VATICAN CITY — As the Catholic Church mourns the loss of Pope Francis, preparations are underway for the conclave to elect his successor.
The conclave, a deeply solemn and secretive process, will see Cardinals from around the world gather in the Sistine Chapel to choose the next leader of the Church’s 1.3 billion followers.
The term “conclave” comes from the Latin “with a key,” signifying the cardinals being locked away without any communication devices or outside contact.
New York’s Archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who participated in the last conclave in 2013, recalled the words of the preacher of the papal household: “The Holy Spirit has chosen the next pope. Your job is simple – find out who it is.”
Cardinals under the age of 80 are called to Rome, many meeting each other for the first time.
Cardinal Dolan emphasized the importance of these meetings, saying, “You don’t want to go in without your glasses, you want to kind of know your brother cardinals.”
While the process may seem akin to political primaries, Dolan clarified, “I don’t want you to think this is the Iowa caucuses, like we’re interviewing potential candidates. We’re more kind of inviting noted leaders of different churches to ask them about issues, their observations on the state of the church.”
Despite the media’s attempts to predict the outcome, open campaigning for the papacy is considered unseemly. The cardinals, numbering around 120, surrender all technology and assistance upon entering the Vatican.
Cardinal Dolan recounted the strict security measures, noting, “As they’re done and they say your eminence, you can enter, my very helpful secretary Father Jim Cruz picked up my luggage and started to walk in and we were at the tip of the spear of a Swiss Guard. That’s how serious they are.”
Once inside, the cardinals take a sacred oath of secrecy. Cardinal Dolan described the process as one of “silence,” with no speeches, just prayer and voting. The cardinals conduct four rounds of secret ballot voting each day until a two-thirds majority is reached.
Outside, the world watches for the smoke signals from the Sistine Chapel chimney. Black smoke indicates no pope has been elected, while white smoke signifies the successful election of a new pope.
With the election complete, the cardinals’ role concludes, leaving history and God to judge their decision.
