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Electing
a New Pope
Official
Vatican Procedure
Extracted from:
Apostolic
Constitution – Universi Dominici Gregis,
February
22, 1996
Source:
The Popes, Memmo Caporilli
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VACANCY
OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE
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As
soon as he is informed of the death of the Supreme Pontiff, the
Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church must officially ascertain the
Pope's death, in the presence of the Master of Papal Liturgical
Celebrations, the Cleric Prelates of the Apostolic Camera and the
Secretary and Chancellor of the same; the latter must draw up the
official death certificate.
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The
Camerlengo must also place seals on the Pope's study and bedroom.
And
I, (name) Cardinal (name), so promise, pledge and swear,
and,
placing his hand on the Gospels, he will add: so help me God and these Holy Gospels which
I now touch with my hand.
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THE
ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF
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The
right to elect the Roman Pontiff belongs exclusively to the Cardinals
of the Holy Roman Church, with the exception of those who have reached
their eightieth birthday before the day of the Roman Pontiff's death
or the day when the Apostolic See becomes vacant. The maximum number
of Cardinal electors must not exceed one hundred and twenty. The right
of active election by any other ecclesiastical dignitary or the
intervention of any lay power of any level or order is absolutely
prohibited.
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The
Conclave for the election of the Supreme Pontiff takes place within
the territory of Vatican City, in determined areas and buildings,
closed to all unauthorized persons in order to ensure suitable
accommodation for the Cardinal electors and all those who legitimately
called to cooperate.
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The
Cardinal electors, from the beginning of the election until its
conclusion and the public announcement of its outcome, are not to
communicate, either in writing, by telephone or by any other means of
communication, with persons outside the area where the election is
taking place.
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When
the funeral rites for the deceased Pope have been celebrated according
to the prescribed ritual, and everything necessary for the regular
functioning of the election has been prepared, on the appointed day - on
the fifteenth day after the death of the Pope no later than the
twentieth -the Cardinal electors shall meet in the Basilica of
Saint Peters in the Vatican. When the last of the Cardinal electors
has taken the oath the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations will
give the order Extra Omnes, and all those not taking part in
the Conclave must leave the Sistine Chapel.
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“Since
the forms of election known as the Acclamationem seu Inspirationem
and per compromissum are abolished, the form of electing the
Roman Pontiff shall henceforth be per scrutinium alone.
I therefore decree that for the valid election of the Roman
Pontiff two thirds of the votes are required, calculated on the basis
of the total number of electors present.”
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VOTING PROCESS HAS
THREE PHASES
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1)
The first phase, which can be called the pre-scrutiny phase,
comprises the preparation and distribution of the ballot papers and the
drawing of three Cardinal Scrutineers.
2)
The second phase, the scrutiny itself, comprises:
a)
the placing of the ballots in the appropriate receptacle;
Each
Cardinal elector, in order of precedence, having completed and folded his
ballot, holds it up so that it can be seen and carries it to the altar, at
which the Scrutineers stand and upon which there is placed a receptacle,
covered by a plate, for receiving the ballots.
Having
reached the altar, the Cardinal elector says aloud the following oath:
“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.”
He then places the ballot on the plate that he uses
to drop it into the receptacle. Having
done this, he bows to the altar and returns to his place.
b)
the mixing and counting of the ballots;
After
all the ballots of the Cardinal electors have been placed in the
receptacle, the first Scrutineer shakes it several times in order to mix
them and immediately afterwards the last Scrutineer proceeds to count
them.
c)
the opening of the votes.
When all the ballots have been opened, the
Scrutineers add up the sum of the votes obtained by the different names
and write them down on a separate sheet of paper. The last Scrutineer, as
he reads out the individual ballots, pierces each one with a needle
through the word Eligio and places it on a thread, so that the
ballots can be more securely preserved.
3)
Then follows the third and last phase, also known
as the post-scrutiny phase, which comprises:
a)
the
counting of the votes;
b)
the
checking of the same;
c)
the
burning of the ballots.
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VOTE
REQUIRES TWO THIRDS MAJORITY
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The
Scrutineers add up all the votes that each individual has received and
if no one has obtained two thirds of the votes on that ballot then the
Pope has not been elected; if however it turns out that someone has
obtained two thirds of the votes, the canonically valid election of
the Roman Pontiff has taken place.
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When
the required two-thirds are not obtained, the ballots are consumed in
a stove whose chimney extends through a window of the Sistine Chapel.
When there is no election, straw is mixed with the ballots to show by
its thick smoke (sfumata) to those waiting outside that there has been
no election.
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The Sistine Chapel prepared for the election of
the Supreme Pontiff. The stove for burning ballots is in the foreground.
Source: The Popes, Memmo Caporilli
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In
the event that the Cardinal electors find it difficult to agree on the
person to be elected, after balloting has been carried out for three days
without result, voting is to be suspended for a maximum of one day in
order to allow a pause for prayer and informal discussion among the
voters.
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Voting
is then resumed in the usual manner, and after seven ballots, if the
election has not taken place, there is another pause for prayer,
discussion and an exhortation. Nevertheless, there can be no waiving of
the requirement that a valid election takes place only by an two thirds
majority of the votes or else by voting only on the two names, which in
the ballot immediately proceeding, have received the greatest number of
votes; an absolute majority is required in the second case.
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When
the election has canonically taken place, the junior Cardinal Deacon
summons the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and the Master of Papal
Liturgical Celebrations into the election hall. Then the Cardinal Dean, in
the name of the whole College of electors, asks the consent of the one
elected with the following words:
Do
you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?
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And,
as soon as he has received the consent, he asks him:
By
what name do you wish to be called?
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Right
after the senior Cardinal Deacon announces to the people waiting that the
election has taken place and proclaims the name of the new Pope, who
immediately thereafter imparts the Apostolic Blessing Urbi et Orbi
from the balcony of the Vatican Basilica.
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