From the longest conclave to anti-popes: 10 fun facts about the secret voting to elect a pope

VATICAN CITY – “Conclave,” the movie, whitethorn person introduced movie-goers to the spectacular ritual and play of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elite a caller pope has been going connected for centuries and created a full genre of humanities trivia.

Here are immoderate amusive facts astir conclaves past, derived from humanities studies including Miles Pattenden's “Electing the Pope successful Early Modern Italy, 1450–1700” and interviews with experts including Elena Cangiano, an archeologist astatine Viterbo's Palazzo dei Papi (Palace of the Popes).

The longest conclave successful history

In the 13th century, it took astir 3 years — 1,006 days to beryllium nonstop — to take Pope Clement IV's successor, making it the longest conclave successful the Catholic Church’s history. It's besides wherever the word conclave comes from — "under fastener and key," due to the fact that the cardinals who were gathering successful Viterbo, northbound of Rome, took truthful agelong the town's frustrated citizens locked them successful the room.

The concealed ballot that elected Pope Gregory X lasted from November 1268 to September 1271. It was the archetypal illustration of a papal predetermination by “compromise,” aft a agelong conflict betwixt supporters of 2 main geopolitical medieval factions — those faithful to the papacy and those supporting the Holy Roman Empire.

‘One repast a day’ rule

Gregory X was elected lone aft Viterbo residents tore the extortion disconnected the gathering wherever the prelates were staying and restricted their meals to breadstuff and h2o to unit them to travel to a conclusion. Hoping to debar a repeat, Gregory X decreed successful 1274 that cardinals would lone get “one repast a day” if the conclave stretched beyond 3 days, and lone “bread, h2o and wine” if it went beyond eight. That regularisation has been dropped.

The shortest conclave ever

Before 1274, determination were times erstwhile a pope was elected the aforesaid time arsenic the decease of his predecessor. After that, however, the religion decided to hold astatine slightest 10 days earlier the archetypal vote. Later that was extended to 15 days to springiness each cardinals clip to get to Rome. The quickest conclave observing the 10-day hold regularisation appears to person been the 1503 predetermination of Pope Julius II, who was elected successful conscionable a fewer hours, according to Vatican historiographer Ambrogio Piazzoni. In much caller times, Pope Francis was elected successful 2013 connected the 5th ballot, Benedict XVI won successful 2005 connected the 4th and Pope Pius XII won connected the 3rd successful 1939.

The archetypal conclave successful the Sistine Chapel

The archetypal conclave held nether Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling successful the Sistine Chapel was successful 1492. Since 1878, the world-renowned chapel has go the venue of each conclaves. “Everything is conducive to an consciousness of the beingness of God, successful whose show each idiosyncratic volition 1 time beryllium judged,” St. John Paul II wrote successful his 1996 papers regulating the conclave, “Universi Dominici Gregis.” The cardinals slumber a abbreviated region distant successful the adjacent Domus Santa Marta edifice oregon a adjacent residence.

The alternate locations

Most conclaves were held successful Rome, with immoderate taking spot extracurricular the Vatican walls. Four were held successful the Pauline Chapel of the papal residence astatine the Quirinale Palace, portion immoderate 30 others were held successful St. John Lateran Basilica, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva oregon different places successful Rome. On 15 occasions they took spot extracurricular Rome and the Vatican altogether, including successful Viterbo, Perugia, Arezzo and Venice successful Italy, and Konstanz, Germany and Lyon, France.

The alternate popes, oregon anti-popes

Between 1378-1417, referred by historians to arsenic the Western Schism, determination were rival claimants to the rubric of pope. The schism produced aggregate papal contenders, the alleged anti-popes, splitting the Catholic Church for astir 40 years. The astir salient anti-popes during the Western Schism were Clement VII, Benedict XIII, Alexander V, and John XXIII. The schism was yet resolved by the Council of Constance successful 1417, which led to the predetermination of Martin V, a universally accepted pontiff.

A situation to idiosyncratic hygiene

The cloistered quality of the conclave posed different situation for cardinals: staying healthy. Before the Domus Santa Marta guest-house was built successful 1996, cardinal electors slept connected cots successful rooms connected to the Sistine Chapel. Conclaves successful the 16th and 17th centuries were described arsenic “disgusting” and “badly smelling,” with interest astir illness outbreaks, peculiarly successful summer, according to historiographer Miles Pattenden. “The cardinals simply had to person a much regular and comfy mode of surviving due to the fact that they were aged men, galore of them with rather precocious disease,” Pattenden wrote. The enclosed abstraction and deficiency of ventilation further aggravated these issues. Some of the electors near the conclave sick, often seriously.

Vow of secrecy

Initially, papal elections weren’t arsenic secretive but concerns astir governmental interference soared during the longest conclave successful Viterbo. Gregory X decreed that cardinal electors should beryllium locked successful seclusion, “cum clave” (with a key), until a caller pope was chosen. The intent was to make a wholly secluded situation wherever the cardinals could absorption connected their task, guided by God’s will, without immoderate governmental interference oregon distractions. Over the centuries, assorted popes person modified and reinforced the rules surrounding the conclave, emphasizing the value of secrecy.

Youngest pope, oldest pope

Pope John XII was conscionable 18 erstwhile helium was elected successful 955. The oldest popes were Pope Celestine III (elected successful 1191) and Celestine V (elected successful 1294) who were some astir 85. Benedict XVI was 78 erstwhile helium was elected successful 2005.

A non-cardinal pope and non-Italian pope

There is nary request that a pope beryllium a cardinal, but that has been the lawsuit for centuries. The past clip a pope was elected who wasn’t a cardinal was Urban VI successful 1378. He was a monk and archbishop of Bari. While the Italians person had a stranglehold connected the papacy implicit centuries, determination person been galore exceptions speech from John Paul II (Polish successful 1978) and Benedict XVI (German successful 2005) and Francis (Argentine successful 2013). Alexander VI, elected successful 1492, was Spanish; Gregory III, elected successful 731, was Syrian; Adrian VI, elected successful 1522, was from the Netherlands.

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