Ralph Fiennes Starrer – The Film could introduce the cinegoery of the spectacular ritual and the drama of the modern conclave. However, a periodic vote on the election of a new Pope has been taking place for centuries.
With centuries of history, the elections themselves created the whole genre of historical trivia: facts about the end past, voting rules, the time of selection that was and when and much more.
Here is an insight into the historical facts about Conclave derived from historical studies:
The longest conclave in history
In the 13th century it lasted almost three years – accurate 1,006 days – to choose the successor of Pope Clement IV, making him the longest conclave in the history of the Catholic Church.
It is also a place where the term conclave comes – “under the lock and the key”, because the cardinals who met in Viterbo, north of Rome, lasted so long that frustrated citizens in the city locked them in the room.
The secret vote, which elected Pope Gregory X, lasted from 1268 to September 1271. It was the first example of the papal elections “compromise” after a long struggle between the fans of the two main geopolitical medieval fractions – those believers of Papeca and those who supported the Holy Roman Empire.
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Rule “one meal a day”
Gregory X was elected only after Viterbo residents had torn off the roof from the building where the prelates remained and reduced food to bread and water to push them to come to the conclusion.
In 1274, hoping to avoid repetition, Gregory X ordered that the cardinals would get “one meal a day” if the conclave was stretched for more than three days, and only “bread, water and wine” if it exceeds eight. This restriction has been canceled.
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The shortest conclave ever
Before 1274, the Pope was sometimes elected on the same day as the death of his predecessor. After that, however, the Church decided to wait at least 10 days before the first vote.
Later it was extended to 15 days to get all the cardinals to Rome.
According to the Vatican historian Ambrogia Piazzoni, the fastest conclave was watching a ten -day waiting for the election elections of Pope Julius, who was elected in a few hours.
Recently, Pope Francis was elected in 2013 at the fifth vote, Benedict XVI won the fourth in 2005 and Pope Pius XII won the third in 1939.
The first conclave
The first conclave took place in the Sistine Chapel in 1492. Since 1878 the chapel, known by the iconic Michelangelo frescoes, has become a place of all endings.
“Everything contributes to the consciousness of the presence of God, in whose eyes it will be assessed every day,” wrote in his 1996 document, which regulates Conclave, “Universi Dominici Gregis.” Cardinals are asleep at a short distance in the nearby Hotel Domus Santa Marta or in a nearby residence.
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Alternative
Most of the conkants were held in Rome, some of which were held outside the Vatican walls. Four took place in the paulin chapel of the papal residence at the Quirinale Palace, while about 30 others were held in the Basilica of St. Jan Lateran, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva or in other places in Rome.
On 15 occasions, they took place completely outside Rome and the Vatican, including Viterbo, Perugia, Arezzo and Venice in Italy and Konstanz, Germany and Lyon, France.
Alternative popes or antipopes
Between 1378-1417, which historians refer to as Western Schism, there were rival applicants for the title of Pope. Schism created several papal candidates, the so -called antipopes and divided the Catholic Church for almost 40 years.
The most important antipopes during the western split were Clement VII, Benedict XIII, Alexander in and John XXIII. Schism was eventually resolved by the Constance Council in 1417, which led to the election of Martin in, a generally accepted Pope.
Challenge to personal hygiene
The glowing nature of the conclave represented another challenge for cardinals: stay healthy. Before the Pension Domus Santa Marta was built in 1996, cardinal voters slept on the cots in the rooms associated with Sixtine Chapel.
According to historian Miles Pattenden, competitive in the 16th and 17th centuries were described as “disgusting” and “poorly scented”, especially in summer.
“Cardinals just had to have a more regular and comfortable way of life, because they were old men, many of them with quite advanced diseases,” Pattenden wrote. The enclosed space and lack of ventilation further deteriorated. Some voters left the conclave sick, often seriously.
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Secrecy
Initially, the papal elections were not so secret, but concerns about political interference increased during the longest conclave in Viterbo. Gregory X ordered cardinal voters to be locked in separation, “cum clave” (with the key) until the new Pope was selected.
The purpose was to create a completely separated environment in which the cardinals could focus on their task, to follow God’s will, without any political interference or distraction.
Over the centuries, various popes have modified and strengthened the rules surrounding the conclave and emphasized the importance of secrets.
The youngest Pope, the oldest Pope
Pope John XII was only 18 years old when he was elected in 955. The oldest Pope were Pope Celestine III (elected in 1191) and Celestine V (elected in 1294), who were almost 85. Benedict XVI was 78 when elected in 2005.
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Nearcarinal Pope and Neital Pope
There is no requirement for the Pope to be a cardinal, but it has been the case for centuries.
The last time the Pope, who was not a cardinal was elected, was Urban VI in 1378. He was a monk and archbishop Bari.
While the Italians had strangled the papacy for centuries, in addition to John Paul II. (Polish in 1978) and Benedict XVI (German in 2005) and Francin in 2013) there were many exceptions. Alexander VI, elected in 1492, was Spanish; Gregory III, elected in 731, was Syrian; Adrian VI, elected in 1522, was from the Netherlands.
(With Associated Press (AP) inputs)
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