Separating fact from fiction: What really happens during a papal conclave?

With the death of Pope Francis on April 21, there is worldwide interest in the upcoming papal conclave, the secretive process of selecting the next pope.

Variety reported that Luminate, a US-based analytics company specializing in providing insights within the entertainment industry, saw the movie Conclave’s viewership spike by 283%, from 1.8 million minutes watched to 6.9 million minutes.

Netflix’s “The Two Popes” viewership jumped by 415%, from 290,000 minutes watched to 1.5 million minutes.

Google searches also spiked during this period, as monitored by Google Trends in the Philippines.

The two movies featured depictions of how the cardinals elect the next leader of the Church. “Conclave” stood out with its dramatic and elaborate interpretation of the papal election.

However, such fictional depictions might differ entirely from reality, although the Associated Press reported that Conclave almost got the process right with a few discrepancies.

In the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, the Church outlines the process in detail. 

Chapter Two of the document highlights the procedures done by the College of Cardinals in preparation for the selection of the next pope.

During a vacancy in the Apostolic See, the College of Cardinals convenes in preparatory meetings, known as “congregations” (general and particular), to manage Church affairs and prepare for the election of a new Pope. 

Attendance at general congregations is mandatory for most cardinals, while those ineligible to vote in the papal election have the option not to attend.

These preparatory congregations, held daily, involve oath-taking regarding secrecy and adherence to established norms, as well as urgent decision-making concerning the deceased pope’s funeral arrangements, securing accommodations for electors, and setting the schedule for the upcoming election.

These are the same congregations that are preparing for the conclave to be held starting May 7, 16 days after Pope Francis’s death.

Part Two, Chapter One of the 1996 apostolic constitution discusses how the cardinal-electors vote for the next supreme pontiff.

This year, the Holy See confirmed that there are 135 eligible cardinal-electors out of 252 cardinals of the Catholic Church, but two have backed out due to sickness.

Chapters Two to Four specifically state the place where the conclave shall be held (the Sistine Chapel), the beginning of the election, and matters related to keeping the election secret from the outside world and exclusive only to the cardinal-electors present.

In Chapter Five, the constitution details the process of the election during the day of the conclave.

It states that a pope is elected once a candidate reaches the threshold of two-thirds of the votes, meaning that at least 89 of the cardinal-electors agree to select one particular candidate.

The cardinals need to write their votes in a manner that cannot be traced or identified.

The process itself, as outlined by the apostolic constitution, is elaborate and systematic. In the “scrutiny” or balloting phase, individual cardinal-electors must put their ballots in the assigned receptacles placed before the altar of Sistine Chapel, while reciting the oath 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.”

When all the votes are cast, duly assigned scrutineers will mix the ballots several times before counting them. If the number of ballots does not match the number of cardinal-electors present, it will all be burned and deemed invalid, and the voting process will begin again.

If no discrepancies are observed, the counting will immediately begin, and the scrutineers will read the names stated in each ballot aloud and count the votes corresponding to each of the candidates.

The ballots will then be pierced by a needle and thread at each count for the next phase to be carried out, which is the post-scrutiny phase wherein the votes are recounted and checked.

This part of the process determines if the cardinal-electors reach a consensus on who the next pope will be. After this process, the ballots will all be burned, including the notes of each cardinal-elector, to maintain secrecy.

The outside world will be notified regarding the result of the voting process through the color of the smoke coming out from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel; white smoke means a new pope was elected, black smoke if none.

In case no pope is duly elected, the cardinals will take a break within the confines of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, remaining cut off from the outside world.

The process will repeat the next morning for up to three consecutive days, after which they are allowed a short break for prayers, informal discussion, and respite within a cycle of seven ballots. This cycle will repeat as usual until a new pope is elected.

In recent history, conclaves have lasted two to three days.

In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany became pope after four rounds of voting. His successor, Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot.

Once a new supreme pontiff is elected, the cardinal-dean will ask the chosen cardinal: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” and as soon as consent is given, he will be asked by what regnal name he wishes to be called.

The new pontiff will then be dressed in papal garb, announced and presented at the center balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after the proclamation: “Habemus Papam!” (We have a pope!), to be delivered this year by Cardinal Dominique Mamberti of France. Hurt Allauigan

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