The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-05-22
How they Make Popes.

Ine 1act lJSeH must be authenticated IN
proper form; and to do this, one of the Off
cials of the Camera visits the death-cham-
Der. Standing at the door, and striking it
with a gilt mallet, the Cameolenga, receiv-
ing no reply, enters the room, taps the
corpse on the forehead with silver malet,
and then falling on his knees, proclaims the
Pope to be no more. The tolling of the
great bell of st. Peters announces to the
people of Rome that they have lost their
sovereign, and the church her head. Con-
sistently with the theory of personal gov
eminent prevailing in the holy city, the an
nouncement of the Pope's death is practi-
cally an announcement of the temporary
suspension of all government. All politi-
cal and all judicial authority ceases; the
law-courts suspend their sittings; anarchy
reigns. This state of lawlessness continues
for nine days-that is, till the appointment
of fresh Pope-and this period was for
centuries distinguished by outrages that
were scandal to the government of the
holy city.
The day after the Pope's death the car
dinals meet, and break what is called the
piscatorial ring. This ring has history of
its own-a more romantic history probably
than any other ring in Europe, and if it
could speak, it might tell us some startling
secrets about the Vatican. 1t is, we be-
lieve, plain gold ring, bearing the ef6gy
of St. Peter. Its principal use is to sign
apostolic briefs; and it has been used for
this purpose by the Popes from the earliest
ages of the church. Looking through the
recently published correspondence of Ma
poleon l. a few days ago, we came across
an interesting incident. When Napoleon
issued his orders for the seizure of the
prayer-books and papers of Plus VII, he
laid particular stress upon this ring: he
wished it to be seized at all hazards; and
when it could not be found his Majesty Or
dered an officer of gendarmes to demand it
directly from the Holy Father. This was
the browning affront of Napoleon to the
Pope; and Plus VII. hesitated for some
moments whether to comply with the rude
imperial request or not. A captive, how
ever, and at the Emperor's mercy, it was
impossible to resist; and at last the Holy
Father, taking little leathern purse out
of his pocket, produced the fisherman's
ring, baoke it in two, as it is broken on the
death of every pontiff, and handed the
pieces to the gendarmes. Through Prince
Borghese, the broken ring was forwarded
to the Emperor in Paris; but it afterward
| found its way to the Vatican, and now fire.
quently adorns the finger of the supreme
pontiff.
The funeral of a Pope is striking and
gorgeous ceremony. 1t is not till the ninth
| day after his death that the cardinals reas-
| semble to elect successor; and the Ballot
Society will be glad to hear that the Pope
| is elected, like member of a club, by bal
| lot.
The right of election vests in the College
| of Cardinals, and this right is inviolable;
nothing can touch it. 1t isa personal priv
| ilege, and one that survives even excommu-
nication-the highest sentence of the church
| Neither heresy, nor crime can disfranchise
| a cardinal; once cardinal, always cardi-
nal; and, though beyond the pale of the
church, he may present himself at the Vat
lean on the day of election with his con-
clave, and assert his right to cast his vote
with the greatest princes of the church for
the sovereign pontiff.
The n,odus operandi is this. The cardi~
nals attended by their conclavist, and ac-
companied by host of high officials, as
semble on the day of election at the Vati-
can, and are there all locked up together,
like an English jury, till they have delivered
themselves of their verdict-that is, till
they have made Pope. No name is pro-
posed; no speeches are made; Quaker's
meeting could not be quieter. What takes
place is this. In the centre of the room
stands chalice, or what we may call an
electoral urn. Each cardinal in turn writes
upon strip af paper the name of the can
didate for whom he votes; and this strip of
| paper, doubled up, is by the conclavists de-
posted in the chalice. When the votes of
the college have been thus collected, the
names of the candidates are read aloud,
and the number of votes announced. The
| Pope must be elected by a majority of two
| thirds of the college; and if any name at
| tains this number ON the first ballot, of
course there is an end of the business; the
Pope has been picked. But if no one gets
this number, the voting papers are burned;
and the people outside the college, waiting
| for the verdict, know when they see the
| puff Of smoke that they are still without
sovereign. A second ballot is then taken;
and, if necessary, third. But it is under
| stood that at the third ballot no cardinal
will vote a second time for the same candi-
| date. If, therefore, he still adheres to his
first choice, he writes nensine on his paper,
which, being interpreted, means that he
| votes for no one; and thus, at the third bal
| lot, by this process of casting out, major
| ity of two thirds is obtained, and the Pope
is made. No; not quite made; for the
courts of France, Spain, and Austria pos
sess each, in turn, a veto upon the vote of
the College of Cardinals; and they may
! exercise this veto without a word of expla-
| nation. 1t is n simple case of black-balling.
| We do not find that it has been very fire.
quently exercised; but as lately as 1880, the
court Of Madrid exercised its right by
black-balling Cardinal Giustiniani. This
| power, however, can only be exercised
once; and there are cases on record where
the college, having set their hearts ON
man whom they knew to be obnoxious to
one of the courts, (say France have first
of all put up Pope in buckram-that is,
a cardinal who they knew must be black
balled by France; and then, having cleared
the ground, elected their own man without
risk. Portugal and Naples have at differ
ent times put in their claims to the privi-
lege of black-balling a Pope; but these
have never been allowed by the Sacred Col
lege; and now that Spain has thrown off
the Bourbons, she, too, we suppose, wiH
| lose her RIGHT of controllinp tho olact;or, IF