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Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Cardinals Convene for Conclave
The time has come to elect a new pope. On Wednesday, 133 cardinals from around the world gathered in the Vatican to begin their conclave. The day began in St. Peter's Basilica at 10 a.m. local time, with the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff, led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals. At 4:30 p.m. local time, the cardinal electors—cardinals under the age of 80—will meet in the Vatican's Pauline Chapel. They will then process solemnly into the Sistine Chapel, where voting will be held. All cardinals will take an oath binding them to 'absolute secrecy regarding all details surrounding the election of the new Pope, while promising to rebuff any attempts from outside to sway the election,' according to the Vatican news service. The oath also commits each elector to fulfilling the Munus Petrinum—the mission of St. Peter, the first pope—if he is elected to be the next supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church. Although any Catholic man is technically able to assume the role, every pope for the past several hundred years has been a cardinal before his election, and all of the outside speculation about the successor to the late Pope Francis has centered on cardinals. Related Stories 5/4/2025 4/25/2025 By 3 p.m. on May 7, cell phone coverage in the Vatican will cease. The Vatican Governorate, which administers the world's smallest country, announced that 'all the transmission systems of the mobile phone telecommunications signal, present in the territory of the Vatican City State ... will be deactivated.' This signal drop is in support of the conclave's security and secrecy requirements. Cell service will be restored 'with the maximum speed permitted by the technology of the mobile operators' after the announcement of the next pope's election. The two previous conclaves were held in April 2005 and March 2013, making this the third to take place in the age of social media. Secluded within the walls of the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals will meditate, pray, and formally enter into the voting process. Conclave Voting Process Traditionally, the cardinal electors will cast one vote on the first day, and will have four opportunities to vote on each subsequent day. All voting will be done via hand-written ballots. Each cardinal will place his vote into a chalice, declaring in Italian, 'Chiamo a testimone Cristo Signore, il quale mi giudicherà, che il mio voto è dato a colui che, secondo Dio, ritengo debba essere eletto.' Translated, that means, 'I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God.' The ballots are then counted and read aloud by three 'scrutineers'—cardinals chosen by lot to count the ballots—who ensure the vote was carried out correctly and string the ballots together. Three 'revisers'—also chosen by lot—then check to ensure the count is accurate. A two-thirds majority vote is needed to elect the next pope, which accounts for 89 of the 133 cardinal electors. The ballots are burned after each vote, and that smoke will be used to notify the outside world of the result. White smoke means the necessary majority was reached. Black smoke means that the cardinals are still divided. Onlookers may see smoke between 7–8 p.m. local time (1-2 p.m. EDT) on May 7, but it's historically unlikely that the conclave's first vote will produce a new pope. On Thursday, according to the Holy See Press Office, onlookers should anticipate smoke from the first vote of the day around 10:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. EDT). If black smoke rises, another vote could be expected after 12 p.m., and then after 5:30 p.m., and then around 7 p.m., if necessary. If the smoke is still black, the cardinals will return to their apartments at Casa Santa Marta near St. Peter's Basilica, ready to repeat the process on May 9. If no pope is chosen after three days, voting will be paused for a day of prayer, informal discussions, and a spiritual exhortation led by the senior cardinal deacon.
Herald Malaysia
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Conclave to elect new pope to begin on May 7
It will take place in the Sistine Chapel, which will remain closed to visitors during those days Apr 28, 2025 A file photo of Cardinals entering the Sistine Chapel before the conclave in March 2013. (Photo: Vatican News) The College of Cardinals, gathered in the Vatican City, has announced that they will begin their conclave to elect the 267th pope of the Catholic Church on May 7. The decision was made during the Fifth General Congregation of the cardinals in the Vatican's Synod Hall on April 28, the Vatican News reported. The highly secretive process of the election of a pope will take place inside the closed doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. The conclave, which comes after Pope Francis' death on April 21 and burial on April 26, will be preceded by a solemn Mass, attended by all available members of the College of Cardinals, the electors. Following the Holy Mass, the electors will move in a solemn procession to the Sistine Chapel, and each will take the oath following a prescribed form. Through this oath, they commit, if elected, to faithfully fulfill the Munus Petrinum as Pastor of the Universal Church, the Vatican News reported. The cardinals will also pledge to maintain absolute secrecy regarding the procedures and to refrain from supporting any attempts for external interference in the election. Following the pledge, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations will proclaim the extra omnes, meaning that all individuals who are not part of the Conclave must leave the Sistine Chapel. Among the 252 cardinals in the church, 135 under the age of 80 are eligible to vote for a new pope. Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis -- though that is no guarantee they will pick a successor in his likeness. Only the Master himself and the ecclesiastic designated to deliver the second meditation remain. This meditation focuses on the grave responsibility that rests upon the electors and the necessity of acting with pure intentions for the good of the Universal Church, keeping only God before their eyes. The election process is conducted with utmost secrecy and the electors must refrain from sending letters or engaging in conversations, including phone calls, except in cases of extreme urgency. 'They are not allowed to send or receive messages of any kind, receive newspapers or magazines of any nature, or follow radio or television broadcasts,' the Vatican News reported. To elect a new pope, a two-thirds majority of the electors present is required. If the total number of electors is not evenly divisible by three, an additional vote is necessary. Two ballots are slated to be held each day; however, in case the voting begins on the afternoon of the first day, there will be only one ballot. After the votes are counted, all ballots are burned. In the event of an inconclusive ballot, a chimney positioned over the Sistine Chapel emits black smoke. If a Pope is elected, white smoke will billow out of the chimney. If they fail to elect a pope after three days of inconclusive voting, a day's break is allowed for prayer and discussions before resuming the
