Julie Cribb, age 11, of Florence, S.C., for her question:
HOW DOES A POPE RECEIVE HIS NAME?
The word Pope comes from the Latin word papa, which means father. The Pope is also called the Pontiff, which comes from the Latin word pontifex, a member of the council of priests. The office of the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church has continued in an unbroken line throughout the years since Jesus Christ asked Simon, who was also called Peter, or the Rock, to build His church.
Spiritual ruler of the Roman Catholic Church is a man who is called the Pope. He has an advisory group which is called the Sacred College, or the College of Cardinals. Meetings of the Sacred College are called consistories.
One of the most important functions of the Sacred College is the election of a new Pope. When a Pope dies, the Sacred College takes over the administration of the church.
The conclave is the name given to the Sacred College when it meets to elect a new Pope. Cardinals from all parts of the world meet in the Vatican. On the appointed day, in a walled off area where they have complete privacy, they pray for guidance in their difficult task. Balloting then starts and continues on a scheduled plan until one man receives at least two thirds of the votes.
Each cardinal sits on a special canopied throne around the walls of the sealed off Sistine Chapel. Each fills out his ballot in a disguised handwriting. The ballot is then folded lengthwise. Each cardinal walks to the altar at one end of the chapel and prays, and then drops his ballot into a large gold cup placed on a table in front of the altar. The votes are then counted and checked.
After a successful balloting, the dean of the Sacred College asks the elected candidate whether he accepts the office. He is Pope as soon as he accepts. The dean then asks what name he wishes to use as Pope. The Pope who was elected on Aug. 26, 1978 said that he would be known as Pope John Paul I.
The Pope took his name from the two Popes who had gone just before him: Pope John XXIII, who started his reign in 1958, and Pope Paul VI, who became the Pontiff in 1963. Both leaders were very highly regarded by church and government officials in every part of the world, and they were both loved and respected by ordinary citizens, too.
After new Pope announces his new name, all of the other cardinals then lower the canopies over their thrones. The new Pope remains seated on what is now his first papal throne and receives homage from the cardinals. Vatican officials have three sets of robes ready, to fit a small, medium or large man. The new Pope, wearing the new white papal robes, follows the senior cardinal deacon out on the balcony of St. Peter's Church and gives his first blessing to the thousands of people gathered below.