Through the investigation of primary and secondary sources, including written, digital and media sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the details of the Roman Catholic Papal Conclave, its history and what role it still plays in the election of a new pope.
World History
European History
On 13 Mar 2013, at approximately 7:06 pm local time in Rome, smoke began to billow from a small chimney attached to the roof of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. After a few seconds, wild cheers of “fumo bianco” could be heard throughout crowd as white smoke rose into the damp evening. Bells in the Vatican and all over Rome started to ring in celebration. The crowd of almost 80,000 people assembled in St. Peter’s Square, many of whom had been camped out for over two days, quickly rose as one voice in a jubilant cheer. Millions of Roman Catholics watching television around the world joined in the celebration. About ten minutes later, French Cardinal Jean-Luis Tauran, Proto-Deacon of the College of Cardinals, appeared at the papal balcony in the center of St. Peter’s Basilica and spoke in Latin the words the world had been waiting to hear.
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam!
(I declare to you a great joy. We have a Pope!)
About 10 minutes after the announcement of his election, 76-year-old Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio stepped out onto that same balcony clothed in a simple all white cassock and addressed the world for the first time as Pope Francis I, thanking them for their support and leading them in prayer. The throne of St. Peter, home to the Bishop Rome, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and the oldest absolute monarchy in the world, was again filled.
Even in the modern age of televisions, “chimney cams”, the internet, twitter and smartphones, the election of a new pope is shrouded in secrecy. When the current pope dies (or resigns as in the case of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013), and there is a vacancy in the post, Cardinals (“princes” of the church) from all over the world come to the Vatican and sequester themselves inside what is known as the “Conclave” (literally from the Latin phrase “with a key”). The cardinals lock themselves inside the Sistine Chapel after taking an oath of secrecy and they take as many votes as necessary to elect one of their own. A ? supermajority vote is required to elect a new pope. After each vote, if no one is chosen, the ballots are burned in a specially designed furnace. Special chemicals (the composition of which is unknown to the world) are burned with the ballots to produce black smoke, a sign to those outside that the conclave continues. Eventually, sometimes after many days or even weeks, the cardinals are able to come to a decision on a new Supreme Pontiff. The ballots from that vote are burned with different secret chemicals which turn the smoke white, signaling the election of the new Pope. Even in the modern age, the Roman Curia, a two-thousand-year-old institution stepped in rituals, maintains its traditions in the face of ever-changing technology.
Through the investigation of primary and secondary sources, including written, digital and media sources, students in this lesson will identify, understand and be able to explain the details of the Roman Catholic Papal Conclave, its history and what role it still plays in the election of a new pope.
To view resource web pages, download the lesson plan PDF above.
While on tour, you will visit Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, home not only to world famous works of art, but also to the center of the Roman Catholic Church. Students will have the opportunity to see for themselves the sites where the Papal Conclave takes place. Make sure to look for the Papal Balcony above the main doors at St. Peter’s Basilica. Facing the main square, it is where the announcement of “Habemus Papam!” is made and then where the newly elected pope traditionally addresses the crowd for the first time.
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