CONCLAVE
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CONCLAVE
many of the opinions of the probabilists were lax and
pernicious. In refuting them he at times undoubt-
edly censured their authors too severely and spoke with
an excessive asperity. It must be admitted, how-
ever, that he placed a salutary, if disagreeable, re-
straint upon the new thought of the time. To-day it
is readily seen that some of the authors whom he at-
tacked favoured a dangerous laxism. On the other
hand, it cannot be denied that many of his views are
now considered severe, some classing him among the
rigorists. That Concina was a theologian of no
mean order is evidenced by the fact that Benedict XIV
appointed him consultor of several Congregations.
Moreover, in his work " De Synodo Dicecesana", as
also in his Encyclical " Libentissime " of 10 June,
1745, the pope refers to Concina as an authority on
the question of the Lenten fast. Concma is the author
of about forty works, several of which are believed to
be still in Italian libraries awaiting an editor.
CouLON in Diet, de tkeol. eath., Ill, 675-707: Punkes in Kirc/ienZex., Ill, Sll; Sandellius, De Danielis C'oncincevitu el scriptis commentarius in Introd to Theol. chruit. (Rome, 1773) ; Koch. Dan. Concina und die sogennanten reinen Ponxdgevetze in Theologische Quartalschrift, 1904. 400^24; de Concina, Vila del Padre Danielle Concinain Monuni Ord. Freed. Hist., XIV. 298.
Joseph Schroeder.
Conclave (Lat. cum, with, and clains, key; a place that may be securely closed), the closed room or hall specially set aside and prepared for the cardinals when electing a pope ; also the assembly of the car- dinals for the canonical execution of this purpose. In its present form the conclave dates from the end of the thirteenth centiu-y. Earlier methods of filling the See of Peter are treated in the article Pap.\l Elec- tions. In this article will be considered: (I) the history of the actual method of papal election; (II) the ceremonial itself.
I. History of the Conclave. — In 1271 the elec- tion that ended with the choice of Gregory X at Vi- terbo had lasted over two years and nine months when the local authorities, weary of the delay, shut up the cardinals within narrow limits and thus hastened the desired election (Raynald, Ann. Eccl., ad an. 1271). The new pope endeavoiu-ed to obviate for the future such scandalous delay by the law of the conclave, which, almost in spite of the cardinals, he promul- gated at the fifth session of the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 ( Hefele, Hist, des Conciles, IX, 29). It is the first occasion on which we meet with the word conclave in connexion with papal elections. (For its use in English literature see Murray's "Oxford Dic- tionary", s. v., and for its medieval use Du Cange, Glossar. med. et infimie Latinitatis, s. v.) The pro- visions of his Constitution "LTbi Periculum" were stringent. When a pope died, the cardinals with him were to wait ten days for their absent brethren. Then, each with a single servant, lay or cleric, they were to assemble in the palace where the pope was at his death, or, if that were impossible, the nearest city not under interdict, in the bishop's house or some other suitable place. All were to assemble in one room {conclave), without partition or hanging, and live in common. This room and another retired chamber, to which they might go freely, were to be so closed in that no one could go in or out unobserved, nor anyone from without speak secretly with any cardinal. And if anyone from without had aught to say, it must be on the business of the election and with the knowledge of all the cardiniils present. No cardinal might send out any message, whether verbal or written, under pain of excommuiiic:ition. There was to be a window through which food could be admitted. If after three days the cardinals did not arrive at a decision, they were to receive for the next five days only one dish at their noon and evening meals, ff these five days elapsed without an election, only bread, wine, and water should be their fare. During the election they
might receive nothing from the papal treasury, nor
introduce any other business unless some urgent neces-
sity arose imperilling the Church or its possessions. If
any cardinal neglected to enter, or left the enclosure
for any reason other than sickness, the election was to
go on without him. But his health restored, he might
re-enter the conclave and take up the business where
he found it. The rulers of the city where the con-
clave was held should see to it that all the papal pres-
criptions concerning enclosure of the cardinals were
observed. Those who disregarded the laws of the con-
clave or tampered with its liberty, besides incurring
other punishments, were ipso facto excommunicated.
The stringency of these regulations at once aroused opposition; yet the first elections held in conclave proved that the principle was right. The first con- clave lasted only a day and the next but seven days. L'nfortunately there were three popes in the very year succeeding the death of Gregory X (1276). The sec- ond, Adrian V, did not live long enough to incorporate in an authoritative act his openly expressed opinion of the conclave. Pope John XX lived only long enough to suspend officially the "Ubi Periculum". Immediately the protracted elections recommenced. In the eighteen years intervening between the suspen- sion of the law of the conclave in 1276 and its resump- tion in 1294 there were several vacancies of from si.x to nine months; that which preceded the election of Celestine V lasted two years and nine months. About the only notable act of the latter pope was to restore the conclave. Boniface VIII confirmed the action of his predecessor and ordered the "L^bi Periculum" of Gregory X to be incorporated in the canon law (c. 3, in VI°, I, 6), since which time all papal elections have taken place in conclave. Pope Gregory XI in 1378 empowered the cardinals (for that occasion only) to proceed to an election outside of conclave, but they did not do so. The Council of Constance (1417) mod- ified the rules of the conclave to such an extent that the cardinals of the three "obediences" took part in it as well as six prelates from each of the five nations. This precedent (which however resulted happily in the election of the Roman, Martin V) is perhaps the rea- son why Julius II (1512), Paul III (1542), Pius IV (1561), and Pius IX (1870) provided that in case of their death during an ceciunenical coimcil the election of the new pope should be in the hands of the cardi- nals, not in those of the council. Pius IV by the Bull "In Eligendis" (1562) provided that the election might take place either in or out of the conclave, but this was revoked by Gregory XIII. This liberty of action is fomid again in the legislation (1798) of Pius VI (Quum nos superiore anno) which leaves it in the power of the cardinals to modify the rules of the con- clave touching enclosure, etc. Again Pius IX by the Bull "In hac sublimi" (23 August, 1871) allowed a majority of the cardinals to dispense with the tradi- tional enclosure. Other important documents of Pius IX dealing with the conclave are his Constitutions " Licet per Apostolicas Litteras" (8 September, 1874) and " Consultiu-i " (10 October, 1877), also his "Rego- lamento da osservarsi dal S. CoUegio in occasione della vacanza dell'Apostolica Sede" (10 January, 1878).
As a matter of fact these precautions, taken in view of the danger of interference by secular governments, have so far been imnecessary, and elections of popes take place as they always did since the law of the con- clave became finally effective. Many popes have legislated on this subject, either to confirm the actions of their predecessors or to define (or add to") previous legislation. Clement V decreed that the conclave must take place in the diocese in which the pope dies (Ne Romani, 1310) and also that all cardinals, whether ejicommunicated or interdicted, provided they were not deposed, should have the right to vote. Clement VI (1351) permitted a slight amelioration in the fare
