Conclave: Electing a New Pope

Upon the death of the Pope, a monumental sequence of events unfolds, culminating in a process known as the conclave whereby a new Pope is elected to lead the Roman Catholic faith.

Beneath Michelangelo's revered ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals, led by the Cardinal Camerlegno (Cardinal Chamberlain), Eduardo Martinez Somalo, begins the arduous process of selecting the pope's successor. The Cardinalate currently consists of 117 cardinals from all over the world. In the conclave, an event enduring little change since the thirteenth century, the cardinals take an oath of secrecy, that if broken renders the offender automatically excommunicated from the church. There are no televisions, radios, or newspapers allowed inside the conclave.

The Cardinal Electors, almost all of whom were appointed by Pope John Paul II, will vote in a very thorough process of secret balloting where a two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new Pope. The College may vote up to four times a day, but if a new Pope has not been chosen by the third day, then the cardinals cease the voting process for a day of prayer and reflection. Following the day of prayer, the cardinals will commence for another seven votes, then another day of prayer. If after 12 days a pope has still not been elected, then the two-thirds majority vote is negated and a vote by simple majority is instated.

The first indication to the outside world that a new pope has been elected is the telling smoke signals. After each voting session a smoke signal is given by burning the ballots. If the voting session is inconclusive, straw is added to the burning ballots to produce black smoke. Conversely, white smoke signals that a new pope has been chosen.

In the past the College usually elects a cardinal that has been under consideration for some time. The two requirements for eligibility for the papacy are that the candidates must be a man and Catholic. Although any Catholic male is technically eligible, history shows that the candidates are always cardinals.

What is new in this upcoming papal election is the doctrine of Vatican II, which no longer requires cardinals to study Latin. Therefore, the issue of a language barrier is a potential problem that the College may face, since many of the cardinals for the first time in history, will not share a common language.

Pope John Paul II was elected in 1978 and has since been revered by Catholics as well as other Christian denominations, Jews, and Muslims for being a "Pope for the people." More than any of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II traveled the world, visiting and praying with the people of the area. Many attribute the restoration of the Catholic Church to Pope John Paul II. Much speculation has occurred regarding the Pope's successor. The outcome of the conclave is widely anticipated and only when we hear the Latin phrase "Habemus Papam" come from the dean of the cardinals will the world know who the next Pope will be.

Amanda Milewski is a contributing writer for the Pope Blog - Conclave Edition

http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com

MORE RESOURCES:

Religion is Religulous - The News Record

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.newsrecord.org/sections/entertainment/1.817872cid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGvIxItain8e-YC7XhHBHOMCpfhdwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=M-1UC3l6k-MJimgurl=www.newsrecord.org/polopoly_fs/1.818351!image/4149367589.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_260/4149367589.jpg width=80 height=54 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The News Record/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.newsrecord.org/sections/entertainment/1.817872cid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGvIxItain8e-YC7XhHBHOMCpfhdwbReligion/b is Religulous/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe News Record,nbsp;OHnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1That’s the question that prompted my breligion/b teacher (yes, I went to a catholic school) to kick me out of class, sending me straight to the dean’s office b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-1fd=Rurl=http://www.theledger.com/article/20081010/NEWS/810110305/1326%3FTitle%3DNow_Showing__Bill_Maher_Movie_Questioning_Organized_Religioncid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNHMyxmWfl2yfpT9utmf5y4XFGsUDgNow Showing: Bill Maher Movie Questioning Organized bReligion/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Ledger/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-2fd=Rurl=http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/oct/12/mahers-mockery-misses-the-point/cid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNFq63HitGJyBCwLlAcXeB-9hr04nAMaher#39;s mockery misses the point/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrDaily Camera/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-3fd=Rurl=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-10-05-religulous-commandments_N.htm%3Fcsp%3D34cid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNEr9atvNDIExs0OG_TjJtwKQmkz6gCovet this: The new rules for #39;Religulous#39;/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrUSA Today/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-4fd=Rurl=http://www.sj-r.com/beliefs/x1776787605/-Religulous-a-laugh-out-loud-assault-on-organized-religioncid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGqBI2d_T10mecsghgC6kMYAEDb4AnobrThe State Journal-Register/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-5fd=Rurl=http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Oct/20081011Feat002.aspcid=1256032116ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNEq8gdxqe-BdlJUPMstKEyCpdgunwnobrColumbia Daily Tribune/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256032116hl=ennobrall 47 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Initiative 1000: Not just matter of religion - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Using Biology, Not Religion, to Argue Against Same-Sex Marriage - New York Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/10/11/marriage_ruling_not_the_end_of_debate_in_conncid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNEyC4xotqmuJzrfgAuPaVo83oMmMQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=HFl5eSUXmJUJimgurl=cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/AP_Photo/2008/10/11/1223743467_4677/300h.jpg width=66 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Boston Globe/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/nyregion/12marriage.html%3Femcid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNFLxDVf7-Cg5FZEVDOH4SbrlfCwSwUsing Biology, Not bReligion/b, to Argue Against Same-Sex Marriage/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrOct 12, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1But it has caused consternation among opponents of gay marriage, many of whom, like the Galloways, say their objections are not based on breligion/b or b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-1fd=Rurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DVW-IHPw5y74cid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNHaeJtX8CeFto6EWJt_aLdG90lXIgVideo: Connecticut Court Allows Gay Marriage/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAssociatedPress/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/VW-IHPw5y74/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/VW-IHPw5y74type=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-2fd=Rurl=http://www.thedailyaztec.com/state_of_mind/1.774530cid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNFYenNwmcyrYXlbQBaQwH7RL89oRQFACETIOUS FEMINIST: Same-sex marriage is about civil rights/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrDaily Aztec/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-3fd=Rurl=http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php%3Fmodule%3Darticles%26func%3Ddisplay%26aid%3D3680%26ptid%3D9cid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNHZqanUOswfRjy-TbBL8eJNRkj1LANo on Prop 8 Campaign Takes Off the Gloves: quot;They#39;re Using Lies to b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCalifornia Majority Report/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-4fd=Rurl=http://www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx%3FID%3D31726cid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGZkfw98R6dlX4oS5Vx9pG0ctHB3QnobrConnecticut Law Tribune/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-5fd=Rurl=http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/10/11/news/politics/z4a6b6d99ff980b5d882574d200797151.txtcid=1256135198ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGn1486AN58BycnoVSNQO5yYuSBOgnobrNorth County Times/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256135198hl=ennobrall 1,788 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Religion playing lesser role in US elections than in past - AFP

