On February 28, 2013, the Catholic Church enters the time of
Sede Vacante, meaning “the chair is empty”.
Sede vacante represented the time between Popes. Unlike the government of the United States,
which is never without a president, the Catholic Church will have a period of
at least 15 days without a leader. Even
as I am writing this, the Vatican is awaiting the remaining 5 Cardinals to join
the other 110 to begin Conclave.
Prior to Conclave the College of Cardinals may have some pre-meetings
to get to know one another and discuss the needs of the Catholic Church in
2013. Once Conclave begins the entire
process is top secret. Construction is
underway on the Sistine Chapel to install a false floor to hide anti-bugging
devices, the installation of stoves to burn the ballots each day, and insure
all accommodations are in place for the Cardinals.
The 115 Cardinals are sworn to secrecy during Conclave. They will be taken to and from the chapel by
bus and stay sequestered during the process.
They will not have access to the news, internet, or any other
communication device.
On the first day one vote is allowed. Each Cardinal writes the name of the person
they select on a slip of paper. The
votes are tallied. If someone receives
two-thirds of the votes, they are asked if they would accept the position, what
name they choose, and the ballots are burnt, sending white smoke through the
chimney to notify the world of the new pontiff.
If no one receives the required two-thirds, debate, voting and prayer
continues. Up to four votes may be
conducted each day. There is no limit to
the amount of time the Cardinals may take to decide the next Pope. That being said, no Conclave has gone over 5
days since 1831. It took the College of
Cardinals 3 days to decide on Pope Benedict.
While any single, Catholic male is eligible to become Pope,
more than likely the man chosen for the position will be one of the 115
Cardinals. While there is not a clear
cut favorite, many are expecting one of the following to be next in line:
Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana
Cardinal
Angelo Scola from Italy
Cardinal
Marc Ouellet from Canada
Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone from Italy
Cardinal
Angelo Bagnasco from Italy
Cardinal
Leonardo Sandri from Argentina
What do you
think of the process to elect the Pope?
What qualities do you think are necessary to be a good choice for the
Catholic Church? What do you think are
some of the biggest issues facing the Catholic Church and the next Pope?
Grace- I think the process is kind of old-fashioned, since it's all top secret and only the cardinals vote. After all, this process of electing a new pope has been going on for a very long time. I think the new pope would currently have to be in good health. If he has a serious illness and he is elected, he might have to retire due to his bad health like Pope Benedict XVI. Also, he would have to be patient. We are all only human; if he tells the Catholic church to make a change (for example, the responses during mass), he has to be patient because we won't memorize the new responses right a way. Also, many people will dislike the change. Really the only issue I know about involving the Catholic Church is the priest problem, if you know what I'm talking about it.
ReplyDeleteThomas B.- I think it is kind of weird how they stay in a room to vote and how they light fires to tell the others if they had made a decision or not. It is also how only cardinals have are aloud to vote. A Pope would have to be able to take control and make new things happen for the world. I think there are a lot of problems to face for each Pope, but right now I think the Catholic Church and the Pope needs to get people to be more involved with their faith.
ReplyDeletePetie-I think that the process of electing the pope is good, yet dysfunctional. I like how the cardinals can vote, or else the elections would be decided by people, who would probably decide the cardinal from their country. It's also cool how its all top secret stuff. It is dysfunctional because it tends to be held off for a while, which can lead to distraught in the Catholic society.A good leader for the Church would be extremely dedicated to the Church, being ready to have the Church be his whole thoughts. He would also have to be able to live for a long time, and stay in fairly good health. He would also have to be a good business man. Some of the biggest issues facing the Church right now include the abortion law, the lack of vocations, and the breaking of tradition.
ReplyDeleteHayley: I think the process to pick the Pope is good but also really interesting. I think the locking them in a room and lighting the fire is not something you hear about often. I think you need to be trustworthy, loyal, honest, kind, caring, and most importantly you need to love God with all your heart. I think some of the issues the church is going to face is seeing if they did pick the right person for the job. They also want to make sure that he is up to the job and doesn't want to back out as soon as he gets the job over the other cardinals. The new Pope is going to have to prove that choosing him was the right choice and that he is completely qualified to be the next ruler of the Church. I think the Pope whoever gets chosen will do a good job and help the Church remain strong with its love for God.
ReplyDeleteNikita- I think it is a good process. It has a tradition to it that makes selecting a Pope that much more special. If I had to select someone to be a Pope, I would want a guy that believed fully in God, loved all people (no matter what they have done), and, most importantly, be able to handle a TON of responsibility. I think some of the bigger issues facing the next Pope are things like bringing the people closer together. I think the new Pope should try and encourage people to go to church and help in the community and things like that.
