Conclave and Papal Conclave: Meaning, Definition, Cardinals, Facts and Consequences
Conclave
The conclave is an assembly of all the Cardinals of the Catholic Church which privately selects the next Pope in the event of a vacancy.
The term "conclave" can also be used to refer to any private assembly, although its primary connotation is to the Papal conclave.
Papal Conclave
A papal election is the method by which the Roman Catholic Church fills the office of Bishop of Rome, whose incumbent is known as the Pope, the head of the Church. The electors, when locked together in a room for this purpose, form a conclave, (from the Latin cum clave "with a key") which they are not permitted to leave until a new Pope is elected. Conclaves have been employed since the Second Council of Lyons decreed in 1274 that the electors should meet in seclusion. In modern times they have been held in the Sistine Chapel in the Palace of the Vatican. The 1492 conclave was the first to be held in the Sistine Chapel, the site of all conclaves since 1878.
Since the year 1061, the College of Cardinals has served as the sole body charged with the election of the Pope, the source of the term Prince of the church for cardinals. In earlier times, members of the clergy and the people of Rome were entitled to participate, in much the same way as the laity helped determine the choice of bishops throughout the Catholic Church during this early period. Popes may make rules relating to election procedures; they may determine the composition of the electoral body, replacing the entire College of Cardinals if they were to so choose.
Since the Apostolic Age, the Bishop of Rome, like other bishops, was chosen by the consensus of the clergy and laity of the diocese. The body of electors was more precisely defined when, in 1059, the College of Cardinals was designated the sole body of electors. Since then, other details of the process have developed. A majority of the vote is required to elect the new pope, which also requires acceptance from the person elected.
List of papal elections
There have been 104 papal elections that have produced popes recognized by the Catholic Church as legitimate, and 6 modern anti-papal elections producing antipopes widely recognized as legitimate successors in our times that, although recognized by the world as legitimate successors of Peter, are not. There was no fixed process for papal succession before 1059 and popes were often selected with substantial secular involvement, if not outright appointment. Since the promulgation of In nomine Domini (1059), however, suffrage has been limited to the College of Cardinals.
Papal elections since 1276 have taken the form of papal conclaves, which are elections that follow a set of rules and procedures developed in Ubi periculum (1274) and later papal bulls; observance of the conclave varied until 1294, but all papal elections since have followed relatively similar conclave procedures.
Although the cardinals have historically gathered at a handful of other locations within Rome and beyond, only five elections since 1455 have been held outside the Apostolic Palace. Twenty-eight papal elections have been held outside Rome, in: Terracina (1088), Cluny (1119), Velletri (1181), Verona (1185), Ferrara (October 1187), Pisa (December 1187), Perugia (1216, 1264–1265, 1285, 1292–1294, 1304–1305), Anagni (1243), Naples (1254, 1294), Viterbo (1261, 1268–1271, July 1276, August–September 1276, 1277, 1281–1282), Arezzo (January 1276), Carpentras/Lyon (1314–1316), Avignon (1334, 1342, 1352, 1362, 1370), Konstanz (1417) and Venice (1799–1800). Three elections moved between locations while in progress: the elections of 1268–71, 1292–94, and 1314–16.
Papal elections from the 11th to the 21st Centuries
Elections that elected papal claimants currently regarded by the Catholic Church as antipopes are italicized.
