Catholic cardinals have entered the Sistine Chapel where they will sequester themselves for the centuries-old ritual of conclave, a secretive vote to elect the 267th pontiff following the death of Pope Francis.
Hailing from 70 different countries, the geographically diverse group chanted the meditative ‘Litany of the Saints’ and the Latin hymn ‘Veni Creator,’ as they walked in, imploring the saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.
A line of Swiss Guards stood at attention as the cardinals then took their turn to bow at the altar.
Once inside, they will pledge to maintain secrecy about what’s about to transpire and to not allow any interference from outsiders to influence their voting.
Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in ‘The Last Judgment,’ each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that duty.
The awesomeness of the chapel’s frescoes, and Michelangelo’s in particular, is meant to remind the cardinals of the weighty responsibility they bear.
After the cardinals take their oaths, a senior cardinal delivers a meditation.
The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out ‘Extra omnes,’ Latin for ‘all out.’
Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.
Once inside, they will pledge to maintain secrecy about what’s about to transpire and to not allow any interference from outsiders to influence their voting
Hailing from 70 different countries, the geographically diverse group chanted the meditative ‘Litany of the Saints’ and the Latin hymn ‘Veni Creator,’ as they walked in
Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in ‘The Last Judgment,’ each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that dut
After the cardinals take their oaths, a senior cardinal delivers a meditation
The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out ‘Extra omnes,’ Latin for ‘all out’
This morning the 133 electors, dressed in distinctive bright red vestments trimmed with gold thread, heard of the ‘weighty decision’ they must make at a special mass.
Smoke indicating whether or not the 267th pope has been chosen could come from the specially-erected chimney of the Sistine Chapel as early as Wednesday evening.
If black smoke rises into the air over St Peter’s Square, it will confirm no-one achieved the required two-thirds majority, and voting will resume tomorrow.
Up to four votes a day can take place from then, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, with white smoke confirming a new pope has been chosen.
But it is unlikely that they will come to a consensus with the first vote, given that previous elections have taken a number of days.
The longest conclave in history was almost three years, when Pope Gregory X was elected.
The shortest lasted just 10 hours and ended with the election of Pope Julius II in 1503.
In recent history the next leader of the Catholic Church is usually elected within two or three days.
There are three UK cardinals taking part in conclave – Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche.
Cardinal Nichols had called on people to pray for himself and other cardinals as they embark on the secret voting process, adding that he feels ‘quite intimidated’ knowing the world is watching to see who they choose.
The voting cardinals – those aged under 80 who are the only ones eligible to cast a ballot – were urged to ‘invoke the help of the Holy Spirit’ to help them elect a pope ‘whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history’.
The current frontrunner is thought to be Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, from the Philippines, who would be the first Asian pope.
Pietro Parolin, the current secretary of state for the Vatican, is also considered to be a leading candidate.
Smoke indicating whether or not the 267th pope has been chosen could come from the specially-erected chimney of the Sistine Chapel as early as Wednesday evening
The voting cardinals – those aged under 80 who are the only ones eligible to cast a ballot – were urged to ‘invoke the help of the Holy Spirit’ to help them elect a pope
Addressing them in St Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said: ‘To pray, by invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and proper attitude to take as the cardinal electors prepare to undertake an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility and to make a choice of exceptional importance’
Addressing cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said: ‘To pray, by invoking the Holy Spirit, is the only right and proper attitude to take as the cardinal electors prepare to undertake an act of the highest human and ecclesial responsibility and to make a choice of exceptional importance.
‘This is a human act for which every personal consideration must be set aside, keeping in mind and heart only the God of Jesus Christ and the good of the Church and of humanity.’
The pontiff – believed to be someone called to be the successor to St Peter, who was the first pope – will need to be a person who can ‘awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God’, Cardinal Battista Re added.
He said a new pope must foster a sense of communion – ‘communion of all Christians with Christ; communion of the Bishops with the Pope; communion of the Bishops among themselves’.
He added: ‘This is not a self-referential communion, but one that is entirely directed towards communion among persons, peoples and cultures, with a concern that the Church should always be a ‘home and school of communion’.’
He said there is a ‘strong call to maintain the unity of the Church’ although this is ‘a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity, provided that full fidelity to the Gospel is maintained’.
Following a centuries-old tradition, cardinals are cut off from all communications with the outside world while they take part in the anonymous voting process.
The pontiff – believed to be someone called to be the successor to St Peter, who was the first pope – will need to be a person who can ‘awaken the consciences of all and the moral and spiritual energies in today’s society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God’, Cardinal Battista Re said
There are three UK cardinals taking part in conclave – Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche
The diversity of the electors has been a talking point as the result of the secretive vote approaches
Following a centuries-old tradition, cardinals are cut off from all communications with the outside world while they take part in the anonymous voting process
Cardinal Battista Re said the late Pope John Paul II had once expressed the hope that ‘during the hours of voting on this weighty decision, Michelangelo’s looming image of Jesus the Judge would remind everyone of the greatness of the responsibility of placing the ‘supreme keys’ (Dante) in the correct hands’.
The diversity of the electors has been a talking point as the result of the secretive vote approaches.
Francis named 108 of the 133 ‘princes of the church,’ choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.
His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors and include younger ones from the ‘global south’ – those often marginalized countries with lower economic clout – has injected an unusual degree of uncertainty in a process that is always full of mystery and suspense.
