Vatican
City, 13 March 2013
(VIS) – What do the voting ballots for electing a Pope look like?
How are the votes counted? Can Cardinal electors who are sick still
cast a vote? The Apostolic Constitution "Universi Dominici
Gregis" (UDG) responds to these and many other questions. It was
promulgated by Blessed John Paul II in 1996 to specifically address
the norms that would regulate the Sede Vacante (period during which
there is no reigning Pope) and the election of the Roman Pontiff. On
22 February of this year, Benedict XVI released the Motu Proprio
“Normas Nonnullas”, which made a few modifications to the
Apostolic Constitution. Following are sections 64 to 71 of the
UDG—incorporating the modifications of the “Normas
Nonnullas”—which deal with the specifics of the voting process
during the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
64.
“The voting process is carried out in three phases. The first
phase, which can be called the pre-scrutiny, comprises: 1) the
preparation and distribution of the ballot papers by the Masters of
Ceremonies—they will have been readmitted in the meantime, together
with the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and the Master of
Papal Liturgical Celebrations—who give at least two or three to
each Cardinal elector; 2) the drawing by lot, from among all the
Cardinal electors, of three Scrutineers, of three persons charged
with collecting the votes of the sick, called for the sake of brevity
'Infirmarii', and of three Revisers; this drawing is carried out in
public by the junior Cardinal Deacon, who draws out nine names, one
after another, of those who shall carry out these tasks; 3) if, in
the drawing of lots for the Scrutineers, 'Infirmarii', and Revisers,
there should come out the names of Cardinal electors who because of
infirmity or other reasons are unable to carry out these tasks, the
names of others who are not impeded are to be drawn in their place.
The first three drawn will act as Scrutineers, the second three as
'Infirmarii', and the last three as Revisers.”
65.
“For this phase of the voting process the following norms must be
observed: 1) the ballot paper must be rectangular in shape and must
bear in the upper half, in print if possible, the words 'Eligo in
Summum Pontificem'; on the lower half there must be a space left for
writing the name of the person chosen; thus the ballot is made in
such a way that it can be folded in two; 2) the completion of the
ballot must be done in secret by each Cardinal elector, who will
write down legibly, as far as possible in handwriting that cannot be
identified as his, the name of the person he chooses, taking care not
to write other names as well, since this would make the ballot null;
he will then fold the ballot twice; 3) during the voting, the
Cardinal electors are to remain alone in the Sistine Chapel;
therefore, immediately after the distribution of the ballots and
before the electors begin to write, the Secretary of the College of
Cardinals, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations and the
Masters of Ceremonies must leave the Chapel. After they have left,
the junior Cardinal Deacon shall close the door, opening and closing
it again each time this is necessary, as for example when the
'Infirmarii' go to collect the votes of the sick and when they return
to the Chapel.”
66.
“The second phase, the scrutiny proper, comprises: 1) the placing
of the ballots in the appropriate receptacle; 2) the mixing and
counting of the ballots; 3) the opening of the votes. Each Cardinal
elector, in order of precedence, having completed and folded his
ballot, holds it up so that it can be seen and carries it to the
altar, at which the Scrutineers stand and upon which there is placed
a receptacle, covered by a plate, for receiving the ballots. Having
reached the altar, the Cardinal elector says aloud the words of the
following oath: I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my
judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should
be elected. He then places the ballot on the plate, with which he
drops it into the receptacle. Having done this, he bows to the altar
and returns to his place.”
“If
any of the Cardinal electors present in the Chapel is unable to go to
the altar because of infirmity, the last of the Scrutineers goes to
him. The infirm elector, having pronounced the above oath, hands the
folded ballot to the Scrutineer, who carries it in full view to the
altar and omitting the oath, places it on the plate, with which he
drops it into the receptacle.”
67.