ReplyDeleteNate- I think that making the cardinals sit in a room for as long as it takes to elect a new pope is a little bit over the top. Who would want to do that? I personally wouldn't. To be a good pope, I think that the person should be open to the will of God, and also responsible with their power. Whatever the pope says, goes. That's a lot of power for one man. Some problems facing the next pope and the church might be the evolution of violent computer games (whether this violates church rule or not), increasing pressure on the church for the change in its view of abortion, and also its view of homosexuality, which is becoming more common. Evolution is always a problem, and the absence of priests is an issue. That's all that I can think of for problems.
ReplyDeleteNatalie-I think that the process is kind of old-fashioned, but it works, so I really don't see any reason to change it. Personally, I would want someone who has a slightly different, more modern view of things. I would also want someone who was firm in his belief in God, and able to handle stress well. I think some of the big issues are going to probably be gay marriage, the rules against abortion, and modernizing the church traditions.
ReplyDeleteJustin- I think that the process of selecting a pope is pretty good except for that it could take a while to happen. I think that a good pope would have to be able to handle the problems of today, including what's going on with the church. I think the biggest issue of the pope is what priests and other clergy are doing when they're off duty because it is really nasty and they shouldn't be priests.
ReplyDeleteSydney- I think that the process of electing the Pope is very long, but it is worth it to have someone new representing Christ on earth. I think that that the pope should have to be very caring about the Catholic religion and be very dedicated. I think he should have to be able to want it more than any other cardinals. A lot of issues are that there is not a lot of people wanting to be priests and nuns or part of a Holy Order. That could bw a problem in the future.
ReplyDeleteIsabel- here's what I think of the process of electing a pope: I think the fact that it's a private meeting, is a good thing. I think if the media were there with cameras, the cardinals would not speak the truth or God's will. The way they do everything now, I think is fine and should not be interrupted. I would like to see, somebody who would uphold the traditional values and rules of the church. Some of the biggest issues facing the Catholic church, in my opinion, would be how the church is going to handle the abuses done by priests to many young Catholics. I think another challenge the church will have to deal with, is bringing back many of the quiet Catholics. The quiet Catholics, are all the people who go to church and don't engage themselves, to a point where they stop learning about their faith. Or in extreme cases, they only go to church on holidays.
ReplyDeleteRyan- I think that the process of electing a new pope takes a really long time, but I guess that it's needed to pick someone who will be able to lead us well. I think that the pope would need to be open to new ideas and able to handle the stress that comes with being a pope. There will always be someone wanting to kill him and he will never be left alone. I also think people are paranoid that the chair is empty.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is a very good process of choosing the pope. It's pretty long but it's worthwhile, at least to some people. But they have a good reason to make it long. I mean if you think about it, us choosing our next president takes longer than them choosing the next pope. Some good qualities would to be obviously catholic, he has to have a good heart, feels sorry for the poor people, will want to try and actually do something about it, and doesn't care if he's wearing white. Well i think that there are about a million assassins that want to kill the pope. Another thing is that the social media treats the poor guy like a celebrity. he should be treated with care, but not with flashing lights.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS TOMAS K. BY THE WAY
DeleteAdriana: I think that the process of electing a new pope is pretty good but I think that its pretty odd how they lock them in a room and light fires to say if they have or haven't elected a pope. Plus it takes a really long time sometimes. I think that whoever they elect would have to be someone younger so that they will be able to lead for a very long time. they also have to have at least some experience in leading, be cause you cant just elect someone who doesn't know what they are doing. Some of the biggest problems facing the church today I think, would be the Pope Benedict XVI leaving and breaking the tradition of having a pope who leads until they die in office.
ReplyDeletePatrick- I think the election of the pope is done very well because it's not just some little election, it's the election pf who's going to be the ruler of over 1 billion people, you would say it can take some time. I think that the next pope should be someone with amazing organization skill because of all the traveling the pope that ruled 2 terms ago traveled so much and left the vatican and the catholic religion in somewhat of a rut. They also have to have confidence, imagine ruling the catholic faith with out confidence, you wouldn't even be able to speak! I think one of the biggest problems in the church today is how we are losing so many young people are age and older, i think this is because mass is boring and let's face it. Kids don't like boring and definitely dont like sitting in a church for an hour or so. We need t make mass more fun!
