How long choose pope

Benedict of Nursia, who founded and inspired the Benedictine monastic tradition in the Western Church. During the transition period, certain limited powers pass to the College of Cardinals. Vatican offices suspend activities until a new pope is elected. The Particular Congregation deals with the everyday matters of the Church. James P. Campbell, D. Printer Friendly. Who will elect the new pope?

How quickly will a new pope be elected? Although Benedict XVI has not died, his papal ring will be destroyed and his papal seal defaced.

Which cardinals are eligible to elect the pope? How will the conclave begin? What is the process of balloting? What happens when a cardinal is elected pope? Who can be elected pope? Can members of religious communities be elected pope? How do popes choose their names?

See More. Related Links The Spirit of Truth Jesus gave the apostles and their successors "the spirit of truth" but what does that mean? Learn more about this sacred tradition of the Catholic Church. The election process can take days. In previous centuries it has gone on for weeks or months and some cardinals have even died during conclaves.

The process is designed to prevent any of the details of the voting emerging, either during or after the conclave. The threat of excommunication hangs over anyone tempted to break this silence. But Benedict XVI changed the requirements back so that a two-thirds majority is required, meaning the man elected is likely to be a compromise candidate. Before the voting begins in the Sistine Chapel, the entire area is checked by security experts to ensure there are no hidden microphones or cameras.

Once the conclave has begun, the cardinals eat, vote and sleep within closed-off areas until a new pope has been chosen. They are allowed no contact with the outside world - barring a medical emergency. All radios and television sets are removed, no newspapers or magazines are allowed in, and mobile phones are banned. Two doctors are allowed into the conclave, as well as priests who are able to hear confessions in various languages and housekeeping staff.

All these staff have to swear an oath promising to observe perpetual secrecy, and undertake not to use sound or video recording equipment. Voting is held in the Sistine Chapel, "where everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God, in whose sight each person will one day be judged". On the day the conclave begins, the cardinals celebrate Mass in the morning before walking in procession to the chapel.

Once the cardinals are inside the conclave area, they have to swear an oath of secrecy. Then, the Latin command "extra omnes" "everyone out" instructs all those not involved in the election to leave before the doors are closed.

The cardinals have the option of holding a single ballot on the afternoon of the first day. From the second day, two ballots are held in the morning and two in the afternoon. The ballot paper is rectangular. Below is a space for the name of the person chosen. The cardinals are instructed to write the name in a way that does not identify them, and to fold the paper twice. After all the votes have been cast, the papers are mixed, counted and opened. As the papers are counted, one of the scrutineers calls out the names of those cardinals who have received votes.

He pierces each paper with a needle - through the word "Eligio" - placing all the ballots on a single thread. The ballot papers are then burned - giving off the smoke visible to onlookers outside which traditionally turns from black to white once a new pope has been chosen. Damp straw was once added to the stove to turn the smoke black, but over the years there has often been confusion over the colour of the smoke.

On average, the pope will serve for days for each day the conclave lasts, but that varies widely. The graph below indicates that figure for each conclave. The best ratio was in , when a three-day conclave yielded Pius IX, who served 32 years. Our predictions for this conclave? The past four have averaged 5. And if he meets the historical average, there will be another conclave starting March 13, Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic.

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