[StBernard] HOW A POPE IS CHOSEN

[Westley Annis]

HOW A POPE IS CHOSEN 

Vatican City, 13 March 2013 (VIS) - What do the voting ballots for electing
a Pope look like? How are the votes counted? Can Cardinal electors who are
sick still cast a vote? The Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici
Gregis" (UDG) responds to these and many other questions. It was promulgated
by Blessed John Paul II in 1996 to specifically address the norms that would
regulate the Sede Vacante (period during which there is no reigning Pope)
and the election of the Roman Pontiff. On 22 February of this year, Benedict
XVI released the Motu Proprio "Normas Nonnullas", which made a few
modifications to the Apostolic Constitution. Following are sections 64 to 71
of the UDG-incorporating the modifications of the "Normas Nonnullas"-which
deal with the specifics of the voting process during the Conclave in the
Sistine Chapel.

64. "The voting process is carried out in three phases. The first phase,
which can be called the pre-scrutiny, comprises: 1) the preparation and
distribution of the ballot papers by the Masters of Ceremonies-they will
have been readmitted in the meantime, together with the Secretary of the
College of Cardinals and the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations-who
give at least two or three to each Cardinal elector; 2) the drawing by lot,
from among all the Cardinal electors, of three Scrutineers, of three persons
charged with collecting the votes of the sick, called for the sake of
brevity 'Infirmarii', and of three Revisers; this drawing is carried out in
public by the junior Cardinal Deacon, who draws out nine names, one after
another, of those who shall carry out these tasks; 3) if, in the drawing of
lots for the Scrutineers, 'Infirmarii', and Revisers, there should come out
the names of Cardinal electors who because of infirmity or other reasons are
unable to carry out these tasks, the names of others who are not impeded are
to be drawn in their place. The first three drawn will act as Scrutineers,
the second three as 'Infirmarii', and the last three as Revisers."

65. "For this phase of the voting process the following norms must be
observed: 1) the ballot paper must be rectangular in shape and must bear in
the upper half, in print if possible, the words 'Eligo in Summum
Pontificem'; on the lower half there must be a space left for writing the
name of the person chosen; thus the ballot is made in such a way that it can
be folded in two; 2) the completion of the ballot must be done in secret by
each Cardinal elector, who will write down legibly, as far as possible in
handwriting that cannot be identified as his, the name of the person he
chooses, taking care not to write other names as well, since this would make
the ballot null; he will then fold the ballot twice; 3) during the voting,
the Cardinal electors are to remain alone in the Sistine Chapel; therefore,
immediately after the distribution of the ballots and before the electors
begin to write, the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of
Papal Liturgical Celebrations and the Masters of Ceremonies must leave the
Chapel. After they have left, the junior Cardinal Deacon shall close the
door, opening and closing it again each time this is necessary, as for
example when the 'Infirmarii' go to collect the votes of the sick and when
they return to the Chapel."

66. "The second phase, the scrutiny proper, comprises: 1) the placing of the
ballots in the appropriate receptacle; 2) the mixing and counting of the
ballots; 3) the opening of the votes. Each Cardinal elector, in order of
precedence, having completed and folded his ballot, holds it up so that it
can be seen and carries it to the altar, at which the Scrutineers stand and
upon which there is placed a receptacle, covered by a plate, for receiving
the ballots. Having reached the altar, the Cardinal elector says aloud the
words of the following oath: 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. He then places the ballot on the plate, with which he drops it
into the receptacle. Having done this, he bows to the altar and returns to
his place."

"If any of the Cardinal electors present in the Chapel is unable to go to
the altar because of infirmity, the last of the Scrutineers goes to him. The
infirm elector, having pronounced the above oath, hands the folded ballot to
the Scrutineer, who carries it in full view to the altar and omitting the
oath, places it on the plate, with which he drops it into the receptacle."

