In a centuries-old tradition shrouded in secrecy, 133 cardinals from 70 countries convened Wednesday at the Vatican, embarking on the momentous task of electing a successor to Pope Francis.
This conclave marks a historic moment, representing the most geographically diverse gathering of cardinals in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.
Secluded from the outside world within the Vatican walls, the cardinals will surrender their mobile phones and endure electronic jamming of airwaves, ensuring complete communication blackout until a new leader is chosen for the 1.4 billion-member church.
Pope Francis, known for his focus on inclusivity, appointed 108 of the 133 participating cardinals, selecting many who share his pastoral vision from previously unrepresented nations such as Mongolia, Sweden, and Tonga.
His decision to exceed the traditional limit of 120 cardinal electors, and his emphasis on younger cardinals from the “global south” – often marginalised countries with less economic power – has introduced an unprecedented level of uncertainty into the already mysterious and suspenseful process.
Many of the cardinals met for the first time last week, expressing a need for more time to become acquainted.
This unfamiliarity raises questions about the duration of the conclave and how long it might take for a candidate to secure the required two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, to become the 267th pope.
“Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,” said Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria as he arrived for the final day of pre-vote discussions.
A final Mass, then ‘All out’
The cardinals begin by participating in a final pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, celebrates the Mass, which is meant to pray for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to elect a worthy new shepherd.
Re, 91, had presided at Francis’ funeral, delivering a heartfelt sermon recalling history’s first Latin American pope and the reforming 12-year papacy he oversaw.
At 4.30 pm (2.30pm GMT; 10.30 am EDT) the cardinals walk solemnly into the frescoed Sistine Chapel, chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring the saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.
Once there, they pledge to maintain secrecy about what is about to transpire and to not allow “any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention” from outsiders to influence their voting.
Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in “The Last Judgment,” each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that duty “so help me God and these Holy Gospels, which I touch with my hand.”
After that, the retired preacher of the papal household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, delivers a meditation.
The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.” Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.
The cardinals don’t have to take a first vote on Wednesday, but they usually do. Assuming no winner is found, the Vatican said black smoke could be expected out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at around 7pm.
The cardinals retire for the night and return Thursday morning. They can hold up to two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon until a winner is found.
While cardinals this week said they expected a short conclave, it will likely take at least a few rounds of voting.
For the past century, it has taken between three and eight ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the third ballot.
His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.
Challenges facing a new pope
There are a number of challenges facing a new pope and weighing on the cardinals, above all, whether to continue and consolidate Francis’ progressive legacy on promoting women, LGBTQ+ acceptance, the environment and migrants, or roll it back to try to unify a church that became more polarised during his pontificate.
The clergy sex abuse scandal hung over the pre-conclave talks.
Since Francis chose 80 per cent of the voters, continuity is likely but the form it might take is uncertain.
As a result, identifying front-runners has been a challenge. But some names keep appearing on lists of “papabile,” or cardinals having the qualities to be pope.
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, is a leading Italian, by nature of his office: He was Francis’ secretary of state, the Vatican No. 2, so known to every cardinal.
- Filippino Cardinal Luis Tagle, 67, is a top candidate to be history’s first Asian pope. He had a similarly high-profile job, heading the Vatican’s evangelization office responsible for the Catholic Church in much of the developing world.
- Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest, is a leading candidate representing the more conservative wing of the church.
How cardinals place their vote
The voting follows a strict choreography, dictated by church law.
Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words “Eligo in summen pontificem” — “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.”
They approach the altar one by one and say: “I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”
The folded ballot is placed on a round plate and tipped into an oval silver and gold urn. Once cast, the ballots are opened one by one by three different “scrutineers,” cardinals selected at random who write down the names and read them aloud.
Cardinals can keep their own tally on a sheet of paper provided but must turn their notes in to be burned at the end of voting.
The scrutineers, whose work is checked by other cardinals called revisors, then add up the results of each round of balloting and write the results down on a separate sheet of paper, which is preserved in the papal archives.
As the scrutineer reads out each name, he pierces each ballot with a needle through the word “Eligo” and binds them with thread and ties a knot.
The ballots are then put aside and burned in the chapel stove along with a chemical to produce either black smoke to signal no winner, or white smoke to announce that a new pope has been elected.
