Cardinals, Conclaves and a New Pope FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS Recently, the media has speculated on the health and condition of Pope John Paul II, and on his death. When our Holy Father dies and goes to his heavenly reward, how will the next pope be elected? The procedure for electing the pope has evolved over the history of the Church. In the early centuries, the clergy and people of Rome elected the successor, who usually had worked very closely with the previous pope. In 1059, Pope Nicholas II further regulated the process of electing the pope, making the...