The conclave to elect the new Pope of the Catholic Church reaches the second day of voting on Thursday (8), still without a defined name.
The black smoke that came out of the sistine chapel on Wednesday afternoon (7) indicated that the cardinals gathered at the Vatican did not reach a consensus during the first vote.
The expectation now turns to the next four possible rounds, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. According to the scheduled schedule, this Thursday’s sessions start early: the first vote ends around 5:30 am (Brasília time), and the second at 7am.
If a pope is elected, it will be announced by white smoke; Otherwise, black smoke will appear again. The same goes for the afternoon voting, the third, which happens from 12h and Wednesday, at 14h.
According to Vatican expert Raylson Araujo, votes on the first day are usually sprayed among several candidates, serving more as an internal thermometer.
With the results in hand, cardinals can evaluate support for each name and adjust their choices in the following votes. The tendency is that, over the days, votes begin to focus on a few favorites.
How was the first day
The conclave began around 5:45 pm local time (12:45 pm in Brasilia), in the Sistine Chapel, inside the Vatican. The process began with the traditional confidential oath ceremony of the 133 Cardinal voters, accompanied by the Latin singing “Veni Creator Spiritus”.
Then, the “Extra Omnnes” – Latin expression which means “all out” – marking the start of total cardinal insulation, without access to any means of communication.
Shortly before the ceremony, the Italian state broadcaster Rai reported that cellular signals had already been cut at 3 pm (10am in Brasilia), as part of the security and confidentiality protocols of the process.
The first and only vote of the day resulted in black smoke that rose through the sistine chaminé in the late afternoon, indicating the absence of an agreement between the cardinals. For a new pontiff to be elected, one of the candidates must reach at least two thirds of the votes – ie at least 89 among the 133 voters.
During the conclave period, the cardinals remain staying at Casa Santa Marta, inside the Vatican, and continues without external contact until the new Pope is chosen.
Next Steps
If there is no election in the four votes scheduled for this Thursday, the Conclave will follow in the following days, with up to four rounds a day-two in the morning and two in the afternoon-until there is consensus.
This content was originally published in Conclave enters the second day of voting to elect new Pope on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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