Pope choice is different
From election marathon to teenager pope: curios
With the conclave, the cardinals entitled to vote are composed until a new Pope is found. It has sometimes taken a long time, but it was also comparatively rapidly quick.
With its mysterious and ancient rules, the conclave fascinates to choose a new Pope. From Wednesday, the world looks spellbound on the Vatican. In principle, the process is clear: the cardinals entitled to vote areolate themselves until they have agreed on a successor for the Holy Chair in the Sistine Chapel by means of a two -thirds majority.
The process was not only different in the past, but has been super fast and yawning slowly over the centuries. It was even held in Germany once. An overview of curious things to complain:
The longest conclave lasted almost three years
A total of 33 months, almost three years, took the longest pope election in history. Of the cardinals that gathered from November 1268, some wanted an Italian, the other one Frenchman. Maybe the conclave would have taken longer if the residents of the city of Viterbo had not put pressure on the cardinals north of Rome. To accelerate the choice, they covered the roof and rationed the food of the elected. On September 1, 1271, there was finally a compromise: Gregor X. was elected as the new Pope.
The shortest conclave took only a few hours
After the election marathon, the Catholic Church under Pope Gregor X. (1271-1276) formed the conclave, as it is known today. Before that there were times when a Pope was chosen on the day of his predecessor. From 1274 there should be a waiting time of at least ten days until the first ballot. This was later expanded to 15 days. The shortest conclave that previously chose on October 31, 1503 Julius II (1503-1513) was only a few hours.
The conclave – not always in Rome and once in Germany
Today it is clear that the conclave takes place in the Sistine chapel in the Vatican, and a new Pope has been found when white smoke rises from the chimney. The pope election was first in 1492 under the famous Michelangelos fresco ceiling. Since 1878 it has been held there every time. Before that, there was a lively hustle and bustle in the places: in France, a Pope was chosen six times in the conclave. The last conclave that did not take place in Rome was in Venice in 1800. The cardinals were looking for a place near Austria for fear of Napoleon. Once there was the conclave in Germany: Martin V was elected at the Constance Council in November 1417.
The youngest and the oldest elected Pope
If a young Pope is currently concerned with the conclave, there is usually talk of a candidate who is about 60 years old. Pope John XII. In contrast, from today’s perspective, it was just of legal age: at the age of 18 he was elected head of the Catholic Church in 955. The oldest popes that took a seat for the first time on the Holy Chair were Coelestin III. (Elected 1191) and Coelestin V. (chosen 1294) at almost 85 years. Pope Francis was 76 when he took the Catholic Church in 2013.
Book “The Vatican, the Lexicon” on Google Books List of all Popes at the Vatican Look at the history of the conclave at “Vaticannews” Diocese of Augsburg on Gregor X. Pope Gregor X. In “Katholisch.de” Information about the conclave in the Sixtin chapel Conclavechronology with places since the 13th century
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
