Memes have been made, skits have been written and one-liners have been said. Although, the electing of a new Pope is no joke for the members of the College of Cardinals.
Pope Benedict XVI led the Roman Catholic Church for eight years before resigning on Feb. 28. This resignation came as a shock to the 1.2 billion Catholics that follow him, not including his large Twitter following, 1.6 million to be exact.
Pope Benedict XVI was elected to papacy at the ripe old age of 78. After the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, many believers thought that electing an older Pope was not the best idea. Now at the age of 85, Pope Benedict is resigning due to deteriorating health conditions. He is the first pope to resign in 600 years.
Usually, the College of Cardinals has a 15-to-20 day gap after the papal office becomes open to begin the selection of a new pontiff. With Easter quickly approaching, the College of Cardinals lead by dean, Angelo Sodano, does not have that luxury. The selection will begin immediately, so the new pontiff will have time to prepare for Palm Sunday and Easter celebrations.
The College of Cardinals is responsible for electing a new pope. Cardinals, under the age of 80, from around the world must travel to Rome to vote for the next pope. The College will host daily talks for the 115 Cardinals travelling to Rome, and they cannot leave the Vatican until the process is complete.
Voting is done in the Sistine Chapel, and all votes must remain private. Cardinals are handed out blank ballots to write down the name of the candidate they want to be elected. One by one they bring their ballot to the altar. Once all of the ballots have been turned in, they read the names out loud. A cardinal needs a vote of two-thirds to be elected.
The smoke that ascends from the chimney has a meaning. After each vote is read, it is thrown into the fireplace. If there is no winner a chemical is added to the fire turning the smoke black. This signifies that a cardinal was not elected and the conclave will vote again. When a cardinal is elected and chooses to accept, there is no chemical added. This leaves the smoke white, which signifies to the crowd that a new pope has been selected.
After the cardinal accepts, the dean asks him to choose a papal name. The oldest cardinal announces the new pope to the crowd from a balcony in St. Peter’s Square.
For those of you who have seen Euro Trip this process may sound familiar. It may not be as exciting as in the movie, but the process will be aired on mostly every news station, as Catholics wait for the election of their new leader.
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