them in choosing the next pontiff. Those who may enter the conclave are those cardinals under the age of eighty the day of the Pope’s death, along with a small and select group of others such as sacristans, the Master of Pontifical Ceremonies, confessors, two doctors, etc. The conclave will be held inside the Vatican, which has been the case ever since the conclave of 1800 and which today is mandated by Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution.

The cardinals are the only ones typically considered as “papabili,” or able to be elected as the next pontiff. In fact, there has been no pope elected that was not first a cardinal since Pope Urban VI in 1378. Technically, though, any baptized male may be elected with the acknowledgement that he must first be ordained a bishop. The last layman elected pontiff was Pope Celestine V in 1294.

The Conclave

The atmosphere of the coming conclave will undoubtedly have an air of uncertainty. As the Romans are fond of saying “He who enters the conclave a Pope shall leave it a cardinal.” The fact that Pope John Paul I broke a three hundred and eleven year tradition—a tradition which began a long time before the writing of our own Declaration of Independence—which said that the newly elected popes would alternately have an “I” or an “R” in his name. And, due to the fact that Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pontiff in four hundred and fifty-six years, almost anything could happen in the upcoming conclave.

In Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution, it was declared that the only means of electing the next pontiff is by secret ballot, thus removing the possibilities of election by acclamation and by compromise. It specifically states too that the election should take place in the Sistine Chapel.

When the cardinals enter into the Sistine Chapel and the Camerlengo utters the words “extra omnes,” the eighty-second conclave will begin at the sound of the locking doors. In the upcoming conclave there will be a total of ten American cardinal electors. Importantly, though, it must be stated that although the cardinals know the views of their respective communities, the cardinals represent the universal Church.

The Voting

Currently the means of electing the next pontiff is by secret ballot, requiring with a two-thirds vote plus one for a successful election to take place—or if the electors are evenly divisible by three, then simply a two-thirds vote. If there is time, the first ballot will be cast on the evening of the day that the conclave begins. From then on it will be two ballots twice a day with a break every three days for a brief spiritual exhortation to be given respectively by the senior Cardinal Deacon, the senior Cardinal Bishop and the senior Cardinal Priest. The privilege, importantly, is determined not by age, but by when each was elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals. No conclave, however, has gone longer than five days since 1831. Moreover, to help assure a relatively speedy election, Pope John Paul II has declared that after thirty-three unsuccessful ballots the voting turns to a simple majority.

In the election process, there are three phases: 1) Pre-Scrutiny, 2) Scrutiny and 3) Post-Scrutiny. In phase one a drawing takes place whereby the junior Cardinal Deacon draws a total of nine names—three names to fill each of the positions of Scrutineers, Infirmarii and Revisors. The ballot, which is rectangular and has the words “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (I elect as Supreme Pontiff) is also distributed.

In phase two the cardinals individually approach the altar 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.” They then place their folded ballot on a large patton and then turn it over so that the ballot falls into what looks like a large chalice. If the elector cannot walk to the altar, the Scrutineers will go to the elector and take his ballot to the altar. If a cardinal is sick and confined to his room, the Infirmarii will go to gather their ballots in a separate locked box. Upon their return the Scrutineers will count to make sure the number of ballots adds up to the number of infirm and will finally place them one by one on the patton and into the receptacle.

When all of the votes are gathered the first Scrutineer draws out a ballot and unfolds it. He looks at the name and hands it to the second Scruntineer who also notes the name while the third reads the name aloud and pierces the word “Eligo” with a needle and thread.

The third phase finds the Scrutineers tallying all of the votes to see if anyone has received the necessary number of votes to be elected. The Revisors will check the work of the Scrutineers to make sure that everything was added correctly. If no one was elected, then a second vote is immediately taken and both sets of ballots are burned together. If a valid election has taken place, the Camerlengo will create a document of the vote, which is approved by the three Scrutineers.

The Acceptance of Election and a New Name

Upon accepting election, the elected immediately becomes the pope, as long as he is an ordained a bishop. The selection of a name upon acceptance of one’s election is a tradition that is rooted in Jesus giving the name Peter to Simon. It has only been since 1009, though, that this tradition solidified, with the exceptions of Popes Adrian VI (1522-1523) and Marcellus II (1555) who kept their baptismal names. In the selection of a new name popes usually have an interesting explanation for their choice. Some examples of this are: Pope Clement XI who took Clement because it was the name of the saint of the day; Benedict XIV was a Dominican who took the name that the last Dominican selected, Benedict XI; Pius VII took the name of his predecessor; John XXIII took his name from his father’s name, the name of the parish where he was baptized and from Rome’s cathedral, while Pope John Paul I, for the first time in history, combined the name’s of his two predecessors.

The Announcement

A successful election will be announced by the appearance of white smoke from the small chimney pipe coming out of the Sistine Chapel. As word spreads more people will gather in Saint Peter’s Square. There they will await the senior Cardinal Deacon’s (Luigi Cardinal Poggi, Italy) appearance and announcement of “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; habemus papam” (I announce to you with great joy; we have a pope). He will continue with “Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum Cardinalem…qui sibi nomen…imposuit” (His Eminence the Most Reverend Lord Cardinal…who has adopted for himself the name…). The new pontiff will then appear and offer the blessing Urbi et Orbi (to the City and to the world).

With the blessing having been given, the Church will celebrate and the world will realize that the Sede Vacante has come to an end. The smallest sovereign country in the world will once again have a head of state and the roughly one billion Catholics in the world will be able to look to the successor of Saint Peter for spiritual and moral guidance.