Talk:We Have a Pope (film)

What would happen if in reality the 'newly elected pontiff' were to decline the honour? (Cartdinal Mariano Rampolla was a special case)

The situation has probably changed since the film was made - given that Benedict XVI resigned. Jackiespeel (talk) 09:50, 26 April 2014 (UTC)


 * : Normally if he declined it would be while the conclave is still meeting behind closed doors, so the public would not be told that there is a new pope. After he declined they would continue their deliberations to choose someone else as pope. Michael Hardy (talk) 06:14, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Long gap between question and response.
 * One can probably assume that there will be declared non-runners and 'candidates with some votes declining to proceed' during the electoral process/conclave - and probably most Popes and other newly-elected leaders will have sudden doubts. Jackiespeel (talk) 11:12, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
 * If he has sudden doubts there is an occasion for him to deal with those before the public is told anything. I seem to recall that after one of the recent popes was elected, he said he was going to take an hour to think about it, and then he finally accepted after that. All this would normally happen before the public is told that a new pope has been chosen. Michael Hardy (talk) 16:13, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
 * I asked the question after seeing the film on TV - and there is probably a distinction between declining before the white smoke has been 'sent up the chimney' and afterwards.
 * No doubt the Vatican-proceduralists have a policy for such an eventuality, and for some other obscure possibilities - discussion on which probably belongs on AltHistory Wiki rather than Wikipedia. Jackiespeel (talk) 00:22, 12 March 2019 (UTC)