VATICAN CITY (AP) — With all of the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday started the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening probably the most geographically various conclave within the religion’s 2,000-year historical past.
Two by two, the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” as Swiss Guards stood at consideration. The hymn, and the one which adopted, implores the saints and the Holy Spirit to assist the cardinals discover a new chief of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state beneath Francis and himself a number one contender to succeed as pope, assumed the management of the proceedings because the senior cardinal beneath age 80 and eligible to take part within the conclave.
Talking in Latin, Parolin stood earlier than Michelangelo’s masterpiece “The Last Judgment,” and led the cardinals in a prolonged oath. Every one adopted, putting his hand on the Gospel and promising to keep up utmost secrecy.
Hailing from 70 international locations, the cardinals have been sequestered from the surface world, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves across the Vatican jammed to stop all communications till they discover a new chief for the 1.4 billion-member church.
Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church,” selecting many pastors in his picture from far-flung international locations like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had by no means had a cardinal earlier than.
His determination to surpass the same old restrict of 120 cardinal electors and embody youthful ones from the “global south” — typically marginalized international locations with decrease financial clout — has injected an uncommon diploma of uncertainty in a course of that’s all the time filled with thriller and suspense, with smoke indicators telling the world if a pope has been elected or not.
Many cardinals hadn’t met till final week and lamented they wanted extra time to get to know each other, elevating questions on how lengthy it would take for one man to safe the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots, essential to change into the 267th pope.
“Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,” mentioned Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria.
A Remaining Mass, Then ‘All Out’
Earlier within the day, the dean of the School of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, presided over a morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica urging the voters to put aside all private pursuits and discover a pope who prizes unity. The world at present wants a frontrunner who can awaken consciences, he mentioned.
“Let us pray that God will grant the church a pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society,” Re mentioned.
The awesomeness of the Sistine Chapel’s frescoes, and Michelangelo’s particularly, is supposed to remind the cardinals of the weighty accountability they bear. In his rules for the conclave, St. John Paul II wrote that within the Sistine Chapel, “everything is conducive to an awareness of the presence of God.”
After the cardinals take their oaths, a senior cardinal delivers a meditation. The grasp of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.” Anybody not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doorways shut, permitting the work to start.
The cardinals don’t must take a primary vote Wednesday, however they’re anticipated to. Assuming no winner is discovered, the Vatican mentioned black smoke may very well be anticipated out of the Sistine Chapel chimney about 7 p.m.
The cardinals retire for the evening and return Thursday morning. They will maintain as much as two ballots within the morning and two within the afternoon till a winner is discovered.
Whereas cardinals this week mentioned they anticipated a brief conclave, it is going to probably take not less than just a few rounds of voting. For a lot of the previous century, it has taken between three and 14 ballots to discover a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the fourth poll. His successor, John Paul II, wanted eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.
Lobbying Earlier than The Conclave
Whereas the cardinals are supposed to withstand any “secular” influences of their selection, such lobbying abounded in Rome within the days earlier than the conclave as varied teams reminded cardinals of what unusual Catholics need in a frontrunner.
Younger Catholics penned an open letter reminding cardinals that there isn’t any church with out younger folks, ladies and the laity. Conservative Catholic media slipped cardinals copies of a shiny e book containing their assessments of contenders. Survivors of clergy sexual abuse warned cardinals that they’d be held accountable in the event that they didn’t discover a chief who will crack down on a long time of abuse and cover-up.
Advocates for girls’s ordination despatched pink smoke indicators over the Vatican to demand that ladies be allowed to be monks and take part in a conclave.
Even the White Home received concerned, posting a photograph of President Donald Trump dressed as a pope. Trump mentioned it was a joke, however the gesture was denounced by former Italian Premier Romano Prodi as “indecent” political interference in issues of religion that harked again to occasions when secular rulers habitually wielded faith to remain in energy.
Lisette Herrera, a 54-year-old vacationer from the Dominican Republic, was deeply moved to search out herself by likelihood in Rome because the conclave started. She determined Wednesday morning to skip the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain and pray as an alternative in St. Peter’s Sq..
“I’m praying to the Holy Spirit for a young pope who would stay with us for a long time,” she mentioned. “I don’t believe in conclave politics, I just feel that the Holy Spirit is here and that’s all we need to know.”
Armando Statti, a pilgrim from Crotone, Italy, mentioned he anticipated cardinals would decide on a pope within the picture of Francis or John Paul II.
“We hope he will be announced as soon as possible, for the sake of the whole world and for peace, and that he will embrace everyone,” he mentioned.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP through Getty Photographs
Challenges Going through A New Pope
Many challenges face the brand new pope and weigh on the cardinals — above all whether or not to proceed and consolidate Francis’ progressive legacy on selling ladies, LGBTQ+ acceptance, the atmosphere and migrants, or roll it again to attempt to unify a church that turned extra polarized throughout his preach. The clergy intercourse abuse scandal hung over the pre-conclave talks.
Since Francis selected 80% of the voters, continuity is probably going, however the type it would take is unsure and figuring out front-runners has been a problem.
However some names maintain showing on lists of “papabile,” or cardinals having the qualities to be pope.
— Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, an Italian who was Francis’ secretary of state and the Vatican No. 2, is a number one contender.
— Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, 67, is a prime candidate to be historical past’s first Asian pope. He had a equally high-profile job, heading the Vatican’s evangelization workplace chargeable for the Catholic Church in a lot of the creating world.
— Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest, is a number one candidate representing the extra conservative wing of the church.
For AP’s full protection of the conclave, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/papal-conclave ___
AP reporters Giada Zampano and Vanessa Gera contributed.
Related Press faith protection receives help by the AP’s collaboration with The Dialog US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely chargeable for this content material.
