10 questions about the election of the next Pope

Who can be elected Pope, from a legal point of view?

In theory, any man baptized and age to fulfill ecclesiastical functions can be elected Pope. It is therefore not necessary to be cardinal, or even to be ordained a priest. In practice, cardinals voters have voted for centuries for one of them.

Can cardinals be candidates?

There are no candidates for the pontifical election. Voters must vote for that “that they have considered more capable than the others, even outside the Cardinalice College, to govern the Universal Church with fruit and utility”, indicates the apostolic constitution governing the organization of the conclave.

As there is no candidate, there is no electoral campaign either. It is thus prohibited for cardinals “to establish agreements before the election” and they must not “be guided, in the election of the pontiff, by sympathy or aversion, or influence by favors or by personal relationships towards anyone, or push by the intervention of personalities in sight or of pressure groups, or by the influence of the means of social communication, by fear, by fear or by the search for popularity”.

Do women participate in the conclave?

No woman participates in the conclave Stricto sensu. Only cardinals voters – therefore men – take part in the votes.

However, this does not mean that women are absent from the election of the next sovereign pontiff. In order to allow the smooth running of the conclave, the presence of several other people is planned, including “sufficient number to ensure the services of meals and cleanliness”. “Two doctors for possible emergencies” must also be there.

No sex condition is specified, except that everyone will have to swear to keep the “absolute secret on everything related to directly or indirectly the votes and the polls for the election of the sovereign pontiff”.

Who participates in general congregations?

Before the conclave, the cardinals are united in general congregations. All cardinals can participate, even if they have exceeded 80 years and are not voters – they can however refrain “if they prefer it”.

During these general congregations, each of them speaks if he wishes, give their vision and expectations for the next pontificate.

How many cardinals participate in the conclave?

According to the latest data, 135 cardinals should be able to participate in the conclave. A slight uncertainty about the precise number remains however. Giovanni Angelo Becciu, dismissed from his functions and deprived of his cardinal prerogatives by Pope Francis, assures for example that he has the right to vote for the conclave, which would bring the number to 136.

Conversely, cardinals may not go there, either because they would be retained by the disease, or because of “another serious impediment”. In 2013, a Briton had not participated in the election of the successor of Benedict XVI because he was targeted by charges of sexual abuse.

Can we attend the conclave?

No. The conclave is kept away from the world, without public or any means of recording or television.

How many voices should be collected to become a pope?

Will be elected pope the man who has collected two thirds of the votes cast by the cardinals. With 135 voters, it will therefore take at least 90 votes.

Can a Pope refuse his election?

In theory, the one on whom the choice of cardinals voters can refuse the charge that presents himself to him. But in Universi Dominici Gregis, John Paul II urges “the one who will be elected not to shirk the charge to which he is called, for fear of his weight, but to humbly submit to the design of the Divine Will. For God who imposes the charge to him by his hand, so that the elected official is not incapable of carrying it; God who gives this heavy charge is also the one who helps him to accomplish it, and the one who confers dignity, gives strength, so that the elected official does not succumb under the weight of the mission. »»

Can the election not succeed?

No. The rules are clear: the conclave will last as long as it takes. If the cardinals manage to agree, regular interruptions of votes are planned, with times of prayer and discussions (between them) to manage to elect a new head of the Catholic Church.

In addition, after a certain number of polls, it is established that only the two main candidates remain in the running. However, they will always have to collect two thirds of the votes to be elected.

How long can it last as much as possible?

There is no time limit in the conclave. It is also the inability of the cardinals to choose a sovereign pontiff that the current form of the conclave emerged during history: they are locked together to “force” them to find a new pope.