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Elections

A valid papal election without cardinals? John Daly
What are the conditions for a valid papal election in the absence of designated electors?
 • John Daly
Card. Prevost elected by conclave as Leo XIV—Is he Catholic?
Leo XIV, Cardinal Prevost, has been elected by the Conclave. He is thus a true successor of Paul VI: but is he a successor of St Peter?
2 weeks or 60 years: Which fits Franzelin's account of sede vacante?
Cardinal Franzelin's account of the period of sede vacante shows us what can and cannot happen during a papal interregnum. Do you think it best fits 2…
 • S.D. Wright
Could Cardinal Prevost be the first American pope?
Original report, published 6 May 2025 (TWO DAYS before the election)—Seemingly out of nowhere, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is being discussed as a…
 • S.D. Wright
Fake conclave, true pope?
How universal and peaceful adherence might result in the unlikely outcome of a true pope after an illegitimate conclave.
 • S.D. Wright
Papal elections without the cardinals? – Francisco de Victoria OP
It's sometimes said that if all cardinals died, defected or disappeared during a vacancy of the Holy See, there would be no way to elect a new pope…
Papal elections without the cardinals? – Cardinal Billot
It's sometimes said that if all cardinals died, defected or disappeared during a vacancy of the Holy See, there would be no way to elect a new pope…
Papal elections without the cardinals? – Gaspar Hurtado SJ
It's sometimes said that if all cardinals died or disappeared during a vacancy of the Holy See, there'd be no way to elect a new pope…
What are the conditions for being a validly elected pope?
This external profession of faith is absolutely essential for membership of the Church, because without it, the Church would lose the unity of faith…
 • M. J. McCusker
The Church could elect a pope even after a long vacancy: here’s how
It is often asserted that, if the chair of St. Peter were vacant for a significant period of time, it would become impossible to elect a new pope…
 • M. J. McCusker
What is the Church like during a period of sede vacante? Journet & Cajetan tell us
Journet and Cajetan present the Church as existing in a 'widowed' state during a papal interregnum.
Papal elections without the cardinals? – Journet & Cajetan
It's sometimes said that if all cardinals died, defected or disappeared during a vacancy of the Holy See, there would be no way to elect a new pope…
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