Incredible Facts About Choosing A New Pope

The business of electing a pope is rich in history. As the drama that is papal succession gets underway in Vatican City, here are some incredible facts and curiosities about the whole process -- fascinating tidbits you may not have known:

• For many years popes were able to be chosen through "election by acclamation" or "election by compromise." In 1621 Pope Gregory XV (pictured) was the last pope to be elected by "spontaneous acclamation" when all the cardinals seemed to believe they were under the influence of the Holy Spirit proclaimed the same candidate as their choice for pope. In 1265 Pope Clement IV was elected by compromise when the cardinals reached a stalemate and then decided to choose a small group of their members and delegate to them the power to elect a pope.

• Pope Gregory XV was the first to rule that the cardinals must cast their votes secretly, in writing. This process effectively outlawed voice voting.

• Pope John Paul II was the first to stipulate that the conclave must take place inside the Sistine Chapel. Throughout history the conclaves had been held in various churches in Rome even though the Sistine Chapel was pretty much always the recommended site for the sessions.

• You don't have to be a cardinal -- or even a priest -- to be chosen as pope. Blessed Gregory X was elected in Viterbo, Italy in 1271 even though he was not present at the conclave and wasn't even a priest at the time.

• The College of Cardinals is no more a college than the Electoral College is a college. The main purpose of the College of Cardinals is choosing a pope. This is their biggest responsibility. Every cardinal who is eligible to vote is expected to be present and voting at the conclave. Proxy voting is not permitted. Over the past several hundred years cardinals have missed a conclave only if they were seriously ill or if they were preventing from traveling to Rome by their governments.

• During World War II Pope Pius XII took measures to insure the orderly transition of the papacy should he be captured and/or taken prisoner. Under those circumstances, he stipulated that he was no longer to be considered pope and the cardinals would then be free to elect a new pope.

• Dating back to Saint Peter (the first pope) there have been 265 popes in a direct line to Christ himself.

• Two-thirds of the cardinals plus one must vote for a candidate for that candidate to become pope. All written ballots are destroyed after each vote.

• The two-thirds rule was put into effect by Pope Alexander II in 1169 to "put an end to discord" that might occur when two or more candidates received the same or a similar number of votes. 

• When does an elected candidate become pope? Pope Paul VI clarified this. He decreed it is when the candidate accepts his election, as long as he has been ordained a bishop. If he has not been ordained a bishop, the ordination takes place immediately and then the election becomes valid.

The upcoming conclave will technically be the 75th such session of its type to elect a pope if you date the conclaves to 1295 which marked the first time that the cardinals were cordoned off in a closed room (in secret) to chose a pope. At that time this process was officially inserted into the church's Code of Canon Law.

Source: History of Papal Elections by Ambrogio Piazzoni, vice prefect of the Vatican Library.