ELECTION OF POPE

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20731, 15 February 1939, Page 9

ELECTION OF POPE

HOVV IT IS DONE SECRET CONCLAVE OF CARDINALS ! | VOTING UNDER UNUSUAL SYSTEM Within 15—at the outside 18— days after the death of a Pope, a conclave of cardinals—the 70-odd members of the Sacred College who are the Princes of the Church—meets In j solemn secret conclave to elect a suc- : cessor to him from'"among their own j number. A two-thirds majority is necessary for election, and before that majority is reached there are often many ballots taken. The voting is absolutely secret and after each ballot which is unsuccessful in get--1 ling the required majority, cardinals j may change their voting. Tn foreeast * the result of a papal election is almost j always most difficult —so much so that J there is an old saying to the effect that he who, when the conclave bcgins, is thought likely to become the Pope never attains the honour. The ten days formerly set as the maximum time that could elapse between the death of a Pope and the election of a new one were a few • years ago extended to 15, and at most 18 days, so I.fiat the four American cardinals could he given time to .attend the conclave at which the new head of the Church is elected. The conclave of cardinals is governed by a strict set of regulations, and is held under lock and key. those baking part in it being rigorously separated from the rest of the world. The history of the conclaves governing papal elections provide some of the most interesting pages in the cen-turies-old records of the Church, and modern conclaves hear all the traits of the past. The cardinals are housed everywhere possible in the Vatican, each given a special curtained cell, and their cooking is done by the Sisters of St. Martha. The conclave begins with the Mass of the Holy Spirit in either the Sistine or the Pauline Chapel. The Noble Guard and the Swiss and the Palatine Guards attend. All cardinals must participate and receive Communion from the hands of the cardinal dean, and a secretary reads on allocution in Latin urging promptness and dignity in the choice of the new Pope. A Simple System Voting is quite simple. Each cardinal deposits his ballot; they are counted, and if the necessary majority has bepn reached a Pope is elected. The ballots are made of specially watermarked paper. of which the upper and lower thirds fold into the centre. On one third appears the words. “Ego Cardinalis” (“I, Cardinal dinal writes his name, afterwards folding and sealing that part. On the other extremity the elector writes a number or a symbol or a phrase, which he likewise folds down and seals with wax. In the centre, the only part of the ballot which may he read, he finds Latin words printed, which, translated, are: “I choose as Sovereign Pontiff the Very Reverend Cardinal .” Here the elector fills in the name of his choice. The reverse of the ballot is overprinted with arabesques in the centre, and the words “nomen” and “signa” on the other parts. This is done for two purposes —to make it impossible to read through the paper and to prevent the tellers making a mistake and opening the wrong parts of each paper. One by one in the order of their years the' cardinals approach the altar, kneel for a short prayer, arise, lift the ballot above the great silver chalice standing before the tabernacle, and in a firm voice pronounce the formal oath: “I take as witness Christ our Lord who one day will be my judge that I have chosen him whom I believe it my duty towards God to choose.” The cardinal then places his ballot on the thin silver disk which serves as a cover for the chalice, slides the ballot into the bowl, bows before the cross, and returns to his throne. Mixing the Votes When all the cardinals have voted, the first, teller takes the chalice and shakes it to mix the votes well, and the third teller takes out the papers one by one. counts them, and deposits them in Irte second chalice. If the number does not coincide with that of the electors all are immediately burned. After this verification the tellers carry the bowl to the central ’able, turn their backs to the altar, and seat themselves so that all the cardinals can watch them. The first teller lakes out. a ballot, opens the middle part and reads the name of the candidate, passes it to the second ; teller, who dees likewise, and passes it to the third teller, who repeats the j name, this time loudly. Immediately , the cardinals make notations on the slips of paper printed with the names of all t.he cardinals. When all the names have been called and noted the third teller transfixes the ballots on a spike. If a majority is not reached the votes are burned in a small stove, high on the right from the entrance door, the smoke arising from the chimney on the chapel roof being visible to all I in Ft. Peter’s Square. i When no result has been reached i the ballots are burned with wet straw ito give a heavy black smoke. When, in the local expression.’“the Pope is : made” the ballots are burned just as 'hey are. and the white smoke is i immediately recognised by the masses , I outside. In Line for the Papacy i Tt is not the custom for a cardinal his < mdidacy. Certain cari dinals ahv tys u*e “p u abili,” or in line f-.r tilt* papjtcv. gifted, possessing talents which call Jhe attention of the S.e-ed i .ollego. The “papeggianti.” , ; on the other hand, are the cardinals ; j who encourage the applications of I ! their friends. Some cardinals are ; put forward by the leading cardinals nd there are always ! whose entente, at. a given moment, : ! can assure the victory of this or that j cardinal.