Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-06-18
How a Pope is Elected.

Pius lA. renders 1t highly prooaole that
the choice of a successor is near at hand |
it is therefore interesting to learn the
manner in which the poutifclal chair is
filled when it becomes vacant
The election of new Pontiff upon the |
occasion of a vacancy in the papal chair
devolves upon the College Of Cardinals,
who meet in sacred coaclave for the pur-
pose, that duty having been assigned to
them by the third council Of the Lateran,
convoked in 1l95 to denounce schismatics.
Originally the pontiffs were elected by the
priests and the people Of the diocese of
Rome
Tue conclave, when complete, consists
of seventy members, of whom six are car
dinal-bishops, fifty cardinal priests, and
fourteen cardinal -deacons. At present
there are only twenty-four cardinals, so
that there are twenty-six vacancies IN the
College. OF the cardinals now living,
twenty one are seventy years of age and
over, the oldest being Cardinal Billet,
Archbishop of Chambery, who was born
in 1888, but who was only nominated Car
dinal in 1861. Up to the close of the last
year ninety-seven cardinals had died du
ring twenty six and half years pontiG-
cate of Plus TX. All the cardinals are
reported to be now in Rome with a single
exception, the absentee being the German
CaedinaI, Prince Hohenlohe, the friend Of
Bismarck, and whom it will be remember
ed, the Pope some months ago refused to
receive as the Ambassador of the German
Emperor. Nearly all the cardinals now
living have been created by Plus TX.
The cardinals govern the church so long
as the poutifcate throne is vacant.
The manner in which the election of
Pope is conducted is by scrutiny or bal
lot Upon the cardinals assembling for
the purpose of election they remain Sc
cluded until the object of their meeting is
accomplished In conducting the election
each cardinal writes his own name with
that of the candidate he proposes on a
ticket, which he then deposits in the con-
secrated chalice which stands on the altar
Of the chapel wherein they are assembled
kneeling and repeating prayer as he ap-
proaches and retires from the altar. All
the tickets of the cardinals present being
thus deposited pause ensues, after which
they are taken from this sacred cup by
officers named ad hoc from their own body,
and compared with the number Of car
dinals present; and if it is found that any
of them have two-thirds of the votes in
his favor he is declared elected. Failing
this requisite number of votes for any one
candidate, the next procedure is termed
election by access, which is SO called IN
consequence of the power then given tc
any cardinal to accede to the vote OF an
other by altering his ticket according to d
prescribed term and this is continued un-
til one Of the candidates receives the re
quisite majority of votes. Immediately af-
ter the election is declared the tickets
are burnt.
) The election of 1916 was attended with
much anxiety in the then Papal domin
ions, but it excited little interest in the
rest of Chrlstendom, as compared witt
like events in former ages.
Pope Gregory XVI, the predecesso
of Plus IN, died on the lst ofJune, 1916
when the intelligence was conveyed to th'
various Cardinals, who hastened to Rom
to take part in the election of a new Sover
eign Pontiff.
The summons to the Eternal City foun'
: Cardinal Mastai Ferretti engaged with
considerable number of his clergy in
spiritual retreat at al establishment h
had instituted for religious exercises du
ring periods of ten days seclusion an
. prayer. He arrived in Rome June l.
J little conscious of the dignity that awaite,
d him.
c The Cardinals assembled to elect Greg
g ory's succe essor on June II, with an anxlou
t and excited crowd in the outer street
L awaiting their decision. The two foliowin
: days were consumed in the testing of tn
!. votes in the Sacred College. The candi
d dates for the vacant tiara were Cardina
y Fransoni, aged seventy-six Cardina
e Castruccio Castracana. sixtyseven Car
It dinal Oriole, sixty eight Cardinal Micara
/ seventy-one Cardinel Polidori sixty ght
y and Cardinal Mastai Ferretti, ftty-foul
= On the evening of the 10th the choice unau
n imously fell upon the latter ; and on tn
: following morning the doors were throw
n open and he was proclaimed, front the ba
L comics of the Quirinal Palace, the nev
!, Pope, under the title of Plus the Ninth.
/ There is little doubt but that Cardina
s Mastai owed his elevation to the Papa
s. throne mainly to the influence of France
then under Louis Philippe, and his frs
D act was to acknowledge to Connt Ross
e the French Ambassador, his indebtedness
e and gratitude. Two years later that sam
d dp!omatist, who had then accepted servic
e under the pope, fell victim at the foe
n of the very throne he had been instrumer
J tai in filling.
The Ponti6cate of Plus X. has exceed
ID ed that of any previous occupant of th
lie Papal chair, his authority over the Catht
g lie Church having for nearly two yeal
le extended over the days of Peter" whic
ID by few weeks exceeded a quarter of
e. century. His name stands the 251th
r. the pontifcal catalogue. The reigns
l many of his predecessors have been yer
y, short indeed, owing to their extreme az
IN at the time of election, SO that of the l6
y occupants of the Papal chair since the e
re tabllshment of the temporal power of tt
| Popes, the average reign has been som
ht what less than seven years. But thoug
is Plus TX has reigned the longest of al
Pontiff, he is far from having been tt
ty oldest who has welded the supreme poy
ID er of the Church. Somewhere about
Sc score have surpassed him in longevit
at while not less than fourteen have excee
ed ed his age during the last 500 years, tt
to oldest of the latter having been Paul IV
to who died in 1859 at the age Of ninety-th
after ponti6cate of four years. II
Id oldest Pope on record was Gregory IL
a who died in 1241 in his hundredth yea
IS, after pontifcate of fourteen years. Sc
lis eral of the predecessors of Plus TX. we