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/3i-0fd=Rurl=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hJox4Qsb42fdfFek9omP90xs5HEQcid=0ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNG1cnLmIFntwVS3iswry1mdFk_yVgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=lff78i2dqdMJimgurl=afp.google.com/media/ALeqM5iT3fid1qbmAxSTBVjAgD5zCkQ5RA width=80 height=56 alt= border=1brfont size=-2AFP/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/3-0fd=Rurl=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hJox4Qsb42fdfFek9omP90xs5HEQcid=0ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNG1cnLmIFntwVS3iswry1mdFk_yVgbReligion/b playing lesser role in US elections than in past/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAFPnbsp;-/font nobr6 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1WASHINGTON (AFP) — Scratch the surface of any US elections, and breligion/b can usually be found not far below. But this year it seems to be playing less of a b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Sarah Palin in row over #39;cash for religion#39; - Mirror.co.uk

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4902470.ececid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNEQdb1J_aqXgfqH0-wHk2yE2ZRjzgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=d5mzQTqAUGAJimgurl=www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00408/JohnMcCain360_408768a.jpg width=41 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Times Online/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/10/13/sarah-palin-in-row-over-cash-for-religion-115875-20798644/cid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNEl5SGSSUvl5zggxJpGH_UDgsuKkwSarah Palin in row over #39;cash for breligion/b#39;/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMirror.co.uk,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Stephen White 13/10/2008 American vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been accused of taking taxpayers#39; cash to push her religious views. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-1fd=Rurl=http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd402.htmcid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGyPmH748MSJx-YpQJbionKgsrGnAPRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: ONE GIANT FRAUD/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNewsWithViews.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-2fd=Rurl=http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gyW-PzMiRAaoTN6q7wLLL0Itmemwcid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGOPIapB20x8AwzZ7uhKNhR-tYdxQMcCain set for final Obama clash/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Press Association/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-3fd=Rurl=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/republican-leaders-break-ranks--with-mccain-959301.htmlcid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNGkvIGEzICiYdZe1nDG1aqoeDe38QRepublican leaders break ranks with McCain/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrIndependent/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-4fd=Rurl=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/382606_students10.htmlcid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNEpvu5IknMOR5H-agDLjT-B8jNzvAnobrSeattle Post Intelligencer/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-5fd=Rurl=http://www.opinioneditorials.com/freedomwriters/dabbett_20081013.htmlcid=1257224130ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNFg6CajUYTpyeM2m_K7_7dcFVcRbQnobrOpinion Editorials/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257224130hl=ennobrall 1,565 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Sex, religion and Afrikaner politics - Independent Online

The Abuse Of Religion - Atlantic Online

#39;Disney of religion#39; packs #39;em in - Ottawa Citizen

Religion Almanac: Sukkot - Sun-Sentinel.com

Politics, war and religion - how Hollywood learned to do serious - guardian.co.uk

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/oct/12/usa-religioncid=1255919446ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNHmu32M_xOg13l92FIx252LkAf5PQPolitics, war and breligion/b - how Hollywood learned to do serious/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fguardian.co.uk,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Religulous, a satirical documentary from political talk show host Bill Maher about breligion/b and religious fanaticism, is also on release. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-1fd=Rurl=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/pearlman/1214383,bush101208.articlecid=1255919446ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNH87aPg2PwwhmhzE3ujYtHS-PHgUwOliver Stone on #39;W.#39;: Director insists, #39;I don#39;t take sides#39;/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrChicago Sun-Times/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-2fd=Rurl=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2008/10/executive_action.htmlcid=1255919446ei=pC7zSIT_AqGuyQTw1LiMAQusg=AFQjCNFLRg_NkvcTkS26hiskWEskmO4QdQExecutive action/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Star-Ledger - NJ.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255919446hl=ennobrall 129 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

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