said the Rev. Thomas Rosica. Cardinals have an opportunity to go down and mix and mingle. They want to say what the next pope will hear, because he's probably in that room, and they also want to alert the people who have n't spent so much time in Rome just what the situation really is here as they see it, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said. The electors also want to go into the conclave with pretty clear ideas about whom to vote for, Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston said. They, too, have no interest in seeing it drag on, and there is no reason to believe that it will. The past 11 conclaves have lasted no longer than four days, the diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, wrote on its website. That was n't always the case. In the 13th century, the election of one pope took two years and nine months, the diocese said. Catholics grew so angry at the cardinalsindecision from 1268 to 1271, when Gregory X was elected, that they boarded them up in their chamber and tore off the roof to expose them to the elements. The fiasco led to the creation of the conclave and its precise protocol -- partly to expedite the process. What's in a name ? Clues to be found in next pope's moniker CNN's Hada Messia, David Schechter, Jo Shelley and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.