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SN23 - Conclave and The New Pope
59 Plays1 month ago
Jeff and Sam tell you how you can become the next pope and what the conclave is all about — including the tradition of the silver hammer!
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Transcript
Passing of Pope Francis & Papal Succession
00:00:19
Jeff Rogers
Hello. Hi. Happy Monday. Happy Monday. um this is less of a happy Monday. It's not not happy. It's just a different it's not a normal like quick snippet shows about like fun peppy things. It's a interesting. It's a very interesting one.
00:00:37
Jeff Rogers
As you know, unless you were living under a rock, the Pope passed away. Pope Francis passed away. And so now there is the nine days of mourning and ah then there will be a conclave and then there will be a new pope so we thought why not honest to God, I went down a rabbit hole.
00:00:58
Jeff Rogers
Yeah, you kept saying that. I went down a rabbit hole and I would do this little script here and then I would think, oh God, I got to add that. And I don't know why we don't do Google documents or something like that.
00:01:10
Jeff Rogers
That's too easy. I'm probably not tech savvy enough for that. So then I would email you the updated version. Then I would email you the updated version every single time. But it's interesting, right? It is. And I don't think I'm not Catholic.
Secretive Rituals of the Papacy
00:01:23
Jeff Rogers
But this is still very interesting to me because there is a lot of it that is shrouded in secrecy and the rituals are interesting. And and they've withstood ages.
00:01:34
Jeff Rogers
Like the royal family, you know, like Queen Elizabeth. I'm interested in her. Not so much the royals. I'm not a royal person, but... You're very royal. Thank you.
00:01:45
Jeff Rogers
But I think that as a thing is kind of outdated. It's not a thing that should be in modern times. You know what i mean? Look at us. We're so much better just because we are who we are, you know, whatever. Born born into it. Yes, but it's the same thing with this. It interests me, the history of it all, right?
00:02:02
Jeff Rogers
Indeed.
Titles and History of the Papacy
00:02:03
Jeff Rogers
All right. So here's what we have for you today. With the passing of Pope Francis, we thought we would take a look at how exactly one becomes his holiness, bishop of Rome, vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of the Prince of the Apostles,
00:02:19
Jeff Rogers
Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God, or better known as the Pope.
00:02:35
Jeff Rogers
And what, exactly, is a conclave? I mean, Primate of Italy. Where did that one come from? ah Somebody got drunk and said it. The word Pope derives from the ancient Greek, papas,
00:02:50
Jeff Rogers
which means father. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. From the 8th century until 1870, the Pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City State.
00:03:09
Jeff Rogers
The very first Pope was Saint Peter. Jesus gave Peter the keys of heaven and said that he would be the rock upon which the church would be built. Since then,
00:03:20
Jeff Rogers
According to the Pontifical Yearbook, there have been 266
Path to Becoming Pope
00:03:23
Jeff Rogers
popes. There Pontifical Yearbook. there is a pontifical yearbook there is i wonder what they're like goodbye things say to each other you know do they the year see you see on the other side have good summer yes so how do you become a pope first you need to be catholic and a man except maybe not because there was pope jones circa 855 google it if you don't believe me the rumor was her gender was revealed when she gave birth surprise
00:03:55
Jeff Rogers
And it's possible for a regular Sunday Catholic to become a Pope. And the last time that happened was never becoming a Pope is an inside job. And the men who vote on the Pope are Cardinals and the Cardinals prefer to elevate one of their own.
00:04:11
Jeff Rogers
The last Pope who was not a Cardinal yet. When was, when he was elected was Pope urban, the sixth in 1378. And,
00:04:20
Jeff Rogers
And to get there, we're going to have to climb the corporate ladder. First, you need to become a priest. And for this, you'll require a lot of education. You'll need an undergraduate degree in Catholic philosophy and a master's degree in divinity.
00:04:34
Jeff Rogers
And you have to be unmarried, a man, and willing to be celibate forever. This means you get to be ordained and you get to run a church.
00:04:48
Jeff Rogers
Let's say you have loftier goals than being a priest. You have ambition, a real go-getter. Then you'll have to take the job of the man who just made you a priest, the bishop.
00:05:01
Jeff Rogers
While there are about 400,000 Catholic priests in the world, there are only about 5,000 bishops. Priests get to churches, get churches, and bishops get cathedrals.
00:05:12
Jeff Rogers
And to become a bishop, you will need to wait for a bishop in your area to retire at the age of 75, or die, leaving that space open for you. There's really no application process for this.
00:05:25
Jeff Rogers
There's already a secret list of potential bishops. It's updated periodically according to who the bishops think would make a good bishop replacement. You'll need to be at least 35 and have been a priest for five or more years.
