The election of a Pope seems to be a simple affair. However, it could be very difficult since the cardinals can use one of three methods - secret ballot, compromise or acclamation (suddenly inspired unanimous declaration).
The history of elections dates back to the first century when popes and bishops were elected or simply proclaimed by the clergy and the laity. When the Church grew in size and social diversity, disagreements and even violence erupted.
Political interference made things worse until the creation of the College of Cardinals. In 1059 Pope Nicholas II decreed that only cardinal bishops should elect the Pope. The present conclave system was introduced by Gregory X in 1274.
¤ First person elected Pope and who was already a bishop - Marinus I in 882.
¤ Last person elected who was not a cardinal - Urban VI in 1378.
¤ First Roman elected Pope - St Anacletus in 76.
¤ Last Roman elected - Eugenio Pacelli as Pius XII in 1939.
¤ First Italian Pope - St Linus in 67.
¤ Last Italian Pope - Albino Luciani as John Paul I in 1978.
¤ Last conclave not held in Rome - 1800 in Venice, electing Pius VII .
¤ Last conclave not held in the Vatican - 1846 in the Quirinal Palace, electing Pius IX.
¤ Last Pope elected by acclamation - Gregory XV in 1621.
¤ Last Pope elected by compromise - John XXII in 1316.
¤ The first conclave in the Sistine Chapel - 1378, electing Urban VI.
¤ Longest interregnum was from 1268 to 1271 between the death of Clement IV and the election of Gregory X.
The first popes were not just the bishops of Rome and heads of the rapidly growing Christian faith but also the virtual physical embodiment of the Church. It is not surprising then that the bishops of Rome were frequently singled out for arrest and execution during periods of persecution, often with obsessive hatred.
The first Pope to suffer martyrdom was, in fact, St Peter who was crucified upside down as he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Since then, 27 popes underwent martyrdom for the Christian faith.
In his white robes and skullcap (zucchetto), the Pope is today perhaps the most easily recognised religious and political figure in the entire world. By virtue of his office and his personality, the Pope is the central focus of attention and a commanding presence in any situation.
He customarily wears a white cassock (simar) made of regular woven wool with a silk trim and for warm weather a linen version. He also wears a sash with the Papal coat of arms at its ends embroidered in gold and the colours of the armorial bearings.
Sometimes the Pope wears a white double-breasted overcoat or the red cloak or cappa. A pectoral cross completes the attire.
The popes did not always wear white. For many centuries red was their primary colour until 1566 when the Dominican St Pius V refused to give up his white robes of the Order.
The famed and ornate traditional Shoes of the Fisherman were refused by John Paul II when he was elected in 1978. He reportedly greeted the cardinals as their new Pontiff still wearing the battered black shoes he had worn into the conclave. He has since normally worn a kind of red or auburn leather loafer, when not hiking shoes or even sneakers on occasional walks in the hills.
The zucchetto is a sewn cap of eight triangular-shaped silk wedges used by priests in the past to hide the tonsure in the cold of winter. Its colour is black for priests, purple for bishops and scarlet for cardinals.
The Pope wears a white zucchetto which he rarely removes save for windy weather and during solemn parts of the Mass. The first Pope to wear it on a regular basis was Pius VI (1775-1799).
Pope John Paul II sometimes also donned some honorific headdress from the country he was visiting to the delight of the crowds. In his travels, he has worn a sombrero, African tribal hats and feathers and even hats from the Andes.
For liturgical celebrations the Pope wears a mitre while the tiara nowadays is only worn at papal coronations. This was long an important part of the symbolism of the papacy representing the threefold power of the Supreme Pontiff as priest, pastor and teacher, or the Church Militant, Penitent and Suffering.
The popes would wear the triple tiara for the next 600 years. Paul VI stopped wearing it after Vatican Council II and John Paul I ended the actual coronation with the tiara in 1978. He was invested instead with the pallium to proclaim his determination to be a purely pastoral Pope. This is a circular band of white wool decorated with six crosses. John Paul II upheld this precedent upon his election.
There were
¤ Two popes called John Paul.
¤ Three Callistus, Julius, Lucius and Paschal.
¤ Four Anastasius, Eugene, Honorius, Sergio, Sylvester, Victor.
¤ Five Celestine, Felix, Martin, Nicholas, Sixtur.
¤ Six Adrian, Paul.
¤ Eight Alexander, Urbanus.
¤ Nine Boniface, Stephen.
¤ Twelve Pius.
¤ Thirteen Innocent, Leo.
¤ Fourteen Clement.
¤ Fifteen Benedict.
¤ Sixteen Gregory.
¤ Twenty-three John.
(Main source of information: The Pope Encyclopedia - Matthew Bunson (1995).)