Inside the Conclave: A Step-by-Step Analysis of the Voting Process
"Universi Dominici Gregis" Part 2: The Conclave, the voting process, and the election of the Pope
Welcome to Part 2 of this series where I analyze the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis—the guiding constitution for the Papal Interregnum and the Conclave.
If you haven’t read part 1, I would recommend doing so. You can find it here.
In this final edition, we will conclude the document where Pope St. John Paul II lays out the specific guidance and norms for the Conclave itself:
The voting process and how it works: step-by-step
The secrecy required of the Cardinal-electors
The acceptance.
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The Election of the Roman Pontiff
The Cardinal Electors
As has been stated, only Cardinals who have not reached the age of 80 before the death of the Pope and have not been deposed or willingly given up their office are the only eligible electors of the Roman Pontiff.
What if a Council or Synod is taking place?
If an Ecumenical Council or a Synod is ongoing while the vacancy of the Holy See occurs, it must immediately cease along with any documents being prepared until the new Pontiff who is duly elected resumes the Council or Synod.
The Cardinals, who are eligible to vote, have a right to participate in the vote. In other words, no eligible Cardinal can be excluded.
An interesting situation:
What if the former Pope had named someone a Cardinal but they had not yet gotten their red hat, sworn their oath, or gotten their ring? Can they still participate?
Yes. The provision states that as long as the Cardinal has been “created” and “published" in front of the College of Cardinals, even if he has not yet “received the red hat or the ring, or sworn the oath” can vote in the Conclave.1
However, the document clearly states that “Cardinals who have been canonically deposed or who, with the consent of the Roman Pontiff, have renounced the cardinalate do not have this right (i.e., the right to vote). Moreover, during the period of vacancy the College of Cardinals cannot readmit or rehabilitate them.”2
Cardinal Becciu?
Since he has, as of 2020, “resigned…all his rights and privileges as a cardinal”3 and in view of the above mentioned law of Universi Dominici Gregis, Cardinal Becciu should not be allowed to vote in the Conclave. However, the ultimate decision will rest with the Cardinals.
An excellent article from the Pillar goes into detail on this convoluted situation.
As has been stated ad nauseam over the past week, the start of the Conclave must occur no less than 15 days after the See is vacant and can, as a matter of necessity, be deferred for a maximum of 5 more days with the Conclave requiring to begin 20 days following the vacancy of the Holy See.
Finally, if, after the Conclave has begun, an eligible Cardinal arrives, he must be admitted and can vote at the present vote. If a Cardinal leaves during the Conclave, either because of sickness or another reason, and then returns, he can be admitted and can resume his voting role.
Where it happens and who’s allowed in?
The Conclave Process occurs in the territory of the Vatican in special designated areas with the actual voting taking place in the Sistine Chapel, as mentioned in Part 1 of this analysis.
All Cardinals, and those described below, are to live at the Domus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican.
A nurse is allowed to accompany a Cardinal if he needs one. He must get the express permission from the Congregation.
All the areas used for the Conclave process are closed to unauthorized persons.
No one is allowed to approach the Cardinal-electors as they travel from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Apostolic Palace, both in the Vatican.
The Cardinals are forbidden from any and all communication with those outside the Conclave.
If someone does happen to run into one of the Cardinals during the Conclave, they are forbidden from conversation.
Besides the Cardinal-electors, who else is allowed in the Conclave? (Not the voting itself, but in the closed areas of the Vatican.)
The Secretary of the College of Cardinals (he is also the Secretary of the electoral assembly.)
Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations
Eight Masters of Ceremonies
Two Religious who are a part of the Papal Sacristy
A member of the clergy who is chosen by the Cardinal Dean who is there to assist him.
Priests who are available to hear confessions
Two medical doctors
Cooks
Housekeepers
All of these individuals must maintain strict secrecy before the Conclave begins an during it. They all take an oath of secrecy with the penalty for breaking being automatic excommunication (latae sententiae).
The Start of the Conclave
After the funeral has taken place (Saturday, April 26th), and on the date decided, all the Cardinals gather in St. Peter’s Basilica for a Mass Pro Eligendo Papa.
Then, in the afternoon in the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the Cardinals will gather together and chant the Veni Creator Spiritus and then solemnly process to the Sistine Chapel.
Once there, after ensuring absolute secrecy—free from any hidden recording devices—all the Cardinals take an oath for the Conclave.
After the oath has been taken, everyone else leaves besides the Cardinal-electors, the Master of Papal Celebrations, and the ecclesiastic who was chosen to preach the second meditation.4
Once that has concluded, those two individuals leave and the voting can begin.
