conclave
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conclave
RC Church
a. the closed apartments where the college of cardinals elects a new pope
b. a meeting of the college of cardinals for this purpose
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Conclave
an assembly of cardinals convened after the death of the pope in Rome for the election of a new pope.
The assembly meets in quarters isolated from the outside world (the doors are sealed shut). The election is carried out by secret ballot. To be elected, a candidate must receive at least one more than two-thirds of the vote. The quarters are opened only after the election of a new pope. This arrangement was approved at the Second Council of Lyon in 1274.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.