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The Conclaves:Papal Interregnum & Transition
Conclaves are Relatively New
Only 79 popes elected in conclave.
First conclave in 1241 → Celestine IV (#180).
Last 73 popes, in succession, since Dec. 1294 → Boniface VIII (#194).
Involving the Sistine Chapel, only since 1484.
Since 1484, five away from the Vatican.
Sfumata, early 19th century.
Electoral Changes
Urban VI (#203)
The Vacant See
Period Years Vacancies Average Vacancy
‘All Time’ ~1963 ~54 years ~74 days
1st Millennium ~957 ~25 years ~65 days
2nd Millennium 1006 ~29 years ~84 days
‘11th Century’ 100 5.7 years 98 days
‘13th Century’ 105 9.5 years 193 days
‘20th Century’ 102 0.4 years 17 days
Last 9 conclaves: average 3.33 days; 2, 3, 2, 3, 4, 2, 5, 4 & 5
Pius VII (#252), on March 14, 1800 – 105 days.
Longest: 1,006 days, Nov. 1268 – Sep. 1271.
Makes April 2005 seem quick!!
Aug. 1241: First Real Conclave
Gregory IX (#179) <> Frederick II (1220-1250).
Cardinals: 14 > 12 > 11 > 10 > 11.
Matteo Rosso ‘the Great’ Orsini (1178-1246).
1 month lead-up; Sep. 21 to Oct. 25 (34 days).
Celestine IV (#180)
Pope & cardinals flee Rome!
592 days before the next pope.
Septizodium, Palatine Hill
, just 16 days.
1,006 Day Conclave – in Viterbo
4 elections after 1241 without conclaves.
Continued tussle with ‘German’ court; > Charles I, Count of Anjou (1226-1285) steps into fray.
Clement IV (#184) died 11/29/1268 in Viterbo.
Cardinals = 21 > 19; Italian = 12, France = 5.
c. 1270 conclave < Gatti … roof comes off … now 16.
mid-1271, 6 cardinal committee.
Sep. 1, 1271 > Viconti.
Palazzo dei Papi, Viterbo
Gregory X’s Ubi periculum
Gregory X (#185), Mar. 27, 1272 < 1,214 days.
2nd Council of Lyon, May – July 1274.
Nov. 1274 > 2nd Constitution, Part II. ‘When there is danger’
10 day ‘assembly’ period > 1922.
One assistant; no income; only ‘urgent’ business.
After 3 days > one dish/meal; 9th day >
Gregory X papacy 4 years, 4 months.
Celestine V: Godfather of Conclaves
Next 3 conclaves: 1 day, 9 days, 11 days.
Hadrian V (#187), 5 conclaves > 38 days as pope!
John XXI (#188), M.D., suspends ‘U.p. within 10 days.
Next 5 conclaves: 189, 184, 5, 325 & 822 days.
Celestine V (#193), a hermit, elected in haste.
Within a month, Quia in futurum, U.p. back.
Boniface VIII (#194) enshrines U.p. > Canon Law.
John Paul I John Paul II Paul VI John XXIII
Who were the most recent popes before Benedict?
To elect a new Pope, there are several stages.
1. All of the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church meet in Rome (unless they are over 80). There can be a maximum of 120 Cardinals involved in the vote.
2. The Cardinals all take part in a public mass to ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit.
3. The Senior Cardinal issues the order Extra Omnes and all not involved in the election process have to leave.
4. The doors are then sealed shut and the CONCLAVE starts.
This is the voting slip used to elect a new Pope.
Each Cardinal will try to disguise their writing when they print the name of their choice.
They fold the card in half making it one inch wide.
The words on the top mean “I elect as supreme pontiff”.
All votes cast in the election are secret and must be destroyed immediately.
They are burnt in the small stove (the sfumata) that is located in the Sistine Chapel.
The color of the smoke that comes from the chimney is what people watch for.
If the smoke from the chimney is white, a new Pope has been elected. The great bells of Saint Peter’s Basilica will ring.
If the smoke from the chimney is black, another vote is needed.
Once the new Pope has been elected, the chief Cardinal will come onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and proclaim Annuncio vobis gaudeam magnam: Habemus Papam!
References
Guruge, Anura, The Next Pope, WOWNH, 2010.
Kelly, J.N.D., The Oxford Dictionary of Popes, Oxford University Press, 2005.
Baugmartner, Frederic J., A History of Papal Elections, Palgrave Macmillian, 2003
Walsh, Michael, The Conclave, Sheed & Ward, 2003
Please check ‘Errors in books about popes’ at www.popes-and-papacy.com
Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: www.piu.edu/~mirandas/cardinals
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