VATICAN CITY (AP) — Catholic cardinals will sequester themselves Wednesday behind the Vatican’s medieval walls for the start of a conclave to elect the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, a successor to Pope Francis who died in April at the age of 88.
The 133 cardinals from 70 countries will be locked inside the Sistine Chapel, where they will vote in secret and silence, a process designed to be both contemplative and free from outside interference. They will surrender their cellphones and airwaves around the Vatican will be jammed to prevent them from all communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member church.
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Mass ahead of the start of the conclave is over
A morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica has concluded, allowing the cardinals who will elect the next pope to return to their residences for a few hours ahead of the conclave.
Later in the afternoon, the Vatican has said that all communications around the Holy See will be jammed as they prepare to withdraw from the outside world for their secret and sacred task ahead.
The cardinals are likely to cast their first vote later on Wednesday. Assuming no one is elected, black smoke would be expected out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at around 7 p.m.
The cardinals will then retire for the night and return on 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.
A prayer for a young pope
Lisette Herrera, a 54-year-old tourist from the Dominican Republic, was deeply moved to find herself by chance in the heart of Roman Catholicism as the church plans to select a new pope.
On Wednesday morning, she decided to skip seeing the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain and other sites to pray in St. Peter’s Square and wait for a new pope, even though she realizes there is no telling how long the conclave could take.
“I’m praying the Holy Spirit for a young pope who would stay with us for a long time,” she said. “I don’t believe in conclave politics, I just feel that the Holy Spirit is here and that’s all we need to know.”
Rome on high alert ahead of the conclave
The Vatican’s Swiss Guards and Italian carabinieri and police have been mobilized as Rome and the wider world hold their breath to see who will emerge from the conclave as the next pontiff.
As of Wednesday morning, when cardinals attended a special pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, police were carrying out enhanced checks of people entering St. Peter’s Square.
Over 4,000 officers have been deployed, with an anti-drone system and signal jammers to block communication between the cardinals and the outside world once they enter into their secret assembly.
“The safety of the cardinals is a priority, but so is that of the faithful outside,” said Fabio Ciciliano, head Italy’s Civil Protection agency.
A please to choose a pope who prizes unity in diversity
A senior cardinal has urged the cardinals who will vote in the conclave to elect a pope who prizes unity in diversity, and puts personal interests aside.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, outlined the marching orders for the 133 men who will enter the Sistine Chapel later on Wednesday to begin voting to elect a new pope.
In his sermon at the final pre-conclave Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, Re reminded the cardinals that a conclave represented the highest human and church responsibility, and that they must set aside “every personal consideration.”
He said the new pope should foster communion and unity within the church.
A final pre-conclave Mass
Cardinals have entered St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday to celebrate the final Mass before the conclave to elect a new pope.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, is celebrating the Mass and leading the prayers for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to choose a worthy new shepherd.
Re, 91, had presided at Francis’ funeral two weeks ago, delivering a heartfelt sermon recalling history’s first Latin American pope and the reforming 12-year papacy he oversaw.
Later in the day, the cardinals will sequester themselves in the Sistine Chapel to begin casting their ballots.
How the voting works
The electors cast paper ballots, and voting continues until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes. After two rounds of voting, ballots are burned in a special stove — black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
The last few popes have been elected within a few days, but there is no formal deadline. Electors must be under 80, and are more geographically diverse than ever.
They represent Catholicism’s growing presence in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as its traditional power base in Europe.
Prayers in the Philippines for another pope good for poor people
Nearly 100 people in a slum in Manila, the Philippine capital, were praying Wednesday for the conclave to elect another pope who will reach out to the poor.
Rev. Robert Reyes told the crowd in a small chapel surrounded by shanties in suburban Quezon city that the next pope should be humble and inclusive, like Francis.
“Francis was such a unique person open to all, specially to those who are neglected, forgotten, marginalized, rejected and oppressed,” said Reyes.
The Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, has long been plagued by poverty and inequality.
