What is the Conclave Really Like?

Question: I watched the movie Conclave, and quite enjoyed it. But how close to reality was it? How is a pope elected?

According to cardinals with experience of papal elections, the film Conclave overstated the political manoeuvring while greatly understating the spiritual dimension — particularly the prayerful discernment guided by the Holy Spirit. It was, however, well-researched in reconstructing the formalities of a papal election.
Of course, Conclave is a dramatisation that takes artistic licence, and it does not claim to be a documentary.

That said, it is not unheard of for some cardinals to lobby on behalf of a candidate they consider especially suited for the papacy or to argue against contenders they consider unsuitable.

In past centuries, papal elections were often political acts, as the pope had significant temporal power. The custom of keeping cardinals incommunicado during the conclave dates back to those times of political intrigue and powerbroking.
These days, cardinals gather in Rome for discussions, called congregations, before the conclave begins. They have opportunities to make speeches, called interventions, and to get to know one another in informal settings.

The Election Process
Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote. At the start of the conclave, they surrender their cellphones and other communication devices and are sequestered in the Sistine Chapel during the day, returning to their guarded accommodations at night. The voting process is strictly confidential.

Briefly outlined, the process follows these rules.
On the first day, one round of voting takes place. Thereafter, four rounds are held each day — two in the morning and the other two in the afternoon — until a new pope is elected.
A two-thirds-plus one majority is required (this year, that is 89 out of 133 votes). If no candidate secures this, further rounds of voting continue. The failure to elect a pope by the end of a morning or afternoon session is signalled to the world by black smoke from the chapel’s chimney, created by the burning of that round’s ballots.

Once a candidate receives the necessary votes — in 2013, it was after the fifth ballot — he is asked whether he accepts the election. If he does, he then chooses his papal name. White smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel announces to the world that a new pope has been chosen.

After receiving the cardinals’ congratulations and a brief moment to collect himself, the new pope is taken to a room to be vested. Three sets of vestments are prepared to accommodate different body types.

He is then led to the loggia (the central balcony) of St Peter’s basilica, where the senior cardinal deacon — currently Cardinal Dominique Mamberti — announces “Habemus Papam” (“We have a pope”), followed by a Latinised rendering of the new pope’s civil and papal names. Traditionally, the new pope then addresses the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square.

A few days after his election, the new pope is formally inaugurated in a ceremony that includes a Mass, various rites and the reception of the papal insignia.

(Günther Simmermacher)