Electing the Next Pope

By Anura Guruge

This book will make you an expert – with minimum effort – on what happens when Pope Francis' successor has to be elected. It is book about the next conclave & election – post Pope Francis. What sets this book apart is that it is meant to be a 'Goldilocks' book, i.e., in terms of content it tries to get it just right, not too much, nor too little. Hence, the 'expert – with minimum of effort'. Just enough to make you a true expert without all of the history, precedents, laws & minutia. If you seek that level of information check out the author's 518-page 'The Conclave' (published in 2020). In a way you can think of this book as a concise version of that encyclopedic missile – for those that do not have the time or patience to master the topic, 'chapter & verse'.

Though 'Goldilocks' this book contains everything you need to know – and will want to know. Furthermore, it is richly illuminated with full-color photographs, charts & tables. The author is noted for his graphical annotations and this being an eBook he can indulge in his fondness for color. Check the 'Table of Contents'. It covers: the current pope, the end of a papacy, the electors (i.e., the cardinals), the conclave & the election process within the Sistine Chapel. Use the online Preview. You will see that it, in terms of topics & content, is comprehensive. The author has just made a very conscious effort to keep the level of detail 'Goldilocks'.

Maybe it might help that the author toyed with the title: "A Barstool Expert's Guide to Papal Elections". The goal was impart all the necessary data sans the 'baggage of traditions & history'.

This is the author's 12th book to do with popes. He is also the author of: "Popes and the Tale of Their Names", "The Conclave", "Popes: 101 Facts & Trivia", "Pope John XXIII: 101 Facts & Trivia" & "The Next Pope 2011". That last book, published in 2011, correctly named 'Francis' as the Next Pope – 2-years ahead of his election! It is the only book that correctly identified the Next Pope.

This, however, is NOT a 'Next Pope' book. It does NOT identify any papabile, i.e., contenders to be the next pope. That is an altogether different topic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anura Guruge
• Release date: Aug 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393271710

Anura Guruge

Anura Gurugé is an independent technical consultant who specializes in all aspects of contemporary networking, corporate portals and Web services – particularly if they involve IBM host systems. He has first hand, in-depth experience in Web-to-host, SNA, Frame Relay, Token-Ring switching and ATM. He was the founder and Chairman of the SNA-Capable i·net Forum in 1997. He also teaches graduate and post-graduate computer technology and marketing at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) – Laconia/Gilford and Portsmouth campuses. He is the author of Corporate Portals Empowered with XML and Web Services (Digital Press, 2002). In addition, he has published over 320 articles. In a career spanning 29 years, he has held senior technical and marketing roles in IBM, ITT, Northern Telecom, Wang and BBN. His Web sites are: www.inet-guru.com and www.wownh.com.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2020, Anura Gurugé.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published in August 2020.

September 2020 Edition II.

WOWNH LLC

New Hampshire

USA

www.wownh.com

Photographic Credits:

All of the images used in the body of this book are from the public domain (e.g., Wikipedia). The cover picture, from Wikipedia, is of the inside of St. Peter’s Basilica (at the Vatican) & depicts the ‘chair’ of St. Peter – the first pope. The front-page image is from Pixabay & features the Baldachin (i.e., canopy) above the high altar at the Basilica.

Dedication

In Memoriam:

Patrice Bourgeois

(1949 – 2019),

friend, ally, colleague & proof-reader;

a convent educated Catholic from Louisiana

who died unexpectedly of brain cancer.

John Paul I, the ‘smiling pope’, elected in August 1978. Though only pope for a fleeting 33-days he nonetheless managed to modernize the papacy by stripping it of most of its regal trappings during his first few days in office. He was also the first pope to assume a papal name that had not been previously used. His unexpected & untimely death (most likely due to a poorly diagnosed & thus not properly treated heart condition) led to 1978 being a year of two papal elections – the first time this had happened since 1605.