ReplyDeleteKeelie:I think the process to elect the pope is very tedious. It’s also kind of exciting for the older cardinals. I think the Catholic Church needs to be more open to the women in it. I know it’s tradition for the men to do all the “important” things in the church, but it’s kinda getting old for me. It makes me feel that only priests can do the cool things. Like exorcisms. And forgiving people by and for God. God gave Peter and the other popes the ability to do those things. I don’t know what he gave women to do. Go out and spread the God’s news to others? Everyone can do that. Have babies? I don’t want to. Women do a lot of important things for the church. You need both boys and girls to run it. I just think that if I had the same opportunities as men, I would be a happier Catholic. I’m so confused by American and Catholic society I don’t even want to think about it. No, I do not think women are better than men. God made us equal, so that’s how I think of it. There are many problems that are about to face the new pope, including how I and other women may or may not feel. There’s more I want to say, but I don’t know how to say it.
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ReplyDeleteBailie-I think the process is rather long and tiresome at times. But, I understand because the Cardinals have to choose a person who will be a good pope. The qualities I think the pope should have are honesty and bravery, because you have to be brave to accept that kind of responsibility. One big issue I think the Catholic church might have is how women seem to be unimportant to the church. God doesn't care if you're a man or women, but the church seems to. I think that might be an issue the Catholic church might have in the future.
ReplyDeleteNekane-well I think it is very well planned out they are very traditional and religious. Well I do think they have to have at least a good sence of humor I mean what fun it would be without a little humor!! And they have to be sweet not like I’m winning you’re not type thing but like good luck may the best cardinal win!! The biggest thing is they have to be at least somewhat nervous because they don’t want to mess up but then again nobody’s perfect, I think they want to try to be as good as the last pope and the popes before them or even better but they have to be themselves don’t let nervousness or anything hold them back or hate hold them back and try there hardest to be pope!
ReplyDeleteMegan- I think that the process of electing a pope is very interesting. In the last couple weeks, I have learned more about the pope's election than ever before. I think to be a good pope you must be able to sacrifice for the whole Church. Also he needs to be humble, and willing to be able to speak to the people. John Paul II was a great example of this. He moved so many people to the Church. One of the biggest challenges for the new pope would have to be finding a balance between tradition and modern times. He has to be able to reach out to the new generation. Good luck to him!!!
ReplyDeleteLauryn-I think the process of electing a pope is really different. When I first heard about them locking themselves in a room I was very interested because that’s not something I had ever heard about. I also think it is different that 2/3rds of the vote has to be one person. It seems like it would take forever. I can’t believe it took up to 3 years once. I think to be a leader of the Catholic Church you need to very loyal and faithful to God and willing to do anything for Him. I think some major issues facing the next pope is trust. The Church needs to trust that he will be the pope until death. I think some people are afraid he is going to quit. The new pope is going to have to build a lot of people’s trust.
ReplyDeleteAndoni-I think the process by which the next pope is selected is a very good,traditional way of making such a momentous decision.The way the entire process is done has been the same for a very ling time. Sometimes the wait between the decision is too long. To be a good pope you must be able to put the interest of the 1 billion people around the world above your own. You must be able to make the unpopular decision if it is the correct thing to do. There are several issues the the next pope will be forced to encounter.The entire situation about what some priest have been doing is not good.Gay marriage and abortion are also issues that our church must face.
ReplyDeleteReed- The process of choosing the pope now than then is ver weird. They lock themselves in a room till they decide. Another weird thing is how they vote. Like with the smoke it tells the people that they have made a election but you don't know who it is. The leader of the Church has to be a very loyal, forgiving, funny, and pashionet about the faith in the church. The pope has to last a long time because they just can't keep having elections.
ReplyDeleteTodd- I feel the process they use to elect a new Pope is a little weird because they lock the Cardinals’ in a room forced them to make a decision. I do think that it’s pretty cool that they send up different color smoke to tell us how they are doing in their voting. I feel that the new Pope should be a younger man so that he might be able to travel and stay longer as our Pope. This might help and we would not have to go thru this difficult procedure for a long time. I feel some of the biggest issues we will face are trying to keep the faith of many people around the world.
ReplyDeleteNathaniel- I think that the process used to elect a pope is pretty good. I think it's also good they lock the cardinals in a room, because they will eventually be forced to come to a decision. That part truly doesn't bother me to much. What does bother me is that during the time while electing, there is no pope. This means there is no one to guide or lead the church at that point. I personally feel this is a (security) risk of some sort, since there is no one in the leadership of 1.1 billion people. I think that a good pope would need to have several characteristics, one being that they are somewhat calm, and in control. The Catholic church is today facing a few controversies within itself, and needs to have a leader that can compromise with others, be in control of the situation, and not take to much tension. It might help a little bit if he is younger because he would be able to travel the world more, and inspire the younger generation as well. Some of the biggest issues the new pope will have to face will be the belief of abortion, and gay marriage as well. It will be tough, but like always, we'll work together, and come up with some solution that pleases everyone.
