Since the 13th century, cardinals voters have been locking the time necessary in order to designate the new sovereign pontiff. Through the play of intrigues, with rare exceptions, the conclaves have often given rise to surprises.
History has been repeated for many centuries. After the death of pope Francis on April 21, a conclave opens on Wednesday May 7, in the Sistine Chapel. Cardinals voters will lock themselves there until the election of the new head of the Catholic Church. The closed-door ballot must begin within a period fixed between 15 and 20 days from the vacancy of the Holy See, according to the Apostolic Constitution All Domi which ritualizes this election. The 133 Cardinals voters must designate one of their own as a new pope by the majority of two thirds.
Why are the cardinals cloister? You have to go back to the 13th century to find the origin of this tradition. At the time, the population got into the habit of locking prelates to accelerate the emergence of a new pope. But the course of the conclave (which comes from the Latin cum clave, “With the key”) will be codified after the election of Grégoire X, in 1271, after three years of disputes and procrastination between French and Italian cardinals, in Viterbe, Italy. At the time, the tradition wants the election to take place in the city where the sovereign pontiff is dead, recalls the blog The thread of history.
Exasperated by blocking, local authorities choose the strong way. They would then have confined the high dignitaries of the Church to dry bread and water, Seal the doors of the episcopal palace, then would even have removed the roof from the building. “We have locked them once and for all, and we said to them: ‘Now you will agree’”confirms Bernard Lecomte, author of many books on the history of the Vatican.
Since that time, the comfort of the Sainte-Marthe house, at the Vatican, where the cardinals resident during the conclave, has been largely improved, as well as meals. Some prelates have sometimes even introduced a little brandy in the premises. On the eve of his election, the future John XXIII (1958-1963), would have driven out his anxieties with cognac brought by a colleague, assures The East the dayCitant the Vaticanists Franco Pisano.
With or without alcohol, the mysterious story of the conclaves was enamelled with great surprises and small arrangements, “combinations”as the Italians say. All maneuvers are not revealed since the cardinals swear to keep the secret under penalty of excommunication, according to a rule decreed by Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) in 1996. But as in the film Conclave From Edward Berger, the intrigues regularly invite themselves within the Roman Curia. “The election of a pope, it remains something human. Even if it concerns around 1.4 billion faithful, The knot will sometimes be defeated by seven or eight cardinals “observe Bernard Lecomte.
“There are cardinals who dream of becoming a pope, others who are terrorized at the idea of being elected. And then, we can always make small corridor arrangements, there are sometimes evidences that are essential.”
Bernard Lecomte, journalist and writerin franceinfo
Vatican bookmakers have in any case seen just several times, as in March 1939. “On the death of Pius XI [1921-1939]its secretary of state, Cardinal Pacelli, was the papabile The most obvious, designated by Pius XI himself as the one he would like to see him succeed him. Pacelli will be easily elected and will take the name of Pius XII [1939-1958] As a sign of continuity and loyalty “entrusts the historian Yves Chiron to the magazine Christian family. “In 1939, the whole world heard the sound of German tanks, and therefore everyone is ready to elect Pacelli, a super diplomat and a very good connoisseur of Germany”, Also explains Bernard Lecomte. The silence of the same Pius Xil on the Shoah During the Second World War was however denounced by certain researchers and the Jewish community as a passive complicity.
A few years later, in 1963, the future Paul VI (1963-1978) also established itself as a choice of reason, while the Church was divided over the Vatican Council II, a reform which tried to modernize the Catholic Church, with in particular the almost general abandonment of Mass in Latin. “When John XXIII dies, everyone tells himself that we run to the disaster and Paul VI holds the future of the council at arm’s length”explains the author of the book again All Vatican secrets. Paul VI is one of the few popes not to have cried before putting on the white cassock, says The point. To l’EpieSe, “John Paul II listened to his name to be repeated as the elections, dizziness, head in the hands and tears on the cheeks”assures the weekly. Moreover, at the bottom of the Sistine Chapel, a tiny chapel of 9 m2 bears the name of “Chambre des tears”. After being elected, the Holy Father collects himself in this small room, before putting on his new clothes.
