The three scrutineers sit at the table in front of the altar. The first opens the ballot sheet, reads the name silently, and passes it to the second scrutineer.
The second does likewise, and then passes it to the third, who reads the name written on the sheet and then, in a loud voice, announces it to the whole assembly and next records it on a paper prepared for this purpose. The windows of the Sistine Chapel had been blacked out. But that was considered totally inadequate given the advanced state of modern communications technology and the risk of electronic interception so, as in , the conclave organizers took high-security measures to prevent the possibility of transmission by smartphone from inside and electronic interception by outside agencies or individuals.
They installed state-of-the-art jamming systems, including a Faraday cage. The floor of the chapel had been raised about one meter and covered with wooden boards for installation of the system. This time, however, the organizers went even further than at the last conclave to prevent the possibility of interception; they took the extraordinary decision not to use the sound-amplification system inside the Sistine Chapel.
The reason for this, it seems, goes back to the conclave, when the Swiss Guard standing on duty outside the doors of the chapel could sometimes hear what was being said inside, especially when the vote counts were announced over the P. As the third scrutineer read out a name on a ballot sheet, Cardinal Sandoval repeated it so that all could hear.
There was an air of high suspense inside the Sistine Chapel as the results were being announced. For the first time the electors were revealing their choices; they were putting their cards on the table. When the names on all the ballots had been read out, a knot was fastened at each end of the thread and the joined ballots were set aside. This was followed by the third and last phase of the voting process, which began with adding up the votes each individual had received.
The results held several big surprises. Before the conclave, several cardinals had predicted that there would be a wide spread on the first ballot, but few had imagined how wide: 23 prelates received at least one vote.
Before the conclave, several cardinals had predicted that there would be a wide spread on the first ballot, but few had imagined how wide: 23 prelates received at least one vote on the first ballot; this meant that one out of every five cardinals present got at least one vote, with four cardinals getting 10 or more votes.
The top five vote-getters in the first round were as follows:. Angelo Scola came first with 30 votes, but he did not receive as many votes as had been predicted by some cardinals and the Italian media.
The big surprise was Jorge Bergoglio, who came in at second place, close behind Scola, with 26 votes. It was a most promising start for the archbishop of Buenos Aires. Marc Ouellet scored well, too, better than expected, and arrived in third place, having obtained 22 votes. He seemed a strong candidate. On the other hand, Odilo Pedro Scherer, the much-touted Brazilian, had a surprisingly low score; he got a mere four votes.
The voting process ended with the burning of the ballots. After a final check of the report sheets on which the scrutineers had recorded the votes, the ballot sheets and the reports were taken to one of the two specially installed stoves at the back left-hand side of the Sistine Chapel as one faces the altar. The origin of the stove goes back to the 18th century, when the master of ceremonies came up with the brilliant idea of communicating to the world whether or not a new pope has been elected by discharging white or black smoke from the chapel chimney as the ballot sheets and records are burned.
Following the norms for the election process, the ballots from the first vote at this conclave were burned in the older stove, which has been used at every conclave since This was done by one of the scrutineers, with the assistance of the secretary of the conclave, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, who had been re-admitted after the votes had been counted.
As they began the burning, they activated an electronic smoke-producing device in the newer stove, first used at the conclave, which contained a cartridge containing five types of chemical mixtures that can produce black or white smoke as required.
As per the rulebook, the burning and smoke-signal operation had to be completed before the cardinals left the Sistine Chapel. The ballot sheets were burned, the electronic smoke producing device was activated, and at p.
Rome time , black smoke streamed forth from the slender rust-colored chimney of the Sistine Chapel. Given that no candidate had gained the two-thirds majority on the first vote, the ballot sheets were burned, the electronic smoke producing device was activated, and at p.
Rome time , black smoke streamed forth from the slender rust-colored chimney of the Sistine Chapel, announcing to the world that no pope had been elected. The sight of the black smoke provoked an audible Nooooo from the thousands of faithful and tourists huddled in the cold under multi-colored umbrellas in St. They stood there, constantly shifting their gaze from the small chimney to the maxi-screens in St.
To an outsider, that scattered first vote might have given the impression of great uncertainty, but the electors saw it in a very different light. God was there right through. The vote revealed several things. It showed that Scola was the only strong European candidate in line to succeed Benedict, and while this pastor and eminent theologian had support, it was at the lower end of what had been expected on the eve of the conclave, when cardinals and much of the Italian press had anticipated that he would be out in front with around 40 votes.
Naturally, this came as a disappointment to his supporters. More important, the vote confirmed what many already knew or suspected: the 28 Italian electors were deeply divided about Scola. Indeed, as the history of the last two conclaves October and April showed, when the Italians are divided, an Italian will not be elected.
Was history about to repeat itself? That first ballot seemed to indicate to many electors that the next pope would not be European; he would come from the Americas. Could Next Pope Be an American? March 7Fox 5Rev. John Beal, professor of canon law. Discord in Rome greets cardinals on eve of conclave March 4 Boston Globe Chad Pecknold, assistant professor of systematic theology.
Selecting a New Pope: U. An inside look at life as the pope Feb. Pope Benedict's Last Day Feb. Benedict exits Vatican; Catholic leaders feel disquiet, hope Feb. Transition At The Vatican Feb. Mark Morozowich, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies; Christopher Ruddy, associate professor of historical and systematic theology.
Local Reaction Feb. The pope in retirement: What to expect Feb. Cardinal George: New pope must 'govern the church as a pastor' Feb. Conclave: Prayer Meeting or Political Rally?
Scandal surrounds two cardinals Feb. Conclave's rituals, oaths and secrecy explained Feb. US Catholics look for reset in choice of new pope Feb. Why Benedict Resigned Feb. Two-thirds majority needed to elect new pope Feb.
Pope Benedict stuns Catholic world with resignation Feb. The former Cardinal Bergoglio was not among the front-runners. But he obtained more votes than any other candidate except former pope Benedict in the conclave, and — although his election came as a surprise — he was certainly not a rank outsider. According to some accounts, he was not chosen eight years ago because he begged his fellow cardinals not to continue voting for him. As he uttered his first words — " buona sera " — and the cheering died away, he told the crowd that his peers had been tasked with finding a bishop of Rome.
But we're here," he said with a smile. After a prayer for his predecessor, Benedict XVI, the new pope invited the faithful in the square to "pray for the entire world". He added: "I hope that this path for the church will be one fruitful for evangelisation. Faced with a sharp choice between those cardinals who wanted a thorough shake-up of the Vatican and those who did not, it appeared the electors in the Sistine Chapel opted for compromise.
Bergoglio has a reputation for both political canniness and reforming drive. Among the tests facing the year-old will be the awesome managerial demands of the job. The fumata bianca — the white smoke signal that marks the successful conclusion of a conclave — arrived after five ballots at the end of the second day of voting.
The smoke that poured out of the comignolo , the copper and steel tube on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, was greeted with cries of delight and applause from the crowd below. Soon after, the bells of St Peter's rang out, confirming that a new pope had taken over the spiritual leadership of the world's 1. Inside the Sistine Chapel after the final vote was cast, the most junior of the cardinals, James Harvey, a former prefect of the papal household, called in the secretary of the college of cardinals, Monsignor Lorenzo Baldisseri, and the master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini, to witness the new pope's acceptance of one of the most daunting jobs on Earth.
The most senior of the electors, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, approached the pope-to-be and — in accordance with tradition — asked him in Latin: "Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?
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