67. "If there are Cardinal electors who are sick and confined to their
rooms, referred to in Nos. 41ff of this Constitution, the three 'Infirmarii'
go to them with a box which has an opening in the top through which a folded
ballot can be inserted. Before giving the box to the 'Infirmarii', the
Scrutineers open it publicly, so that the other electors can see that it is
empty; they are then to lock it and place the key on the altar. The
'Infirmarii', taking the locked box and a sufficient number of ballot papers
on a small tray, then go, duly accompanied, to the Domus Sanctae Marthae to
each sick elector, who takes a ballot, writes his vote in secret, folds the
ballot and, after taking the above-mentioned oath, puts it through the
opening in the box. If any of the electors who are sick is unable to write,
one of the three 'Infirmarii' or another Cardinal elector chosen by the sick
man, having taken an oath before the 'Infirmarii' concerning the observance
of secrecy, carries out the above procedure. The 'Infirmarii' then take the
box back into the Chapel, where it shall be opened by the Scrutineers after
the Cardinals present have cast their votes. The Scrutineers then count the
ballots in the box and, having ascertained that their number corresponds to
the number of those who are sick, place them one by one on the plate and
then drop them all together into the receptacle. In order not to prolong the
voting process unduly, the 'Infirmarii' may complete their own ballots and
place them in the receptacle immediately after the senior Cardinal, and then
go to collect the votes of the sick in the manner indicated above while the
other electors are casting their votes."

68. "After all the ballots of the Cardinal electors have been placed in the
receptacle, the first Scrutineer shakes it several times in order to mix
them, and immediately afterwards the last Scrutineer proceeds to count them,
picking them out of the urn in full view and placing them in another empty
receptacle previously prepared for this purpose. If the number of ballots
does not correspond to the number of electors, the ballots must all be
burned and a second vote taken at once; if however their number does
correspond to the number of electors, the opening of the ballots then takes
place in the following manner."

69. "The Scrutineers sit at a table placed in front of the altar. The first
of them takes a ballot, unfolds it, notes the name of the person chosen and
passes the ballot to the second Scrutineer, who in his turn notes the name
of the person chosen and passes the ballot to the third, who reads it out in
a loud and clear voice, so that all the electors present can record the vote
on a sheet of paper prepared for that purpose. He himself writes down the
name read from the ballot. If during the opening of the ballots the
Scrutineers should discover two ballots folded in such a way that they
appear to have been completed by one elector, if these ballots bear the same
name they are counted as one vote; if however they bear two different names,
neither vote will be valid; however, in neither of the two cases is the
voting session annulled."

"When all the ballots have been opened, the Scrutineers add up the sum of
the votes obtained by the different names and write them down on a separate
sheet of paper. The last Scrutineer, as he reads out the individual ballots,
pierces each one with a needle through the word 'Eligo' and places it on a
thread, so that the ballots can be more securely preserved. After the names
have been read out, the ends of the thread are tied in a knot, and the
ballots thus joined together are placed in a receptacle or on one side of
the table."

70. "There then follows the third and last phase, also known as the
post-scrutiny, which comprises: 1) the counting of the votes; 2) the
checking of the same; 3) the burning of the ballots."

"The Scrutineers add up all the votes that each individual has received, and
if no one has obtained at least two thirds of the votes on that ballot, the
Pope has not been elected; if however it turns out that someone has obtained
at least two thirds of the votes, the canonically valid election of the
Roman Pontiff has taken place."

"In either case, that is, whether the election has occurred or not, the
Revisers must proceed to check both the ballots and the notes made by the
Scrutineers, in order to make sure that these latter have performed their
task exactly and faithfully."

"Immediately after the checking has taken place, and before the Cardinal
electors leave the Sistine Chapel, all the ballots are to be burnt by the
Scrutineers, with the assistance of the Secretary of the Conclave and the
Masters of Ceremonies who in the meantime have been summoned by the junior
Cardinal Deacon. If however a second vote is to take place immediately, the
ballots from the first vote will be burned only at the end, together with
those from the second vote."

71. "In order that secrecy may be better observed, I order each and every
Cardinal elector to hand over to the Cardinal Camerlengo or to one of the
three Cardinal Assistants any notes which he may have in his possession
concerning the results of each ballot. These notes are to be burnt together
with the ballots."

"I further lay down that at the end of the election the Cardinal Camerlengo
of the Holy Roman Church shall draw up a document, to be approved also by
the three Cardinal Assistants, declaring the result of the voting at each
session. This document is to be given to the Pope and will thereafter be
kept in a designated archive, enclosed in a sealed envelope, which may be
opened by no one unless the Supreme Pontiff gives explicit permission."