Pope Benedict XVI has returned to traditional Vatican voting rules for the election of the next pope, requiring two thirds of the cardinals in the conclave to agree on a candidate.
The new voting rules were outlined in a one-page document released in Latin on Tuesday. While they could make naming a successor a lengthier and more difficult process, the traditional rules would ensure that the successful candidate enjoyed a broad consensus of support among the cardinals.
The document, a form of papal decree called a "motu proprio", reverses the changes made by Pope Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, who opened the way for a pope to be elected with only a slight majority in the event of a deadlock after 33 rounds of balloting.
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