The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-09
HOW APoPE is CHOSEN.
The Conclave Used to Meet in Public, but
Leo's Successor Will be Secretly Sc
Iected.
IN. Y. Recorder. /

LIE ncAb ll6du u ullc OHuICI.
Nine days must elapse from the death
of Pope to the beginning of the con-
clave. During that interval the cardinal
chamberlain is regent of the Church, but
his powers are definite and few. Until
the pontifcate Of Nicholas VII, in the
eleventh century, the election of the
Bishop of Rome rested with the clergy,
the barons and the people. Hildebrand,
the great genius of the Middle Ages, con-
centrated this power in the higher
clergy.
Until the potificate of Innocent III
the cardinals met in public, but the ex-
ternal influences which could be brought
to bear upon their decision induced the
Church to require strict seclusion of the
conclave. Pope Gregory enacted that
decision should be reached as speedily as
possible, but that if in three days an
election was not accomplished the car
dinals should be restricted to one dish
each at dinner and supper, and that if
five days more should elapse and Pope
not be chosen they should be put on wine
bread and water and starved into una
nimity These are among the minor
regulations which time has relaxed.
AS soon as the secretary of state an
nounces to the cardinal chamberlain the
death of the Pope the latter assures him
self that the report is true. He raps at
the death chamber with gold mallet.
Receiving no reply, he enters and taps
with silver mallet the forehead of the
Pope. Then he kneels and acknowl-
edges that he is indeed dead. The cham
berlain places the body in the care of the
cardinal penitentiarus of the Vatican.
The chamberlain takes an inventory and
locks the rooms Already there are met
three cardinals, the heads of the orders
of cardinal bishops, cardinal priests and
cardinal deacons. The first three days
are devoted to the obsequies OF the Pope
After the obsequies the body is deposited
on plain sarcophagus on which is
painted the title and name of the pontiff.
This will remain in St. Peters until the
death of his successor, when 1T will be
broken down, the coffin removed from it
to the crypt or other place of deposit,
and that of the new claimant for tempo
rary repose set in its place.
Meanwhile the cardinals have been
gathering from all parts of the world to
attend the conclave. There will be no
representative of England at the next
conclave unless the appointment should
take place very soon. Nor will ireland
be represented. Notwithstanding her
unquestionable devotion through perse-
cution and poverty to the faith of the
Holy See she has never been permitted to
influence to the slightest degree the
choice of it's pontiff. OF the present car
dinalate, James Cardinal Gibbons, Arch
bishop of Baltimore, will be the only
representative of the English-speaking
people of the Americas. Francis Patrick
Cardinal Moran will represent the Aus
tralias. Alexander Cardinal Taschereau
will represent the French of the new
world Of the rest an overwhelming
majority are Italians, Spanish, Portu-
guese and Austrian. These will consti-
tute the ruling element.
So uncertain has the outcome of con-
claves always been that distinguished
student of their operations, being asked
his opinion as to the rule of probabilities
in the result, replied: 'Can you make
rule of probabilities as to what eel will
come out on the top of a basket of eels
after YOU have shut and opened the
cover"
1t is probable that about fifty-ive car
dinals will participate in the conclave.
For the time being the portion of the
Vatican set apart for their use will be-
come a great apartment house completely
equipped for it's important function. 1t
will contain masons, carpenters, BARRIERS,
cooks, Wallets and secretaries to whatever
number may be required. These various
persons are called ''conclayists." Each
one takes solemn oath never to divulge
IL l. h. Il
the conclave. The key of the Vatican
during the conclave will be held in du-
plicate by the cardinal chamberlain and
the marshal.
Cells made by wooded partitions and
fitted up with simple beds and desks will
accommodate the cardinals on the ground
floor, their attendants occupying CORE
spending rooms on an upper floor. Mass
will be celebrated daily in the Gregorian
Chapel After mass the cardinals will re-
tire to their respective rooms for medita-
ton and rest. There is a turning box and
wicket in front of each cardinals room,
through which his meals are passed and
through which conversation may be had
by him with a messenger from without,
but every word must be spoken in loud
voice and in the hearing of the guardian
of the lattices. Every other ingress is
walled up.
The balloting, which is done secretly,
takes place before the altar in the Sistine
Chapel. An empty chalice is placed on
the altar to receive the ballot papers and
an empty throne beside the altar stands
awaiting its occupants. At table in
front of the altar sit three sscrutineers OF
tellers. The cardinals occupy circles of
seats, over each of them canopy. There
are three ways in which a result may be
reached-by reclamation, by ballot and
by compromise. On each ballot paper
the cardinal inscribes his name with that
of the candidate for whom he votes, and
at the foot of the paper he places motto
which he must invariably use. Each
afternoon on which the ballot does not
end in an election the papers are burnt.
The blackening of the frescoes and other
paintings in the Slstine Chapel is attribut-
ed largely to the smoke of the bnrning
ballots at Intellectual attempts to choose
a Pope.
The two chief cardinal deacons lead
the Pope-elect behind the altar after he is
chosen, clothe him in the pontifical robes |
and lead him forth anuouncipp his name |