Election |
Elected Pope |
Location |
---|---|---|
Pope Alexander II |
San Pietro in Vincoli (Rome) |
|
Papal election, 1073 |
Pope Gregory VII |
San Pietro in Vincoli (Rome) |
Papal election, 1086 |
Pope Victor III |
S. Lucia in Sepitisolio (Rome) |
Papal election, 1088 |
Pope Urban II |
SS. Pietro e Cesareo (Terracina) |
Papal election, 1099 |
Pope Paschal II |
Basilica di San Clemente (Rome) |
Pope Gelasius II |
Benedictine monastery on Palatine Hill (Rome) |
|
Papal election, 1119 |
Pope Callixtus II |
Cluny Abbey (France) |
Papal election, 1124 |
Pope Honorius II |
San Pancrazio (Rome) |
Papal election, 1130 |
Pope Innocent II |
SS. Andrea e Gregorio in clivo scauri (Rome) |
Papal election, 1130 |
Antipope Anacletus II |
San Marco (Rome) |
Papal election, 1143 |
Pope Celestine II |
Basilica of St. John Lateran (Rome) |
Papal election, 1144 |
Pope Lucius II |
(Rome) |
Papal election, 1145 |
Pope Eugene III |
San Cesareo in Palatio (Rome) |
Papal election, 1153 |
Pope Anastasius IV |
(Rome) |
Papal election, 1154 |
Pope Adrian IV |
Old St. Peter's Basilica (Rome) |
Papal election, 1159 |
Pope Alexander III |
Old St. Peter's Basilica (Rome) |
Papal election, 1159 |
Antipope Victor IV |
Old St. Peter's Basilica (Rome) |
Papal election, 1181 |
Pope Lucius III |
(Rome) |
Papal election, 1185 |
Pope Urban III |
(Verona) |
Papal election, October 1187 |
Pope Gregory VIII |
(Ferrara) |
Papal election, December 1187 |
Pope Clement III |
(Pisa) |
Papal election, 1191 |
Pope Celestine III |
(Rome) |
Papal election, 1198 |
Pope Innocent III |
Septizodium (Rome) |
Pope Honorius III |
Palazzo delle Canoniche (Perugia) |
|
Papal election, 1227 |
Pope Gregory IX |
Septizodium (Rome) |
Papal election, 1241 |
Pope Celestine IV |
Septizodium (Rome) |
Papal election, 1243 |
Pope Innocent IV |
(Anagni) |
Papal election, 1254 |
Pope Alexander IV |
(Naples) |
Papal election, 1261 |
Pope Urban IV |
Viterbo Cathedral |
Papal election, 1264–65 |
Pope Clement IV |
Palazzo delle Canoniche (Perugia) |
Papal election, 1268–71 |
Pope Gregory X |
Viterbo Cathedral |
Papal conclave, January 1276 |
Pope Innocent V |
Arezzo Cathedral |
Papal conclave, July 1276 |
Pope Adrian V |
Basilica of St. John Lateran (Rome) |
Papal election, September 1276 |
Pope John XXI |
Palazzo dei Papi di Viterbo |
Papal election, 1277 |
Pope Nicholas III |
Palazzo dei Papi di Viterbo |
Papal election, 1280–81 |
Pope Martin IV |
Palazzo dei Papi di Viterbo |
Papal election, 1285 |
Pope Honorius IV |
Palazzo delle Canoniche (Perugia) |
Papal election, 1287–88 |
Pope Nicholas IV |
Corte Savella, near Santa Sabina (Rome) |
Papal election, 1292–94 |
Pope Celestine V |
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1294 |
Pope Boniface VIII |
Castel Nuovo (Naples) |
Pope Benedict XI |
Basilica of St. John Lateran (Rome) |
|
Papal conclave, 1304–05 |
Pope Clement V |
Perugia Cathedral |
Papal conclave, 1314–16 |
Pope John XXII |
Carpentras Cathedral |
Papal conclave, 1334 |
Pope Benedict XII |
Palais des Papes (Avignon) |
Papal conclave, 1342 |
Pope Clement VI |
Palais des Papes (Avignon) |
Papal conclave, 1352 |
Pope Innocent VI |
Palais des Papes (Avignon) |
Papal conclave, 1362 |
Pope Urban V |
Palais des Papes (Avignon) |
Papal conclave, 1370 |
Pope Gregory XI |
Palais des Papes (Avignon) |
Papal conclave, 1378 |
Pope Urban VI |
Old St. Peter's Basilica (Rome) |
Avignon papal conclave, 1378 |
Antipope Clement VII |
(Fondi) |
Papal conclave, 1389 |
Pope Boniface IX |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Avignon papal conclave, 1394 |
Antipope Benedict XIII |
Palais des Papes (Avignon) |
Pope Innocent VII |
(Rome) |
|
Papal conclave, 1406 |
Pope Gregory XII |
(Rome) |
Council of Pisa, 1409 |
Antipope Alexander V |
(Pisa) |
Pisan papal conclave, 1410 |
Antipope John XXIII |
San Petronio Basilica (Bologna) |
Council of Constance, 1417 |
Pope Martin V |
Konstanz Minster |
Avignon papal conclave, 1423 |
Antipope Clement VIII |
(Peñíscola) |
Papal conclave, 1431 |
Pope Eugene IV |
Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Rome) |
Council of Florence, 1439 |
Antipope Felix V |
Basel Münster |
Papal conclave, 1447 |
Pope Nicholas V |
Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1455 |
Pope Callixtus III |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1458 |
Pope Pius II |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1464 |
Pope Paul II |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Capella Parva (voting) and Capella Magna (cardinals' cells) |
Papal conclave, 1471 |
Pope Sixtus IV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1484 |
Pope Innocent VIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1492 |
Pope Alexander VI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Sistine Chapel |