“If there are Cardinal electors who are sick and confined to their
rooms, referred to in Nos. 41ff of this Constitution, the three
'Infirmarii' go to them with a box which has an opening in the top
through which a folded ballot can be inserted. Before giving the box
to the 'Infirmarii', the Scrutineers open it publicly, so that the
other electors can see that it is empty; they are then to lock it and
place the key on the altar. The 'Infirmarii', taking the locked box
and a sufficient number of ballot papers on a small tray, then go,
duly accompanied, to the Domus Sanctae Marthae to each sick elector,
who takes a ballot, writes his vote in secret, folds the ballot and,
after taking the above-mentioned oath, puts it through the opening in
the box. If any of the electors who are sick is unable to write, one
of the three 'Infirmarii' or another Cardinal elector chosen by the
sick man, having taken an oath before the 'Infirmarii' concerning the
observance of secrecy, carries out the above procedure. The
'Infirmarii' then take the box back into the Chapel, where it shall
be opened by the Scrutineers after the Cardinals present have cast
their votes. The Scrutineers then count the ballots in the box and,
having ascertained that their number corresponds to the number of
those who are sick, place them one by one on the plate and then drop
them all together into the receptacle. In order not to prolong the
voting process unduly, the 'Infirmarii' may complete their own
ballots and place them in the receptacle immediately after the senior
Cardinal, and then go to collect the votes of the sick in the manner
indicated above while the other electors are casting their votes.”
68.
“After all the ballots of the Cardinal electors have been placed in
the receptacle, the first Scrutineer shakes it several times in order
to mix them, and immediately afterwards the last Scrutineer proceeds
to count them, picking them out of the urn in full view and placing
them in another empty receptacle previously prepared for this
purpose. If the number of ballots does not correspond to the number
of electors, the ballots must all be burned and a second vote taken
at once; if however their number does correspond to the number of
electors, the opening of the ballots then takes place in the
following manner.”
69.
“The Scrutineers sit at a table placed in front of the altar. The
first of them takes a ballot, unfolds it, notes the name of the
person chosen and passes the ballot to the second Scrutineer, who in
his turn notes the name of the person chosen and passes the ballot to
the third, who reads it out in a loud and clear voice, so that all
the electors present can record the vote on a sheet of paper prepared
for that purpose. He himself writes down the name read from the
ballot. If during the opening of the ballots the Scrutineers should
discover two ballots folded in such a way that they appear to have
been completed by one elector, if these ballots bear the same name
they are counted as one vote; if however they bear two different
names, neither vote will be valid; however, in neither of the two
cases is the voting session annulled.”
“When
all the ballots have been opened, the Scrutineers add up the sum of
the votes obtained by the different names and write them down on a
separate sheet of paper. The last Scrutineer, as he reads out the
individual ballots, pierces each one with a needle through the word
'Eligo' and places it on a thread, so that the ballots can be more
securely preserved. After the names have been read out, the ends of
the thread are tied in a knot, and the ballots thus joined together
are placed in a receptacle or on one side of the table.”
70.
“There then follows the third and last phase, also known as the
post-scrutiny, which comprises: 1) the counting of the votes; 2) the
checking of the same; 3) the burning of the ballots.”
“The
Scrutineers add up all the votes that each individual has received,
and if no one has obtained at least two thirds of the votes on that
ballot, the Pope has not been elected; if however it turns out that
someone has obtained at least two thirds of the votes, the
canonically valid election of the Roman Pontiff has taken place.”
“In
either case, that is, whether the election has occurred or not, the
Revisers must proceed to check both the ballots and the notes made by
the Scrutineers, in order to make sure that these latter have
performed their task exactly and faithfully.”
“Immediately
after the checking has taken place, and before the Cardinal electors
leave the Sistine Chapel, all the ballots are to be burnt by the
Scrutineers, with the assistance of the Secretary of the Conclave and
the Masters of Ceremonies who in the meantime have been summoned by
the junior Cardinal Deacon. If however a second vote is to take place
immediately, the ballots from the first vote will be burned only at
the end, together with those from the second vote.”
71.
“In order that secrecy may be better observed, I order each and
every Cardinal elector to hand over to the Cardinal Camerlengo or to
one of the three Cardinal Assistants any notes which he may have in
his possession concerning the results of each ballot. These notes are
to be burnt together with the ballots.”
“I
further lay down that at the end of the election the Cardinal
Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church shall draw up a document, to be
approved also by the three Cardinal Assistants, declaring the result
of the voting at each session. This document is to be given to the
Pope and will thereafter be kept in a designated archive, enclosed in
a sealed envelope, which may be opened by no one unless the Supreme
Pontiff gives explicit permission.”
