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.

References

• Baumgartner, F. (2003). Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Burkle-Young, Francis A. (1999). Passing the Keys: Modern Cardinals, Conclaves, and the Election of the Next Pope. Madison Books: Lanham, Maryland.
• "Conclave." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Dowling, A. (1908). "Conclave." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. New York: Robert Appleton Company
• "Electing the Pope: The Conclave." (2002). Catholic Almanac.
• Fanning, W. H. W. (1911). "Papal Elections." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI. New York: Robert Appleton Company
• Joyce, G. H. (1911). "Election of the Popes." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. New York: Robert Appleton Company
• National Geographic. (2004). "Inside the Vatican."
• Reese, T. J. (1996). "Revolution in Papal Elections." America. (Volume 174, issue 12, p. 4)
• Universi Dominici Gregis. (1996). Apostolic Constitution.
• Wintle, W. J. (1903). "How the Pope is Elected." The London Magazine, June, 1903.
• Scottish Catholic Media Office: Election of a Pope
• ReligionFacts.com: How the Pope is Elected

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