Behind locked doors : a history of the Papal elections / Frederic J. Baumgartner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baumgartner, Frederic J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Popes--Election--History.

Popes.

Popes--Election.

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 272 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Summary:

With the words "extra omnes!" ("Everybody out!"), all individuals, other than the assembled cardinals of the Roman Catholic church, are ushered out of the Sistine Chapel. The doors of the chapel are locked and the Cardinals are left alone in the peace and majesty of that place known to millions to begin the deliberations that will elect a new pontiff. Since the early seventeenth century, whenever a Pope dies, the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have convened in Rome in a similar fashion to elect a successor and all eyes focus on The Eternal City. The Papal Conclave is an event like no other. Highly secretive and conducted behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, it happens about eight times every century. It is an event that has evolved over the years and is always filled with high drama. Cardinals meet en masse in their scarlet robes. Throngs of the faithful stand watch in St. Peter's Square looking for the white smoke billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel signaling the election of a new Pontiff. The fascination this event has for the world was evoked in the film The Shoes of the Fishermen when Anthony Quinn was elected as the first non-Italian pope in many centuries. That drama was played out for real when the current Pontiff, Pope John Paul II, was elected to succeed Pope John Paul I after a reign of only a few weeks that was cut short by a shocking death from heart disease. In his newest book, Frederic J. Baumgartner evokes the high drama of this event while simultaneously providing a comprehensive and rigorous history of the papal elections. Since secrecy was not heavily invoked until the twentieth century, there is a vast store of rich material to work from and Baumgartner uses it to its utmost to detail the bickering and blatant politicking that goes on behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, we have not yet experienced this event that transfixes the world's gaze on Rome, but no doubt we will at some point. Behind Locked Doors is a brilliant new companion to have along when it happens and we watch the centuries-old transfer of Vatican power from one man to the next.

Contents:

Chapter I From Apostle to Pope 1

Chapter II Election by the College of Cardinals, 1059-1274 19

Chapter III The Creation of the Conclave 39

Chapter IV Conclaves during The Great Schism 59

Chapter V Conclaves in the Renaissance 77

Chapter VI Conclaves in the Reformation Era 101

Chapter VII Conclaves in the Baroque Era 127

Chapter VIII Conclaves in the Age of Absolutism 151

Chapter IX Conclaves in the Nineteenth Century 179

Chapter X Conclaves in the Twentieth Century 201

Chapter XI And On to the Twenty-first Century 229

Appendix Sfumata! 241.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [257]-261) and index.

ISBN:

0312294638

OCLC:

51613997