Papal conclave begins as cardinals enter Sistine Chapel under lockdown
On Wednesday afternoon, a group of 133 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel for a papal conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis. As the doors were sealed at 5:46 p.m., the cardinals began their process of seclusion, where they will remain until a new bishop of Rome is chosen. The event began with a procession, where the cardinals invoked the names of saints while chanting a Litany, requesting their prayers.
The path to this conclave has been complex,with disagreements among cardinals hindering the emergence of a clear candidate. While Cardinal Pietro Parolin is currently viewed as a leading contender, other candidates like Cardinals Luis Tagle adn Peter Erdo have failed to garner the necessary support. In a bid to ensure confidentiality, cellphone signals around Vatican City are being jammed, limiting media access to the electing process.
The conclave operates under strict traditions, where cardinals cannot publicly campaign and must form informal voting blocs to support their candidates. As discussions continue within the closed environment, emerging alternatives may gain traction if preferred candidates cannot secure sufficient votes. The decision will be publicly signaled through the color of smoke emitted from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, with white smoke indicating that a new pope has been elected. The conclave is currently being closely watched by thousands gathered outside St.Peter’s Basilica, eager for updates on this important event in the catholic Church.
Cardinals enter Sistine Chapel for papal conclave under total digital lockdown
VATICAN CITY — On Wednesday afternoon, red-hatted clerics who carry the same weight and dignity as princes within the Catholic Church entered the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave to choose Pope Francis‘s successor. At 5:46 p.m. local time, the doors were sealed.
The 133 cardinals will remain in total seclusion within the chapel and its adjoining buildings until they choose from among themselves the next bishop of Rome, the servant of the servants of God and Vicar of Christ on Earth.
As the clock struck 4:30 p.m. in Rome, the screens in St Peter’s Square came to life, and the booming Latin remarks of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin rang out through Vatican City.
They filed two by two into the chapel as they chanted, invoking the names of dozens of apostles, martyrs, and other servants of God throughout time. “Ora pro nobis” was the response to each name — “Pray for us.”
Onlookers stood in awe as the video feed followed the cardinals from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel. All the way, they sang the Litany of the Saints — invoking God to have mercy on them and the saints to pray for their souls.
The road to this moment has been winding. Initial hopes that a clear candidate would emerge prior to the seclusion period were all but dashed after members reported infighting and disagreements on the direction the church needs to take.
Parolin remains the top contender, but he, along with other papabile such as Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines and Cardinal Peter Erdo of Hungary, reportedly hit a ceiling early, quite short of the 89 votes necessary to secure the papal tiara.
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The media will suffer a less severe yet frustrating blackout. Cellphone signals in Vatican City are being jammed to ensure the cardinals’ physical isolation is complemented by a digital exile.
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Winning over a handful, dozen, or even two dozen supporters within the college is difficult enough. Popes do not campaign for the position. In the Catholic hierarchy, ambition is unbecoming. At the highest levels of leadership, it’s considered outright dangerous.
Instead, senior cardinals often generate informal voting blocs with support from allies. These blocs subtly or aggressively push people they see as in line with their hopes for the church’s direction.
But candidates must be vetted thoroughly before being pushed. Once a cardinal becomes pope, he answers to no one. The Holy See wields absolute, unimpeachable power over the church and Vatican City.
A pope is also scrutinized by the public like no other leader on Earth. It is a fact of modern life that presidential mistresses, prime ministers’ shady pasts in banking, and compromising photos of royalty might cause a scandal but are not necessarily undermining of the office.
But the Catholic Church is not part of modern life. Murmurs of immorality or scandal in the Vatican carry much more weight, enough to chip away at the ancient institution’s moral credibility.
Cardinals will be able to discuss the election and candidates further during the conclave, between votes, during meals, and on their own time. These conversations could produce new candidates or carve paths for papabile thought to have hit a wall.
As preferred candidates begin to show an inability to reach two-thirds, alternatives are considered and compromises attempted.
Earlier Wednesday, St. Peter’s Square was bustling despite the gray clouds trickling occasional raindrops over Vatican City. Massive television screens were placed under statues of Sts. Peter and Paul. More displays extend down the Via della Conciliazione. Thousands will use these screens to monitor the conclave, standing too far from St. Peter’s Basilica to see the chimney smoke or the new pontiff appear. If the smoke is white, a new pope has been decided.
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