conclave

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(kŏn'klāv', kŏng'-) pronunciation
n.
  1. A secret or confidential meeting.
  2. Roman Catholic Church.
    1. The private rooms in which the cardinals meet to elect a new pope.
    2. The meeting held to elect a new pope.
  3. A meeting of family members or associates.

[Middle English, private chamber, conclave of cardinals, from Latin conclāve, lockable room : com-, com- + clāvis, key.]



In the Roman Catholic church, the assembly of cardinals gathered to elect a new pope and the system of strict seclusion to which they submit. From 1059 the election became the responsibility of the cardinals. When, after the death of Clement IV (1268), the cardinals dithered for more than two years, the local magistrate locked them in the episcopal palace and fed them only bread and water until they elected Gregory X. The system of meeting in closed conclave was codified in 1904 by Pius X. Voting is by secret ballot; one ballot is held on the first afternoon of the conclave and four on each subsequent day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, until a new pope is chosen. In 1996 John Paul II declared that, after 30 ballots, the traditional requirement of a two-thirds majority plus one for the election of a pope could be superseded, at the discretion of the cardinals, by election by a simple majority. Ballots are burned in a stove after each vote, and the smoke produced by their burning, which issues from a special pipe through a window, indicates to the crowd assembled in St. Peter's Square whether a new pope has been elected: if there is a new pope, the smoke will be white; if no majority has yet been reached, the smoke will be black. In addition, bells will be rung to confirm the signal. Additives are mixed with the ballots to ensure the proper colour of the smoke.

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conclave

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A secret or confidential meeting.

pronunciation The conclave was necessary so their competitors didn't learn of their secrets.

Tutor's tip: The "conclave" (private meeting or session) met in a large "concave" (curved like the inside of a bowl) room.

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For a list of words related to conclave, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Conclave.
Translations:

Conclave

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - råd, pavevalg

Nederlands (Dutch)
conclaaf

Français (French)
n. - réunion à huis clos, (Relig) conclave

Deutsch (German)
n. - Klausur, Konklave

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) κονκλάβιο

Italiano (Italian)
conclave

Português (Portuguese)
n. - conclave (m)

Русский (Russian)
конклав

Español (Spanish)
n. - cónclave

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - konklav, kardinalförsamling, överläggning

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
秘密会议, 红衣主教团, 教皇选举会议

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 秘密會議, 紅衣主教團, 教皇選舉會議

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 교황선거 비밀회의, 친목단체 등의 회의나 집회

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 教皇選挙会議, 秘密会議

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اجتماع سري خاص‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כנס חשמנים לבחירת האפיפיור, כנס חשמנים, פגישה פרטית‬


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Mentioned in

The Secret Conclave (1953 Film)
Innocent XII (Italian pope)
Carpentras (city, France)