JOHN PAUL II, making his first public appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica upon being elected in October 1978. Aged 58, he was the twentieth youngest pope elected as of 1400. He was the 52nd non-Italian to be elected pope & the first since 1522. The previous 45 popes, spanning 456-years, had all been Italian. His two successors, i.e., Benedict XVI (2005) & Francis (2013), however, have also been non-Italian. The last instance of three successive non-Italian popes was in 1378!

By The Same Author

SNA: Theory and Practice

Reengineering IBM Networks

Integrating TCP/IP i-nets with IBM Data Centers

Corporate Portals Empowered with XML and Web Services

Web Services: Theory and Practice

Popes and the Tale of Their Names

The Next Pope

The Next Pope 2011

The Last 9 Conclaves

The Last 10 Conclaves: 2013 to 1903

The Election of the 2013 Pope

Pope Names for the 2013 Conclave

Pope John XXIII: 101 Facts & Trivia

Popes: 101 Facts & Trivia

Pope Francis’ U.S. Visit – 2015

The Conclave (published in 2020)

Comet ISON, C/2012 S1 (ISON)

Comet ISON, C/2012 S1 (ISON): Quick Reference

Comet ISON for Kids

Comets: 101 Facts & Trivia

Comets (two editions published in 2020)

Devanee’s Book of Dwarf Planets

Matthew’s Book of 4 Vesta the would be Planet

Orgasms: 101 Facts & Trivia

Teischan’s ABC Book of Great Artists

A Pup is NOT a Toy

Quick & Easy Meditation

Brain Meditation – For True Productivity & Serenity

Quick Guide to Brain Meditation

Central Pain Syndrome – Chronic, Confounding Pain Such As That Of Fibromyalgia

A ‘Think’ A Day, Keeps Alzheimer’s At Bay (two versions: Big & Thin)

THINK A Day—2019

All available online (worldwide).

518-printed page, no holds barred, chapter-&-verse

BIG brother to this book by the same author—

if you really want all the details & minutiae.

Table of Contents

Preface

Notes for Gainfully Reading This Book (& Introductory Tables)

I. Current Pope

II. End of a Papacy

III. The Electors – The Cardinals

IV. Who Can Be Elected Pope?

V. The Conclave

VI. The Election

The Vocabulary Of Papal Elections

Chronological List Of Popes

Last 16 Vacancies & Last 16 Popes

Preface

THIS BOOK CONTAINS just enough information to make you a considerable expert on papal elections (& conclaves). I set out to make it a ‘Goldilocks’ book (though, I can assure you that it contains no elements, whatsoever, of fiction or fairy tales). The goal was to try & get it just right vis-à-vis the volume of content. Not too much; but also, not too little. Though I am unlikely to have got it exactly 100% spot-on, I think I came close.

A few months ago, I published the 518-page ‘The Conclave’. That book is meant to be a comprehensive & definitive guide to every aspect of this topic. It, however, unashamedly, is for the aficionados. Those seeking ‘chapter & verse’. This book is for the casual reader – one uninitiated in the rich & complex pageantry of basic Catholicism, let alone cardinals, Camerlenghi, conclaves, consistories or councils.

You definitely do not have to be Catholic to read this!

This book is for those that want a quick primer on how popes are elected. What conclaves are all about. What the smoke has to do with it & why new popes don’t retain their old name.

I thought about calling this ‘Be a Barstool Expert on Papal Elections’. I refrained in the end in case it caused offense. But, I think you get the idea.

At this stage I urge you to just skim through the book. Glance through it. Get a feel of the layout & its structure. Hopefully, you previewed this book, using the online tools, before you purchased it. You should be able to quickly determine if this book is right for you.

This is my 4th major book on this topic. So, I do have some considerable familiarity & credibility with the subject. Which is why I felt qualified to try for a ‘Goldilocks’ book.

My ‘Next Pope 2011’ proved to be ‘a hit’! I managed to correctly identify the next pope, i.e., Francis, on page 4! I was the only one to have done so, in a printed book, prior to his election. That book, published 2-years ahead of the last papal election, & my (since dismantled) ‘popes-and-papacy.com’ Website received considerable attention in 2013. So, I do have a demonstrated track record when it comes to this topic.

