The Cardinals

• Voting Cardinals

• Two Cardinal Electors have indicated that they will be unable to attend the conclave due to their health:
  • Jaime Lachica Cardinal Sin, Archbishop Emeritus of Manila, Philippines
  • Adolfo Antonio Cardinal Suárez Rivera, Archbishop Emeritus of Monterrey, Nuevo León, México

• All Voting Cardinals except three were named by Pope John Paul II. The other three were named by Pope Paul VI and are:
  • William Wakefield Cardinal Baum, Major Penitentiary Emeritus of Apostolic Penitentiary
  • Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect Emeritus of Doctrine of the Faith
  • Jaime Lachica Cardinal Sin, Archbishop Emeritus of Manila, Philippines (see note above)

• Non-Voting Cardinals

• Consistories: 1969 | 1973 | 1976 | 1977 | 1979 | 1983 | 1985 | 1988 | 1991 | 1994 | 1998 | 2001 | 2003

• Highly Recommended: Cardinal Website by Prof. Salvador Miranda

• The one remaining In Pectore Cardinal was not named.

Offices

• Dean: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
• Vice-Dean: Angelo Cardinal Sodano
• Camerlengo (Chamberlain): Eduardo Cardinal Martínez Somalo
• Senior Cardinal-Deacon: Jorge Arturo Augustin Cardinal Medina Estévez
• Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome: Camillo Cardinal Ruini
• Major Penitentiary: James Francis Cardinal Stafford

Dates, Times, and Details

• Pope John Paul II died at 9.37p, Saturday, 2 April 2005, Vatican City
• Funeral Mass: 10a, Friday, 8 April 2005, St. Peter's Square
• Start of Conclave: Afternoon, Monday, 18 April 2005, Sistine Chapel

• Voting Cardinals in the Conclave: 115
• 2/3 Required for election: 77

• 4 votes daily (2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon)
• After 3 days (i.e. Thursday, 21 April), voting is suspended for up to a full day ("to allow a pause for prayer, informal discussion among the voters, and a brief spiritual exhortation" Universi Dominici Gregis #74)
• then 7 more ballots and another break of up to a full day
• then 7 more ballots and another break of up to a full day
• then 7 more ballots and then a break to consider how to proceed

• Sunday 17 April 2005
  • Afternoon: Cardinal electors move into Domus Sanctae Marthae
  • Evening: Dinner together

• Monday 18 April 2005
  • 10a: Mass for the election of the Supreme Pontiff (St. Peter's Basilica)
  • 4.3p: Procession of Cardinal electors from Hall of Blessings to Sistine Chapel
  • Evening: one or two votes

• Tuesday 19 April 2005 (regular schedule for a day in the conclave)
  • 7.3a: Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae
  • 9a: Lauds in the Sistine Chapel, followed by two rounds of voting
  • 12n*: ballots from the morning votes burned
  • 4p: two rounds of voting, followed by Vespers
  • 7p*: ballots from the afternoon votes burned

  * Rough Estimate

• Note: only one "smoke signal" each morning and afternoon. If the first round of voting on a given morning or afternoon is successful (i.e., a pope is elected) then the white smoke will appear earlier.

• White Smoke: a pope has been chosen (main bells at St. Peter's Basilica will also be rung)
• Black Smoke: no pope chosen
• Once white smoke appears, it will be another hour or so until the new pope is introduced by the senior Cardinal-Deacon at St. Peter's Square

• All times given are local time in Vatican City. For the US, subtract 6 hours for EDT, 7 for CDT, 8 for MDT, and 9 for PDT. See the table below for rough times of the "smoke signals".

Background Information

• Terminology/Glossary

• Longest Reigning Popes
• Recent Popes
• Pope John Paul II, the Great

• Average Length of a Papacy: roughly 7.5 years
• Diocese of Rome

• Dies Irae (That Day of Wrath) [Traditional Sequence from the Mass for the Dead]

• Highly Recommended: Modern Popes by Joseph Shetler

• Final Bishop Changes by Pope John Paul II

Results / The New Pope

• Pope Benedict XVI
• is the 265th pope. (264th successor to St. Peter)
• The same name for a pope has never been used 3 times in a row (i.e., Pius X, Pius XI, and Pius XII)

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