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By, Emeka Echewodor
Presently, general congregation is being held to discuss the Pope’s funeral but, in the coming days, it will progress to pre-conclave preparatory meetings leading up to conclave itself.
In the coming days, the Cardinals will discuss when the conclave is to start.
135 cardinals eligible to elect the next Pope.
Though there are 252 cardinals, only 135 cardinals have voting status and are eligible to vote for the next Pope when the conclave begins.
Then, they will at their meetings, begin to speak on a variety of matters, such as the present needs of the Church, the state of the Curia and its work, and improving the Curia and the Church’s relation to the world.
Cardinals would swear to maintain rigorous secrecy about all matters in any way related to the election of the Roman pontiff or those which, by their very nature, during the vacancy of the Pope’s seat.
The cardinals then swear collectively an oath, which reads in part: “We promise and swear to observe with the greatest fidelity and with all persons, clerical or lay, secrecy regarding everything that in any way relates to the election of the Roman Pontiff and regarding what occurs in the place of the election, directly or indirectly related to the results of the voting.
“We promise and swear not to break this secret in any way, either during or after the election of the new Pontiff, unless explicit authorization is granted by the same Pontiff; and never to lend support or favour to any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention, whereby secular authorities of whatever order and degree or any group of people or individuals might wish to intervene in the election of the Roman Pontiff.”
After this, each individual, with a hand on the Gospels, pledges his oath to the same.
The cardinal-electors are to refrain from all contact with the outside world during the election: no shared messages, no newspapers, no radio, no television.
Often, the first vote is purely ceremonial, a way for cardinals to honour particular members of the College who, though distinguished, are not considered papable (electable as pope).
From that point on, the voting is scheduled to be two sessions a day, with two rounds of voting per session (four rounds total per day).
The cardinals select three fellow cardinals to count the votes, three others to check the counts, and three, if necessary, to collect ballots from those who, from infirmity, are unable to walk to the high altar.
Each cardinal writes on a ballot the name of his choice for pope, then walks to the high altar.
There, in the painting of the Last Judgment by Michelangelo, he says aloud, “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.”
The cardinal then places the ballot into the proper receptacle, bows to the altar, and returns to his place.
Once the ballots have been placed in the receptacle, they are mixed up and then counted aloud.
If the number does not equal that of the electors, the ballots are burned.
If the number is accurate, the ballots are taken out singly, noted by two cardinals, and then announced in a loud, clear voice by a third cardinal.
For a man to be validly elected pope, he must receive two-thirds of the votes.
After each vote, the ballots are burned, and the smoke coming out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel is black if the vote is inconclusive, and white if a new successor of Peter has been elected.
