Since the election of the pope is reserved to the pastors of churches in either the Diocese of Rome or one of the seven adjacent or suburbicarian dioceses. When cardinals receive their red hats, they also become titular pastors an appointment without formal authority of a parish in the Diocese of Rome or in one of the suburbicarian dioceses adjacent to Rome. It is as titular pastors of these churches that they have the authority to elect the new pope.
After the death of a pope, there is a 15 day period to celebrate the funeral Mass and burial of the pope, as well as a period of mourning.
Since Benedict XVI has not died, this period of mourning will not take place. The death of a pope has been the usual time for the election of a new pontiff. The Cardinal Camerlengo takes possession of the Ring of the Fisherman, the symbol of papal authority.
Then the ring and the papal seal are destroyed before the College of Cardinals. Only cardinals under the age of 80 can be electors in the conclave. There will be eligible cardinals in the conclave. On the morning designated for the beginning of the conclave, the cardinal electors will celebrate the Eucharist in St.
Upon arriving in the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals will take an oath to defend the liberty of the Holy See, to keep all the proceedings secret, and to ignore any instructions they might have received from secular authorities on how to vote. The cardinals will have to give up their cell phones and any other electronic devices. The Sistine Chapel will probably be swept, as it was in , to discover if there are any electronic listening devices.
While no devices were found in , there have been instances in the past when reporters disguised as attendants to the cardinals were found in the chapel. On the first afternoon of the conclave, the first ballot may be held. There can be as many as four ballots on each day following. Before voting on each ballot, the cardinals take an oath to follow the rules of the conclave.
If there is no one elected pope at the end of three days of balloting, the cardinals have a day of reflection and prayer. If there are seven more ballots without result, the process may be suspended once again.
In the New Testament, virginity, as well as celibacy, were seen as a gift from God to be embraced. Those who forego worldly possession and underwent poverty, chastity, and obedience, including sexual restraint was seen as the pursuit of holiness. Priests as well were asked to be celibate back in ancient times although this rule was broken many times throughout history.
There are plenty of Popes in history who, despite their vow of celibacy, have broken this rule. These include popes who were married, had long-term partners, lovers, and even a few that had children.
Some Popes in history have even been known to be the son of previous Popes, who had been moulded into taking over. Hetero and Homosexuality have both been documented, with even abuse from offending Popes. For example, Pope Julius II who took the sacred oath of celibacy soon broke it when he took to having several mistresses and at least one illegitimate daughter. Although the Pope still remains restricted to celibacy, the rule for priests in the Catholic Church is a topic of debate nowadays.
With many believers and members of the church believing celibacy should be optional as it is in other Christian churches. Most recently the question of celibacy has arisen due to the proposal to allow married men to be ordained as priests in the Amazon. He issued a defence of priestly celibacy in a book co-authored with Cardinal Robert Sarah.
They will also prepare for the upcoming papal election, called a conclave. Decisions that only the pope can make, such as appointing a bishop or convening the Synod of Bishops, must wait till after the election. In the past, they made arrangements for the funeral and burial of the deceased pope. Four rounds of balloting are taken every day until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
In the past, 15 to 20 days after a papal vacancy, the cardinals gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for a Mass invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in electing a new pope. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors, and their number is limited to For the conclave itself, the cardinal electors process to the Sistine Chapel and take an oath of absolute secrecy before sealing the doors.
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