VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service
Vatican City, 13 March 2013 (VIS) – What do the voting ballots for electing a Pope look like? How are the votes counted? Can Cardinal electors who are sick still cast a vote? The Apostolic Constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis” (UDG) responds to these and many other questions. It was promulgated by Blessed John Paul II in 1996 to specifically address the norms that would regulate the Sede Vacante (period during which there is no reigning Pope) and the election of the Roman Pontiff. On 22 February of this year, Benedict XVI released the Motu Proprio “Normas Nonnullas”, which made a few modifications to the Apostolic Constitution. Following are sections 64 to 71 of the UDG—incorporating the modifications of the “Normas Nonnullas”—which deal with the specifics of the voting process during the Conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
64. “The voting process is carried out in three phases. The first phase, which can be called the pre-scrutiny, comprises: 1) the preparation and distribution of the ballot papers by the Masters of Ceremonies—they will have been readmitted in the meantime, together with the Secretary of the College of Cardinals and the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations—who give at least two or three to each Cardinal elector; 2) the drawing by lot, from among all the Cardinal electors, of three Scrutineers, of three persons charged with collecting the votes of the sick, called for the sake of brevity ‘Infirmarii’, and of three Revisers; this drawing is carried out in public by the junior Cardinal Deacon, who draws out nine names, one after another, of those who shall carry out these tasks; 3) if, in the drawing of lots for the Scrutineers, ‘Infirmarii’, and Revisers, there should come out the names of Cardinal electors who because of infirmity or other reasons are unable to carry out these tasks, the names of others who are not impeded are to be drawn in their place. The first three drawn will act as Scrutineers, the second three as ‘Infirmarii’, and the last three as Revisers.”
65. “For this phase of the voting process the following norms must be observed: 1) the ballot paper must be rectangular in shape and must bear in the upper half, in print if possible, the words ‘Eligo in Summum Pontificem’; on the lower half there must be a space left for writing the name of the person chosen; thus the ballot is made in such a way that it can be folded in two; 2) the completion of the ballot must be done in secret by each Cardinal elector, who will write down legibly, as far as possible in handwriting that cannot be identified as his, the name of the person he chooses, taking care not to write other names as well, since this would make the ballot null; he will then fold the ballot twice; 3) during the voting, the Cardinal electors are to remain alone in the Sistine Chapel; therefore, immediately after the distribution of the ballots and before the electors begin to write, the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations and the Masters of Ceremonies must leave the Chapel. After they have left, the junior Cardinal Deacon shall close the door, opening and closing it again each time this is necessary, as for example when the ‘Infirmarii’ go to collect the votes of the sick and when they return to the Chapel.”
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