Conclave to elect a new pope has begun

Just over two weeks after the death of Pope Francis, the conclave to elect a new head of the Catholic Church has begun. The cardinal electors entered the Sistine Chapel in Rome on Wednesday afternoon and took the oath - after which the door was closed behind them. The vote for the new pope will be held by secret ballot, with the first round of voting due to take place later on Wednesday.

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With the words “Extra omnes” - everyone out - master of ceremonies Diego Ravelli sent all those not eligible to vote out of the Sistine Chapel. There, the 133 cardinals who are allowed to take part in the papal election will now vote until the 267th pope in the history of the Catholic Church is found.

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The head of the conclave, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in a prayer shortly before the election meeting began that “the Lord guide our steps on the path of truth”. The cardinals, the vast majority of whom were dressed in red and white robes, sang the Litany of the Saints as they entered the conclave, invoking the saints of the Catholic Church. The cardinals then invoked the Holy Spirit in the Sistine Chapel and swore secrecy over the elections.

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This conclave is the largest in the history of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, had appointed so many new cardinals just a few months before his death that the maximum number of 120 electors actually envisaged was exceeded. As a result, the seating arrangement in the Sistine Chapel had to be adjusted.

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The cardinals are cut off from the public until the new pope is elected. The first round of voting will take place on Wednesday evening. If no one receives the required majority, there will be two rounds of voting on the following days, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the case of Pope Benedict XVI, a new pope was elected after just four rounds of voting, with Francis after five. If the cardinals vote so quickly again, the next pope could be elected as early as Thursday evening. The ballots always take place in the Sistine Chapel - in addition, the cardinals spend most of their time in the Santa Marta guest house, where they stay overnight and eat. They are not allowed to make phone calls, surf the internet, read newspapers or use other media.

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Strict secrecy also applies - even after the conclave, participants are not allowed to talk about the content of the elections. In a mass before the conclave, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, called on the 133 eligible voters to find a successor to Francis who is suitable for “this difficult and complex turning point in history”. Cardinal Re described it as one of the most important tasks for the new Pope to consolidate communion - both that of all Christians and the communion of the bishops with the Pope. A new Pope must stand up for the unity of the Church - “a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and deep communion in diversity, as long as one remains completely faithful to the Gospel”.
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As long as the cardinals cannot agree on a pope with the required majority, the ballot papers from each ballot are burned with a chemical additive so that black smoke rises from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel. Only when a new pope is elected does white smoke rise - and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica ring. The Cardinal Protodeacon - currently the French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti - then steps onto the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica during the presentation and proclaims: “Habemus papam” (“We have a Pope”). The new Pope then steps onto the balcony and pronounces the blessing Urbi et orbi (to the city and the world).