The Latest: Catholic cardinals to sequester themselves in the Vatican for the start of the conclave
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Catholic cardinals will sequester themselves Wednesday behind the Vatican’s medieval walls for the start of a conclave to elect the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, a successor to Pope Francis who died in April at the age of 88.
The 133 cardinals from 70 countries will be locked inside the Sistine Chapel, where they will vote in secret and silence, a process designed to be both contemplative and free from outside interference. They will surrender their cellphones and airwaves around the Vatican will be jammed to prevent them from all communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member church.
Here is the latest:
A final pre-conclave Mass
Cardinals have entered St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday to celebrate the final Mass before the conclave to elect a new pope.
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, is celebrating the Mass and leading the prayers for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to choose a worthy new shepherd.
Re, 91, had presided at Francis’ funeral two weeks ago, delivering a heartfelt sermon recalling history’s first Latin American pope and the reforming 12-year papacy he oversaw.
Later in the day, the cardinals will sequester themselves in the Sistine Chapel to begin casting their ballots.
How the voting works
The electors cast paper ballots, and voting continues until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes. After two rounds of voting, ballots are burned in a special stove — black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.
The last few popes have been elected within a few days, but there is no formal deadline. Electors must be under 80, and are more geographically diverse than ever.
They represent Catholicism’s growing presence in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as its traditional power base in Europe.
Prayers in the Philippines for another pope good for poor people
Nearly 100 people in a slum in Manila, the Philippine capital, were praying Wednesday for the conclave to elect another pope who will reach out to the poor.
Rev. Robert Reyes told the crowd in a small chapel surrounded by shanties in suburban Quezon city that the next pope should be humble and inclusive, like Francis.
“Francis was such a unique person open to all, specially to those who are neglected, forgotten, marginalized, rejected and oppressed,” said Reyes.
The Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, has long been plagued by poverty and inequality.