Eric Patrick
Catholic cardinals attended a special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, May 7, just a few hours before starting the secret vote (conclave) to choose a new pope.
A total of 133 cardinals, who are allowed to vote, filed into the basilica in a formal procession to music being sung by a choir.
The Mass was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who opened proceedings by swinging a censer with incense around the altar and blessing a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The cardinals, after the Mass, will move to the Vatican’s frescoed Sistine Chapel, where they will begin the private conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month.
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It has been centuries since a pope was elected on the first day of a conclave, meaning that the voting may extend over several days until one of the red-hatted princes of the Church secures the required two-thirds majority to be named the 267th pontiff.
On Wednesday, there will be just a single ballot cast. Following that, the cardinals will have the opportunity to vote up to four times each day.
A plume of black smoke rising from the chapel’s chimney will indicate an indecisive vote, whereas the sight of white smoke accompanied by the ringing of bells will announce the selection of a new leader for the 1.4-billion-member Church.
