The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-08-29
CONTINUED from Page ~

or hall specially set aside and pre-
pared for the cardinals when electing
a pope; also the assembly of the car
dinals for the canonical execution of
this purpose. In its present form the
conclave dates from the end of the
thirteenth century. Earlier methods
of filling the See of Peter are treated
in the article "Papal Elections" In
this article will be considered: Cd
the history of the actual method of
papal election; II) the ceremonial
itself.
1. History of the Conclave.-In
1871 the election that ended with the
choice of Gregory X at Viterbo had
lasted over two years and nine
months when the local authorities,
weary of the delay, shut up the car
dinals within narrow limits and thus
fastened the desired election. The
new pope endeavored to obyiate for
the future such scandalous delay by
the law of the concalve. which, al
most in spite of the cardinals, he
promulgated at the fifth session of
the Second Council of Lyons in 1874.
1t is the first occasion on which we
meet with the word conclave in con-
nection with papal elections. The
provisions of his constitution were
stringent. When a pope died, the
cardinals with him were to wait ten
days for their absent brethren. Then,
each with single servant, lay or
cleric, they were to assemble in the
palace where the pope was at his
death, or. if that were impossible,
the nearest city not under interdict,
in the bishops house or some other
suitable place. All were to assemble
in one room (conclave). without par
tition or hanging, and live in COM
mon. This room and another retired
chamber, to which they might go
freely, were to be so closed in that
no one could go in or out unob-
served, nor anyone from without
speak secretly with any cardinal. And
if anyone from without had aught
to say, it must be on the business of
the election and with the knowledge
of all the cardinals present. No
cardinal might send out any message,
whether verbal or written. under
pain of accommodation. There was
to be window through which food
could be admitted. If after three
days the cardinals did not arrive at
a decision, they were to receive for
the next five days only one dish at
their noon and evening meals. If
these five days elapsed without an
election. only bread, wine, and wa
ter should be their fare. During
the election they might receive moth
ing from the papal treasury. nor in
troduce any other business unless
some urgent necessity arose imperil-
ling the Church or it's possessions. If
any cardinal neglected to enter. or
left the enclosure for any reason 9TH
er than sickness, the election was to
go on without him. But his health
restored, he might re-enter the con-
clave and take UP the business where
he found it. The rulers Of the city
where the conclave was held should
see to it that al 1.-The papal prescrip-
tions concerning the enclosure of the
cardinals were observed. Those who
disregarded the laws of the conclave
or tempered with it's liberty. besides
mourning other punishments, were
ipso facto communicated.
The stringency of these regula-
tions at once aroused opposition; yet
the first elections held in conclave
proved that the principle was right.
The first conclave lasted only a day
and the next but seven days. Unfor-
there were three popes in
the very year succeeding the death
of Gregory X (1276). The second,
Adrian V. did not live long enough
to incorporate in an authoritative act
his openly expressed opinion of the
conclave. Pope John Xxx lived only
long enough to suspend officially the
stringent constitution of Gregory X.
the protracted elections
recommended. In the eighteen years
between the suspension
of the law of the conclave in 1876
and it's resumption in 1894 there
were several vacancies of from six to
nine months; that which preceded
the election of Celestine V lasted
two years and nine months. About
the only notable act of the latter pope
was to restore the conclave. Boni-
face VIII confirmed the action Of his
predecessor and ordered the consti-
tuition of Gregory X to be incorpor-
ated in the canon law, since which
time all papal elections have taken
place in conclave. Pope Gregory ri
in 1873 empowered the cardinals
(for that occasion only to proceed
to an election outside of conclave.
but they did not do so. The Council
of Constance (1417) modified the
rules of the conclave to such an ex-
tent that the cardinals of the three
U.l.l..o,o,,s &ool, mont in ~ DC xUo11