From Khatami’s surprise greeting to how to pick a new Pope

Each cardinal must swear an oath of absolute secrecy before they vote. If they disclose any information from within the conclave they will be excommunicated by the church. To vote, each cardinal writes their chosen candidate’s name on a ballot, disguising his handwriting, then walks to an altar at the front of the chapel and deposits the paper onto a ceremonial plate.

He then tips the ballot from the plate into a chalice-urn. As they are counted and the handwritten entries recorded by three cardinals at the altar, known as scrutineers, the ballots are deposited into another urn. A third urn, made of gilded bronze and silver and adorned with Christian imagery, is used to ferry ballots from any cardinals too ill to leave their sleeping quarters to the chapel for counting.

April 26, 2025 | 6:02 am