Calling All Cardinals
By Bri Clarke
The Election of the New Pope
We need cardinals to help elect the new pope.
-you must be under the age of 80
- the names of 9 voting cardinals are chosen at random
The Rules the Chosen Cardinals Have to Abide by:
-you have to swear on an oath of absolute secrecy
~failure to comply results in excommunication
- the cardinals are not permitted any contact with the outside world
~ no cellphones
~ no newspapers
~ no television
~ no messages
~ no letters
~ no signals to the outside world
- the chapel is swept for listening devices before and during the conclave ( the meeting of the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel)
-observers can see the cardinals only when
~ they walk or are driven between the hostel/ chapel
Conclave~ The Gathering of Cardinals
Thursday, Mar 5, 2015, 06:00 AM
Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
Voting Process
2. The body of the pope will lie in state for 3 days in St Peters Basilica, there is then a funeral and the body is entombed in the basilica
3. As soon as the word goes out the cardinals begin to gather in Rome
4. 3 or 4 days after the word has gone out the cardinals gather in something called the general congregation. They have meetings every day
5. This is where they handle what time the conclave will be begin and when it will be begin
6. The cardinals will meet informally to discuss which cardinals could be eligible to become pope
7. Cardinals will give interviews to the Pope during this period
8. The morning the conclave is meant to begin they have a mass in St Peters Basilica this is the last public event before the election
9. That afternoon the cardinals will gather in the Pauline chapel they sing hymns and say prayers before they are moved to the Sistine Chapel
10. Once inside the cardinals will swear on an oath. This is a signal that the conclave is going to begin
11. There will be one ballot in the afternoon, then two in the morning and two in the afternoon of the following day until one candidate has 2/3 of the votes
12. If the balloting is inconclusive after three days there will be a break for a day. After seven ballots if there is still no pope they pause for prayer this continues until they start to short list the candidates down to the two with the most votes and majority votes wins the election
The protocol the pope has to follow to accept his role:
13. When a candidate is elected either 2/3 or in the manners listed above the cardinals will ask " Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?" The candidate responds "I accept" and then he is pope.
14. The senior cardinal will announce to the world that a new pope has been selected. He stands on the Balcony of St Peters Basilica and says "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum! ( I have news of great joy) Habemus papam (we have a pope) Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum Cardinalem Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae (the most eminent and reverend Lord Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church)qui sibi nomen imposuit ( He has take upon himself the name and then the name of the new pope)
15. The pope will be led down the hall of blessings. He will step out onto the balcony and say his first blessing as pope
16. After the blessing the pope will return to the conclave for a meal with the cardinals
17. A few days later the pope will say his first mass
The Pope changes his name because in the history of the Church Jesus and God changed the names of the disciples they assigned missions to. Early in the days of the church some of the people that went for pope were converts from other religions e.g. pagan and they had names of Pagan Godsso they changed there names to be more Catholic Appropriate names. e.g the Pope in AD 533 was called Mercurius and that was a pagan roman god of mercury so he had to change his name
Sistine Chapel
Pope Francis first Greeting
The pope entombed in St Peters Basilica
THE POPE HAS BEEN ELECTED
People Eligible to Apply for Pope
1. You have to be catholic
2. You have to male
3. You have to be a priest
4. You have to be a bishop
5. You have to be a cardinal
6. You have to be part of the college of cardinals (115 cardinals)
To apply for Pope you have to follow this guidelines.