Cardinals begin preparations for historic Papal Conclave at the Vatican
PTC Web Desk: Cardinals from around the world will start arriving at their Vatican accommodations on Tuesday as they prepare for the highly secretive and historic conclave to elect a new pope. This comes after the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
A total of 133 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will take part in the election process, which officially begins on Wednesday inside the Sistine Chapel. This conclave is notable for being the largest and most international in history, with cardinals from 70 countries across five continents.
Traditionally, cardinals stay in the Santa Marta guesthouse in the Vatican during the conclave. This facility offers hotel-like comforts such as private bathrooms and room service. However, due to the large number of participants this year, some cardinals will be placed in an additional nearby building called Santa Marta Vecchia, which normally houses Vatican officials.
The cardinals will receive their room assignments by drawing lots and can access their accommodations starting Tuesday. A special mass will be held Wednesday morning before the conclave begins.
Before the voting starts, the cardinals have been holding daily meetings to discuss major Church issues like financial management, sexual abuse scandals, unity in the Church, and the ideal qualities for the next pope. According to Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco from France and Algeria, these meetings have helped cardinals who had never met before get to know each other better. He mentioned that there are "at least five or six" strong candidates, though no clear favorite has emerged yet.
The process of electing a pope is surrounded by strict secrecy. Cardinals are not allowed to contact the outside world and must leave their mobile phones behind when the voting starts. To maintain confidentiality, the Vatican will cut off mobile signals inside its walls starting Wednesday at 3:00 PM local time, though this will not affect St. Peter’s Square. The results of the vote are shared with the public using the traditional method of smoke signals: Black smoke means no decision has been reached and white smoke means a new pope has been elected.
Support staff, including doctors, cooks, cleaners, and security personnel, have also taken oaths of secrecy and are not allowed to share any information about what happens during the conclave.
While both Pope Francis and Benedict XVI were elected in just two days, the Church has seen much longer conclaves in history. The longest, held from 1268 to 1271, lasted 1,006 days.
This time, many observers are watching closely to see whether the new pope will continue Francis’s progressive reforms or steer the Church in a more conservative direction. Although Francis appointed about 80% of the voting cardinals, experts say the outcome remains unpredictable and may bring surprises.
- With inputs from agencies
