How is the pope chosen?

Answer 1

Selecting a New PopeOn February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced he is resigning from his post effective February 28, 2013. This is the first time in more than 600 years a pope has abdicated. The next pope will be chosen in the same way previous popes have been chosen after one has died.

15 days after the previous Pope has died, or in this case resigned, the Camerlingo assembles the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. There are usually 4 "favourites" known as the prefereti. And although any male from the Catholic Church can be elected it is usually reserved for Cardinals.

All potentials MUST be under 80. The offcial voting is done in a process called conclave liturally meaning "with key". The Cardinals (also non-voting cardinals and assistants to the cardinals may be inside conclave they are sworn to absolute secrecy) vote by secret ballot. Should the electoral process take more than a day, the cardinals have lodging at St. Martha's house. They are "sequestered" like a jury however, and have no contact with the outside world.

All ballots are burned and if the vote has elected a new pope, this burning causes white smoke to float above the Vatican, signifying the world has a new pope. If the vote is unsuccessful, water or a chemical is added to the burning ballots to cause gray smoke to appear. This signifies a vote without an election.

How a Papal Conclave works:

• A pope dies and is buried (or in the case of Benedict, resigns)

• The cardinals come to Rome for the conclave that will elect the new pope. The word conclave (Latin, cum • clavis, literally, "locked with the key") designates:

• The place in a locked section of the Vatican where the cardinals under the age of eighty elect a new pope.

• The actual gathering of the cardinals.

• The conclave begins 15 to 20 days after the pope's death.

• The cardinals pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit during a Mass

• The cardinals, sealed in the Sistine Chapel, vote every morning and afternoon.

• A two-thirds majority plus one is required for election for the first 30 ballots. After that, a simple majority is required.

• After each vote, they burn the ballots and add special chemicals to make the smoke white or black.

• Black smoke means no new pope yet.

• White smoke announces the election of a new pope.

• The cardinals may elect any fully initiated Catholic male over the age of 18.

• They ask the one elected if he accepts. If he is already a bishop, then the moment he accepts, he is pope. If he is not yet a bishop (ie, if he is only a priest, deacon, or layman) he will be ordained bishop and at that moment be pope.

• The pope chooses his "Papal" name.

• Then the new pope is announced to the world.
Popes are elected by the College of Cardinals meeting in Conclave when the place of Pope is vacant. Type of election for Pope is balloting system.
The Pope is elected by members of the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
By a vote of the Cardinals in Conclave.

Selecting a New Pope

Answer 2

15 days after the previous Pope has died, the Camerlingo assembles the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. There are usually 4 "favourites" known as the prefereti. And although any male from the Catholic Church can be elected it is usually reserved for Cardinals.

All potentials MUST be under 80. The offcial voting is done in a process called conclave liturally meaning "with key". The Cardinals (also non-voting cardinals and assistants to the cardinals may be inside conclave they are sworn to absolute secrecy) vote by secret ballot. Should the electoral process take more than a day, the cardinals have lodging at St. Martha's house. They are "sequestered" like a jury however, and have no contact with the outside world.

All ballots are burned and if the vote has elected a new pope, this burning causes white smoke to float above the Vatican, signifying the world has a new pope. If the vote is unsuccessful, water or a chemical is added to the burning ballots to cause gray smoke to appear. This signifies a vote without an election.

Answer 3

The pope is elected by the College of Cardinals, in a closed, private meeting called the Conclave.

Voting proceeds in a indeterminate number of rounds (up to a maximum of 35), with pauses between them for meditation and prayer. There may be up to four ballots per day in the Conclave. If no ballot up to the 34th produces a majority, then there is a run-off ballot between to two candidates who received the largest numbers of votes in the 34th ballot, and this is decisive.

Voting is conducted by a written secret ballot. The ballots are burned after being counted.

These are the modern procedures, in force since 1996. The process has been in continual development since the popes were chosen by the people of the diocese of Rome.

Answer

The election of a new pope to replace Benedict XVI will take place in the Sistine Chapel. The 117 voting cardinals will come to the altar one by one and swear to make the right choice. After all the cardinals have taken the oath, the Master of the Papal Liturgical Celebrations orders all individuals other than the cardinals electors and conclave participants to leave the Chapel. There will be no speeches during the conclave and no promises sought or made. All debate and barracking will have taken place in the weeks leading up to the conclave.

On the afternoon of the first day, one ballot may be held. If a ballot takes place on the afternoon of the first day and no-one is elected, or no ballot had taken place, four ballots are held on each successive day: two in each morning and two in each afternoon. Before voting in the morning and again before voting in the afternoon, the electors take an oath to obey the rules of the conclave. If no result is obtained after three vote days of balloting, the process is suspended for a maximum of one day for prayer and an address by the senior Cardinal Deacon. After seven further ballots, the process may again be similarly suspended, with the address now being delivered by the senior Cardinal Priest. If, after another seven ballots, no result is achieved, voting is suspended once more, the address being delivered by the senior Cardinal Bishop. After a further seven ballots, there shall be a day of prayer, reflection and dialogue. In the following ballots, only the two names who received the most votes in the last ballot shall be eligible in a runoff election.

According to doctrine, the conclave is guided by God. But, as one cardinal told the National Catholic Reporter's John Allen, "I was never whapped on the head by the Holy Spirit. I had to make the best choice I could, based on information available."

Answer 4

The catholic pope is elected by the college of cardinals, who go behind locked doors and are not allowed to leave until the pope is chosen from their ranks.

Roman Catholic AnswerThe Holy Father is elected by the cardinals of the Church in a conclave, a locked, closed session that last until there is an election. In law any adult male Catholic may be elected, if he is not already a bishop, he must be ordained a deacon, then a priest, then a Bishop. This has happened several times in history, and was more common in the early Church when Bishops were never elected, as normally a Bishop never left his see.

Pope John Paul II made minor changes to the election process before he died.

from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Pope, Election. The choice of the Bishop of Rome, which has gone through various methods over the centuries. In 1975, Pope Paul VI issued an apostolic constitution in which he made certain changes in papal election law. In line with previous legislation, he decreed that only cardinals-a maximum of 120 under the age of eighty-may be electors. There can be no personal attendants for the cardinals during the conclave, and provisions were made for security and means for handling difficult situations that might arise during the election.

Answer 5

He is elected usually from among the college of cardinals in a conclave by those members of the college of Cardinals who are under 80 years of age at the time the see became vacant.

Answer 6

There is a very special procedure in choosing a Pope for the Catholic church. The Pope is elected by the College of Cardinals who meet in the Conclave. If no agreement has been reached in the voting black smoke will be emitted from the Conclave. Once the vote is final and a Pope has been agreed upon by the vote white smoke is emitted.

Answer 7

A papal election is called a conclave. All eligible members of the College of Cardinals gather in a secret meeting in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope when the previous pope has either died or reigned. Once the conclave begins, the participants are not allowed to leave and have no communication to the outside world until a pope is elected. Voting is done on paper ballots which, once recorded, are burned in a small stove in the chapel. Chemicals are added to the burning paper to either issue black smoke or white smoke. White smoke coming from the chimney is a sign to the outside world that a new pope has been elected. A cardinal must receive a 2/3 majority of the votes to be declared a pope.

Answer 8

The Roman Catholic Pope is selected during conclave. All of the important cardinals go into a locked room and decide which cardinal will be the next pope.

Answer 9

the pope is chosen in complete secrecy. the catholic church has never been known for its democracy or openness.

Answer 10

A new pope is elected when the sitting pope dies, resigns or is deposed.