Pope Pius III |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
|
Papal conclave, October 1503 |
Pope Julius II |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1513 |
Pope Leo X |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, 1521–22 |
Pope Adrian VI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1523 |
Pope Clement VII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1534 |
Pope Paul III |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Cappella Parva |
Papal conclave, 1549–50 |
Pope Julius III |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Cappella Paolina |
Papal conclave, April 1555 |
Pope Marcellus II |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, May 1555 |
Pope Paul IV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1559 |
Pope Pius IV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Cappella Paolina |
Papal conclave, 1565–66 |
Pope Pius V |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1572 |
Pope Gregory XIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1585 |
Pope Sixtus V |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, September 1590 |
Pope Urban VII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, Autumn 1590 |
Pope Gregory XIV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1591 |
Pope Innocent IX |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1592 |
Pope Clement VIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Pope Leo XI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
|
Papal conclave, May 1605 |
Pope Paul V |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1621 |
Pope Gregory XV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1623 |
Pope Urban VIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1644 |
Pope Innocent X |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1655 |
Pope Alexander VII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1667 |
Pope Clement IX |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1669–70 |
Pope Clement X |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1676 |
Pope Innocent XI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1689 |
Pope Alexander VIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1691 |
Pope Innocent XII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Pope Clement XI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
|
Papal conclave, 1721 |
Pope Innocent XIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1724 |
Pope Benedict XIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1730 |
Pope Clement XII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1740 |
Pope Benedict XIV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1758 |
Pope Clement XIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1769 |
Pope Clement XIV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1774–75 |
Pope Pius VI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1799–1800 |
Pope Pius VII |
San Giorgio Monastery (Venice) |
Pope Leo XII |
Quirinal Palace (Rome) |
|
Papal conclave, 1829 |
Pope Pius VIII |
Quirinal Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1830–31 |
Pope Gregory XVI |
Quirinal Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1846 |
Pope Pius IX |
Quirinal Palace (Rome) |
Papal conclave, 1878 |
Pope Leo XIII |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Sistine Chapel |
Pope Pius X |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Sistine Chapel |
|
Papal conclave, 1914 |
Pope Benedict XV |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, 1922 |
Pope Pius XI |
Apostolic Palace (Rome), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, 1939 |
Pope Pius XII |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, 1958 |
Antipope John XXIII |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, 1963 |
Antipope Paul VI |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, August 1978 |
Pope John Paul I |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
Papal conclave, October 1978 |
Antipope John Paul II |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
Antipope Benedict XVI |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
|
Antipope Francis |
Apostolic Palace (Vatican City), Sistine Chapel |
Epikeia is needed for getting the next pope
When there is no pope and hence the Holy See is vacant, the current law decrees that cardinals must elect the next pope:
Constitutio of Pope Pius XII, Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis, December 8, 1945: “The right to elect the future Pope belongs solely to the Sacred College of Cardinals to the exclusion of any intervention by any other civil or ecclesiastical authority or dignity, or even by a General Council, which, if it is in session at the time, is ipso facto suspended on the death of the Pope until reconvened by the new Pope.” (AAS 38, 1946, p. 76.)
