How do they determine who they will elect as the next pope?

Answer 1

they have what is called a conclave where the cardinals under the age of....80 I think are locked in the Sistine chapel and..."vote" they write the name of the cardinal who they think should be pope, this is done after lots of praying, on a square piece of paper and place it into a chalice, saying a special prayer, and sit back down, once all is done I think its three? cardinals read the pieces of paper one by one aloud, and then another cardinal puts the paper onto a needle and thread and once all have bee counted they burn the paper and thread, the cardinal with a 2/3 majority "vote" is now the pope

Answer 2

Catholic AnswerThe Cardinals of the Church choose the new pope, that is the one job description that makes a Bishop a Cardinal, he will serve as an elector (if he is under the age of 80) for the new Pope. They meet in Conclave:

Conclave.

The cardinals are the electors of the Pope. That is the primary difference between a bishop and a cardinal. The Cardinals must all be summoned to Rome, they then celebrate a Mass of the Holy Spirit, and enter into enclosure with three assistants. No one else may be in the enclosure. All the popes, except John Paul I, since Paul VI have made numerous changes to the conclave Rules. According to the latest rules, a pope must be elected by 2/3 majority, two ballots are held twice a day, in the morning and the afternoon. The Cardinals all process into the Sistine Chapel, ballots are distributed, and the Cardinals write the name of the one they think should be chosen. They then put their ballot into these large chalices at the front of the chapel. Three cardinals are chosen as scrutineers, one opens each individual ballot and reads the name off, the other two record the votes. If no one is chosen, the ballots are burned with wet straw (or a chemical nowadays) and black smoke tells the crowds that there has been no successful election; after a certain number of days, voting is suspended for one day of prayer and reflection, then they go back to voting. When an election has been reached, the Cardinal in charge goes to the throne of the Cardinal chosen and asks him, in Latin, if he accepts election. If he does, then he is asked by what name he will be know. All the Cardinals come forward one by one and greet the new Holy Father, the ballots are burned alone and white smoke tells the people that a new Pope has been chosen. Absolute secrecy is essential on pain of excommunication.

Answer 3

All the Catholic Cardinals from around the world meet in Rome and choose the next Pope in a Conclave. It is a closed meeting and even the room they are in is electronically dampened so that listening devices won't work.

Answer 4

For a complete description of the conclave history and how it is conducted click here.

Answer 5

The Cardinal Electors meet in a secret conclave to elect a new pope. What transpires during a conclave is secret and the public only learns the result.