What is a Cardinal?
The ecclesiastical rank of Cardinal dates from the time of Pope Sylvester I, around 315 AD. It was given to the closest advisors of the Pope. With time it came to be reserved to those whom the Pope had given pastoral responsibility for the 7 suburban dioceses of the Roman Province, as well as the Roman churches, and deaconries. Today the Cardinals each possess only a titular office as a bishop, priest or deacon of Rome, but without actual responsibility for the dioceses, parishes and deaconries. The actual offices held by Cardinals today are within the Roman Curia or as archbishop of an important diocese. Cardinals, therefore, are generally bishops, though the Popes may grant exceptions. In recent decades this exception has been granted for theologians the Popes have wished to honor. Under current law, a Cardinal must at least be a priest.
What is the College of Cardinals?
The College of Cardinals is composed of the men whom the Pope has elevated to the dignity of Cardinal, entrusting them with the duty to be his close advisors and collaborators, and to elect his successor. The decisions of the College are made collectively, and ratified by the Pope, unless of course there is no Pope. During such a Papal Interregnum the Cardinals gather in General Congregation to decide by majority vote on the funeral of the Pope, the beginning of the Conclave to elect a new Pope, as well as any ordinary business of the Holy See which cannot wait, in keeping with papal law, currently the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.
What is the history of the College of Cardinals?
Close advisors to the Pope were called Cardinals, from the Latin for hinge, since the 4th century. Since 1059 Cardinals have served as the exclusive electors of the Popes, and the College itself was given its current form in 1150. Over the centuries the number of Cardinals was held below 70, a biblically significant number, since there were seventy elders assisting Moses in leading Israel and assisting Jesus in His ministry (Luke 10:1). However, both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II went beyond this number in order to internationalize the College with bishops from around the world. Today there are up to 120 Electors, and sometimes more, and as many Cardinals as 170, a number which include those who have reached the age of eligibility to vote, 80 years.
What is the Dean of the College of Cardinals?
The Dean of the College of Cardinals is a Cardinal Bishop who is elected by his fellow Cardinal Bishops and confirmed in office by the Pope. Although he presides over the consistories and congregations of the College, he has no authority over other Cardinals. The decisions of the College are entirely collegial (collective). The Dean of the College convokes the Cardinals when the Pope dies and presides over their Congregations and the Conclave. He is the one who asks the electee to accept election as Pope.
What is a Cardinal Bishop?
Cardinals who hold the more important offices in the Roman Curia or who, being Patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches, have been granted equivalent dignity in law since Pope Paul VI, are called Cardinal Bishops. The smallest of the three ranks of Cardinals it traces its history to the role played in the early Church by the bishops of 7 dioceses surrounding Rome, called the suburcarian (suburban) Sees of Rome. Cardinal Bishops are said to hold the title, as opposed to the actual office, of those 7 Sees. The Cardinal Dean holds two titles, Ostia and the one he holds at the time of his promotion to Dean. Thus, there are only such six Cardinal Bishops at a time, plus however many Eastern Patriarchs there are.
What is a Cardinal Priest?
Cardinals Priests are those Cardinals who hold the middle, and by far the most numerous, rank of the College of Cardinals. They include officials of the Roman Curia, as well as Archbishops of major dioceses from around the world. Cardinal Priests hold title to a particular church of the Roman See, a dim historical reflection of the very early practice of the clergy of Rome participating in the election of the Pope. Within the rank of Cardinal Priest cardinals hold seniority based on date of appointment, and may even advance by promotion by the Pope to the higher grade of Cardinal Bishop.
What is a Cardinal Deacon?
Cardinals Deacons hold the lowest of the ranks of Cardinals. There ranks include officials of the Roman Curia, and theologians honored by the Pope for their contribution to the Church. In the early centuries there were 7 deacons who administered seven districts of the Roman diocese, as well as 7 deacons who assisted in the papal household. Although the rank of Cardinal Deacon numbers more than 14 today, they hold title as if assigned to a church in one of three deaconries of Rome. Cardinal Deacons may advance by promotion by the Pope to the higher ranks of the College of Cardinals.
What is a Congregation?
The gathering of the Cardinals to advise the Pope, or assist him in his duties, is called a Congregation. Also, the major departments of the Roman Curia are called Congregations because they are made up of a number of voting Cardinals headed by a Cardinal Prefect. During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, from the time of the death of the Pope until the beginning of the election of his successor, the decisions regarding the ordinary affairs of the Holy See, as well as the funeral, burial and election of the Pope, are decided by such gatherings of the Cardinals.
What is a General Congregation?