The law that decrees how the Catholic Church fills the vacant Holy See with a pope is a disciplinary law that can and has changed. By a past law a pope appointed his successor. And by another past law Catholic bishops, priests, and laymen elected the next pope:
Catholic Encyclopedia, Pope, 1907: “A brief historical review will show how the principle of election by the Roman Church has been maintained through all the vicissitudes of papal elections. St. Cyprian tells us in regard to the election of Pope St. Cornelius (251) that the comprovincial bishops, the clergy, and the people all took part in it: ‘He was made bishop by the decree of God and of His Church, by the testimony of nearly all the clergy, by the college of aged bishops [sacerdotum], and of good men’ (Ep. Iv ad Anton., n. 8). And a precisely similar ground is alleged by the Roman priests in their letter to Emperor Honorius regarding the validity of the election of Boniface I (A. D. 418; P. L., XX, 750).”
Therefore epikeia can be used in regard to the laws that govern the method by which the Catholic Church fills the vacant Holy See with a pope because they are disciplinary laws. During these days of the Great Apostasy, there are no cardinals. Consequently, the current law on electing the next pope is impossible to observe. If it were observed, there would be no way to fill the vacant Holy See with a pope because cardinals are required to elect the pope, and the pope is required to make cardinals. Hence epikeia must be used to get the next pope. In using epikeia, one must first seek an older law that can be observed and use that law to fill the vacant Holy See with a pope.
In regard to the current law, the dilemma of the possible loss of all the cardinals was addressed and the solution was to observe extinct laws by which the whole Church or the Roman clergy would then elect the next pope:
Francisco de Vitoria (1480-1546), De Potestate Ecclesiae: “If by any calamity, war or plague, all Cardinals would be lacking, we cannot doubt that the Church could provide for herself a Holy Father. Hence such an election should be carried by all the Church and not by any particular Church. And this is because that power is common and it concerns the whole Church. So it must be the duty of the whole Church.”
Catholic Encyclopedia, Pope, 1907: “Should the college of cardinals ever become extinct, the duty of choosing a supreme pastor would fall, not on the bishops assembled in council, but upon the remaining Roman clergy. At the time of the Council of Trent Pius IV, thinking it possible that in the event of his death the council might lay some claim to the right, insisted on this point in a consistorial allocution.”
During these days of the Great Apostasy when there are no cardinals, one way to get the next pope is by the Roman clergy electing the pope. Another way is by the Catholic clergy, gathered from around the world, electing the next pope. If there are no Catholic clergy, then only God Himself can choose the next pope in a miraculous way.
We live in the time predicted by the ancient Fathers, St. Francis de Sales, and others when the Church, for a time, would seemingly disappear. Only God can resolve this situation, when and in whatever manner He chooses.
The Heresies of Francis I, Benedict XVI, John Paul II, John Paul I, Paul VI, and John XXIII – Antipopes of the Vatican II Counter Church