ReplyDeleteLiam~ I think that the process in electing a pope is one that is not very innovative. I mean locking people in a room until they come to a conclusion is not the quickest way of compromising. Qualities needed to run the Catholic Church are very important. I think that in order to be Pope the Cardinal must be true to his faith and always, in his time in the priesthood, or bishop-hood, taking the initiative to lend out a helpful hand. Issues that lay ahead in the Catholic Church are: Abortion and the Rite to Life, homosexual relationships and marriage, and of course how to handle the decisions that the previous Pope made.
ReplyDeleteJohn-I think that the process of electing the pope is very long, but also important because their lots of cardinals running for the postion and a lot of people are frightened that they won't choose th right guy. I think the qualties needed to be a pope are that you need to take your faith very seriously and be true to it, but also be a very nice guy that enjoys his faith. The biggest issues are that everyone is so worried because they hope for the best pope ansd don't want the wrong guy for the job. The Cardinals are also frightened because they are affraid that if they become the pope then they are going to be scared of all the desicions he is going to have to make and they don't want to screw anything up.
ReplyDeleteRylie: I think the process is very well organized. The qualities you have to have, in my opinion, is that you have to be willing to be open to peoples' ideas and be very generous. It doesn't matter what gender you are, I think both men and women should both have equality in being the Leader of the Church. And Keelie says she would like to be a Priest, if she were aloud... One of the biggest issues facing the new election is that some people are very nervous as to what he is going to with our Faith
ReplyDeleteRaquel- I thought that it was done in a whole different process but i was wrong. It takes forever to become a priest. Umm maybe that people say they dont want an american pope but i really dont care because i just hope they pick the pope that will help us live in christian ways. Yeah if girls could be priests i would be one too.
ReplyDeleteAubrie - My thought of the process of how the cardinals elect is kind of old fashioned because they are all sworn to secrecy and they have all communication devices taken away. Also I think that it is kind of old fashioned in the way that they all come and go together in one big bus.
ReplyDeleteSome of the qualities that the cardinals should look for before deciding who they are going to vote for pope is their responsibility level, respect for their faith, kindness, and honesty. These are only some of them… there are multiple more.
Some of the biggest issues that the Catholic Church is going to face with receiving a new pope are; that there might be change that some followers in the catholic faith might agree with the decision of who the new pope is and their decisions about the Catholic Church.
Luke- I believe that the process is effecient and makes sense. I think that the qualities that the pope should possess are the willingness to be the pope for the rest of his life, and the ability to lead the church. I honestly dont see any issues that might impart in the future. All I see is just another pope election. I dont think anything will go wrong and that the pope will be chosen in the first couple days of the start of the election.
ReplyDeleteNoone say anything about the time
DeleteLily- The process to elect the new Pope is very traditonal, we have done it the same way for many years. The decision is really hard to make and takes a very long time. It's crazy how we lock them into a room until they make a decision, but we can't wait three years to have a Pope we have to have one soon after one dies or in this case resigns. Some qualities that a Pope needs is trust and faith. I think those two are really important because if the new Pope doesn't have trust then they won't make any good decisions. Also if the new Pope doesn't have faith them first off they wouldn't even be a cardinal. One other thing though is that the new Pope has to be able to be the leader of us one billion catholics. Some of the biggest issues in electing a new Pope is that some people may leave the catholic faith because of how we pick a new Pope and what we do.
ReplyDeleteLiza- I think that the process is nice and builds up the anticipation of the fact that someone new is finally coming into the "chair" if you will. I think that the next pope should be kind and caring. He should also have very strong faith in God that he was chosen to help our church. I don't think that the pope should be scared. If he was chosen, God must have influenced the cardinals to pick him. I think that the biggest issue right now are if the new pope is going to be a Traditionalist or a Realist. I think that the views of the Realists are good, but I also think our church should stick to some of the traditions. I think the biggest issue is what this new pope will bring to the table and how he affects the church.
ReplyDeleteWes- I think it is smart the people vote one of themselves to become a new pope. It also brings anxiousness in waiting for the new pope. The next pope should be someone who can be a role model for how he is very religious and kind to all. The thing is, not that many people want to be the new pope but if there were more people running then there wouldn't be such a problem.
ReplyDeleteClaire-I think the process is fair and traditional. A pope should focus more on the religion instead his power. The most important issues facing the church are the shortage of priests and less people attending mass.
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