Cardinals have gathered to elect a new Pope as the papal conclave gets underway in the Vatican later today.
More than 130 cardinals, from 70 countries, will enter the Sistene Chapel this afternoon ahead of a first vote to elect a successor to Pope Francis in the highly secretive process.
They will be sequestered from the outside world, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent them from all communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
Conclave mystery as African cardinal claims he ‘hasn’t been invited’
The conclave to elect a new Pope has been hit by a controversy after an African cardinal claimed he ‘hadn’t been invited’.
Cardinal John Njue, 79, is eligible to join the other 133 cardinals from 70 countries, who are gathering in the Vatican for the start of the secretive process which begins this afternoon in the Sistine Chapel.
But in an interview, the Kenyan clergyman suggested dark forces were at work in a scenario that could have come straight out of Ralph Fiennes papal blockbuster Conclave.
Speaking to Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation, cardinal Njue said:’ Those who go there for the election are usually sent official invites, and that has not happened on my part.
‘The fact is that I have not been invited. I don’t know why I’ve been excluded, if I’m not there it’s not because I am in poor health.’
Who will be the new Pope?
After the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, the world is waiting to see who will succeed him, as the Cardinals gather in Rome for the Papal Conclave.
Francis was the first Latin American Pope, so did that signal a wider change within the Catholic Church and will we now see the first black or Asian Pope?
Ross Clark reports on the top contenders to become the next Supreme Pontiff:
After the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, the world is waiting to see who will succeed him, as the Cardinals gather in Rome for the Papal Conclave.
Why this papal conclave is like no other
All 133 Catholic cardinals who will vote for a new pope arrived in Rome on Monday, before gathering at today’s conclave to elect the next head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Hailing from 70 countries across five continents, the group – summoned following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 – is the largest and the most international ever.
The 133 so-called ‘Princes of the Church’ who will vote – all those aged under 80, minus two who are absent for health reasons – will gather this afternoon under the frescoed splendour of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
Voting once that day and four times a day thereafter until a pope is chosen, they will stay at the nearby Santa Marta guesthouse but are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have made their choice.
Three key questions as papal conclave begins in the Vatican
Let’s take a look at some of the key questions ahead of today’s vote:
- What is a conclave?
It refers to the secret meeting of cardinals who will gather in the Sistine Chapel to vote for the next pope.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it comes from the Latin meaning a room that can be locked with a key.
Vatican News – the news website connected to the Church in Rome – said 133 cardinals will take part in this conclave, which will begin on May 7.
The day will begin with mass attended by all voting cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica, before they enter the Sistine Chapel – and are cut off from communication with the outside world – to begin voting in the afternoon.
- How long might it take?
That is anybody’s guess. Each day, aside from the first, cardinals can vote four times – twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon.
Both of the most recent conclaves, in 2005 to elect Pope Benedict and 2013 to elect Pope Francis lasted just two days.
This conclave could have begun on May 5, but the delayed starting date of May 7 might allow the cardinals to get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate or at least the frontrunners.
- Who is the next pope likely to be?
Technically, any baptised Catholic man could become the next pontiff, but it is highly unlikely the chosen one would be anyone other than a cardinal.
Only cardinals who were aged under 80 on the day of the pope’s death are eligible to vote but older cardinals not sitting in conclave could be elected.
While there has been much speculation as to the frontrunners, one expert described this conclave as “totally unpredictable”.
Preview: Cardinals prepare for first vote on new Pope TODAY
With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday begin the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.
Hailing from 70 countries, the cardinals will be sequestered from the outside world, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent them from all communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member church.
Francis named 108 of the 133 ‘princes of the church,’ choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.
With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday begin the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis.
Conclave to elect new Pope to start in Vatican City
Once the conclave begins this afternoon, more than 130 Catholic cardinals will vote in secret sessions while locked inside the Sistine Chapel.
After voting sessions, the ballots are burned in a special stove.
Black smoke indicates that no pope has been elected, while white smoke indicates that the cardinals have chosen the next head of the Catholic Church when they secure two-thirds of the vote. (Mail Online)