A brief history of how Popes are elected in the Catholic Church, updated for the March 2013 Conclave held after the retirement of Benedict XVI. Permission for use in religious education / faith formation is granted with the reservation that I'm told who's using it. Thanks and God bless!

2. The Conclaves:
Papal Interregnum & Transition

3. 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.

4. Electoral Changes
Urban VI
(#203)

5. 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.

6. Makes April 2005 seem quick!!

7. 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), just 16 days.
Pope & cardinals flee Rome!
592 days before the next pope.
Septizodium, Palatine Hill

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

12. Who were the most recent
popes before Benedict?
John Paul II John Paul I Paul VI John XXIII

18. 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.

19. 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”.

20. 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.

22. If the smoke from the
chimney is white, a new
If the smoke from the Pope has been elected.
chimney is black, The great bells of Saint
another vote is needed. Peter‟s Basilica will ring.

23. 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!

24. 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