Diocesan News

Prayer for the Conclave:

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful,
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord, you are our eternal shepherd and guide.
In your mercy grant your Church
a shepherd who will walk in your ways
and whose watchful care will bring us your blessing.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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The CCCB website now features a webpage dedicated to the Conclave:

English:          https://www.cccb.ca/about/the-election-of-a-new-pope/

French:          https://www.cecc.ca/a-propos/pour-lelection-du-nouveau-pape/ 

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What is going on behind the Sistine Chapel’s shuttered doors?

We can’t see what’s going on in the chapel, but the voting procedure will be following a centuries-old tradition.

Nine cardinals will be chosen at random to perform specific roles:

• Three Scrutineers will oversee the voting.
• Three Infirmarii will collect votes from those too sick to be in the chapel.
• Three Revisers will verify the results.

In order of seniority, the cardinals will walk to the table in front of the altar, where the Scrutineers sit, to cast their ballot.

After all ballots are cast, the first Scrutineer shakes the urn to mix them up. The third Scrutineer counts the ballots. If the number of ballots doesn’t match the number of electors, the ballots are burned, and the vote is redone.

If the number is correct, the first Scrutineer unfolds the ballot, notes the name and passes it to the second Scrutineer.

The second Scrutineer notes the name and passes the ballot to the third Scrutineer.

The last Scrutineer reads the name aloud for all the cardinals to hear and records the vote. As the name is read out, the Scrutineer threads a needle through the ballot with the word “Eligo” (“I elect”) and secures it to the other ballots.

After reading out all the names, the cardinals will learn if they have elected a new pope. For each round, the sewn-together ballots are placed in a third urn for burning.

The color of the smoke from that fire will tell the world when there is a new pope.