This book, unlike the ‘Next Pope 2011’, does not set out to name possible successors to the current pope. Hence, why the title starts: ‘Electing the ...’ This book is a quick guide to how a new pope is elected. Got that? This book is about what happens when a new pope has to be elected. Not about who might get elected.

If while reading this you feel the need (as did Oliver Twist) for ‘more’, check out ‘The Conclave’.

In mid-2020 as I write this, Pope Francis is 83-years old. Benedict XVI, who unexpectedly resigned in 2005, whilst approaching his 86th birthday, is still going strong. There will be an election. There always is. It is just a question of ‘when’. This book is to help you navigate that inevitable election with aplomb.

This is my 33rd book (I think). I no longer bother to write books for financial gain (or keep assiduous count as to how many have been published). My first few books, all very technical & dull, ensured that I can, in my old age, write for the sheer joy of writing; in the spirit of sharing knowledge. I have spent over 15-years diligently researching the popes & documenting my findings in computer spreadsheets. It is a desire to ‘spread the wealth’ – the wealth being that of data. I have also tried, valiantly, to make this book ‘fun’. I will confess that I enjoyed putting it together.

My wife, Deanna, as ever attempted to find all my typos. That, as we have discovered, is an impossibility. My middle name is ‘typo’. A book of mine sans typos will NOT feel (or read) right! So, if a typo, here or there, offends you, please feel free to return the book & leave a review that clearly states that the author is a reprobate. You could be right.

Please browse through the notes below on how to read this book—& what all the idiosyncrasies as to highlighting & colors might mean.

I am an incessant, daily blogger. My blog is: nhlifefree.com. If you visit you will see a ‘tab’ (at the very top) named: ‘The Conclave’. Check that page. I will strive to include updates for this book on that page. I will also try to remember to include links to any posts I do on papabili – i.e., possible next popes.

I hope you find this book informative, memorable & maybe even somewhat entertaining. I really wrote it for you. I already knew all of this stuff. So, this was for your edification. My gift to you. Take it in that spirit. Enjoy. SMILE.

I am not hard to find on the Web. I tend to be responsive on e-mail (though I am, please note, a Victorian-era stickler for common politeness). You can try & reach me at: [e-mail]. I am on Facebook & Twitter, but e-mail is best. Grace, & may peace be with you. Since I am writing this in July 2020, it is also obligatory (I think) to also add, with sincerity: ‘stay well’.

Anura Gurugé

Lakes Region, New Hampshire

August 2020

Notes for Gainfully Reading This Book

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY (i.e., a glossary): Can be found, where necessary, at the start of each chapter. In addition, there is a complete list towards the end of the book, following Chapter VI ‘The Election’. If you are new to ‘papal elections’ you may want to have a quick skim through this glossary before you start reading in earnest.

Use of colors & highlighting: Used extensively and sometimes arbitrarily for emphasis. The intent should become increasingly clear as you go along.

Use of italics: Used liberally & definitely more than the norm, though not, albeit, that capriciously! Italics are primarily used: (1) for (added) emphasis, (2) to indicate non-English words or (3) to signify incongruity.

‘Words’ (‘phrases’) in quotation marks: Used outside of their conventional setting, to: (1) indicate ‘names’, (2) when a term is being used differently to its ‘base’ meaning, e.g., ‘dean’ (to denote actual or acting dean), (3) if a ‘word’ is being used as an ‘abbreviation’, e.g., ‘Master’ to signify ‘Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations’, (4) to delineate the entirety of a title or phrase (as in the case of long official Vatican titles just mentioned) or (5) occasionally to attract attention. q.v., ‘Conventions’ below.

Names of popes in ‘bold’: The first appearance of a pope’s name in a given section of a narrative will be bolded for added attention.

Sequencing the popes: To help give historical perspective, either a #sequence number or a year (in italics) will be included in parenthesis next to his name; e.g., Pius XI (#260) & Pius IX (1846). A full chronological list of the 267 recognized popes can be found towards the end of the book.

Inclusion of