02 May 2025
The next pope will be chosen this weekend, but what will take place within the Sistine Chapel before the white smoke rises? In this week’s NLJ, Athelstane Aamodt, group legal advisor at Associated Newspapers, delves into the obscure and arcane rules that govern the event.
‘The element of seclusion, so it was thought, would prevent interference and politicking by the outside world, and would allow the cardinals to focus on finding the right candidate,’ he writes.
Aamodt recounts some astonishing facts about the mysterious process. For example, Popes weren’t always elected by a conclave of cardinals—one was chosen by a dove landing on his head.RELATED ARTICLES
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