The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-28

Popc-The Accession-ProcIama tion
of the New Bishop of Rome "Urbi c,
Orbi.v
New York SUM-
On the eleventh day after the death OF q
Pope, the tenth day In ordinary calcula-
tions, but the eleventh II the day of the
Pope's death is counted, the Cardinals
meet in oonclave to elect his successor.
They meet in the Vatican palace, where,
locked up In vast suite of rooms, every
act regulated by laws nearly six centuries
old, they vote daily until they succeeded
in choosing Pope. The laws governing
the conclave are many and minute The
general course of the conclave is set fort
here.
The Pope dies. As soon as he Is dead
the officials of the papal court leave the
palace; nowaday s, they will simply leave
the chamber of the dead Pope, for 1t must
not be forgotten that the Pope is still.
together with his officials, a prisoner; SO
outside of the Vatican the officials can
not go except Individually. The Cardinal
Camerlengo, or Chamberlain. announces
to the people Of the court that his Holi-
ness is dead; and then breaks with a ham
mer the ring of the Fisherman and the
seal of the dead Pope. The Dean of the
Sacred College, the senior Cardinal Priest
and the senior Cardinal Deacon then take
charge of the affairs of the Church and
send notice to all the Cardinals not In the
Thaca CardinalC ,ot cd
they come at once without being called.
For ten days funeral services are held
daily in st. Peters Church, and then the
body is placed In temporary resting
place.
The period of ten days is fixed by law
to obey the law. In fact, there are sew
eral things fixed by the Roman Cere
monial governing the conclave that may
be disregarded. So the conolave may
begin within ten days, or 1t may not be-
gin for good deal more than ten days
1t all depends. But on the appointed day
the Cardinals gather in st. Peters, and
the Cardinal Dean celebrates the mass of
the Holy Ghost. After this the Cardi-
mails, in procession, singing "Veni. Crea-
conclave in the palace. There the Dean
recites the prayer, "Deus qui oorda," and
the constitutions governing the conclave
are read and the Cardinals take oath to
obey them. During the rest of the day the
Cardinals receive their fri DIS; but when
evening comes the friends depart and the
Cardinals are shut up; the conclave be-
gins
The Pope, whose importance as actual
Bishop of Rome WAS much more apparent
formerly than now, when his duties are
so much more varied than those of an or
dinaIy Bishop, was chosen at first by the
people of tho city. Then grew up. little
by little. the restriction TO the Cardinals
of the ght of suffrage in choosing the
Pope. The Romans for many years re
tanned the right of objecting to the choice,
very much in the same manner as the
forbiddiDg baus of marrige is now exer.
cised," says an English student of the his
tory OF the conclaves. Then, after the
right of the people had become obsolete,
the Emperor asserted his right to u control
ling voice in the election; but this right
depended much on the character and resi-
dence of the Emperor Three outside
powers still assert right to interfere, not
after the election by way of veto, but
during the conclave, if they learn that
some Cardinal to whom they are opposed
is likely to be elected. These powers are
France, Austria and Spain; and not fur
ther ago than 1881 spain forbade the cleo
ton of Cardinal Giustiniana. The fact
that outside powers can communicate
With Cardinals within the conclaye rather
comb the widespread belief that the
conclavists arr shut off from the world
and rely wholly on divine guidance in
their use of the right to vote.
The coDelave itself Is creature of
growth. In its present form 1t seems to
have bayun ahnut 1oIG and auaipst nh
will Of the Cardinals, for in that year
Innocent III, died at Perugia, and the
Perugians shut up the Cardinals, who
were in that city, and would not let
them out until they had chosen new
Pope--Honorious Ill Gregory TX. was
elected in the same way. the Romans
shutting up the Cardinals until they had
chosen him. In 1872 Gregory X. was
chosen in the same manner. Only, in his
case the people of VIterbo removed the
roof of the building where the Cardinals
were shut up, to make them decide more
quickly. The reason for shutting mp the
Car iinals undoubtedly was to hasten the
election, the Pope being in those days the
temporal ruler of Rome, and, as all ad-
ministration was suspended at his death,
naturally the people were interested in
getting new ruler as well as a new
Pope.
So the onclave begins in the evening
of the eleventh day after the Pontiif's
death, or else at some other time. The
door is closed and locked with two keys,
one OF which is kept by the Cardinal
Camerlengo, the other by the Governor of
the conclave, prelate chosen by the Car
dinals. turning box is built into the
door, through which food is passed; the
keys are kept by an outside guard, and by
the chief masters of ceremonies OH the
inside. Prelates of various grades,
changed twice each day, watch outside
that no letters or messages are brought in,
and in theory nothing can reach the con-
clavists from the outside world. On the
inside the Cardinal Dean and the Cam.
erlen9o make tour of inspection every
evening to see that all is safe
There are many more persons in the
conclave than the Cardinals. Each Car
dinal is entitled to two servants, and a
third if he is very feeble. Then there are
two sacrIstans, two masters of ceremonies
one religious to hear confessions, one Sec
rotary, who has one servant, three sur
geons. four BARRIERS, one carpenter, one
mason, and several gensral servants.
Mona of thesa lie IN he chosan from the