New Pope Elected? After a

¶ … new pope elected? After a pope dies, and the Apostolic See (or the Pope's position) falls vacant, then the next Pope will be elected by a body called the College of Cardinals who meet is secrecy. While the idea of the College of Cardinals selecting the new Pope has been around for hundereds of years, the rules surrounding the conclaves were significantly modified by Pope Paul VI in 1975. At that time, all cardinals who were over 80 years old were excluded from the conclave.

In keeping with the secrecy surrounding the conclave and the advent of electronic surveillance equipment, provision was also made at that time to prevent any bugging of the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave takes place. The most recent Holy Father, John Paul II, was the second pope elected under those rules. John Paul II himself changed the rules a little bit in 1996.

At that time he made the ruling that if no cardinal has been elected by two-thirds majority after a certain number of ballots, the cardinals may agree by absolute majority (half + 1) to elect the Pope by an absolute majority instead of a two-thirds majority.

It was also decided that that time that, rather than having to stay within the Papal Palace at the time of the Conclave, the cardinals stay in a hotel-like accommodation called the Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City The only remaining method of electing the Pope is by scrutiny, ie, silent ballot -- the methods of election by acclamation and by committee have been excluded (but were rarely used).

In a change to the rulings of Paul VI, John Paul II made it possible that older cardinals be able to take part in preparatory meetings although they are still unable to enter the conclave itself. The maximum number of Cardinal Electors allowed at any one time is 120. This is made sure by the fact that the Pope cannot elevate any more than 120 men under 80 to the Cardinalate at any one time. At the time of this writing, there are, there are 117 Cardinals eligible to vote in Conclave.

The basic process goes something like this; when the Pope dies, the Cardinal Camerlengo (or the chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, currently Eduardo Cardinal Martinez Somalo) must verify the death, traditionally by calling the Pope three times by his name without response. The Cardinal Camerlengo must then authorize a death certificate and make the event public by notifying the Cardinal Vicar for the Diocese of Rome. The Camerlengo then seals the Pope's private apartments.

He would also arrange for the "ring of the fisherman" and the papal seal to be broken. He then makes preparations for the.