No Pope announcement yet as black smoke billows from Sistine Chapel
On May 7, AFP journalists reported that black smoke had thickened out of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. This indicated that the cardinals were not able to elect a new Pope in their initial attempt during the conclave.
In St. Peter's Square, countless people had started to gather to witness the event while the 133 cardinals were shut inside for a little over 3 hours.
Before voting again on Thursday, the prelates are required to return to the Santa Marta guesthouse where they are spending the election.
Following an age-old custom, every member of the clergy who is below the age of eighty will cast their vote in private inside the Sistine Chapel until one candidate receives at least two-thirds of the votes — 89 votes — cast in favor of being crowned the Pope.
As previously mentioned, white smoke escaping from the Sistine Chapel chimney serves as an indication that a new Pope has been selected, with a senior cardinal subsequently declaring in Latin, “Habemus Papam,” which translates to “We have a new Pope.”
According to the live telecast from the Holy See, the Cardinals who had gathered earlier in Vatican’s Pauline Chapel were there to pray before the conclave session started.
The cardinals were then escorted a few meters away to the Sistine Chapel where they were confined prior to the first voting session on Wednesday evening to elect a successor to pope Francis.
This conclave is the most expansive and diverse in history,with cardinals from approximately seventy countries —many of whom had never met before.
Pope Francis, the Argentinian pope, does not have a clear successor but the cardinals have… conflicting progressive and conservative views which makes this decision difficult.
Comments