Electing the Pope

Text:
I recently watched the movie “Angels and Demons”. In the movie, the Catholic church is in the process of electing a new Pope. The process is not really covered in the film, but I was curious how it worked. The Catholic Church has been electing leadership for nearly 1000 years. Making it the institution with the in the longest history of electing leadership. The rules have changed slightly over time, but the main details follow:

(from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/features/papal_elections.htm)
The Voting Process
Traditionally, each pope issues a decree detailing how his successor shall be elected. Popes usually make small adjustments to the procedures, although the basic method remains the same. Pope John Paul II detailed the procedures for electing the 266th pope in the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis. In this document, the pontiff explains that his changes are occasioned by the revisions to Canon Law made by the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), but he has generally determined "not to depart in substance from the wise and venerable tradition already established."

Pope John Paul II established the following rules for electing his successor:
The maximum number of elector cardinals is 120.
Any cardinal who turns 80 years old before the day the papacy is vacated cannot take part in the election.
A two-thirds-plus-one majority is required to elect a pope.
For as long as necessary, two votes are held in the morning and afternoon, for a total of four per day.
If a new pope is not selected after 12 to 13 days, the cardinals may choose to allow selection of a new pope by a simple majority (i.e., 50% plus one). {UMG}

A conclave ballot.
There are no hanging chads in conclave. The pope is elected by write-in vote on a secret ballot. Each cardinal is given a small rectangular ballot with the Latin words Eligo in Summum Pontificem, "I elect as supreme pontiff," printed at the top. He silently indicates his vote by writing a person's name with a pen below those words.

After writing his vote, the cardinal folds the ballot twice, holds it in the air, and carries it to the Sistine Chapel's altar. He declares aloud, "I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected." He places his ballot on a paten (plate) that is resting on a chalice (cup), then uses the plate to drop the ballot into the chalice. He bows before the altar, then returns to his seat. The use of the paten and chalice for this purpose is significant in two ways: they are the vessels used to serve the sacred bread and wine in Mass and using the plate makes it hard for a cardinal to cast more than one ballot.

Tallying the Votes
After all the cardinals have voted, the votes are tallied by three scrutineers, who are chosen from among the electors by lot at each new vote. The scrutineers sit at a table in the front of the Sistine Chapel by the altar. The first scrutineer uses the paten as a cover and shakes the chalice to mix the ballots. The third scrutineer then counts the votes without unfolding them. If the number of the ballots does not match the number of cardinals voting, all the ballots are immediately burned and the voting starts again.

If the right number of ballots has been received, the tallying procedure begins. The steps are as follows:
§ The first scrutineer takes a ballot, notes the name on it, and passes it to the second scrutineer.
§ The second scrutineer notes the name and passes it to the third scrutineer.
§ The third scrutineer reads aloud the name on the ballot, pierces the ballot with a needle through the word Eligo at the top of the ballot, and slides the ballot onto a string of thread.
§ Each elector notes the name that is read.
§ Once all ballots are read, the scrutineers write down the official count on a separate sheet of paper.
§ The third scrutineer ties the ends of the thread on which the ballots are placed in a knot to preserve the vote.
§ The ballots are placed in a receptacle.
After the vote, all the ballots and notes are burned. If the proper majority has been reached and the elected person has accepted, white smoke appears above the Vatican to inform the anxiously-awaiting world that a pope has been elected. If a pope has not been elected, water or a special chemical is added to the ballots so that black smoke appears. The vote is repeated for as long as it takes until a pope has been elected. In 1978, Pope John Paul II was elected after eight ballots over two days.


References:
A taxonomy of runoff methods
<< http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V9P-4SN92BG-1&_user=4941578&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1131582180&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000065788&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4941578&md5=537fbc87329435ef25963d61761550ff>>

Smoke over the Vatican: Picking the pope
<< http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/pope/stories/selection.process/index.html>>

Papal Conclave
<< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_conclave>>

How the Pope is Elected
<<http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/features/papal_elections.htm>>

Angels and Demons
<< http://www.sonypictures.com.au/movies/angelsanddemons/>>