How is the pope elected?

Question:i wanna know this for my homework

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: i wanna know this for my homework

Hi KJ. I hope I am not too late for you.
Anyway what happens is this.
When the pope dies a new Pope is elected by the College of Cardinals meeting in Conclave (secret meeting in the Sistine Chapel.)
Up to 1975, all cardinals no matter what their age could vote. Then in that same year, Pope Paul V1, introduced a new rule which forbid Cardinals 80 years of age and over from voting.
He also made provision to prevent the Sistine Chapel from being bugged. This was known as the Apostolic Constitution Romano Pontifico Eligendo.
t was according to these rules that Albano Luciano, Patriarch of Venice, was elected Pope John Paul I and that a little over a month later, Karol Wojtyla, Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, was elected Pope John Paul II.
Pope John Paul II himself promulgated a whole new set of rules in 1996 in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis.
He he departed radically from the traditional structure. But he made some significant changes:

* 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
* rather than stay in uncomfortable, makeshift quarters in the Papal Palace, the Cardinals will stay in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, hotel-style accommodation 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)
The Conclave
The Cardinals must take an oath when they first enter the Conclave that they will follow the rules set down by the Pope and that they will maintain absolute secrecy about the voting and deliberations. The penalty for disclosing anything about the conclave that must be kept secret is automatic excommunication.

The Cardinals all take seats around the wall of the Sistine Chapel and take a ballot paper on which is written "Eligo in summum pontificem" -- "I elect as supreme Pontiff...". They then write a name on it, fold it, and then proceed one by one to approach the altar, where a chalice stands with a paten on it. They hold up their ballot high to show that they have voted, then place it on the paten, and then slide it into the chalice. The votes are then counted by the Cardinal Camerlengo and his three assistants. Each assistant reads the name, reads the name aloud, writes it down on a tally sheet and then passes it to the next assistant. The third assistant runs a needle and thread through the centre of each ballot to join them all together. The ballots are then burned, as well as all notes made. If a new Pope has been elected, the papers are burned with chemicals (it used to be wet straw) to give white smoke. Otherwise, they give off black smoke, so that the waiting crowds, and the world, know whether their new Holy Father will soon emerge from the Sistine Chapel. On 6 April 2005, it was announced that, in addition to the white smoke, the bells of St Peter's Basilica will be rung to signal the election of the new Pope. This will avoid any doubt about whether the smoke is white or black.
I hope this is of some help if you need further info. please check the following site,
www.truecatholic.org/pope/conclave-his...
Good luck my friend,
Cathorio.

Electing a Pope
Overview:
After the reigning pope dies -- or in very rare instances resigns -- the cardinals gather in a conclave in the Sistine Chapel to select a new pope.
Theoretically, any male Roman Catholic can be chosen. In practice, one of the cardinals is picked.
Four ballots are generally conducted each day -- two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Each time an unsuccessful pair of ballots has been completed, chemicals are added to the ballot papers before they are burned in a small stove.
This produces black smoke which is visible above the roof of the chapel.
When the new pope has been chosen, the papers are burned with the addition of other chemicals to produce white smoke.
This announces to the world that the conclave has selected the new pope.
The highest ranking cardinal emerges from the chapel.
He tells the public gathered in St. Peter's Square the name of the new pope.
The newly elected pope then emerges and gives his first papal blessing: Urbi et Orbi ("To the City and to the World").
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, of Germany was elected pope on 2005-APR-19, on the second day of the 2005 conclave.
He has selected the name Benedict XVI.
His election was announced to the world at 6:43 PM, Vatican City time.

A Papal Conclave works like this:

? A pope dies and is buried

? The cardinals come to Rome for the conclave that will elect the new pope. The word conclave (Latin, *** ? clavis, literally, "locked with the key") designates:
. ? The place in a locked section of the Vatican where the cardinals under the age of eighty elect a new pope.
. ? The actual gathering of the cardinals.

? The conclave begins 15 to 20 days after the pope's death.

? The cardinals pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit during a Mass

? The cardinals, sealed in the Sistine Chapel, vote every morning and afternoon.

? A two-thirds majority plus one is required for election for the first 30 ballots. After that, a simple majority is required.

? After each vote, they burn the ballots and add special chemicals to make the smoke white or black.
. ? Black smoke means no new pope yet.
. ? White smoke announces the election of a new pope.

? The cardinals may elect any baptized male they wish. There have been occasions in the past where they have elected a layman. After their election, the layman has to be ordained priest and bishop.

? They ask the one elected if he accepts. The moment he accepts, he is pope.

? The pope chooses his “Papal” name.

? Then the new pope is announced to the world.

For more information, see:
http://www.americancatholic.org/features...
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features...

With love in Christ.