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sovereigns to acquaint them of into a box: every cardinal, or

The

some one for him, draws out one of these papers, which determines in what cell he is to lodge. The cells are lined with cloth; and there is a part of each one separated for the conclavists, or attendants, of whom two are allowed to each cardinal, and three

the event, that they may take what measures they think proper; and that the cardinals in their dominions, if any there be, may hasten to the future election, if they choose to attend; whilst the whole attention of the sacred college is turned to the preservation of tranquillity in the city and to cardinal princes. They are state, and to the necessary prepa-persons of some rank, and generations for the future election. rally of great confidence; but cardinal-chamberlain has, they must carry in their master's during the vacancy of the holy meals, serve him at table, and see, great authority; he coins perform all the offices of a memoney with his own arms on it, nial servant. Two physicians, two lodges in the pope's apartments, surgeons, an apothecary, and some and is attended by the body other necessary officers, are chosen guards. He, and the first cardi- for the conclave by the cardinals. hal-bishop, the first cardinal-priest, and the first cardinal-deacon, have, during that time, the government almost entirely in their hands. The body of the deceased pope is carried to St. Peter's, where funeral service is performed for him with great pomp for nine days, and the cardinals attend there every morning. In the mean time, all necessary preparations for the election are made; and the place where they assemble for that purpose, which is called the Conclave, is fitted up in that part of the Vatican palace which is nearest to St. Peter's church, as this has long been thought the most convenient situation. Here is formed, by partitions of wood, a number of cells, or chambers, equal to the number of cardinals, with a small distance between every two, and a broad gallery before them. A number is put on every cell, and small papers, with corresponding numbers, are put

On the tenth day after the pope's death, the cardinals who are then at Rome, and in a competent state of health, meet in the chapel of St. Peter's, which is called the Gregorian chapel, where a sermon on the choice of a pope is preached to them, and mass is said for invoking the grace of the Holy Ghost. Then the cardinals proceed to the conclave in procession, two by two, and take up their abode. When all is properly settled, the conclave is shut up, having boxed wheels, or places of communication, in convenient quarters; there are, also, strong guards placed all around. When any foreign cardinal arrives after the inclosure, the conclave is opened for his admission. In the beginning every cardinal signs a paper, containing an obligation, that, if he shall be raised to the papal chair, he will not alienate any part of the pontifical dominion; that he will not be prodigal

to his relations; and any other such stipulations as may have been settled in former times, or framed for that occasion.

that are voted for are taken down in writing, with the number of votes for each; and when it appears that any one has two-thirds of the number present in his fa vour, the election is over; but when this does not happen, the voting papers are all immediately burnt without opening up the inner part. When several trials of coming to a conclusion by this method of scrutiny have been made in vain, recourse is sometimes had to what is called accession. By it, when a cardinal perceives that when one or very few votes are wanting to any one for whom he has not voted at that time, he may say that he accedes to the one who has near the number of votes requisite; and if his one vote suffices to make up the twothirds, or if he is followed by a sufficient number of acceders, or new voters, for the said cardinal, the election is accomplished.-. Lastly, a pope is sometimes elected

We now come to the election itself; and, that this may be effectual, two-thirds of the cardinals present must vote for the same person. As this is often not easily obtained, they sometimes remain whole months in the conclave. They meet in the chapel twice every day for giving their votes; and the election may be effectuated by scrutiny, accession, or acclamation. Scrutiny is the ordinary method, and consists in this every cardinal writes his own name on the inner part of a piece of paper, and this is folded up and sealed; on a second fold of the same paper a conclavist writes the name of the person for whom his master votes. This, according to agreements observed for some centuries, must be one of the sacred college. On the outer side of the paper is written a sen-by acclamation; and that is, when tence at random, which the voter must well remember. Every cardinal, on entering into the chapel, goes to the altar, and puts his paper into a large chalice.

