Newcastle — The title of Cardinal in the Catholic Church was recognized as early as the pontificate of Sylvester I (314-335).  It signaled the more important administrators of the holy bureaucracy.  The College of Cardinals, the Holy See, as it now exists, was established in 1150.  Initially there were only a few members, and any man of the cloth could be elevated.  The number has since ballooned, ostensibly because the Catholic Church reaches out to farther corners of the earth.

Possibly the most important duty of the Holy See, and one that sits well within the skullduggery and intrigue that characterizes the group, is the election of a replacement Pontiff when the previous one expires or resigns. Lest I have offended you with this comment, I refer you to current exposition of “internal church squabbling, predictably dubbed ‘VatiLeaks’ by the Italian news media.”  Financial misdealings have come to light, attributed to “a clash between cardinals in the Curia...”  Nothing alarming here; such shenanigans have been going on since the crucifixion.

Somewhat curiously, enfranchisement in the conclave is restricted to members under 80 years of age.  I say “curiously” because while so many of the Vatican directives are lunatic. this one is lucid.  (I have never understood the logic of “one man, one vote” in our country with no limitation based on mental capacity.).

In the good old days the election of the Pope was more democratic with secular folks, and in particular the Holy Roman Emperor having a say.  However, in 1059, taking advantage of the Emperor's being a clueless nine year old, the church snatched the power to itself, and there it remains.

Admittance to the august body of cardinals was restricted to holders of a bishopry by Pope John XIII in 1962.  This constraint ensures that the group is composed entirely of rather elderly, out-of-touch, clergy.  It also guarantees a large turnover.  Given the elevation of the latest 22, there are now 213 cardinals, 79 of whom have been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. His predecessor was responsible for 130. There are currently 125 cardinals eligible to vote, all of them appointed by either Pope John Paul II, or by Pope Benedict XVI... This presents a possible future problem, because one of the arcane rules in the Pope’s election is that the maximum number of cardinal electors cannot exceed 120.

One of the perks of office is that any cardinal may get a shot at being the big Kahuna.  Technically, any baptized male Catholic is eligible, but since 1378, all the Popes have come from the College.  This means that when Benedict XVI passes on (or resigns) there are 213 holders of the biretta (not to be confused with beretta) eligible to replace him.  Officially, the church holds that the Holy Spirit makes the choice, but that entity being elusive, it’s politics as usual.  Clearly, some cardinals are more eligible than others, depending on age, nationality, life experience, personality, and positions on major issues facing the church.

Immediately after the pontiff’s demise, all cardinals are called to the Vatican and sequestered for the conclave.  The election can be a tedious process (it once took more than three years), as a 2/3 majority is required for elevation.  The daily procedure is for two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon, executed in the spectacular Sistine chapel, a stone’s throw for the opulent palace where the Holy See is housed for the event.  The remainder of their day is used, one surmises, in politicking, though deal-making and vote-buying are strictly prohibited.

If after three days a choice is not made, the cardinals take a short break, hear an inspirational sermon and plow on for another week. If still unsuccessful, there is another break followed by more voting.  After 30 or so ballots or about 12 days, the cardinals may vote to waive the two-thirds requirement and elect a Pope with an absolute majority. Another way to accelerate the choice, practiced in olden times, was not to feed the cardinals and have them sleep on the floor of the chapel until consensus was reached.  Aside: Personally I feel that this method should be followed in our Congress with respect to passing the budget.

As everyone knows, progress in the process is signaled to the millions waiting in St. Peter’s Square by burning the ballots to produce smoke.  If unsuccessful, chemical (initially straw but that proved unreliable) is added to darken the effluent.  If successful, unadulterated white smoke is to pour forth.  However, there are varying shades of white, and there have occurred in the past false alarms, so on the suggestion of John Paul II, the bells of the Vatican peal joyously to affirm the election.

The choice of the Holy Spirit can choose not to serve.  This rarely happens.  Most recently, when Cardinal Giovanni Colombo, the 76-year-old archbishop of Milan, began receiving votes during the October 1978 conclave, he made it clear that he would refuse the papacy if elected.  This was exceptional; one doesn’t get to be a Cardinal without an ego.