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Abdulazeez Abubakar
1 month ago
Overview
Cardinals begin voting Thursday to pick new Pope
Voting by more than 130 Cardinals to elect a successor to the late Pope Francis will commence Thursday morning at the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City.
This follows the official entry of the Cardinals into the Conclave on Wednesday, a day after the twelfth and final General Congregation of Cardinals was held.
Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88, passed away on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
Ahead of Thursday’s vote, the Catholic Church has called on the faithful to intensify prayers for a process guided by the Holy Spirit.
The papal election process will begin with the Mass Pro Eligendo Pontifice — a special mass for the election of a new pope — after which the cardinals will proceed to the Apostolic Palace in choir dress for the Conclave.
“At 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, the Cardinals will depart from Santa Marta to the Apostolic Palace. By 8:15 a.m., they will celebrate Mass and Lauds in the Pauline Chapel.
At 9:15 a.m., there will be a mid-morning prayer in the Sistine Chapel, followed by the first vote,” a statement by Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, read.
After a break for lunch, the cardinals will return for the second round of voting at 4:30 p.m. Vespers will follow in the Sistine Chapel, before the cardinals return to Santa Marta at 7:30 p.m.
Voting will take place four times daily — two rounds in the morning and two in the afternoon.
A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new Pope.
With 133 eligible cardinal-electors, at least 89 votes are needed.
If no candidate secures the required majority after three days, the cardinals will observe a day of prayer and informal discussions, followed by a spiritual exhortation by the senior cardinal deacon, before voting resumes.
Should the Conclave reach 21 inconclusive voting rounds, a final pause for reflection is observed.
At that point, only the two candidates with the highest votes from the previous round remain eligible, though they are not allowed to vote. Even then, a two-thirds majority remains the standard.
As tradition dictates, after each voting session, ballots are burned.
Black smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney signals an inconclusive vote, while white smoke indicates that a new pope has been elected.
A total of 18 Africans are among the 135 cardinals eligible to elect the next Pope.
Though there are 252 cardinals, only 135 cardinals have voting status and are eligible to vote for the next Pope when the conclave begins.
Europe has the highest number with 53 cardinals of voting status.
Asia with 23 has the next highest number of cardinal electors followed by Africa with 18 voting members of the College of Cardinals.
South America follows with 17, while North America has 16 cardinal electors.
Oceania and Central America with four each have the lowest number of electors at the forthcoming conclave.
Interestingly, 108 of the electors were appointed by Pope Francis; 22 by his predecessor, Pope Benedict; and five by Pope John Paul II.
Ahead of the Conclave, the cardinals held their last General Congregation on Tuesday, during which they outlined the qualities expected of the next pontiff, including that he be a shepherd, a reformer, and a bridgebuilder.
A total of 26 interventions were made, touching on issues critical to the Church’s future. These included the ongoing reforms initiated under Pope Francis, such as measures to address sexual abuse, restructuring of the Roman Curia, financial accountability, synodality, environmental stewardship, and peacebuilding.
Other topics included Canon Law, the powers of the papacy, the role of cardinals, and proposals for regular meetings of the College of Cardinals.
Also discussed were the integration of Christian initiation and missionary formation, the remembrance of modern-day martyrs, and advocacy for religious freedom in conflict zones.
Ecumenical dialogue and the possibility of fixing a unified date for Easter, as first proposed by the Council of Nicaea, were also raised.
“The theme of communion was emphasised — a call for the next Pope to be a Pontifex, a builder of bridges, a shepherd, a master of humanity, and the face of a Samaritan Church,” Bruni said.
“In a time of war, violence, and polarisation, there is a deep yearning for a Pope of mercy, synodality, and hope,” he added.
Bruni further disclosed that the Ring of the Fisherman, traditionally worn by the Pope, has been rendered void — one of the symbolic rites following a papal death.
He also revealed that officials and staff involved in the Conclave took an oath of secrecy on Monday in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.
Meanwhile, the Vatican has made a global appeal to warring nations, urging an immediate and permanent ceasefire and calling for negotiations aimed at achieving just and lasting peace.
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