For several centuries, the head of the Roman Catholic Church was chosen through what is known as “Popy”. The procedures are placed in secrecy, which makes it the subject of speculation and conspiracies.
More than 100 senior clerics, known as the Cardinals, meet at the Vatican Cystin Silence to deliver polling cards. They are not allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world until they reached an agreement. This process can last in days, weeks, and sometimes years.
Assets
The word Conclave comes from Latin wordsSmall sedimentandkeyThe idea is that the Cardinals are kept “under the lock and the key” until they decide a new leader, a tradition dating back to the thirteenth century.
The delivery took place in the Italian city of Viterbo, which followed the death of Pope Clement IV from 1268 to 1271, making it the longest in history. The frustrated townspeople tore the roof off the papal palace and only feed the cherry bread and water in an attempt to impose a decision. Ultimately, the Cardinals were ordered not to leave until they reached an agreement. To avoid the repetition of these chaotic scenes, fixed rules of the papal elections were established in 1276.
the Sistine Church He was appointed as the permanent location of the papal pockets in 1878. Nowadays, the Cardinals are sleeping at the residence in Santa Marta inside the Vatican. They are not allowed to obtain any electronic devices or communication with the outside world, and to reach the church every day until the flavor ends.
Importance
Pope does not have any official opinion on secular matters, yet it is a great influence in Rome and around the world, through the Church and its followers of 1.4 billion, and across the Diplomatic Corps of the Apostolic Post.
Each Pope has his own way of dealing with politics. John Paul II, the pole, was seen as a bridge between Western democracies and Eastern Europe during the Cold War, even to support the Polish union solidarity that played a major role in the fall of communism.
Benedict XVI, who was the Pope from 2005 until he resigned in 2013, was considered more than the theologian, with limited interest in global affairs. His successor, Francis, who died on Monday, was an explicit of politics, so that he had publicly clashed with US President Donald Trump for his migration plans.
In Italy, the Pope is an important figure in national affairs, where governments with a different political doctrine are working to maintain strong relations with the Vatican and consult ink on various issues such as the tax law or LGBTQ rights.
Process
After the death or resignation of the Pope, the church’s responsibility is transferred toCardinate CollegeHis first priority is to prepare for the next level. The mourning period is usually noticed for 15 days before it begins.
The college includes bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world, who were personally chosen by previous popes. Each nomination is important because it can affect the college’s position in various matters, and thus the origins and views of the following ink.
According to the Canon Law, the Cardadian under the age of 80 years are qualified to vote. Although the flavor should not consist of more than 120 voters, this limit has not always been respected. In December 2024, Pope Francis was appointed 21 Cardinal, and took the total tomore than130.
Discussions and four rounds of voting take place every day until a candidate-surely one of the Cardinals who make up part of the range-one-third of votes.
decision
The results of each vote are calculated loud. If no one receives the necessary votes, the ballot papers are burned in a stove near the church, with the addition of a chemical to make smoke black. Once the currency is finally agreed, the final polling cards are burned with chemicals that produce white smoke that appears on the Vatican, indicating the world that the new Pope was chosen.
The procedures occur in the Sistin Church in a strict secrecy, a tradition dating back to the thirteenth century when the papacy was an important player in European politics and the major powers will try to influence the result, and sometimes resort to threats and bribery. The secret voting has been preserved throughout the centuries in order to defend the independence of the Cardro and the freedom of the Cardinals. Even today, any leakage of voting intentions can be considered before or while it is an attempt to influence the result.
Roman Catholic believers meet in Saint Peter’s Square to monitor smoke signals and know who will be his new spiritual leader.
The dean of the Holy College of the Crozine is the winner of the poll if he accepted his election. If he does that, he chooses the papal name and wears papal clothes before appearing on the balcony of Saint Peter Petros to bless the crowd and the rest of the world.
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com
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