21/04/2025
This is how the Catholic Church actually elects one.
Firstly , who's calling the shots?
Yeah, It's very true that the cardinals are responsible for the entire process of the election.
But there's an important caveat.
Only cardinals under the age of 80 can take part.
From the statistics only 135 out of the 252 cardinals are eligible to vote.
But that's not all.
Pope Paul VI introduced a rule capping the number of voting cardinals to be at 120.
This implies that some might be excluded from voting. That or the limit will be disregarded.
The cardinals swear an oath of secrecy.
No phones. No talking to the press. No outside communication.
Why? In order to ensure that the Holy Spirit guide the election, free from politics or outside influence.
The voting process is highly deeply on spiritual.
Each cardinal writes the name of his chosen candidate on a ballot, folds it, and places it in a chalice on the altar.
Then they pray: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge.”
To be elected, a man must receive a two-thirds majority of the votes.
If no one receives enough votes after several ballots, they pause and pray.
This can go on for days, weeks, months or years!
The longest Conclave was almost three years long.
After each round of voting, the ballots are burned.
Chemicals are added to the smoke to signal the outcome:
Black - no decision
White - we have a Pope.
Once someone receives the required votes, the Dean of the College of Cardinals asks him two questions:
1. Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?
2. By what name shall you be called?
If he accepts, he becomes the Pope.
The new Pope is dressed in white, he prays, vests, and then appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The most senior cardinal announces:
“Habemus Papam!” (We have a Pope!)
The new Holy Father then gives his first blessing, Urbi et Orbi ("to the City and to the World").
The bells of St. Peter’s ring, and Christians around the globe rejoice.
A successor to Saint Peter has been chosen.
It ends where it began, on the balcony, facing the world.
A man in white, chosen by red, speaking to eternity.
Habemus Papam.
