THE ELECTION OF THE POPE.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1922, Page 1

THE ELECTION OF THE POPE.

As the election of a new Pope is now in progress a few notes cidled from various sources about this time honoured ceremony may be of interest to our readers. Since St Peter 43-65 A.D. the first Bishop of Rome, there have been 262 Popes. In ancient times one, two and four yeans was very often the length of their reign. From 43 to 1198 there were 177 Popes. The longest and probably most important occupants of the Papal Choir were Pius IN, 184'61878 arid Leo XIII 1878-1903. The Vatican, a huge pile of buildings > In Rome is celebrated as the home of the Popes since their return from Avignon in 1377. This vast irregular structure which covers an area of 1151 ft. by 767 ft. roughly about’ 20 acres. In addition to museums it has over four thousand rooms, besides eight grand staircases, and numerous courts, halls, gardens, and galleries. (One guide hook to Rome states that there are 11,000 roomis in all). To-day even apart from the church, it is one of the most historic architectural records of the world. The Pope is elected by the Sacred College of Cardinals which cannot hav e more than' 70 members. Six of these may he of episcopal rank, fifty may be , priests, and the remaining fourteen, deacons. Originally they were the clergy of the district surrounding Rome and they still take their titles from the ancient places. They are now chosen from all the leading nations of the

world though Italians always preponderate. The now Pope need not be a cardinal; he may fie a layman. If not already a- bishop he is consecrated and then comes the great ceremony of the coronation, from which he dates his pontificate. The insignia of the Pope are the straight crozier, the pallium, and the tiara or triple cro\vn. The following is a description of the election of Alexander XII (Cardinal ClnVi) in 1655 written by J. H. Shorthouse :

The portion of the Vatican Palace set apart for the election of the Pope, and called the Conclave, consisted of five halls or large marble rooms, two chapels, and a gallery seventy _ feet long. Each of these halls was divided temporarily into small apartments, running up both sides, with a broad alley beween hem, formed of wood, and covered with green or violet cloth. One of these apartments was assigned to each Cardinal with his attendants. The entrance to the whole of these rooms, halls, cheaps, and gallery, was by a sin gle door fastened by foui locks and as many keys. As soon as the Cardinals harl entered the Conclave this door was made fast, and the four keys wore given to the font different orders of the city,—one to the Bishop of Rome, one to the On/r----dinnls themselves, a third to the Roman Nobility, and the fourth to the Officer, a great noble, who kept the key. A wicket in the door, of which this Officer also kept the key, permitted the daily meals and other necessaries to be handed to the Cardinals servants, ovew dish being carefully examined before it was allowed. l to pass in. Within the Conclave light and air were only obtained by skylights or windows opening upon interior courts, precluding communication from without.' The gloom of the interior was so great, that candles were burnt throughout the Conclave at noon-day.

Prom the moment the Conclave was closed a silence of expectation and anxiety fell upon all (Rome. The daily life of the city was hushed. The principal thorough fa res and fortresses were kept by strong detachments of armed troops, and the approaches to watched. Men spoke everywhere in whispers, and nothing but vague rumours' of the proceedings within were

is toped to in the places of pubflic

resort, and in the coteries and gatherings of all ranks and conditions of the

people. In the interior of the Conclave, for those who were confined -within its singular seclusion, the day passed with a wearisome monotony marked only by intrigue not less wearisome. Early in the morning a tolled hell called the

bole of its inmates to mass in one of

the small Chapels darkened with stained glass, and lighted dimly by the tapers of tho altar, and by a few wax candles fixed in brass sockets suspended from the roof. The Cardinals sat in stalls down either side of the Chapel, and at the lower end was a bar, kept b v the master of the ccre-

onies and liis assistants, behind which

tlie attendants and servants were allowed to stand. Mass being over, a table was placed in front of the altar, upon which were a chalice and a- silver ljell. Upon six stools near the table are seated two Cardinal-Bishops, two .Cardinatl-Priestsl, a,nd two CardinalDeacons. Every Cardinal in his turn, upon tho ringing of the hell leaves liis seat, and having knelt before the altar in silent prayer for the guidance of Heaven in his choice, goes round to front lof the- table and) drops a. paper, upon which ho has written the name of a Cardinal, into tho Chalice, and returns ip silence to liis stall. A solemn and awful stillness pervades the scene, broken only by the tinkling of ,tho silver bell. The Cardinals, -one by one, some of them stalwart and haughty men, with a firm step and imperious glace, others old and decrepit, scarcely able to totter from their places to the altar, or to rise from their knees without help, advance to their mysterious choice. To the eye alone it was in truth a solemn and impressive scene. When every Cardinal has deposited his paper, the Cardinal-Bishop takes them out of the chalice, one by one, and hands them to the Cardinal-Dea-con, who reads out the names of the elected, hut not of the Cardinal who had placed the paper in the chalice (which is written on part of the paper bo folded that even the reader does not