Universi Dominici gregis

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Universi Dominici gregis is an apostolic constitution of the Catholic Church issued by Pope John Paul II on 22 February 1996.^[1] It superseded Pope Paul VI's 1975 apostolic constitution, Romano Pontifici eligendo, and all previous apostolic constitutions and orders on the subject of the election of the Roman Pontiff.^[1]

Universi Dominici gregis ("the Lord's whole flock", from the opening statement "The Shepherd of the Lord's whole flock is the Bishop of the Church of Rome, ..."), subtitled On the Vacancy of the Apostolic See and the Election of the Roman Pontiff, deals with the vacancy of the See of Rome, i.e., the papacy.

The constitution modified or in some cases confirmed the rules, for the conclave. It also clarified, during a sede vacante, which matters could be handled by the College of Cardinals and which matters were reserved for the future pope.

Contents

Universi Dominici gregis consists of an introduction followed by a body of 92 numbered sections, normally just one paragraph but occasionally more than one, and a concluding "Promulgation", which activates the document. The body is divided into two parts, but the 92 sections are numbered continuously.

Part One

During a sede vacante, the College has no power in things which pertain to the pope during his lifetime or of his office. Any such act that the College exercises beyond the limits expressly permitted by this document is null and void.

• A cardinal must be no more than eighty years of age on the day before the death or resignation of the Pope to be eligible to vote, as specified Ingravescentem Ætatem by Paul VI.
• No more than 120 cardinals may vote.
• A vote may or may not be taken on the afternoon of the first day. If such a vote occurs, only one vote shall take place and it is counted separately for purposes of determining when a change in the balloting requirements can be sought (see below).
• Excluding the afternoon of the first day, a maximum of four votes are taken each day, two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon.
• A pope shall be elected by a vote of two-thirds until a total of 33 ballots (or 34, if a ballot was cast on the afternoon of the first day) have taken place.
• After a total of 33 ballots (or 34, if a ballot was cast on the afternoon of the first day), an absolute majority of the College may change the rule that a two-thirds vote is required for election however, but a valid election always requires an absolute majority of the votes. (This was later revised by Benedict XVI; see below)

Part Two

Chapter II deals with arrangements involving the public viewing and burial of the deceased pope and matters after his death and it provides for the organization of the Colllege into a General Congregation and a Particular Congregation.

• The General Congregation consists of the entire College of Cardinals. Attendance at meetings is mandatory for all cardinals who have arrived at the Vatican to participate in the selection of the new pope except for those over age 80, whose attendance is optional. This Congregation handles matters of major importance that cannot be handled by the Particular Congregation.
• The Particular Congregation consists of the Cardinal Camerlengo and three Cardinals, one from each order chosen by lot from the General Congregation. Except for the Camerlengo, the term of each of these three cardinals is three days. This Congregation handles routine matters. Any decision of a Particular Congregation cannot be changed by a later Particular Congregation, but only by a majority vote of the General Congregation.

Secrecy

Strict secrecy is to be ensured throughout the process. Anyone violating the security of the Vatican, introducing recording equipment, or communicating with a cardinal elector in any way, risks excommunication. Other penalties are at the discretion of the incoming Pope. Various oaths are also required to be taken by the participants, to ensure that they will act properly.

Previous methods of election

Previously, in addition to secret ballot two other methods were allowed for the conduct of the election. A committee of nine to fifteen unanimously chosen cardinals might have been delegated, to make the choice for all (election by compromise, per compromissum). Alternatively, formal ballots could be discarded: in election by acclamation (per acclamationem seu inspirationem) the electors simultaneously shouted out the name of their preferred candidate. Both of these methods have now been abolished: the rationale given was that either compromise or acclamation would not require each cardinal to express his preference. Also, these two methods tended to produce controversy, and in any case neither had been used for quite some time - the last compromise election was of Pope John XXII in 1316, and the last affirmation (acclamation) election was of Pope Gregory XV in 1621. As a result, election by secret ballot is now the only valid method of electing a Pope.

Living quarters of cardinals

Also Universi Dominici gregis provided that Cardinals would be housed in Domus Sanctae Marthae, a building with dormitory type accommodation built within the Vatican City. Previously Cardinals were housed in improvised accommodation which were often noted for not being particularly comfortable.

Major changes

Three major changes occurred in the new apostolic constitution.

• Provision was provided for the election of a pope by an absolute majority in certain circumstances.
• For the first time in centuries cardinals were to be provided with an official set of apartments separate from the Sistine Chapel.
• The method by which a pope symbolically took office was made less specific. Whereas Pope Paul's Romano Pontifici Eligendo explicitly required that the new pope be crowned, the new apostolic constitution wrote more ambiguously of the inauguration of the pontificate without spelling out specifically by name whether than inaugurating (i.e., formal ceremonial beginning of) the pontificate involves either the old enthronement ceremony, the Papal Coronation or the version used since 1978, the Papal Inauguration. All that is required is that some formal ceremony take place. What form that takes is left up to the discretion of the incoming pope.

2005 papal conclave

The Papal election of 2005 was the first papal election to be held under this system.

Modifications by Benedict XVI

On 11 June 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued an apostolic constitution which reinstated the requirement that a papal election require a two-thirds vote regardless of the number ballots taken.^[2]

After Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, on 25 February 2013, he issued another decree, Normas nonnullas, which allowed the College of Cardinals to bring forward the start of a conclave once all cardinals are present or delay the start a few days if serious reasons justify the change in scheduling. He also amended the rules to declare automatic excommunication of any non-cardinal who broke the oath of secrecy of the College of Cardinals during the proceedings. Previously any such person was subject to punishment at the discretion of the new pope.^[3] The new rules were first applied in the 2013 Conclave which elected Pope Francis.

See also

• Papal veto
• Conclave capitulation

References

External links

• Universi Dominici gregis