Papal election

A papal election is the method by which the Roman Catholic Church fills the office of Bishop of Rome, whose incumbent is known as the Pope, the head of the Church. An occasion steeped in centuries-old tradition, this meeting of clergymen held to select the Pope is referred to as a conclave. The term comes from the Latin phrase cum clave ("with a key"), referring to the "locking away" of the electors during the process. Conclaves have been employed since the Second Council of Lyons decreed in 1274 that the electors should meet in seclusion. They are now held in the Sistine Chapel in the Palace of the Vatican.

Historical voting patterns

The newly elected pope often contrasts dramatically with his predecessor, a tendency expressed by the Italian axiom "After a fat pope a lean pope". Past cardinals have often voted for someone radically different to the pope who appointed them. The controversial one-time populist turned conservative, long-lived Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) was succeeded by the aristocratic diplomatic Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903). He in turn was succeeded by the lower-class, bluntly outspoken Pope Pius X (1903–1914). Pius's rugged ultraconservatism contrasted with the low-key moderatism of Giacomo Cardinal della Chiesa, Pope Benedict XV (1914–1922), which again contrasted with the former librarian mountain-climber Achille Cardinal Ratti, Pope Pius XI (1922–1939), who led Roman Catholicism with an authoritarianism more akin to Pope Pius X, who also shared his temper. Pius XI was replaced in 1939 by the aristocratic ultra-insider Curialist, Pius XI's Secretary of State Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Pope Pius XII (1939–1958). Pius XII was seen as one of the great thinkers in the papacy in the 20th century. He was also the ultimate insider; his family were descended from the papal aristocracy, with his brother working as a lawyer for the Holy See. Pius was then replaced by the lower-class, elderly, popular, informal Pope John XXIII (1958–1963). The contrast between diffident, intellectual and distant Pius XII and the humble, in his own words "ordinary" Good Pope John was dramatic, with none more surprised at the election than Pope John himself, who had his own return rail ticket in his pocket when he was elected.

Related Topics:
Pope Pius IX - 1846 - 1878 - Pope Leo XIII - 1903 - Pope Pius X - 1914 - Pope Benedict XV - 1922 - Pope Pius XI - 1939 - Curia - Pope Pius XII - 1958 - 20th century - Holy See - Pope John XXIII - 1963

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John proved to be a radical break with the two previous popes, and indeed with most of the popes of the 20th century. After a short but dramatic pontificate during which he convoked the Second Vatican Council which resulted in wide ranging changes in the church, the surprise John was replaced by the widely expected choice Giovanni Cardinal Montini, who many believed would have been elected in 1958, had he been a cardinal then. Montini, Pope Paul VI (1963–1978) like Pius XII, was a curialist. (He had worked with Pacelli in the 1930s and 1940s in the curia.) Yet Pope Paul was succeeded (albeit for a short time) by the non-Curialist Pope John Paul I (1978), who it was said was chosen not as an experienced insider nor administrator, but as a "simple, holy man". He in turn was succeeded by the non-Italian Pope John Paul II (1978–2005), who was an intellectual heavyweight unprecedented since Pope Pius XII. He was then replaced by the German Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Fatih and at the same time, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI after more than a quarter of a century in 2005. He is the second non-Italian and the first German Pontiff to be elected since Pope Adrian VI (sources claim that Adrian was a Dutch living in an area occupied by Germany, so he is German in terms of his citizenship).

Related Topics:
Second Vatican Council - Pope Paul VI - 1963 - 1978 - Pope John Paul I - Pope John Paul II - 2005 - Pope Pius XII - German - Prefect - Dean of the College of Cardinals - Pope Benedict XVI - Pontiff - Pope Adrian VI - Dutch

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