General Congregations are meetings of all the Cardinals who are not legitimately impeded from attending by sickness or other lawful reasons. They decide the more significant matters related to the Papal Interregnum. The scope of their authority is entirely governed by the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, which permits absolutely no innovations in the functioning of the Holy See while there is no Pope. The General Congregation, however, can decide disputed points of interpretation of the law.
What is a Particular Congregation?
Particular Congregations are composed of the Camerlengo (Chamberlain) of the Holy Roman Church, and 3 other Cardinals, called Assistants, chosen by lot from each of the three ranks of Cardinals. These Particular Congregations handle the ordinary business of the Roman Church, referring anything significant to the General Congregation. New Assistants are elected by lot after they have served for three days.
What is the Conclave?
Conclave is the unique name given to the gathering of the Cardinals to elect a Pope. The Cardinal Electors, as they are known, along with certain assistants, are sequestered away from any contact with the outside world, in living quarters inside Vatican City. The secrecy of the Conclave is absolute, even from other Cardinals not themselves Electors. Only a Pope can grant the faculty of discussing the Conclave with anyone not present.
Who can be a Cardinal Elector?
The Cardinal Electors are those Cardinals who are under the age of 80 on the day on which the Pope dies. All such Cardinals, even if their selection as Cardinal has only been announced, are obliged to participate in the Conclave as Electors. The exceptions are those who are legitimately prevented by illness or other circumstances, those who have been canonically deposed by the Pope, or from whom the Pope has accepted the renunciation of the cardinalate.
When may the Conclave begin?
From the time of the vacancy of the Apostolic See until the beginning of the Conclave, no less than 15 full days, and no more than 20, may elapse. This means that the Conclave may begin no earlier than the 16th Day of the Interregnum, nor start later than the 21st Day.
May a Cardinal enter the Conclave after it has started?
Cardinal Electors who have been legitimately delayed, or who leave for a reason recognized in law, may enter, or re-enter, the Conclave while it is in progress. The judgment regarding whether the reason is legitimate rests with the majority of the Cardinal Electors who are present.
Who remains within the sealed area of the Vatican?
In addition to the Electors, the following are sequestered within the Conclave area: the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, who acts as Secretary for the electoral assembly, the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, two Masters of Ceremonies, two Religious from the Papal Sacristy, and an ecclesiastic to assist the Cardinal Dean.
Also, several priests must be available to hear confessions in different languages, two doctors, kitchen and housekeeping staff, and any nurses who may be needed to assist ailing Cardinals. These individuals must be previously approved by the Camerlengo and his three Assistants, and all must take an oath not to discuss what they may hear with anyone.
Where do those who vote or assist in the Conclave live?
The Cardinal Electors live in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the St. Martha’s Residence, within Vatican City. They are transported to the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace for the voting sessions. All other individuals are lodged in appropriate quarters within Vatican City.
As a rule, on the morning of the first day of the Conclave the Cardinal Electors gather in St. Peter’s Basilica, or another place as may be determined, to celebrate a Votive Mass for the Election of the Pope.
In the afternoon they gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace. Invoking the assistance of the Holy Spirit with the Veni Creator Spiritu, they process to the Sistine Chapel. There they take a solemn oath to observe the prescriptions of the law governing the election, to observe the secrecy obliged, to not assist any secular power which may try to influence the election, and if elected to faithfully carry out the Petrine Office, and to protect the spiritual and temporal rights of the Holy See.
After the last Cardinal Elector has taken the oath, the Master of Papal Liturgical ceremonies gives the order Extra omnes, commanding everyone not authorized to remain to leave the Chapel. Besides the Electors, only the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies and the ecclesiastic chosen to give a meditation to the Cardinals on the seriousness of their duties, remains. When the meditation has been concluded, both of these men depart the Sistine Chapel.
After the Cardinals recite prayers provided in the proper Ordo for the Conclave, the Cardinal Dean inquiries if any Electors have questions concerning the norms and procedures. Once these are clarified, if a majority of the Cardinals agree the election can begin.
Only the Cardinal Electors may remain in the Sistine Chapel during the actual voting, which by law is from after the ballots have been distributed until after they have been tabulated and checked. Outside of the time of actual voting, the Secretary of the College, the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies and the 2 Masters of Ceremonies are present to assist the Conclave.
How many ballots are there each day in the Conclave?
On the first day of the Conclave, that on which the opening rites are carried out, only one ballot is permitted. On the other days of the Conclave, two ballots are permitted in the morning session and two are permitted in the afternoon session.
There are three phases to the election process.
1) Pre-Scrutiny, during which ballots are prepared and distributed, and, 9 Electors are chosen by lot to serve as 3 Scrutineers, 3 Infirmarii and 3 Revisers.
