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Evolution of the Conclave

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From: The Washington Post
Date: 20050418
Author:Andrew Greeley

There was a time when one could make a lot of money out of a conclave like the one that begins today in Rome. The ineffable Cesare Borgia -- model it is said, for Niccolo Machiavelli's Prince -- managed to buy 19 of the 21 cardinals who voted in the election of his father, Pope Alexander VI.

Pope Pius II spoke of the conspiracy to deny him the election by bribes handed out in the latrines, a deal that he said smelled of its place of origin. In fact, the buying and selling of votes in conclaves was routine until the end of the 18th century, especially by sovereign nations seeking to ...

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