Year: 1878




The Conciavs.


Finally the body of reverend men who
are to determine for the Catholic Church.
the great question, ''Who shall be the next
Pope?" are shut out from the world, to re-
main in seclusion till they have performed
their sacred duty in the choice of the sue
cessor Of Plus IX. Yesterday the Gamer
lingo and the chiefs of the orders swore to
secrecy the whole number of the persons
who constitute this assembly or are in any
way attached to it; and these are not merely
the cardinals or conclavists proper, but as
we'll all individuals who are to minister to
J the personal wants Of the cardinals in
the speriod Of their seclusion-such
as Wallets, BARRIERS, sweepers or other
servants, physicians. surgeons, apothe-
carries, and the master mason and
master carpenter who have walled the car
dinals in and are at the proper moment to
let them out. All these are sworn to secrecy.
Following this ceremony in the regular or
der of proceedings q mass is said by the
Oldest cardinal present; the communion
is administered and IN allocution is de-
livered. Then the first ballot is taken.
There are two ballotings each day-one in
the forenoon and one in the afternoon. One
writer on the Papacy has recounted eighteen
different proceedings by which popes have
been chosen but it cannot be said that
those methods form an actual part of what
might be designated as the Papal con-
stitution. There is but one usual man.
ner, which is substantially equivalent
to what in our political assemblies
is called election by ballot. OF all the
others only two have been employed, even
in recent centuries. These two are the
choice by inspiration or acclamation. and
the choice by compromise. But these
methods are only valid if done in conclave.
That by acclamation would be equivalent to
unanimous vote, and has not occurred
since parties arose in the Church. The
choice "by compromise" has been made
from time to time to overcome obstinate dis
agreements. It is, in fact, choice by
committee. One or more cardinals are then
authorized to name o candidate, whom
all agree to recognize as regularly
chosen. But the normal method is by
the regular deposition of ballots; and
no choice is made or election valid unless
every cardinal present has actually voted,
and unless some one cardinal has received
two-thirds OF all the votes cast. His own
vote cannot be counted to constitute this
two-thirds, In 1923 Cardinal Barberini re-
ceived in one ballot fifty votes out Of total
of fifty-fve yet that did not elect him, for
when the ballots were counted there were
only fifty-four. One ballot, as was. after
ward learned, had gone astray-was 'lost"
in the sleeve of one of the tellers, who was
an enemy of the Barberini family. But the
non-appearance of that ballot, though it
could not possibly affect the result, con-
stituted an irregularity which made
necessary a repetition Of the vote.
There are in the history of the con-
claves incidents enough of this nature to
show that cardinals are human; yet it
would be erroneous to suppose that the
body is Influenced by any such operations
as characterize the nomination of an execu-
tive in our stormy conventions. Indeed, the
fourteenth law of the conclave commands
that no elector shall sin any manner what
ever, under pain of accommodation, en-
deavor to influence to the support of his
own views by promises or otherwise the
opinions or acts Of another elector." Pope
Julius Ii. declared by bull, in 1905, that
the election of o pope obtained by any such
methods would be null. The cardinal must
swear that the candidate for whom he votes
is the one whom he believes to be the fttest
for the Office.