Conclave will be new experience for most cardinals

Eight in 10 of those eligible to vote in the conclave were appointed by Pope Francis in the past 12 years. Twenty became cardinals only in December last year. Many had never met each other before heading to Rome over the past week after the Pope’s death on April 21.

But discreet ad hoc discussions and lobbying in the Vatican’s corridors, dining rooms and gardens have gathered pace over recent days.

“In fact, conversations have probably been going on for some time, certainly since the start of this year, because the trajectory of Pope Francis’ health has been clear,” said Miles Pattenden, a historian of the Catholic Church at Oxford University.

More than 20 cardinals have been identified as “papabile” – candidates for the papacy – by Vatican observers. However, few frontrunners at the start of the process make it through successive rounds of voting. In 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was not considered “papabile”, but by the end of the process he was Pope Francis.

Critics have accused Francis of packing the college of cardinals with his supporters in making more than 100 appointments during his papacy. But, Pattenden said, “historically, no pope has been able to control the election of his successor”.

“Francis was more inclined to promote his ideological confreres, but he didn’t exclusively appoint those who appeared to agree with him. He had other priorities – to make the college of cardinals as inclusive as possible, which meant choosing men from very small Catholic communities like Iran and Algeria and Mongolia and balancing it away from its rich European and North American heartlands.”

In 2013, more than half of cardinal electors were European. Now, the proportion has dropped to 39 per cent, while 18 per cent come from Asia, 18 per cent from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 12 per cent from sub-Saharan Africa.

Conclave is derived from the Latin cum clave, or “with a key”. Cardinals are locked in the Sistine Chapel, without outside influences such as cellphones, until they elect a new pope.

The first vote will be taken soon after the conclave convenes, and then each morning and afternoon until a candidate secures a two-thirds majority (plus one).

The cardinals will be “under quite a lot of pressure to choose quite quickly”, Pattenden said. “The world’s eyes are on them, and the Catholic faithful might find it a bit disconcerting if they’re still in the conclave in June or in July.”

Only cardinals aged under 80 can elect a pope, but in theory the pope can be older than that, and not a cardinal; any Catholic man is eligible.

Ballots are secret and burned after each round. Smoke signals the end of each round of voting: black, for no pope yet; white, a new pope.

FULL STORY

Lobbying for the next pope begins among cardinals (By Harriet Sherwood)

Heaven help them: The history and hardships of picking a pope (The Post – subscription required)