Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI Demands a Close Look at Rules of Modern Papal Election

Feb. 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Contact: Vicki Cohn, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., (914) 740-2100, ext. 2156, vcohn@liebertpub.com

Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI Demands a Close Look at Rules of Modern Papal Election, Featured in Election Law Journal
Rules for Papal Elections Explored in Election Law Journal

New Rochelle, NY, February 13, 2013—When Pope Benedict XVI ends his reign at the end of February he will be the first pope to do so before his death in nearly 600 years. He shocked the Catholic Church by announcing his resignation and set in place a centuries-old process to select his successor. The fascinating Conclaves system for electing a new pope, which has been in place since the late 1200s is described in "Creating the Rules of the Modern Papal Election," (online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/elj.2006.5.57) published in Election Law Journal, from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com). The article is available on the Election Law Journal website (http://www.liebertpub.com/elj).

Frederic J. Baumgartner, PhD, Professor of History, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, provides a comprehensive accounting of the early methods used to select a pope and the events leading up to the first Conclave. He traces the arcane rules developed to guide the papal election process and notes that, "The system that has been in place has served the papacy well since the end of the Great Schism. There has not been a serious challenge to the legitimacy of any pope since Martin V was elected in 1417. No other system of governance comes close to matching that record."

Daniel Tokaji, Co-Editor of Election Law Journal and Robert M. Duncan/Jones Day Designated Professor of Law, The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, states:  "The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI brings into the public spotlight the longest-standing system for conducting elections for the head of any institution on earth. Professor Baumgartner’s article offers a lively and accessible summary of the development of the rules for papal elections, a must read for anyone interested in this important topic."

About the Journal
Election Law Journal is the authoritative peer-reviewed journal on election law, policy, and administration. It is published quarterly in print and online by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Led by Co-Editors Paul Gronke of Reed College and Daniel P. Tokaji of The Ohio State University, the Journal covers the field of election law for practicing attorneys, election administrators, political professionals, legal scholars, and social scientists, and covers election design and reform on the federal, state, and local levels in the U.S. and in 75 countries around the world. Complete tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Election Law Journal website (http://www.liebertpub.com/elj).

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, and law, including Biotechnology Law Report, Gaming Law Review and Economics, and Environmental Justice. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (http://www.liebertpub.com).