When John Paul II or any Pope dies it sets into motion an ancient and spiritual chain of events.
Immediately upon his death, the Cardinal Carmelengo will announce it to the world and assume control of the papal household. He will verify the Pope’s death. In from of the hosuehold, the Carmelengo will strike the Pope on the forehead three times with a small silver hammer calling out his baptismal name with each blow.
The papal or fisherman’s ring and papa; seals will be broken. A notary will draw up the act which is legal evidence of the Pope’s death.
Following the Pope’s death there will be nine days or morning and Masses in honor of the pontiff. The College of Cardinals in Rome and Cardinals around the world will be notified of the Pope’s death and invited to Rome to participate in the Conclave to elect the next Pope. All the cardinals, and only them, can vote for the man who will stand in the “Shoes of the Fisherman” and be Christ’s envoy to earth. As with all Popes, the newly elected Pope will be the Bishop of Rome, head of the Catholic Church, and the leader of the Vatican City nation.
Pope John Paul II is responsible for many new rules that will govern the selection of the next Pope. Only Cardinals under 80 years old can participate in the Conclave and be elected Pope. It is unlikely that the next Pope when elected will be as young as John Paul II. He was 58 when elected Pope in October 1978.
The Cardinals will meet in Vatican City within 20 days of the Pope’s death. The conclave is held in secrecy behind locked doors in the Sistine Chapel. Each Cardinal is allowed a secretary, usually a priest, and a valet during Conclave.
Under the new rules the 120 Cardinals that gather in Rome may only cast written ballots. Previous Conclaves have allowed for acclimation or a voice vote. John Paul II believed that this could lead to an emotional selection rather than a thoughtful and spiritual selection.
While Italian Cardinals have been selected Pope more than any other nationality, the Conclave will have a very international flavor with over 80% of the Cardinals coming from various countries around the world. Latin and South America currently make up 20% of the College of Cardinals. North America about 10%. It is unlikely that an American Cardinal will be elevated to the papacy.
The Cardinals will vote with secret ballots for the next Pope. If the Cardinals fail to give two-thirds of their votes to a single candidate, the votes will be burned with chemicals to show black smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.
Voting will continue for up to three days. If the College of Cardinals fails to elect a Pope during that time, the voting will be suspended for one day to allow for prayer, informal discussions, and “exhortation from the senior Cardinal.”
If the Cardinals continue to be deadlocked, they have three sessions of 7 ballots with pauses for additional “prayer, discussion, and exhortation.”
If after these 21 ballots a new Pope has not been named the requirement for a super majority will be dropped and the new Pope will be selected by a simple majority vote of the College of Cardinals.
Once a new Pope is elected, the Cardinal Carmelengo will announce it to the world and present the new Pope at the window of St. Peter’s. The new Pope will set the date for coronation and begin to serve as the spiritual leader for over 1 billion Catholics worldwide.
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