By Eleanor O’Hagan
Staff Writer
The recent health issues and hospitalizations of His Holiness Pope Francis have been a roller-coaster. With uncertainty of his diagnosis and mixed messages in headlines, Catholics have been concerned for the pontiff’s health.
Thankfully he is on the mend and seems to be making a recovery, but what if the pope had not regained his health? What happens when a pope dies?
In the event of a pope’s passing away or in the rare case of resignation, there is a period of time called “interregnum,” which is Latin for “between reigns.” The Church at this time, however, is not brought to a stand-still.
The faithful continue with their obligations as Catholics, with priests, deacons and other religious continuing to minister to the lay people of the Church. If the pope has died and not resigned, there is a nine-day mourning period before the Cardinal electors gather to elect a new pope.
The election process is to be guided by the Holy Spirit through the votes of those who are ordained bishops from all over the world and who have been chosen to be in the College of Cardinals by the pope.
In the past, lay people of the Catholic Church — mainly those of wealth, power and political influence — have taken control of electing a new pope, as it would give them more control and a better advantage to their families.
The most famous of these would be the Medici family, who would ensure they had family members who infiltrated the Church in order for the family to have more political power. Now the church works to keep outside and political influences from swaying the votes from the cardinals, hoping and having trust that it is truly only the Holy Spirit who guides the cardinals.
This process of voting by the College of Cardinals is called a “conclave,” coming from the Latin words “with key.” The Cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel and announce “Extra omnes,” which is a polite way of telling everyone who is not in the College of Cardinals to exit.
The doors are then locked, and the Cardinals have no contact with the rest of the world as they pray and vote on the candidates for the papacy. Technically any baptized male Catholic can be elected as pope, but a non-clergyman would only be chosen in very extreme circumstances. Each cardinal writes the name of who he believes should be the next pope, then the votes are counted.
A two thirds majority must be achieved for a single candidate to be elected pope. This tradition was restored by the late Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, and in 2013 His Holiness decreed that the election of a new pope must commence after a maximum of 20 days. This timeline might be long, but in centuries past it would be months or years before the College of Cardinals agreed on a new pope. It was three years after Pope Clement IV’s death in 1268 that a new pope was elected.
To help move the process along, voting takes place four times a day until a cardinal is selected through the two thirds majority. After each vote, the Vatican will burn a mixture to create black smoke, communicating to the world that there is no new pope yet.
When the two thirds majority is met and the selected cardinal accepts his call to be the next pope, white smoke is made and bells ring out to announce to the world that a new pope has been elected.
The senior cardinal deacon will then announce on the balcony of St. Peter’s “Habemus Papam!” (“We have a new pope!”) This is typically followed by the newly elected pope’s name as cardinal and the name he has taken as pope. After praying, the new pope steps out onto the balcony and gives a blessing.
So, there you have it! Very simple. Hopefully, though, it will be a while before we see the need for a conclave. Be sure to keep His Holiness Pope Francis and his recovery in your prayers! I also highly suggest watching the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist’s video on YouTube of their reaction when Pope Francis was elected, it is the most wholesome thing ever!