(Official Vatican Procedure
Extracted from: Apostolic Constitution – Universi Dominici Gregis, February 22, 1996
Source: The Popes, Memmo Caporilli )

VACANCY OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE

As soon as he is informed of the death of the Supreme Pontiff, the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church must officially ascertain the Pope's death, in the presence of the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, the Cleric Prelates of the Apostolic Camera and the Secretary and Chancellor of the same; the latter must draw up the official death certificate.

The Camerlengo must also place seals on the Pope's study and bedroom.

The Cardinal Vicar of Rome must inform the People of Rome by means of a special announcement; all the Cardinals present are to swear an oath to observe the prescriptions and maintain secrecy.

Next, each Cardinal shall add:

And I, (name) Cardinal (name), so promise, pledge and swear, and, placing his hand on the Gospels, he will add: so help me God and these Holy Gospels which I now touch with my hand.

After the death of the Roman Pontiff, the Cardinals celebrate the funeral rites for the repose of his soul for nine consecutive days, in accordance with the ordo exsequiarum Romani Pontificis.

If burial takes place in the Vatican Basilica, the relevant official document is drawn up by the Notary of the Chapter of the Basilica or by the Canon Archivist.

No one is permitted to use any means whatsoever to photograph or film the Supreme Pontiff either on his sickbed or after death, or record his words for subsequent reproduction.

After the burial of the Supreme Pontiff and during the election of the new Pope, no part of the private apartment of the Supreme Pontiff is to be lived in.

THE ELECTION OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF

The right to elect the Roman Pontiff belongs exclusively to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, with the exception of those who have reached their eightieth birthday before the day of the Roman Pontiff's death or the day when the Apostolic See becomes vacant. The maximum number of Cardinal electors must not exceed one hundred and twenty. The right of active election by any other ecclesiastical dignitary or the intervention of any lay power of any level or order is absolutely prohibited.

The Conclave for the election of the Supreme Pontiff takes place within the territory of Vatican City, in determined areas and buildings, closed to all unauthorized persons in order to ensure suitable accommodation for the Cardinal electors and all those who legitimately called to cooperate.

The Cardinal electors, from the beginning of the election until its conclusion and the public announcement of its outcome, are not to communicate, either in writing, by telephone or by any other means of communication, with persons outside the area where the election is taking place.

When the funeral rites for the deceased Pope have been celebrated according to the prescribed ritual, and everything necessary for the regular functioning of the election has been prepared, on the appointed day - on the fifteenth day after the death of the Pope no later than the twentieth -the Cardinal electors shall meet in the Basilica of Saint Peters in the Vatican. When the last of the Cardinal electors has taken the oath the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations will give the order Extra Omnes, and all those not taking part in the Conclave must leave the Sistine Chapel.

“Since the forms of election known as the Acclamationem seu Inspirationem and per compromissum are abolished, the form of electing the Roman Pontiff shall henceforth be per scrutinium alone. I therefore decree that for the valid election of the Roman Pontiff two thirds of the votes are required, calculated on the basis of the total number of electors present.”

VOTING PROCESS HAS THREE PHASES

The voting process is carried out in three phases.

1) The first phase, which can be called the pre-scrutiny phase, comprises the preparation and distribution of the ballot papers and the drawing of three Cardinal Scrutineers.

2) The second phase, the scrutiny itself, comprises:

a) the placing of the ballots in the appropriate receptacle;

Each Cardinal elector, in order of precedence, having completed and folded his ballot, holds it up so that it can be seen and carries it to the altar, at which the Scrutineers stand and upon which there is placed a receptacle, covered by a plate, for receiving the ballots.

Having reached the altar, the Cardinal elector says aloud the following oath:

“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 then places the ballot on the plate that he uses to drop it into the receptacle. Having done this, he bows to the altar and returns to his place.

b) the mixing and counting of the ballots;

After all the ballots of the Cardinal electors have been placed in the receptacle, the first Scrutineer shakes it several times in order to mix them and immediately afterwards the last Scrutineer proceeds to count them.

c) the opening of the votes.

When all the ballots have been opened, the Scrutineers add up the sum of the votes obtained by the different names and write them down on a separate sheet of paper. The last Scrutineer, as he reads out the individual ballots, pierces each one with a needle through the word Eligio and places it on a thread, so that the ballots can be more securely preserved.

3) Then follows the third and last phase, also known as the post-scrutiny phase, which comprises:

a) the counting of the votes;
b) the checking of the same;
c) the burning of the ballots.

VOTE REQUIRES TWO THIRDS MAJORITY

The Scrutineers add up all the votes that each individual has received and if no one has obtained two thirds of the votes on that ballot then the Pope has not been elected; if however it turns out that someone has obtained two thirds of the votes, the canonically valid election of the Roman Pontiff has taken place.

When the required two-thirds are not obtained, the ballots are consumed in a stove whose chimney extends through a window of the Sistine Chapel. When there is no election, straw is mixed with the ballots to show by its thick smoke (sfumata) to those waiting outside that there has been no election.

The Sistine Chapel prepared for the election of the Supreme Pontiff. The stove for burning ballots is in the foreground.

Source: The Popes, Memmo Caporilli

In the event that the Cardinal electors find it difficult to agree on the person to be elected, after balloting has been carried out for three days without result, voting is to be suspended for a maximum of one day in order to allow a pause for prayer and informal discussion among the voters.

Voting is then resumed in the usual manner, and after seven ballots, if the election has not taken place, there is another pause for prayer, discussion and an exhortation. Nevertheless, there can be no waiving of the requirement that a valid election takes place only by an two thirds majority of the votes or else by voting only on the two names, which in the ballot immediately proceeding, have received the greatest number of votes; an absolute majority is required in the second case.

When the election has canonically taken place, the junior Cardinal Deacon summons the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations into the election hall. Then the Cardinal Dean, in the name of the whole College of electors, asks the consent of the one elected with the following words:

Do you accept your canonical election as supreme pontiff?

- And, as soon as he has received the consent, he asks him:

By what name do you wish to be called?

- Right after the senior Cardinal Deacon announces to the people waiting that the election has taken place and proclaims the name of the new Pope, who immediately thereafter imparts the Apostolic Blessing Urbi et Orbi from the balcony of the Vatican Basilica.