Voting cards are rectangular. At the top, the words: “eligo in summum pontific” (I choose as pope). In the lower half of the card there will be a place to enter the name elect. Cardinal is recommended that they write as an unrecognizable character of the magazine and submit the card.
Traditional vote
According to the voting ceremony, described accurately by John Paul II in the Apostolic Constitution, every elector, holding a raised complex card, brings it to the altar with crruts, and standing in front of the urn, speaks the following formula of the oath: “I appoint a witness to Christ the Lord who will judge me, that my voice is given to the one who – according to God's will – In my opinion, chosen. ” Then he puts the card on the plate and with its help introduces it to the urn.
When all the electors do it, the scrutator shakes the urn several times to mix the votes. The counting of votes by three crruts and saving names on the sheet begins and adding them up.
The last of the crruts, as far as As he reads the next cards, he pierces them with the needle in the place where the word “eligo” is locatedand threads the card on the thread so that they can be preserved in a more accurate way. After reading all the names, the ends of the thread are associated with each other and in this way the cards are placed in a dish or on the edge of the table.
The cardinal must receive two -thirds of the votes
Then the crruts add up all votes cast for individuals and if no one reached two -thirds of votes, the Pope was not elected in this vote. When it turns out that someone received two -thirds of votes, a canonically important choice of the Roman bishop was made.
In both cases, the revisors must proceed to control both the voting cards and the calculations made by the crruts. Immediately after the inspection, before the Cardinals, the electors leave the Sistine chapel, all cards must be burned by crruts.
However, if you proceed directly to the second vote, the cards from the first vote are burn only at the end, along with the cards from the second.
Constitution of John Paul II
In his constitution, John Paul II wrote: “I also determine that after the election of the Cardinal Camerling of the Holy Roman Church, he would edit the report, also approved by three cardinals of assistants, in which he will save the result of voting for each session. This report will be presented to the Papie and then preserved in the relevant archive, enclosed in a sealed envelope, which will not be able to be open by No one if the Pope does not grant a clear permit. “
The result of voting is proclaimed to the external world with the help of smoke from a chimney mounted on the roof of the Sistine chapel. Black smoke means no choice, white – selection of a new pope.
