What is the conclave?

The definition of the word conclave responds to "the meeting of the cardinals of the Catholic Church, gathered to elect the Pope ", according to the dictionary of the RAE. Also, this word comes from the Latin term " conclāve " which means what is locked and is that this meeting takes place in the Sistine Chapel locked and isolated from the outside. These meetings must be held after the death or resignation of a pope, to elect his successor. If you want to know more about the election process of the leader of the Catholic Church, in .com we explain what the conclave is.

What is the conclave

In the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), we find different meanings of the word "conclave" that have to do with religion:

• Board of the cardinals of the Catholic Church, gathered to elect the Pope.
• Place where the cardinals meet to choose Papa.

In this way, with the term "conclave" we can refer to the people in charge of choosing the Pope of Rome, as well as the place where they are isolated during the days of this election.

How the conclave works

For the election of a new pope, after the death or resignation of the previous one, it is necessary to hold a meeting of cardinals from all over the world who will be isolated in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican ; precisely this is what is known as the Conclave. Cardinals from all over the world meet, who can not be over 80 years of age and will be held incommunicado for the duration of the conclave. They must then propose various candidates to occupy the command of the Catholic Church and begin a process of voting until a two-thirds majority is obtained.

How is the voting process

• Preliminary phase: among the attending cardinals, various positions are publicly raffled (3 scrutineers, 3 infirmarii who will be responsible for going to the Santa Marta Caste to collect the vote of the sick cardinals and 3 revisers) that last a voting session. Each cardinal must write the name of their candidate on the ballots that are given to them, trying to modify their letters as much as possible so that they are not recognized.
• Voting phase: each elector, in order of rank, will deliver the ballot pronouncing the oath. The infirmarii will deliver the vows of the sick cardinals and it will be the scrutineers who will introduce them into the ballot box. The ballots are then mixed and counted, and the public count begins; Afterwards, the ballots are punched and tied with a thread.
• Final phase: under the supervision of the reviewers, the result of the voting is announced. If there has been no consensus and a two-thirds majority has not been achieved, the papers are burned mixed with fish, which will generate black smoke ( black smoke ) that will announce through the chimney that the new Pope has not yet been chosen. In case the candidate has been found, the ballots will be burned without additives, so the smoke will be white ( white smoke ) and the end of the conclave will be announced.

How long is the conclave

The conclave will last as many days as necessary until the necessary consensus is reached to designate the new candidate to occupy the post of Pope. On the first day, only one vote is taken in the afternoon, while from the second day on, one is carried out in the morning and the other in the afternoon. If after three days there is no positive result, the votes are interrupted to make way for a day of prayer and dialogue . This will happen after every seven ballots in case there is no white smoke. After nine days, the two most voted candidates can address a few words to the rest and in the next vote they do not participate, they can only be voted by them.

Presentation of the Pope

Once the voting has obtained the necessary majority, one of the cardinals will pronounce the words " Habemus papam! "From the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican.