Picking a Pope

For the next few days, one of the biggest stories in the world will center on the Conclave in Vatican City, where the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals will meet to select the next Bishop of Rome, the Pope.  There are thousands of journalists covering the story, including several big names from the US, so you can expect plenty of stories on TV and in the newspaper.

If you're curious about how the process works, I thought I would share a couple of stories from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, which does a good job of explaining how a conclave works.  What is mentioned in these stories, but which is contrary to most people's expectations, is how the conclave rules are a mix of centuries-old practices and newer things.  While the tedious process of casting and counting paper ballots, including ways for the entire body of cardinals to watch and make sure that each cardinal only casts one vote each time, is very old-fashioned, other things are more modern, including the residence for the cardinals during the conclave, which was built in the 1990s.

Here is a brief story about the unofficial discussions (over coffee, at mealtimes) that will steer the conclave's direction.  (You can read the transcript or watch video of the story.)

And here is a story, adapted from the conclave that selected Pope Benedict, that describes the more formal procedure of a conclave.  (You can read the transcript or watch video of the story.)