Prayers for all Occasions, Needs, and Intentions

THE ELECTION OF THE POPE  

  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. A Cardinal of Holy Roman Church who has been created and published before the College of Cardinals thereby has the right to elect the Pope even if he has not yet received the red hat or the ring, or sworn the oath.

  There are currently 161 cardinals. 117 are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote. 97 of those eligible were appointed by Pope John Paul II.

  The moment when the Apostolic See is lawfully vacant, the Cardinal electors who are present must wait fifteen full days for those who are absent. When a maximum of twenty days have elapsed from the beginning of the vacancy of the See, all the Cardinal electors present are obliged to meet in the Basilica of Saint Peter's and take part in a solemn Eucharistic Votive Mass celebration.

  The election of the Supreme Pontiff must take place within the territory of Vatican City, all will assemble at the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace and process to the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, where the oath and election will be held.

  Each of the Cardinal electors, touching the Holy Gospels, will read and recite the oath listed below and all those not taking part in the Conclave must leave the Sistine Chapel after the reading of the oath.

  We, the Cardinal electors present in this election of the Supreme Pontiff promise, pledge and swear, as individuals and as a group, to observe faithfully and scrupulously the prescriptions contained in the Apostolic Constitution of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, Universi Dominici Gregis, published on 22 February 1996. We likewise promise, pledge and swear that whichever of us by divine disposition is elected Roman Pontiff will commit himself faithfully to carrying out the Munus Petrinum of Pastor of the Universal Church and will not fail to affirm and defend strenuously the spiritual and temporal rights and the liberty of the Holy See. In a particular way, we promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting, we promise and swear not to break this secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new Pontiff, unless explicit authorization is granted by the same Pontiff; and never to lend support or favor to any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention, whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree or any group of people or individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman Pontiff.

  The Cardinal electors, from the election beginning until its conclusion and public announcement of its outcome, are not to communicate, by writing, by telephone or by any other means of communication, with any person outside the area where the election is taking place, except in urgent necessity.

  The Cardinal "Camerlengo" and three Cardinal Assistants pro tempore are obliged to be especially vigilant ensuring absolutely no violation of secrecy with regard to the events in the Sistine Chapel, and adjacent areas during the voting process.

  The voting procedure itself no longer allows a spontaneous and unanimous vote for one candidate. Nor does it allow a straight majority in the case of a vote split between two candidates. A successful vote must be a two thirds (or a two thirds plus one) majority, calculated on the basis of the total number of electors present.

  Should the election begin on the afternoon of the first day, only one ballot is to be held; then, on the following days, if no one was elected on the first ballot, two ballots are held in the morning and two in the afternoon.

  Voting is achieved in three phases; first is the preparation and distribution of the ballot papers; second is the placing the ballots in the appropriate receptacle, the mixing and counting of the ballots, the opening of the votes; third is counting and checking the votes, then burning of the ballots. If no one has obtained two thirds of the votes on that ballot, 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.

  The outline listed above is the general procedure for the election of a new Pontiff. No attempt has been made to include all of the pomp and ceremony associated with this election.