papal election
Selecting the pontiff
A papal election is the process by which a new pope is chosen.
Cardinals gather in a secret conclave at the Vatican, voting repeatedly until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority.
White smoke signals a successful election to the waiting crowds; black smoke means no decision yet.
The papal election lasted five days before they chose a new pontiff.
- white smokeVatican election success indicator
- black smokeSooty airborne combustion byproduct
- ballotVoting document
- conclavePrivate, secretive assembly
- locked doorsFastened entrances needing keys
two-thirds majority · Sistine Chapel · smoke · Great Schism · scrutiny · canon law · cardinal · Vatican · Holy See · holy spirit · majority rule · interregnum · College of Cardinals · pallium · robes · pope · secret · bishops
- Catholic ChurchVatican, cardinals, popes, papal, parishes
- papacyPope, pope, Holy See, papal authority, papal decree
- Papal Conclaveconclave, papal conclave, white smoke, black smoke, Sistine Chapel
- Vatican eventspapal blessing, papal audience, conclave, canonization, beatification
- church lawcanon law, church court, papal bull, papal bulls, papal decree
- cardinalsnorthern cardinal, cardinals, cardinal direction, cardinal points, cardinal virtue
papal electionpopular vote
Total of citizen votes
general election · referendum · direct democracy · plebiscite · open primary
papal electionhereditary succession
Passing titles through lineage
royal succession · primogeniture · dynastic succession · military coup · violent overthrow
papal electioncoup d'état
Violent government seizure
usurpation · palace coup · seizure of power · violent overthrow · revolution