The Conclave Hotel
In centuries past, papal elections took place inside the Sistine Chapel. Actually, everything took place there. The cardinals would assemble, the doors would be locked from the outside, and there would be no leaving the capella until the Church had a new pope.
The cardinals ate in the chapel; they slept in the chapel; the chapel was their new residence until the elections were complete.
A smart idea, I think - it provided some healthy motivation to elect the new pope in a timely fashion.
Alas, this is no longer the case:
This changes everything, of course. The papal election, once a private event shrouded in secrecy, is now modernized and rather "open." As mentioned, the chapel doors used to get locked when the cardinals assembled - locked from the outside - so that no one could get in or out until the election was over (this is where the term "conclave" came from - from the Latin con clave, "with a key"). No communication with the outside world was possible, because it was not allowed. The men in red simply disappeared into the dark chambers (even the windows were sealed off) and didn't reappear until they could say habemus papem!
Now they're going to be relaxing in luxury suites, commuting back and forth to the chapel. There would be no sense in locking the doors really (although I'm sure they still will - like so much in the post-V2 establishment, the outward ceremony is retained, but emptied of any substance), since they're just going to have to unlock them again to let the cardinals go back to their "hotels."
It will be interesting to see how this modification affects the upcoming election.
The cardinals ate in the chapel; they slept in the chapel; the chapel was their new residence until the elections were complete.
A smart idea, I think - it provided some healthy motivation to elect the new pope in a timely fashion.
Alas, this is no longer the case:
The cardinals will live in the Santa Marta residence, a $200 million building constructed in 1996 to provide them with more comfortable living conditions than their predecessors had, and they will vote in the Sistine Chapel. (Andrew Nagorski, "Awaiting White Smoke," Newsweek 4/4/05)
This changes everything, of course. The papal election, once a private event shrouded in secrecy, is now modernized and rather "open." As mentioned, the chapel doors used to get locked when the cardinals assembled - locked from the outside - so that no one could get in or out until the election was over (this is where the term "conclave" came from - from the Latin con clave, "with a key"). No communication with the outside world was possible, because it was not allowed. The men in red simply disappeared into the dark chambers (even the windows were sealed off) and didn't reappear until they could say habemus papem!
Now they're going to be relaxing in luxury suites, commuting back and forth to the chapel. There would be no sense in locking the doors really (although I'm sure they still will - like so much in the post-V2 establishment, the outward ceremony is retained, but emptied of any substance), since they're just going to have to unlock them again to let the cardinals go back to their "hotels."
It will be interesting to see how this modification affects the upcoming election.
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