In the Vatican, all legislative, judicial, and executive authority resides with the pope. And for centuries, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church were chosen in private meetings known as conclaves.
Technically, any Roman Catholic man can be elected pope. But since 1379, every pope has been chosen from the College of Cardinals, the group that casts votes in conclave.
Many of the cardinals are bishops and archbishops appointed by the pope to help with religious matters. Some work in the Vatican, but most are scattered around the world and run a diocese or archdiocese.
When it comes time to vote for a new pope, all cardinals under 80 travel to Rome to participate.
Inside the Sistine Chapel, paper ballots are given to each cardinal, who writes the name of the chosen candidate below the words “Eligo in Summun Pontificem” (Latin for “I choose the Supreme Pontiff”). Cardinals cannot vote for themselves.
When they are finished, each cardinal, in order of age, walks to an altar to ceremoniously place his folded ballot in a chalice. The votes are then counted and the result read to the cardinals.
If a cardinal receives two-thirds of the votes, he becomes the new pontiff.
The revelation of a new pope
We can’t go inside the Sistine Chapel, but we’ll know if there’s a new pope just by looking at the smoke rising from the roof of the Vatican.
Ballots are burned after voting, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If a pope is not elected, the ballots are burned along with a chemical that turns the smoke black.
However, if the smoke is white, the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics have a new church leader.
Traditionally, between 30 and 60 minutes after the white smoke, the new pope will appear on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica. Saint Peter’s Square. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, if he himself is not elected pope, will announce the words “Habemus Papam” (Latin for “we have a pope”) and introduce the new pope by his chosen papal name.
The new pope will then speak briefly and say a prayer. His formal appointment will take place days after his election. The last two popes were inaugurated in St. Peter’s Cathedral.
How many popes did the Catholic Church have?
The first pope was Saint Peter who, according to ACI Prensa, received the Supreme Pontifical Power from Jesus, instituted the first ecclesiastical order and the Our Father prayer. And by the end of 2022, the Vatican had 266 popes, with Pope Francis being the last selected to hold the position.
See the names of the first and last popes in history:
The top 10:
- Saint Peter (Simon Bar Jona)
- San Lino, Tuscany (67-76)
- Saint Anacletus (Cleto), Rome (76-88)
- Saint Clement I (88-97)
- Saint Evaristo, Greece (97-105)
- Saint Alexander I, Rome (105-115)
- Saint Sixtus I, Rome (115-125)
- Saint Telesphorus, Greece (125-136)
- Santo Igino, Greece (136-140)
- Saint Pius I, Aquileia (140-155)
Last 10:
- Saint Pius X (1903-1914)
- Benedict XV (1914-1922)
- Pius XI (1922-1939)
- Pius XII (1939-1958)
- John XXIII (1959-1963)
- Paul VI (1963-1978)
- John Paul I (1978)
- John Paul II (Poland) (1978-2005)
- Benedict XVI (Germany) (2005-2013)
- Francisco (Argentina) (2013-present)
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
