Surprising and interesting details about how a new pope gets elected. Due to the critical condition of Pope Francis, likely, that the authorities have already thought about who will replace him
More than half of the world’s Christian population is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.
Their center is “Vatican City” located in the city of Rome, Italy, which was granted the status of a separate state by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on February 11, 1929.
The total area of the Vatican is 110 acres and the population is a little more than 800. Its official language is Italian and the religious language is Latin. Vatican City and the Holy See are two separate entities.
How the Pope is Elected?
1. All senior cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican’s main church hall. The hall is locked from the outside.
2. These cardinals, who are eligible to vote, elect the next pope by secret ballot. There are currently 115 cardinals. The one who receives two-thirds (77 out of 115) of their votes becomes the next pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
Of the current 115 cardinals, 60 are from Europe, 19 from South America, 14 from North America, 11 from Africa, 10 from Asia, and one from Australia. The cardinals are appointed by the pope himself.
3. In the hall, the “confined” priests first swear that all matters will remain confidential and that no one will communicate with the outside world in any way so that the election of the Pope can take place.
4. Three of the cardinals are chosen to count the ballots, three of them are appointed to check the election figures, and three more are appointed to assist the very weak or sick priests in voting.
5. Each cardinal, hiding and changing his writing, writes the name of one person on the ballot paper. He folds the paper in two and takes it to the altar.
There he makes a promise to Christ places his vote on a plate and drops it into a large box.
6. Now the three counting priests begin their work. One priest shakes the box in such a way that the ballots are mixed.
The second priest counts the ballots to make sure that all the priests in the hall have cast their votes. Then the third cardinal reads the names on the ballots one by one. These names are written down on a piece of paper.
7. The first day, the voting process is carried out only once. If no one receives two-thirds of the votes, the voting is postponed until the next day.
The next day, the voting and counting process is repeated in the same way. This process is repeated until no one priest receives two-thirds of the votes. Sometimes it takes several days or even several weeks.
8. When a priest receives the required number of votes, the Dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts the position.
The moment he says “I accept,” the new pope is appointed. Then he announces his papal name, which is presented to the world. The new pope has taken the name Francis.
9. The ballot papers of the priests are burned after each vote. The smoke of the burning paper goes out of the chimney of the fireplace.
It is made black or white with a chemical substance to inform the outside world of the decision of the “confined” priests inside. If the smoke coming out of the chimney is black, it means that no one has yet received a two-thirds majority.
The ballot papers that are burned when the pope is elected, the smoke is white, which lets the people waiting outside know that the appointment of the Pope has been made. Then the bell of the cathedral is rung.
10. Then the new pope wears the special papal robes and comes to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City with other priests.
Outside in the square, thousands of waiting Christian devotees greet the new pope for the first time and chant slogans.
11. Each pope has a special ring, which he also uses as a seal when approving important documents. In the event of the pope’s death or resignation, the ring is promptly discarded, so that there is no possibility of forgery in any later document.
