Evening star., 1903-07-18
ELECTION OF A POPE
Rule to Be Followed in Nam
ing Leo's Successor.
A TWO THIRDS VOTE
SECRET BALLOT BY THE CA2DI-
MAILS IN CoNCLAVE.
Next Pontiff Will Probably Be an
Italian and May Be Hostile
to Quirinal.
A TWO THIRDS VOTE

1t may he We'll To note the toilultloIS uIluei
which an election will take place before
proceeding to review the candidates and 10
1indicate the problems by which the next oc-
I Cupant OF Peters chair Will be confronted
1t was as long ago as 1874 that Gregory y.
in council held at Lyons, promulgated
code of law. comprised in fifteen rules. for
the conducting Of the papal elections. These
rules have since been modified and supple
mented in many particulars. but the sub
stance of the provisions now enforced may
be set forth in a few sentences The car
dinals so into Conclsve on the tenth DAY
after the pope's death. each attended by
one person only: though. in the case OF a
great invalid. more than one attendant IS
allowed. Each cardinal finds in the Nau-
can boarded cell. constructed for his oc-
Cupation. and assigned to him by lot.
Every morning and every evening the
cardinals present proceed to a scrutiny.
by which is meant a voting by specially
prepared ballots. which conceal the name of
the voter. and are opened only In the event
of an election being made at that SCru-
tiny. After each scrutiny an opportunity
for an accessit Is afforded that is to say.
! after the number OF votes for each Candi-
/ date is declared, II is open to every voter
| to show 10y similar secret ballot that he
J ''aCcedes' to such or such a candidate. If
, no election be thus arrived at. the same
process is repeated every morning and
! evening. till some cardinal is found to have
the requisite majority of two-thirds of
those who are present. plus one. the candi-
dates own vote being SubtraCted. There
: upon the Alteration" OF the new pope by
: the cardinals takes place and the an
| nounCement HabeInuS pintificom eve have
J a pope) is made from balcony, by the
! dean Of the Sacred College, Urbi ct orbi-
to the eternal city and to the world at
large.
We should here mention that a scrutiny
Is of course Superf1uouS when an election
takes place by inspiration" or. in other
words. when all the cardinals. as II by the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost proclaim one
, and the same candidate, We add that the
question whether cardinals who have been
named secretly Tor in pectore). but have not
been publicly proclaimed. may enter the
Conclave has not been settled by preCe
dent a cnnclave has sometimes permitted.
and sometimes refused to permit, such per-
sons TO take part in papal election. We
! observe. finally. that, during the interreg-
: mum between the death of pope and the
| proclamation OF his successor. the supreme
governing powers OF the papacy are vested
in the Camcrlengo. or grand chamberlain.
! who. at this time. is Cardinal Oreglia di
Santo Stefano.
Nations Veto Power.
The existing number of cardinals falls
somewhat short of seventy. the maximum
humber fixed by Sixtus V. and never since
exceeded. A majority OF the cardinals are
Italian. For this reason. and because 1t is
easier for foreign cardinals to agree upon
an Italian than upon one of their own
number. il Is almost certain that the next
pope will be Il native of Italy. 1nasmuch.
moreover. | large majority of the Ital-
ian cardinals are uncompromising in their
hostility tU the Quirinal it is probable that
the choice OF the ConClave will fall upon a
Candidate who can be relied upon to ad-
here inteNibly To the irreconclable policy
maintained by Plus TX and Leo Kill tll
the influence of the Italian government
Will. of course. be thrown against such "a
selection. and il would be a mistake TO un-
dr. IliS Influence though ba 10 h.,
eXerted in indirect and secret ways.
Much depends upon the answer to the
question whether the veto power which is
possessed by Austria. France. Spain and
Portugal. but which was waived at the last
ConClave in lS1s. Will now be exercised. This
Veto power. the term implies, gives the
government clothed with it the right to
prohibit the election of any particular cam
didate whom II may deem Objectionable.
Quite recently II was reported that the
FNatican intended to open negotiations with
i 81 view To the abolition of the veto power
on the ground that. the papacy having lost
fits temporal authority. there is no longer
Fany reason for its existence. AS things are
now. the veto power survives. and might
Conceivably be exercised by Austria or
France against a candidate offensive to
1.-THE Quirinal II Is also possible that COM
bInation might be effected among the for
eign cardinals in favor of an Italian mem
Der of the Sacred College. whose opinions
with reference to an accommodation with
Italy are not definitely known; but as we
have said. II IS more likely that man of
iGncompromiSinR views will be preferred
and II NAV be we'll to bear this presumption
In mind as we name the various candidates
for the papacy. AS II happens these are
all cardinals; but any man. lay or eccles-
astic, not hereto and not canonically in
Capacitated. may be elected pope.
Gotti and Vannutell.
The belief has long been current at Rome
that the successor desired by Leo XIII is
Cardinal Gotti. now prefect OF the ConCre-
CATION Of the Propaganda Eide He is a
man sixty-eight years OF age, the son of a
common laborer He belongs to the Car
rrelite order of barefoot monks He is a
man of learning. but possesses no literary
talent: unlike Leo XIII. who wrote correct
and pleasing Latin verses. and was a mas
3 ter OF Latin prose. on the other hand
Cardinal Gotu Is mathematician and a
physicist; lie would therefore. be an ideal
candidate in the eyes OF ST. George Miyart
and those Catholic scientists who desire to
reconcile religion and science. The precise
position of Cardinal Gotti with reference tn
politics in general. and to Italian politics
In particular. Is not generally known as he
talks hut little and keeps his opinions to
himself. For that very reason should the
sittnsS or the COnclave be prolonged he
. may be agreed upon Il candidate by the
rival factions Another man who has been
careful tu avoid the expression of extreme
opinions and who's. prospects seemed at
one time to he promising. is Cardinal Sora-
fine Vannuteli. Sle grand penitentiary. who
heard the last confession of Leo Xiii and
who SUPERVISED the administration of the
extreme unction to him. Cardinal Vannu-
tell has been papal nunCio at Brussels
and at Vienna, and is likely to receive
support from Germany and Austro- Hum
gary. lie has also some partisans among
his Italian fellow members of the Sacred
College
We pass to Cardinal Ctpecelatro at pres
ent librarian OF the Vatican. and the most
Gistinguished Catholic ecclesiastical writer
living. II the Quirinal could see a fair
chance Of success ii would spare no effort
TO secure his election. for Cardinal Cape
celatro Is one of the most ardent patriots
III ltdiy and has made no secret of his de-
sire to promote n reconciliation bet Ween
church and state. on that very ground the
JeSultS. who have tremendous influence in
b the Sacred College. are iniiexibly opposed
10 him. and, doubtless be able to defeat
, him. Among other cardinals who have
been mentioned possible recipients of
the papal crown are-to name them in the
order of prominence-Sarto, Martinelu
Eiboldi Respighi and Satolli
Rampolla and Svampa.
The two cardinals hitherto most favored
however. by the uncompromising party.