VATICAN CITY (AP) — How agelong does it instrumentality to choose a pope? In this case, it took lone 2 days for Catholic cardinals to elect a successor to Pope Francis. That's among the shortest conclaves successful caller decades, but not the shortest ever.
It’s hard to beryllium precise, since the Vatican doesn’t people authoritative information connected the fig of votes oregon tallies successful past conclaves, and sources compiling their ain information are not successful implicit agreement.
But humanities figures supply a fewer clues.
Before 1274, determination were times erstwhile a pope was elected the aforesaid time arsenic the decease of his predecessor. After that, however, the religion decided to hold astatine slightest 10 days earlier the archetypal vote. Later that was extended to 15 days to springiness each cardinals clip to get to Rome.
The quickest conclave observing the 10-day hold regularisation appears to person been the 1503 predetermination of Pope Julius II, who was elected successful conscionable a fewer hours, according to Vatican historiographer Ambrogio Piazzoni. In much caller times, Pope Francis was elected successful 2013 on the 5th ballot, Benedict XVI won successful 2005 connected the 4th and Pope Pius XII won connected the 3rd successful 1939.
The longest conclave since the 20th period began took 14 rounds of balloting crossed 5 days, ending with the predetermination of Pius XI successful 1922. The shortest was the conclave that elected Pius XII successful 1939, which took 3 ballots successful 2 days.
Cardinals indispensable scope a two-thirds bulk to elite a pope. That was somewhat easier successful conclaves past: In 1922 determination were conscionable 53 voting cardinals, and until 1978 determination were less than 100 each time. This twelvemonth determination are 133, truthful 89 votes were needed.
Here’s a look astatine the duration of conclaves successful caller history, according to aggregate sources including Catholic and different Italian publications:
- 1914: Benedict XV: 10 ballots, 3 days
- 1922: Pius XI: 14 ballots, 5 days
- 1939: Pius XII: 3 ballots, 2 days
- 1958: John XXIII: 11 ballots, 4 days
- 1963: Paul VI: 5 oregon 6 ballots, 3 days
- 1978: John Paul I: 4 ballots, 2 days
- 1978: John Paul II: 8 ballots, 3 days
- 2005: Benedict XVI: 4 ballots, 2 days
- 2013: Francis: 5 ballots, 2 days