00:05:38
Jeff Rogers
Also start studying because you will need a doctorate in theology and pray because you are either on that list or you're not. Bishops give this list to the Apostolic Nuncio, or the Pope's ambassador, of your country.
00:05:54
Jeff Rogers
The Nuncio picks three potential bishops and gets to work vetting the hell out of them. Literally. trump um When the Nuncio sends his recommendation to the Vatican, waiting on the recommendation of the Nuncio is the Congress of Bishops.
00:06:09
Jeff Rogers
If the Congress of Bishops doesn't like them, the Nuncio starts over. If the Congress of Bishops approves, then we have a new bishop. This process can take months or even years.
00:06:21
Jeff Rogers
But if the bishop in your area retired or passed away, and you are on the secret list, and you're approved by the Congress of Bishops, and the Pope likes you, then voila, you are a bishop.
00:06:34
Jeff Rogers
So now you're a bishop, and your cup of ambition still runneth over. You're a real eager beaver. Then you want the penultimate promotion. you will need to become a Cardinal. Ooh la la.
00:06:48
Jeff Rogers
The Cardinal gets the fabulous red outfit and the title, but sorry to tell you that the Cardinal is just a Bishop with the red outfit with more responsibility.
00:06:58
Jeff Rogers
And a cool hat. And a cool hat. and one can only be appointed a cardinal by the pope. Also, there are 5,000 bishops, but only roughly 200 cardinals, and the cardinals are appointed, as I said, by the pope himself.
00:07:15
Jeff Rogers
Now, there is one more promotion that you probably won't achieve, but you can definitely die trying since you are an achiever.
Rituals after a Pope's Death
00:07:22
Jeff Rogers
That is, the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop, and Metropolitan of the Roman Empire, Sovereign of the State and the Vatican City, the Servant of Servants of God, better known as the Pope.
00:07:40
Jeff Rogers
I mean, you can make it to the top, but you probably won't. On April 21, 2025, His Holiness Pope Francis went to meet his boss. This is where things get a little bit secretive.
00:07:53
Jeff Rogers
Well, not a little so much as a lot. So secretive, in fact, that in 2013, the Vatican installed Faraday cages and vehicles equipped with jammers to prevent signals from getting through.
00:08:05
Jeff Rogers
And you can be sure that this time there's going to be more jammers because of the intrusive drones that we have today. When a reigning pope dies, an immediate duty falls on the Carmelingo, as the cardinal who translates to Chamberlain.
00:08:20
Jeff Rogers
The Carmelingo declares the pope is deceased and administers the Holy See, or Pope's throne, until the successor is chosen. The body is bathed and dressed with a silk cloth spread over his body, only exposing the right holy hand, or the holy right hand displaying the fisherman's ring.
00:08:38
Jeff Rogers
They do this to prove that it really is the Pope. You might have heard the comma lingo that the Kamerlingo uses a silver ham or hammer to tap the Pope's forehead three times while saying his name to ascertain whether he is still alive or not.
00:08:55
Jeff Rogers
This is called the Silver silver Hammer Protocol. Whacking the Pope in the head with the silver hammer has become a thing of the past. The last time that the ritual was used was in 1878 when Pius IX died.
00:09:09
Jeff Rogers
The Carmelingo then takes the ring of the fisherman off of the corpse and gives it to the Vatican senior management, the College of the Cardinals. The ring is then destroyed with the silver silver hammer in front of the witnesses.
00:09:22
Jeff Rogers
It may not seem like much, but a long time ago the ring was vital to confer the ah authenticity on the document sealed by the Pope. The destruction is the symbolic end to the papal reign.
00:09:34
Jeff Rogers
Once the ring has either been split in two or destroyed, the bells of St. Peter ring out, and the masses are made aware that the Pope is dead. The living space of the office and the office space base for the Pope they are sealed off completely to avoid anyone stealing anything belonging to the Pope.
Conclave and Election of New Pope
00:09:52
Jeff Rogers
Some of the Pope's items are destroyed to maintain integrity. Other property is donated. Sometimes, though rarely, property is given to the Pope's family.
00:10:02
Jeff Rogers
Funeral rites for the late Pope are held for nine days as he is mourned and celebrated. Conclave begins within 15 to 20 days after the Pope dies or resigns.
00:10:13
Jeff Rogers
The Cardinals will soon prepare to vote on the next Pope. Well, the Cardinals that are under 80 years of age. This time there are approximately 135 Cardinals under the age of 80.
