Conclave

White smoke pours from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel

The eyes of the world were on the Sistine Chapel this week as Catholic cardinals gathered from around the world to elect a new pope.  Personally, I was shocked by the non-stop media coverage of the Vatican firefighters erecting a new chimney and then endless media shots of that chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.

While I didn't care who was elected pope, I have to admit the conclave process fascinated me.  The word "conclave" derives from two Latin words "con" (or with) and "clave" (or key).  "Con clave" literally means "with key" (yes, I admit that I learned that after reading Angels and Demons) and describes the process by which the cardinals are locked in the Sistine Chapel until they can come to an agreement on who the next pope should be.  No one gets in or out to disrupt the process.

Black Smoke

Historically, the cardinals were even denied meals if it took them too long to reach a decision.  Along the way, they literally send up smoke signals to update us on their progress.  They burn the papal ballots after each vote.  Black smoke means no decision.  White smoke means its over.  I'm still not quite sure how they manage to make that happen.

Apparently, even the Vatican hasn't foolproofed the process.  In 2005, when Pope Benedict was elected, someone apparently goofed and sent out gray smoke.  Oops!  No one knew quite what to do.

So conclave ended today, after only two days.  The historic tradition seems to have worked and Catholics all over the world are elated.

Statuary Hall in Washington D.C.

Since conclave worked so well for the Vatican, I'm wondering if we should maybe introduce the concept to our own country.  Its been five years since Congress and the President have been able to actually agree on a budget.  How long do you think they'd be able to hold out if imposed our own "federal conclave" and locked them in Statuary Hall until they were able to reach an agreement?