First Vote: Black Smoke, No Pope

 

 



Tuesday, 115 cardinals from 69 countries began the Papal Conclave -- or Papal Election -- at the Vatican. Black smoke emerged from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel, signaling that no pope from the secret voting.

John Paul II changed the rules of the Conclave so a Pope could be elected by simple majority.

But Benedict XVI changed the requirements back so that a two-thirds majority is required, meaning the man elected is likely to be a compromise candidate.

Before the voting begins in the Sistine Chapel, the entire area is checked by security experts to ensure there are no hidden microphones or cameras.

Each voter (the Cardinals under the age of 80) vote for a single person. If a person obtains at least 2/3 of the vote, he is elected. If this is not the case, a new election is organized until a person reaches the threshold (4 votes may be held Wednesday). These successive elections are perfectly identical. In the absence of a 2/3 majority, it is thus necessary for some cardinals change their vote (in order from someone to be elected). It is worth noting that there are no official candidates and the cardinals may vote for whoever they want.

Here's a breakdown and protocol of a hypothetical papal vote:

Example -- There are 5 voters and 3 candidates (A,B and C). The distribution of the votes of the first election is as follows:

• Voter 1 -- A
• Voter 2 -- A
• Voter 3 -- B
• Voter 4 -- B
• Voter 5 -- C

Candidates A and B obtain 2 votes each, while candidate C obtains 1 vote. No candidate gets 2/3 of the votes, so a second election is then organized with the same three candidates. The distribution of the second vote is as follows:

• Voter 1 -- A
• Voter 2 -- A
• Voter 3 -- A
• Voter 4 -- A
• Voter 5 -- C

Voters 3 and 4 changed their vote in favor of candidate A. He now receives 4/5s of the vote, more than the 2/3 needed and he becomes the next pope.White smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel, with the breaking news that a new pope has been elected.

BBC's Conclave: How cardinals elect a pope