Vatican City (AP) – With all the dignity, drama and severity the Catholic Church can convened, Cardinals 133 began a ceremonial ceremonies that centuries old to elect Francis’ successor.
Cardinal Giovanni Batista Leh, dean of Cardinal of the University, urged voters to set aside all personal interests and find a united pope. Today, he said the world needs leaders who can awaken their conscience.
From the altar at St. Peter’s Cathedral, they prayed that they could agree “to the Pope that we needed time.”
Cardinals from 70 countries are isolated from the outside world, their phones surrender, and the radio waves around the Vatican are packed to prevent all communication until they find a new leader in the church of 1.4 billion.
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Francis nominated 108 out of the 133 “Prince Princes,” and chose many pastors from faraway countries such as Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga.
His decision to surpass the usual limits of 120 cardiac electors and include young electors from the “Global South” – marginalized countries, often with low economic influence, have injected an extraordinary degree of uncertainty in a process full of mystery and suspense.
Many Cardinals hadn’t seen each other until last week, and needed more time to get to know each other, raising questions about the time it took to secure the two-thirds of the majority needed to become the 267th Pope, or 89 votes.
“Wait, look at some patience, wait and see,” said Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican ambassador, who arrived on the last day of discussion before the vote.
Final mass, then “all”
The Cardinals began the day by attending a Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral, attended by Vatican officials and the public. The 91-year-old dean of the university prayed for the cardinal to find wisdom, advice and understanding to help the cardinals select a valuable new shepherd.
Dressed in bright red, the Cardinals sang as a boy’s choir in the Sistine Chapel, handling the central passage of the cathedral. They took their seats around the main altar, above the traditional burial site of St. Peter, considered the first pope.
Re officiated at Francis’ funeral, delivering a heartfelt sermon that reminded him of the first Latin American Pope in history and the 12 years of Pope he overseen.
4:30pm (1430 GMT; 10:30am EDT) Cardinals recite the contemplative “Rittany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Venicreator,” reciting sacred hymns that charm the saints and the Holy Spirit and help them choose their figure.
Once there, they vow to maintain a secret about what they are about to depart, and do not allow “interference, opposition, or other forms of intervention” from outsiders to affect the vote.
Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in “the final judgment,” each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to fulfill his duties.
The frescoes in the chapel, especially Michelangelo’s greatness, is intended to remind the Cardinals of the serious responsibility they place on them. In the regulations for the Conclave, St. John Paul II wrote in the Sistine Chapel that “everything will encourage recognition of God’s existence, and that vision will one day be judged.”
After the Cardinals make a pledge, the Advanced Cardinal meditates. Archbishop Diego Labelli, master of the Pope’s liturgy, calls Latin for “extra omness,” “all out.” Anyone who is not entitled to vote can leave, the chapel doors close and work can begin.
The Cards don’t need to vote for their first Wednesday, but they usually do. Assuming no winners are found, the Vatican said black smoke could be expected from the Sistine Chapel chimney around 7pm
The Cardinals retire in the evening and return on Thursday morning. They can hold up to two votes in the morning and two votes in the afternoon.
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The Cardinals said they expect a short conclave this week, but they said they will need at least a few votes. The past century has taken three to eight votes to find the Pope. John Paul I – the Pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 – was voted for the third time. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was selected fifth in 2013.
Lobbying in front of the conclave
The Cards should resist the “secular” influence of their choice, but there was a lobbying activity in Rome before the Conclave as various groups reminded the Cards that ordinary Catholics wanted their leaders.
Young Catholics wrote an open letter reminding Cardinal that there is no church without youth, women and congregations. The conservative Catholic media has slipped through cardinal copies of the glossy book that includes candidate ratings. Survivors of clergy sexual abuse warned the Cardinals that if they were unable to find leaders to crack down on decades of abuse and cover-up, they would be held responsible.
Advocates of women’s ordination had sent pink smoke signals over the Vatican, demanding that women be allowed to become priests, so they could vote in Conclave too.
Lisette Herrera, a 54-year-old tourist from the Dominican Republic, accidentally moved deep to find herself in Rome when the Conclave began. She skipped the Spanish stairs and the Trevi Fountain on Wednesday morning, and instead decided to pray at St. Peter’s Square.
“I pray to the Holy Spirit for the young Pope who has been with us for a long time,” she said. “I don’t believe in Conclave politics. I feel the Holy Spirit is here. That’s all we need to know.”
The challenges facing the new Pope
Faced with the new Pope and considering the weight of the Cardinals, there are several challenges, whether to continue and integrate Francis’ progressive legacy on women, LGBTQ+ acceptance, the environment and promotion of immigration, or roll it back to unify the biased church among his priests. The clergy sexual abuse scandal lies in a pre-Conclave lecture.
Francis chose 80% of voters, so continuity is likely, but the format it may take is uncertain and identifying the frontrunner is a challenge.
However, some names continue to appear in the “Papaville” list, or in the list of Cardinals with the qualities to become Pope.
– Cardinal of 70 years old Pietro Parolin is a major Italian by the nature of his office. He was Frances’ Secretary of State, second in the Vatican, and was known to all cardinals.
– Louis Tugle, 67, of the Philippines, is the top candidate, the first Asian Pope in history. He had an equally well-known job, heading the Vatican Evangelization Office, which is responsible for the Catholic Church in most developing countries.
– Hungarian Cardinal Peter Eld (72), Archbishop of Budapest, is a leading candidate representing the more conservative wings of the Church.
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