The conclave that chooses the new leader of the Catholic Church begins this Wednesday (7). The cardinals will go into isolation and will not be able to communicate with the outer world until a white smoke comes out of the roof of the Sistine Chapel, giving the signal to the world that a new Pope was elected.
The ritual dates back to the thirteenth century, when papal elections could last for years and some cardinals have already died during the exhaustive process.
The word conclave comes from the Latin “cum clavis” which means closed with key and refers to the practice of confining cardinals to allow them to choose a new pope without external interference.
To avoid external lobby and ensure that cardinals are free to choose who they think is the best man for work, the conclaves happen in strict confidentiality, with the “isolated” participants of the world.
They are prohibited from talking to anyone outside the process, which can take several days. Nor can they read media reports or receive messages.
Forecast of Conclave Smoke Time
See below the schedule of the completion of the conclave voting and when the first smoke should leave the sistine chamin.
Below are the times of Brasilia. They may change, depending on how much the rites and votes themselves last.
Wednesday (7)
- 11h30 – Entrance to the Sistine Chapel, collective and individual oaths. After closing the doors, there is a speech inside the chapel, opening for possible questions and then voting
- 14h – Forecast for first smoke to leave the chimney of the sistine chapel
Thursday (8)
- 5h30 – Voting end; There will only be smoke if a Pope is actually elected
- 7h00 – End of second vote and, if there is no Pope, the black smoke will come out of the chimney
- 12:30 pm – Voting end; Again, there will only be smoke if in fact a Pope is elected
- 14h00 – End of new vote and, if there is no Pope, the black smoke will come out of the chimney
If there is no pope elected on Thursday, new votes should happen the following days.
Functioning of the voting process
The conclave starts with a Special morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. After that, the cardinals walk to the Sistine Chapel to start the Election process.
The vote is performed at closed doors, and the secrecy It is strictly kept. The chapel is verified in search of hidden cameras and microphones, and the cardinals are not allowed to talk about procedures with anyone outside the group. If they do, they can be excommunicated.
Journalist Jonathan Mann explained to CNN International The rituals that happen inside the Sistine Chapel. Voting happens in paper banknotes Distributed to each cardinal, who writes the name of the candidate chosen below the Latin words “Eligo in Summun Pontificem” (“I elevate as supreme pontiff”).
By the rule, the cardinals cannot vote in themselves and the Votes are anonymous.
When they end, each cardinal – in order of seniority – walks to an altar to ceremonially place its doubled banknote in a chalice. The votes are then told and the result is read to the cardinals.
If one cardinal receive two thirds of the votes, He becomes the new Pope.
Of the last 11 conclaves performed, none lasted more than four days according to the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island of the United States.
Voting order
The Vatican released images of the Sistine Chapel, where the Voting of the Conclave will take place. At one point, you can see a list of the order in which cardinals will vote.
The first will be Pietro Parolin, who is Vatican Secretary of State and considered “number 2” of Pope Francis. Following, they will record their votes Fernando Filoni, Luis Antonio Tagle, Robert Prevost and Louis Sako.
This will be the order in which Brazilian cardinals will vote for the conclave:
- Odilo Scherer: 14th
- João Braz de Aviz: 21st
- Okani storm: 34th
- Sérgio da Rocha: 49th
- Leonardo Ulrich Steiner: 76th
- Paulo Cezar Costa: 82nd
- Jaime Spengler: 105º
The vote will start with the cardinals bishops. Then the elder cardinals will come, and then the deacon cardinals. Within this, they follow the order of seniority (in this case, which has been holding this position for a longer time until the position has been holding the post for less time).
After all, who should be the next Pope?
Experts and cardinals claim that there is no consensus on who will succeed Francis as leader of the Catholic Church.
Although some cardinals are seen as favorites to succeed Pope Francis – two of them are often mentioned, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle – many of the clerics who will vote say they have not yet decided.
Sistine chapel was assembled with confidentiality scheme
Vatican technicians end the preparation of the Sistine Chapel to receive the conclave ensuring that what happens inside remains confidential.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, 133 cardinals under 80 will enter the chapel for the first vote. They will walk on a newly installed floor, high to provide a platform to the altar, which is several steps higher than the rest of the chapel.
Security measures to ensure that no one is spying or trying to get information include film in the window to block special drone cameras and tiles to block signs of mobile phones, which are prohibited anyway.
The cardinals will be housed at Santa Marta’s residence, which has about 130 rooms, and in an older adjacent residence.
Vatican locked cellular signal
All cell phone signs will be disabled at the Vatican on Wednesday (7), shortly before the beginning of the conclave to elect the next Pope, the Italian state media said.
The Vatican also plans to use signal blockers around the Sistine chapel to prevent “electronic surveillance” or communication with people outside the conclave, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.
The phone signal will be cut at 15h at local time (10am from Brasilia), this Wednesday, an hour and a half before the cardinals moved to the Sistine Chapel to start the conclave, according to the state broadcaster Rai.
The blockade of the signal will not affect St. Peter’s Square, where the public usually meets, according to the spokesman.
Smoke that indicates result
You cannot enter the Sistine Chapel, but faithful and journalists learn about the result through the Smoke color that comes out of the Vatican roof.
Banknotes are burned after voting, once in the morning and once afternoon.
If one Pope has not been chosen, banknotes are burned together with a chemical that leaves Black smoke.
However, if the smoke that comes out of the roof is white this means that the world’s Catholics will have a New Church Head.
After the vote, a cardinal appears on the porch of St. Peter’s Square, and announces the traditional “Habemus Papam” (Latin for “we have a Pope”).
The official announcement of the new Pontiff takes place in Latin, following a used speech that refers to several papal elections.
See in the original language and translation:
The person in charge of announcing the election of the new pontiff to the 1.3 billion Roman Catholics in the world is the so -called “protodiacon cardinal.”
Currently, this position is held by French cardinal Dominique Mamberti.
If not elected Pope in the next conclave, he will announce the “Habemus Papam” on the central balcony of the Basilica of St. Peter.
The moment of the ad is always a lot of party for the thousands of faithful who expect the process in the Vatican.
Traditionally, about 30 to 60 minutes after white smoke, the New Pope will appear on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
The new pontiff will then speak briefly and will say a prayer. Days after the election, the Pope formally assumes the position.
The last two popes were sworn in at St. Peter’s Cathedral.
This content was originally published in Conclave begins this Wednesday: Learn all about the election of the new Pope on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
