Conclave Cooperation: The Cardinals, the Holy Spirit and You

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“His office let another take.”

St. Peter, our first Pope, quoted Psalm 109:8 to his fellow apostles after the Ascension as they appointed a successor for the position of Judas, the betrayer (Acts 1:20). Jesus had given the apostles his own authority, commanding them to baptize, celebrate the Eucharist in his memory, forgive sins, exorcise and heal. The Gospels do not record any plan for apostolic succession, but we know from the election of Matthias in Acts 1, using the same lots that determined the service of Jewish priests, that the apostles immediately embraced the necessity of drawing others into their ministry to perpetuate it until Christ would come again.

As we mourn the death of Pope Francis and commend his soul to God, we also must begin praying for a worthy successor to the ministry of Sts. Peter and Paul, the chief apostles whose martyrdom in Rome made the eternal city the center of the Catholic Church. St. Irenaeus lists early popes in his great work, Against Heresies, written in the 2nd century, testifying to the unbroken succession of Rome’s bishops.

The election of popes, however, has developed over two thousand years, morphing from a local affair to one with global involvement and consequence. The Papal Conclave is less than a thousand years old, but it preserves the essence of the original method with expanded participation from the universal Church.

History of the Papal Conclave

Bishops in the ancient world were elected by local clergy, with the people giving or withholding their assent through acclamation. This eventually developed into a group of priests, known as canons, who served at the cathedral and acted as the electors of bishops. This is also how the role of the cardinals emerged in Rome, with the key clergy of the diocese of Rome and the surrounding region — deacons, priests, and bishops — fulfilling crucial roles and participating in the election of the pope. It was not until the 12th century that clergy from outside the region of Rome were appointed Roman cardinals, eventually drawing in important bishops from throughout Europe. These cardinals, however, were appointed to titular churches, preserving the ancient custom of election through local clergy. Almost always, the cardinals would elect one of their own as pope, with a few exceptions throughout history.  

The word “conclave,” meaning “with key,” points to the gathering of cardinals who eventually needed to be locked up together to reach a timely decision. With an international body of electors, political factors inevitably made their presence felt. In fact, for centuries, the Roman Emperors (situated in Constantinople) approved the election of popes, and later Holy Roman Emperors often made their will known to electors (and occasionally imposed it forcefully). Cardinals often represented national interests and could even wield a veto on behalf of their monarch to be exercised once in each conclave, with the last being used in 1903 during the election of Pope St. Pius X (who then abolished the practice). To cut through political maneuverings and delays, cardinals would be locked into a room (eventually the Sistine Chapel) with limited food in order to make a timely decision without outside interference.

As spiritual head of Christendom, the election of the Pope carried enormous ecclesial and political consequences and hefty incentives for potential candidates. Unfortunately, contested elections and underhanded tactics often occurred, which is why strict rules were developed over time. After a dispute, the Lateran Council of 769 decreed that only cardinal-priests and cardinal-deacons could be elected pope. Nicholas II’s 1059 bull, In nomine Domini, marked a watershed moment in regulating the gathering of cardinals in Rome and concentrating cardinal-bishops’ powers in the election. After the longest interregnum in Church history, Pope Bl. Gregory X established the Papal Conclave in 1274, giving lasting shape to the procedures for election (despite some bumps later that century). The College of Cardinals was much smaller at that time, fluctuating anywhere between 7 and 30 for centuries, until gradually growing to its current size of 120 electors (although we currently have 135). Paul VI initiated a major change in 1970 by barring cardinals over the age of 80 from voting.

A Call to Prayer

The conclave is not a sacrament; it’s not even of divine institution. Its history typifies how God governs the Church indirectly, calling forth our cooperation. God does not directly appoint bishops, including the pope, and the Church’s methods have changed through the centuries, adapting out of necessity.

This is why proper cooperation with God’s grace is so important, because it’s easy to fall into worldly ways of thinking, factionalism and ambition. The cardinals invoke the Holy Spirit for guidance, and they need it, for they are the ones who bear the great responsibility of choosing the proper candidate. If they are open to the movement of the Holy Spirit and discern properly, we can say that God guides the outcome.

We know all too well from history, however, that the opposite can also happen. God always directs and works through his Church, and, even when unworthy candidates are appointed, he ensures that all things work for the good despite our own failings.

Even if we’re not permitted to enter the Conclave after the “extra omnes” is proclaimed, we, too, can participate through prayer, becoming cooperators in this important decision. The faithful often gather for conclaves to surround the cardinals with their prayer, and the appearance of the new pope on the balcony continues the ancient role of the faithful in making their acclamation.

Prayer and penance truly can make an impact. We should embrace penance, asking for the Lord, in his mercy, to give us a shepherd after his own heart.  A holy Church, faithful to her mission, requires the generous cooperation of leaders and the faithful alike.

The 2024 film Conclave came out just in time to capitalize on the anticipation of the expected papal election. In terms of understanding the nature of papal conclaves, however, it flopped. Its key line, “The Church is what we do next,” represents a mundane view of how the Church operates.

“The Church is what Christ does next,” we might say in response, and it’s up to us to cooperate with his plan. That part is not guaranteed, for the Church always needs reform, an interior renewal that requires a response from everyone in the Church, clergy and laity together. What we do next can determine how much we allow Christ to act in and through us to bring about his most holy will.