In 2005, Joseph Ratzinger may not have cried, but he did not want to become a pope, assures Bernard Lecomte: “It didn’t interest him at all, he was not a man used to talking to the crowd. However, in Rome, many were convinced that he was going to be elected …” This did not prevent negotiations in the vatican corridors.
-Pope Francis himself told in a book behind the scenes of this election. “In this conclave – the fact is known – I was used”, tells the Argentinian pontiff in The successor. My memories of Benedict XVI. He then explains that he obtained 40 votes out of 115, a good third sufficient to block the road to the German. “The maneuver consisted in putting my name, blocking the election of Ratzinger and then negotiating a third different candidate. I was told, later, that they did not want a foreignersays the Argentinian Jesuit, according to the daily The messenger. When I realized in the afternoon, I said (…): ‘Don’t play with my candidacy, because at that time, I would say that I do not accept, huh? Leave me there. ‘” And finally, the announcement “Pope” was followed by the name of Benoît XVI (2005-2013).
“It was a maneuver in all respects. The idea was to block the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.”
Pope FrancisIn “The successor. My memories of Benedict XVI”
With rare exceptions like Benoît XVI, it is better not to be the favorite. “A proverb says: ‘Who enters the conclave comes out cardinal’”recalls Eric Lebec, author of a Secret history of vatican diplomacy. “Since the 19th century, the vast majority of conclaves ended with a surprise, Add Bernard Lecomte. In general, there is a favorite, rather conservative, and necessarily another cardinal considered as progressive, or rather less conservative. And each time, the Church is worried because it is afraid of being broken in two. “ For example, in 1978, during the election of Jean-Paul II, two cardinals were favorites: the archbishop of Genoa, Giuseppe Siri, reputed to be conservative, and Giovanni Benelli, archbishop of Florence, more liberal. “The Church says that with Siri, we will come back to the Council, and that with Benelli, we will deprive ourselves of the Conservativessays Bernard Lecomte. And there, a cardinal will offer in compromise the name Karol Wojtyla [Jean-Paul II].”
John XXIII, in 1958, was not the favorite either, but he was seen as a transition pope. “He had retired, it was said that the ‘Brave Roncalli’ was not at the level. In short, nobody said to himself that he was going to be Pope”explains Bernard Lecomte.
“We elected John XXIII by saying that he was old, that he was not going to stay long, that it would give time to think. Except that he launched Vatican Council II, the greatest reform of the Church in the 20th century.”
Bernard Lecomtein franceinfo
Likewise, in 2013, Benoît XVI, after having given up his charge, “Certainly had not planned that Cardinal Bergoglio [le futur pape François] would succeed him. Rather, he had imagined the Archbishop of Milan, Angelo Scola, as a successor “estime Eric Lebec. “Benoît XVI has already influenced the outcome” From the conclave, confided at the time the Vaticanist Bruno Bartoloni, recalling that many cardinals had been chosen by Joseph Ratzinger. Three renowned conservative cardinals are then considered to be favorite. In addition to the Italian Angelo Scola, the Canadian Marc Ouellet and the Brazilian Odilo Scherer are on the starting line.
But everything is played before the conclave, during the “General congregations”sort of preparatory meetings, where Jorge Mario Bergoglio gives a speech that makes a strong impression, according to the account of journalist Gérard O’Connell in the book The secret story of the conclave which changed history (Artège, 2020). At the same time, the popularity rating of the three favorites crumbles and, finally, after two days and five ballot towers, Pope Francis is easily elected. “He scored points when he spoke, and it was done a bit like that, because he appeared to be the wisest”comments Bernard Lecomte.
Discussions are not always waiting for the Pope’s death. In the months preceding that of François, an atmosphere of pre-conclave settled behind the scenes and chapels of the Vatican, largely fed by opponents of the Argentine Jesuit. He faced his pontificate in violent internal criticisms due to certain reforms, such as the ban on mass in Latin or the opening of blessings to same -sex couples. The fact remains that the college of cardinals voters has been largely appointed by François in recent years, enough to allow the conclave to lead to a new surprise.