When all are convened, two cardinals number' the votes; and if there be more or less than the number of cardinals present, the voting must be repeated. When this is not the case, the cardinal appointed for the purpose reads the outer sentence, and the name of the cardinal under it; so that each voter, hearing his own sentence and the name joined with it, knows that there is no mistake. The names of all the cardinals

a cardinal, being pretty sure that he will be joined by a number sufficient, cries out in the open chapel, that such an one shall be pope. If he is properly supported, the election becomes unanimous ; those who would, perhaps, oppose it, foreseeing that their opposition would be fruitless, and rather hurtful to themselves. When a pope is chosen in any of the three abovementioned ways, the elec tion is immediately announced from the balcony in the front of St. Peter's, homage is paid to the new pontiff, and couriers are sent off with the news to all parts Christendom. The pope appoints

of

a day for his coronation at St. Peter's, and for his taking possession of the patriarchal church of St. John Lateran; all which is performed with great solemnity. He is addressed by the expression of holiness and most holy fa

ther.

The Roman Catholics believe that the bishop of Rome is, under Christ, supreme pastor of the whole church, and as such is not only the first bishop in order and dignity, but has also a power and jurisdiction over all Christians, in order to preserve unity and purity of faith, and moral doctrine, and to maintain order and regularity in all churches. See SUPREMACy. Some Catholic divines are of opinion that the pope cannot err when he addresses himself to all the faithful on matters of doctrine. They well know that, as a private doctor, he may fall into mistakes as well as any other man; but they think that, when he teaches the whole church, Providence must preserve him from error. We have, however, already examined this sentiment under the article INFALLIBILITY, to which the reader may refer.

respective countries, yet from him they must receive their bulls of consecration before they can take possession of their sees. See POPERY,

POPERY comprehends the religious doctrines and practices adopted and maintained by the church of Rome. The following summary, extracted chiefly from the decrees of the council of Trent, continued under Paul III, Julius III, and Pius IV, from the year 1545 to 1563, by successive sessions, and the creed of pope Pius IV subjoined to it, and bearing date November 1564, may not be unacceptable to the reader. One of the fundamental tenets strenuously maintained by popish writers, is, the infallibility of the church of Rome; though they are not agreed whether this privilege belongs to the pope or a general council, or to both united; but they pretend that an infallible living judge is absolutely necessary to determine controversies, and to secure peace in the Christian church. However, Protestants allege, that the claim of infallibility in any church is not justified by the authority of scripture, much less does it pertain to the church of Rome; and that it is inconsistent with the nature of religion, and the personal obligations of its professors; and that it has proved ineffectual to the end for which it is supposed to be granted, since popes and councils have disagreed in matters of importance, and they have been incapable, with the advantage of this pretended infallibility, of main

The see of Rome, according to Roman Catholics, is the centre of catholic unity. All their bishops communicate with the pope, and by his means with one another, and so form one body. However distant their churches may be, they all meet at Rome either in person or by their delegates, or at least by their letters. And, according to the discipline of the latter ages,taining union and peace. though they are presented to the Another essential article of the pope for their office from their popish creed is the supremacy of VOL. II.

the pope, or his sovereign power || trine of transubstantiation; the over the universal church. See necessity of paying divine worSUPREMACY. ship to Christ under the form of Farther; the doctrine of the se- the consecrated bread, or host ; ven sacraments is a peculiar and the propitiatory sacrifice of the distinguishing doctrine of the mass, according to their ideas of church of Rome; these are bap-which Christ is truly and properly tism, confirmation, the eucharist, offered as a sacrifice as often as penance, extreme unction, orders, and matrimony.

