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papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. It is the oldest historical method of electing a particular head of state that remains in use to the present day. The current regulations governing papal conclaves were established by Pope John Paul II in his 1996 apostolic constitution
Universi Dominici gregis. In its introduction, John Paul II noted: "A careful historical examination confirms both the appropriateness of this institution, given the circumstances in which it originated and gradually took definitive shape, and its continued usefulness for the orderly, expeditious and proper functioning of the election itself, especially in times of tension and upheaval."