00:10:25
Jeff Rogers
Welcome to the Conclave. Conclave literally means with key. This is a tradition dating back to the 12th century. Specifically, this dates back to 1268, when it took the cardinals three years to elect a new pope. The pop the people were so enraged.
00:10:42
Jeff Rogers
They locked the cardinals up behind closed doors, and then they gave them only bread and water until they agreed on a new pope. It's not like starvation is not the best motivator. And then they also tore the roof off of the building to get to the cardinals to make them hurry up.
00:10:59
Jeff Rogers
Today, cardinals from all over the world are brought to the Vatican City and they are sequestered. Once on the first day and four times every day after, the cardinals under the age of 80 go into the Sistine Chapel to vote on the next pope.
00:11:11
Jeff Rogers
During the conclave, the Cardinals live in the Domus Sancii Marte, a hotel-like facility next to St. Peter's Basilica. It's where Pope Francis opted to live rather than the Apostolic Palace's papal apartments.
00:11:26
Jeff Rogers
The residence has been compared to a three-star hotel. The rituals take place according to the rules popes have refined over the centuries, clarifying the time frame and obligations.
00:11:37
Jeff Rogers
But the conclave itself must be obscured by total secrecy, as Pope John Paul II wrote. Cardinal electors must sign an oath of secrecy and seclusion under threat of excommunication.
00:11:51
Jeff Rogers
Also, FYI, a cardinal late to arrive at the conclave will be admitted. However, if a cardinal chooses to leave during the voting at any time for any reason, he will not be permitted to re-enter.
00:12:03
Jeff Rogers
Once the cardinals have gathered, the dean of the College of the Cardinals presides over a mass. The group then walks from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel, singing hymns invoking the Holy Spirit.
00:12:19
Jeff Rogers
Outside the chapel, the famed Papal Swiss Guard stands. And to become Pope, one of the cardinals there in the Sistine Chapel needs to secure two-thirds of the vote.
00:12:30
Jeff Rogers
Do the cardinals raise their hands to vote? No way. They write a single name on a piece of paper, stand before the altar, and say a long Latin phrase before casting their ballot. The ballot is secret, but that does not mean the process is immune from factionalizing, intrigue, and lobbying.
00:12:50
Jeff Rogers
Once all of the votes are in, the votes are counted, tied together on a string, and burned. The only glimpse that we will have as spectators is the chimney smoke. If, when the ballot burnt when they burn the ballots, the smoke is black, then there is no new pope.
00:13:06
Jeff Rogers
This goes on for six days a week, with one day for prayer, and often lasts for weeks. With the longest being three years, you can vote for any anyone, including yourself.
00:13:17
Jeff Rogers
Now let's assume, our dear listener, so secure the vote. Now you are the one and the only Pope. You're really ambitious. After a successful vote, you will now be asked two questions.
00:13:32
Jeff Rogers
The first is whether you accept their election of you as Pope. and the second question is going to be what name do you choose and then the name is chosen you get to choose any name you want after all you are the pope once you've accepted the gig the final ballots are burned and now the millions perhaps billion people that are watching the vatican will see white smoke billowing from the chimney Soon afterward, the senior cardinal deacon will appear at the balcony over St. Peter's Square announcing, Habemus Papam, we have a pope.
00:14:10
Jeff Rogers
It will then be the new Pope's turn to emerge onto the balcony to deliver his very first blessing. And just for perspective, let's recap just how ambitious you really are.
Journey from Catholic to Pope
00:14:23
Jeff Rogers
You were born into the exact right population, became one of 1.3 billion Catholics in the world, then one of 400,000 priests, then one of 5,000 bishops, then one of 200 cardinals. the current pope passedor why If the current Pope passes away or resigns, and you earn two-thirds of the vote of the cardinals who are under the age of 80, then you're the Pope.
00:14:50
Jeff Rogers
And damn, you're good. Not just lucky. Not lucky at all. You've worked for that. So that's how you get a new pope. And that's what we're going to see over the next several weeks.
00:15:03
Jeff Rogers
How many times do you think we see black smoke? Four. Well, that was a good answer fast. And what what age do you think the new pope will be? 62. I'm going to go with 73. I don't know. Just saying a number.
00:15:19
Jeff Rogers
OK. OK, that's it. That's it. So like we said, not our usual story, but an intriguing way to start your Monday. And if you're not Catholic, get over it.
00:15:30
Jeff Rogers
It's still something that's happening in the world and it's not war or mayhem. so And 1.3 billion people believe in this and it makes them happier and brings them peace brings them peace. And that's all that we have for today. Thank you very much. Have a good one.
00:15:46
Jeff Rogers
Bye.
00:16:08
Jeff Rogers
Thank you.