The council of Trent (sess. 7, can. 1) pronounces an anathema on those who say that the sacraments are more or fewer than seven, or that any one of the above number is not truly and properly a sacrament. And yet it does not appear that they amounted to this number before the twelfth century, when Hugo de St. Victore and Peter Lombard, about the year 1144, taught that there were seven sacraments. The council of Florence, held in 1438, was the first council that determined this number. These sacraments confer grace, according to the decree of the council of Trent (sess. 7, can. 8), ex opere operato, by the mere administration of them: three of them, viz. baptism, confirmation, and orders, are said (c. 9) to impress an indelible character, so that they cannot be repeated without sacrilege; and the efficacy of every sacrament depends on the intention of the priest by whom it is administered (can. 11). Pope Pius expressly enjoins that all these sacraments should be administered according to the received and approved rites of the Catholic church. With regard to the eucharist, in particular, we may here observe, that the church of Rome holds the doc

the priest says mass; it practises, likewise, solitary mass, in which the priest alone, who consecrates, communicates, and allows communion only in one kind, viz. the bread to the laity. Sess. 14.

The doctrine of merits is another distinguishing tenet of popery; with regard to which the council of Trent has expressly decreed. (sess. 6, can. 32) that the good works of justified persons are truly meritorious; deserving not only an increase of grace, but eternal life and an increase of glory; and it has anathematized all who deny this doctrine. Of the same kind is the doctrine of satisfactions; which supposes that penitents may truly satisfy, by the afflictions they endure under the dispensations of Providence, or by voluntary penances to which they submit, for the temporal penalties of sin to which they are subject, even after the remission of their eternal punishment. Sess. 6, can. 30, and sess. 14, can. 8 and 9. In this connexion we may mention the popish distinction of venial and mortal sins: the greatest evils arising from the former are the temporary pains of purgatory; but no man, it is said, can obtain the pardon of the latter without confessing to a priest, and performing the penances which he imposes.

The council of Trent (sess. 14,

satisfaction, they have been commonly the repetition of certain forms of devotion, as paternosters, or ave marias, the payment of stipulated sums, pilgrimages, fasts, or various species of corporal discipline. But the most formidable penance, in the estimation of many who have belonged to the Romish communion, has been the temporary pains of purgatory. But under all the penalties which are inflicted or threatened in the Romish church, it has provided relief by its indulgences, and by its prayers or masses for the dead, performed professedly for relieving and rescuing the souls that are detained in purgatory.

can. 1) has expressly decreed, that every one is accursed who shall affirm that penance is not truly and properly a sacrament, instituted by Christ in the universal church, for reconciling those Christians to the Divine Majesty who have fallen into sin after baptism; and this sacrament, it is declared, consists of two parts, the matter and the form: the matter is the act of the penitent, including contrition, confession, and satisfaction; the form of it is the act of absolution on the part of the priest. Accordingly it is enjoined, that it is the duty of every man who hath fallen after baptism, to confess his sins once a year, at least, to a priest; that this confession is to be secret; for public confession is neither commanded nor expedient: and that it must be exact and particular, including every kind and act of sin, with all the circumstances attending it. When the penitent has so done, the priest pronounces an absolution, which is not conditional or declarative only, but absolute and judicial. This secret or auricular confession was first decreed and established in the fourth council of Lateran, under Innocent III, in 1215 (cap. 21). And the decree of this council was afterwards confirmed and enlarged in the council of Florence and in that of Trent; which ordains, that confession was instituted by Christ; that by the law of God it is neces-possibility of ever restoring marsary to salvation, and that it has always been practised in the Christian church. As for the penances imposed on the penitent by way of

Another article that has been long authoritatively enjoined and observed in the church of Rome is the celibacy of her clergy. This was first enjoined at Rome by Gregory VII, about the year 1074, and established in England by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, about the year 1175; though his predecessor Lanfranc had imposed it upon the prebendaries and clergy that lived in towns. And though the council of Trent was repeatedly petitioned by several princes and states to abolish this restraint, the obligation of celibacy was rather established than relaxed by this council; for they decreed, that marriage contracted after a vow of continence is neither lawful nor valid; and thus deprived the church of the

riage to the clergy. For if marriage, after a vow, be in itself unlawful, the greatest authority upon earth cannot dispense with its

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