2) Scrutiny, during which the ballots are ceremoniously placed in a receptacle on a table in front of the altar and beneath Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, then are mixed and counted.
3) Post-Scrutiny, during which the ballots are counted, checked and burned.
The Scrutineers are three Cardinal Electors chosen by lot to gather and count the ballots. They stand at the altar as the Electors come up individually to deposit their votes. One of them also collects the votes of those present who are not physically able to come up to the altar. Afterwards, sitting at a table in front of the altar they tabulate the ballots to determine if an election has occurred.
The Infirmarii are three Cardinal Electros chosen by lot to take ballots to Electors who although within the enclosure of the Conclave are too sick to be present in the Sistine Chapel. They take with them a locked box which, having been shown to the other Electors to be empty, receives the votes of the infirm. They return it unopened to the Scrutineers.
The Revisers are 3 Cardinal Electros chosen by lot to check the ballot count and the notes of the Scrutineers to determine if the tabulation of the ballots was carried out exactly and faithfully.
After all ballots are in, including those brought from the sick by the Infirmarii, the 1st Scrutineer shakes the receptacle several times to mix the ballots. Then the 3rd Scrutineer counts them, placing them in a second, empty, receptacle. If the number of ballots does not equal the number of electors, they are burned, and a second vote taken immediately. Otherwise, the Scrutineers proceed to tabulate the vote.
Sitting at a table in front of the altar, the 1st Scrutineer silently reads the name on a ballot, passes it to the 2nd Scrutineer who does likewise, and then passes it to the 3rd Scrutineer, who reads the name aloud and then writes it down. Each Elector also writes it down on a sheet provided for this purpose. The ballot is then pierced with a needle and placed on a thread for security.
When all ballots have been read the Scrutineers tabulate the vote by individuals receiving votes. They do this on a separate sheet of paper from that on which they were first listed. The Revisers then verify the results. If two-thirds of the votes have been cast for the same person an election has occurred. In which case, the Scrutineers, with the assistance of the Secretary of the Conclave and the Masters of Ceremony, who are re-admitted to the Conclave at this point, proceed to burn the ballots. However, if no election occurred and it was the first ballot of the session they proceed to vote again. After the second ballot the ballots of both sessions are burned, whether an election occurred or not.
After the junior Cardinal Deacon has re-admitted the Secretary of the College and the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, the Cardinal Dean, or, the Cardinal who is first in order and seniority, goes to the one elected and asks,
Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?
With consent he becomes Bishop of Rome and Pope. The Cardinal Dean then asks,
By what name do you wish to be called?
The Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies, with the witness of the two Masters of Ceremonies (who are now summoned), draw up a document certifying the consent of the one elected and the name he has chosen.
Following certain formalities prescribed in the ritual for the Conclave, each Cardinal comes forward in turn and makes an act of homage and obedience to the new Pope. An act of thanksgiving is then made.
Following the vesting of the Pope the senior Cardinal Deacon announces from the loggia of St. Peter’s to those gathered in the Square that we have a Pope (Habemus papam) and what name he has taken. The newly elected Pope then comes out to address and bless the City and the World (Urbi et Orbi).
Can someone not in the Conclave be elected Pope?
Yes, a Cardinal who is not an Elector, a bishop who is not a Cardinal, a priest, or theoretically a layman, could be elected Pope. If he is not present in the Vatican the ritual for the Conclave specifics a procedure for obtaining his consent. If he is not a bishop he would have to be ordained one before he would become Pope.
When is the Conclave over?
The Conclave is concluded when the new Pope assents to his election, unless he determines to keep it in session longer for some reason.
What does Black or White Smoke signify?
If any ballot produces an election those ballots are burned in a stove set up in the Sistine Chapel together with a chemical which produces a white smoke. This signals to Rome and the World that a Pope has been elected. If, however, the first vote of a session does not produce an election they proceed to a second vote. If that, too, fails to elect a Pope, the ballots of both votes are burned with wet straw, producing black smoke.
What is the Sistine Chapel?
The Sistine Chapel is a chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican built for Pope Sixtus IV, after whom it was named. In 1508 Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo Buonarroti to decorate its vault, a task he completed in 1512. Between 1536 and 1541, Michelangelo painted the Last Judgment on the altar wall for Pope Paul III. It is in this Chapel, before the imposing painting of the Last Judgment, that the Cardinal Electors gather to choose a Pope. It is also here where the newly deceased Pope is viewed by the members of the Papal Household and the College of Cardinals, before being taken to lay in state in St. Peter’s Basilica for public visitation.