Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-06-06
ElECTlNG A POPE.
There Are Three Methods of Choosing the
Supreme PontlT

supreme PontlH
Having come to order at the re.
quest of the dean, if tho fOrmnity
of recognizing the cardinals 10 dis
pensed with-and in 50 smaila body
it is hardly necessary, hccnuso 70
impostor could hope successfully 10
palm himself off as Il car'iinHl--thC
first business is to choose three sc"u.
tators, ono from each order, to count
tho ballots, and three infermicri,
who collect tho votes of the sick.
The canons define three kinds of
election-by inspiration, by compro.
mise and by ballot. Election by in.
spiration takes place when AL the
cardinals, as if by inspiration of the
Holy Ghost, proclaim one candidate
rs pontiif unanimously and viva
voce." a single dissenting voice
yitiates this method, which. we may
remark, has perhaps never been car
ried out in literal conformity torulo,
although several popes have been
chosen by acclamation.
Election by compromise has some
times been rcsorted to after Il long
deadlock by tho appointment OF II
committee consisting of representa-
tives of tho various rival factions.
The conclave merely ratiiies the can.
didate nominated by the committee.
But election by ballot is the Or
binary method. The ballots, when
open, arc about four inches long and
three broad. In the first or upper
section tho cardinal writes his name;
in tho middle, the name of thu can
didato whom no proposes; i'll tho
lower section, some motto from tho.
Scriptures. When he folds the sheet,
his name, being inside, is covered
by tho lower section, and only tho
candidates. namo OF the seal comes
uppcrmost. To guard against tho
bal It's opening, no seals it with II
seal he has chosen, but it must not
DO ono which the scrutators might
recognize. Going to the central ia
bio, 10 deposit. the ballot in tho
chalice, repeating at tho Same time
this formula, "Tostor Christum
Dominum Qui mo judicatnrus est, ne
eligoro quem Sccundum D"um judico
elegi dchero ct quod idem in access,l
prpstabo.
When every ono has voted and tho
infcrmieri have brought the ballots
of the sick members, tho first sclu.
tator takes each ballot from tho
chulico and opening it--but Only so
far as to read tho netherlands it
to tho second, who, having entered
tho vote opposite the candidato's
namo on the list, passes it to tho
third, who reads it aloud. During
this process tho other cardinals keep
the tally Oh tho duplicate lists which
each of them has before him. At
tho conclusion all tho ballots are
taken to tho stovo and burned, tho
smoke from the chimney being u
signal which multitudes outside tho
palace await. According to common
belief, when no smoke appears at
tho usual time it is Il sign that the
popo has been elected. The last bal
lots arc burned like the rest, how
ever, tho difference in tho volume
of smoke being due to tho fact that
as no straw is used ut tho last burn
ing there is very little smoke.
There being no election, the cardi-
nails now return to their quarters
for dinner, after which, at 3 o clock
or little later, they reassemhle for
another ballot. This differs from
the morning one in that tho cardi.
nails, instead of voting for their fa-
vorite candidates, vote for their sec
ond choice. The process is called
"acceding' and seems devised for
breaking q deadlock. Each must
vote for some ono who has received
support at the morning trial, but it
mono of these suits him, being pro.
hibited from again casting for his
favorite, he may simply vote for
nobody" Thus it might happen
that tho popo chosen in tho acc' SSus,
or acceding, was candidate whom
very fow or mono of the cardinals
would select on their first choice.
As matter of fact, however, not
many popes have owed their election
to tho acccssus, in which the cardi-
nails generally throw random votes
for candidates who have littlo chance
of success. Tho Election of
Pope" by William II. Thayer, in
Century.