Cardinals Gather for Historic Papal Election Conclave
The conclave, which began Monday, will decide on the leader for over one billion Catholics worldwide.
Exactly 115 cardinals from 52 countries withdrew into seclusion in Vatican City for the secretive and momentous conclave that will elect the next Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
The conclave, which began Monday, will decide on the leader for over one billion Catholics worldwide.
"The new pope has already been chosen by the Lord. we just have to pray to understand who he is," said Florence Cardinal Ennio Antonelli during Sunday Mass in Rome, according to Agence France Presse.
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Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Vallis revealed that there will be a Mass held at 10 a.m. on Monday but that the conclave itself would not start until 4:30 p.m, according to CNN. The electors will cast their ballots inside the Sistine Chapel, which has been outfitted with electronic jamming devices to prevent hi-tech eavesdroppers. Each cardinal, along with the in-house staff has been sworn to secrecy, on penalty of excommunication.
The conclave may last only one day if the two-thirds of the cardinals immediately agree. However, Vatican observers say that even the most talked about candidate, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, currently commands only 40 to 50 votes, according to the Chicago Tribune.
If the cardinals don't agree on the first day, each successive day will allow two votes in the morning and two in the afternoon until a pope is elected, said Navarro-Vallis. If three days go by without a pope, the cardinals will take one day off for reflection and prayer and then resume. The conclaves of the last century lasted from two to five days. If no one is chosen after 30 votes, then only a simple majority will be needed.
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras who has been mentioned as a possible pope, emphasized that this will not be any ordinary voting process.
"People think that we are going to vote like in an election. But this is something completely different. We are going to listen to the Lord and listen to the Holy Spirit," said Maradiaga, according to Reuters.
The cardinals will be staying in St. Martha House ("Domus Sanctae Marthae"), which has simple, hotel-like rooms capable of accommodating each cardinal individually. The cardinals will have access to a communal dining room, medical staff, and priests for confession. They will also be allowed to take strolls outside of St. Martha's in the Vatican's gardens.