*During the time of the Conclave, the Cardinals are forbidden from watching TV, listening to the radio, or even receiving newspapers.
How the voting works
The voting works by secret ballot, also known as “per scrutinium.”
A 2/3 majority is required for election.
There are four voting sessions per day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The voting occurs in three phases:
Pre-Scrutiny Phase:
Distribution of paper ballots
By lot, the selection of:
3 Scrutineers (those who count the ballots)
3 Infirmarii (those who collect the votes of the sick who cannot be in the Sistine Chapel)
3 Revisers (those who verify the votes after the Scrutineers finish)
Rectangular paper ballots with the top half having written on it: “Eligo in Summum Pontificem”5 and the lower part being blank for the name of the one chosen.
The ballots must then be folded twice
During the voting, the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, and the Masters of Ceremonies cannot be in the Sistine Chapel.
Scrutiny Phase:
Placing the completed ballot in the box
Mixing and counting the completed ballots
Opening the votes
Once the Cardinals have written down their vote, they must come to the altar and say, out loud, “I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected,” and then he places the ballot on a plate and then drops it into the box. He then bows to the altar and returns to his seat.
The Infirmarii then go to the sick Cardinals, retrieve their completed ballots which are placed in a locked box, and returne to the Sistine Chapel where they are added to the rest of the ballots.
The first Scrutineer marks down each vote and passes it to the second Scrutineer who does the same. He then passes it to the final Scrutineer who reads aloud the vote and then marks it.
After it has been read aloud, the ballot is threaded with a needle through the word “Eligo” and is placed on a string with the other ballots. Then all of them are bound together.
Post-Scrutiny Phase:
Counting the votes
Checking the votes
Burning the ballots
In this last phase, the Revisers check the ballots and all notes made by the Scrutineers.
After they have been counted, the ballots are burned by the Scrutineers. If the election takes place at the beginning of the morning or afternoon and there is no election, another vote immediately begins and only then are the previous ballots burned.
If no election occurs after 3 days, a one day pause will go into effect for prayer and conversation among the Cardinal-electors.
Once voting resumes, if there is no election after 7 ballots, a one day pause occurs. Then again another 7 ballots and if there is no election, a one day pause occurs again. Once more, if after 7 ballots no election occurs, another day pause occurs. After this pause, voting resumes but from now on, only the two names that received the most votes are eligible. Even if this occurs, they still must receive a two-thirds majority to be elected.
A Special Note
Pope St. John Paul II writes that the person who is elected should not refuse it. Rather, he should “submit humbly to the design of the divine will.”6
Accepting and the announcement
Once the man has received two-thirds majority vote, he is asked by the Cardinal Dean: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” Once accepted, he will then be asked: “By what name do you wish to be called?”7
Once the one elected accepts, he is immediately Supreme Pontiff and head of the Church.
Interestingly, as is evidence that the person chosen does not have to come from the College of Cardinals, Pope St. John Paul writes that “if the person elected is not already a Bishop, he shall immediately be ordained a Bishop.”8
The Conclave immediately ends once the new Pope has accepted his election.
The senior Cardinal Deacon makes the famous pronouncement: “Habemus Papam” from the balcony of St. Peter’s.
The new Pope will then “impart the Apostolic Blessing Urbi et Orbi from the balcony of the Vatican Basilica.”9
Final Thoughts
This process, begun in 1274 with the Papal Bull Ubi Periculum of Pope Gregory X, establishing the Conclave, has undergone changes over the past 750 years.
However, in reality, the main points are still quite similar.
The exact nature of the process, which Pope St. John Paul II clearly lays out in almost 100 numbered paragraphs is critically important for the Interregnum period.
The governance of the Church and the office of Supreme Pontiff is so necessary to the functioning of the Church that it is essential the process of electing the new Pope be as clear and defined as possible.
I hope this two part series has given you not only a greater understanding of this interesting process we find ourselves in now, but also a deep appreciation for the Church and the institution of the Pope.
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Pope St. John Paul II, Universi Dominici Gregis, 22 February 1996 and REVISED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MODIFICATIONS INTRODUCED BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI IN THE APOSTOLIC LETTER ISSUED MOTU PROPRIO NORMAS NONNULLAS OF 22 FEBRUARY 2013. At https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_22021996_universi-dominici-gregis.html. 36.
Universi Dominici Gregis. 36.
The Pillar. The cardinals’ ‘Becciu Test’. April 24, 2025.
Universi Dominici Gregis. 52.
Ibid., 65.
Ibid., 86.
Ibid., 87.
Ibid., 88.
Ibid., 89.