What is a Papal Conclave? Everything You Need to Know about what happens when a Pope dies

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Stella

If, like me, you are not Roman Catholic, then you may wonder about the steps that lead from the death of the Pope to the election of the new leader of the Church.

 

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1 Response to What is a Papal Conclave? Everything You Need to Know about what happens when a Pope dies

  1. Menagerie's avatar Menagerie says:
    April 26, 2025 at 10:57 am

    I would leave this rather well known comment from Pope Benedict regarding the Holy Spirit’s often misunderstood role in the conclave. This was the one area, at the end of the video, that I felt was a little unclear.

    “I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope…I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.”

    The teaching is that the Spirit offers much grace and wisdom in the process. The Cardinals can and have ignored it in the past.

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