1334 papal conclave
| Papal conclave 1334 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and location | |
| 1334 Palais des Papes, Avignon | |
| Election | |
| Candidates | John de Comminges |
| Ballots | 1 |
| Elected pope | |
| Jacques Fournier Name taken: Benedict XII | |
 | |
The papal conclave, 1334 elected Jacques Fournier as Pope Benedict XII to succeed Pope John XXII.
Balloting
An early favorite among the papabile was John de Comminges, whom enough cardinals agreed to support that he could have been elected had he consented to a condition not to return the papacy to Rome. Nonetheless, he refused the offer.[1]
A common practice at the time was for Cardinals to vote for a Cardinal who was not considered a real possibility for the papacy on the first ballot, in order to see how the other Cardinals were leaning. However, this time, an unusual thing happened: every Cardinal except Cardinal Fournier independently voted for Fournier. The Cardinals had not planned this, so the accession of the obscure Fournier on the first ballot was an entirely accidental affair.[1]