1. The Great Apostasy and a counterfeit Church predicted in the New Testament and in Catholic Prophecy
2. Pope Leo XIII’s Prayer to St. Michael – a Prophecy about the Future Apostasy in Rome
5. The Great Western Schism (1378-1417) and what it teaches us about the post-Vatican II apostasy
16. The Heresies of John Paul II, the most traveled man in history and perhaps the most heretical
18. The Vatican II sect vs. the Catholic Church on partaking in non-Catholic worship
19. The Vatican II sect vs. the Catholic Church on non-Catholics receiving Holy Communion
21. Answers to the Most Common Objections Against Sedevacantism
22. The Massive Sexual Scandal among the Vatican II/Novus Ordo “priests”
23. The Seminaries of the Vatican II sect are unspeakable cesspools of homosexuality and heresy
26. The Deplorable State of “Catholic” Parochial and High Schools
27. The Deplorable State of “Catholic” Colleges and Universities
28. The Annulment Fiasco – The Vatican II Sect’s De Facto acceptance of Divorce and Remarriage
30. One can be pro-abortion and part of the Vatican II sect at the same time
32. The Religious Orders in the Vatican II Sect: Totally Apostate
35. EWTN: The Global “Catholic” Network and the Charismatic Movement
37. What Does Medjugorje Say? Its message proves that it is also a false apparition
38. Was Vatican II infallible? If you believe that Paul VI was a true pope, yes.
40. The File on the positions of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)
43. The Whole Truth about the Consecration and Conversion of Russia and the impostor Sr. Lucy
44. Is the Vatican II sect the Whore of Babylon prophesied in the Apocalypse?
Contents
"Now when he [the Pope] is explicitly a heretic, he falls ipso facto from his dignity and out of the Church..." St. Francis De Sales (17th century), Catholic Doctor of the Church, The Catholic Controversy, pp. 305-306 : The Catholic Teaching that a heretic cannot be a valid pope and loses the papal office automatically [link to section]
There have been 260 valid popes in Catholic history, and more than 40 antipopes (i.e., men who posed as popes but had not been truly elected). There have been more than 200 papal vacancies (periods without a pope). The facts available on this website (see links) prove that the last six men who have claimed be popes – Francis I, Benedict XVI, John Paul II, John Paul I, Paul VI and John XXIII, the men who brought in Vatican II – have been and are antipopes. We prove that they are/were manifest heretics and not true Catholics. This section defends Catholic teaching and the teaching of the true popes; it exposes manifestly heretical antipopes who have been falsely posing as leaders of the Catholic Church.
The Great Apostasy and a Counterfeit Church predicted in the New Testament and in Catholic Prophecy
Antipope Francis [link to section]
Benedict XVI (The Heresies of Benedict XVI File) [link to section] - A complete exposé of the astounding heresies of Benedict XVI
John Paul II (manifest heretic who claimed to be pope 1978-2005) [link to section] - A complete exposé of the astounding heresies of John Paul II
Paul VI (manifest heretic who claimed to be Pope 1963-1978) [link to section] - A complete exposé of the heresies of Paul VI, the man who brought in Vatican II and the New Mass
The Scandals and Heresies of John XXIII [link to section]
The Scandals and Heresies of John Paul I [link to section]
Pope Paul IV's 1559 Apostolic Constitution Cum ex Apostolatus Officio [link to section] - Pope Paul IV solemnly declares that a heretic cannot be validly elected pope, even with the unanimous consent of the cardinals
Responses to 19 of the Most Common Objections Against Sedevacantism [link to section] - Sedevacantism is the position that the Chair of Peter is presently vacant… This section proves that what is said on this website is perfectly compatible with all Catholic teachings, papal dogmas, the indefectibility of the Catholic Church, the indefectibility of the papal office, Christ’s promises to be with His Church, etc.
The Great Western Schism (1378-1417) and what it teaches us about the post-Vatican II apostasy - Massive confusion, multiple antipopes, antipopes in Rome, an antipope recognized by all the cardinals; The Great Western Schism proves that a line of antipopes at the heart of the post-Vatican II crisis is absolutely possible-
A complete list of the 42 antipopes in Church history [link to section] - In Catholic history there have been 260 valid popes, starting with St. Peter, and 42 antipopes – that is, men who claimed to be true popes but were not… some of them reigned in Rome for periods of time
The Catholic Teaching that a heretic cannot be a valid pope [link to section]
St. Robert Bellarmine, De Romano Pontifice, II, 30: "A pope who is a manifest heretic automatically (per se) ceases to be pope and head, just as he ceases automatically to be a Christian and a member of the Church. Wherefore, he can be judged and punished by the Church. This is the teaching of all the ancient Fathers who teach that manifest heretics immediately lose all jurisdiction."
St. Francis De Sales (17th century), Doctor of the Church, The Catholic Controversy, pp. 305-306 : "Now when he [the Pope] is explicitly a heretic, he falls ipso facto from his dignity and out of the Church..."
St. Antoninus (1459): "In the case in which the pope would become a heretic, he would find himself, by that fact alone and without any other sentence, separated from the Church. A head separated from a body cannot, as long as it remains separated, be head of the same body from which it was cut off. A pope who would be separated from the Church by heresy, therefore, would by that very fact itself cease to be head of the Church. He could not be a heretic and remain pope, because, since he is outside of the Church, he cannot possess the keys of the Church." (Summa Theologica, cited in Actes de Vatican I. V. Frond pub.)
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