This Easter Monday Pope Francis died at 88 in his residence in Santa Martaas a result of the health problems derived from the infection that caused its admission to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome. First, the Pontiff suffered a polymicrobial infection and subsequently bilateral pneumonia that complicated his last days in the hospital.
Now, after his death there are many who speculate on the identity of his successor, who He will be chosen by the Catholic Church during the celebration of the conclave. But when will this vote occur and who will participate in it?
When the Pope dies, vacancy is declared
The conclave is probably the most media Catholic rite, with a long tradition and mystical that dates back to the origins of the Catholic Church. This is the Cardenalicio College Meeting -The cardinals from all over the world- that congregate Under key in the Sistine Chapelin the Vatican, to choose between them to the next leader of the Church, considered the successor of St. Peter by the Catholic religion.
When the Pope dies, Camarlengo – the administrator of the Holy See appointed by the Pontiff – certifies his death and seals the papal room. The fisherman’s ring is then destroyed -A ring engraved with a seal that carries the image of St. Peter and that the Pope behaves as his successor- and the period of Vacant headquarters.
Once the faithful is informed – and the world – of the death of the pontiff, Organize the noveltythe funerals of the Pope. With the Catholic Church of mourning, Preparations begin From the conclave: General congregations are celebrated, led by Camarlengo and Cardinal Dean, to specify the details of the process and general issues of the Church.
The start date of the conclave is then set, usually between 15 and 20 days after the death of the Pope, and All cardinals under 80 are summoned to Rome To participate in the election of the new Pontiff.
The cardinals are locked in the Sistine Chapel
The day of the start of the conclave, the cardinals displaced to Rome celebrate a mass, Pro choosing Pontifice, Prior to the conclave and chaired by Cardinal Dean, to ask God wisdom and certainty to choose the future Catholic leader.
Then, the cardinals access the interior of the Sistine Chapel, where they will vote to choose a new Pope. In a procedure loaded with symbolisms, The cardinals are locked up -Active, conclave comes from Latin cum keylocked- and No one can enter or leave during voting.
The cardinals are not locked all the time in the Sistine Chapel: they are carried out two votes in the morning and two in the afternoonbut the cardinals eat, have dinner and rest in the Santa Marta housea residence adjacent to the Basilica of San Pedro, inside the city of the Vatican.
Throughout the process, yes, The cardinals are isolated from the rest of the world: To avoid external influences, they cannot have access to media or internet, nor to mobile phones, during the days that the procedure may last. In the conclave only the cardinals and only the cardinals – no assistants, or other priests – and the vote in it are totally secret.
White or black smoking and two thirds of the conclave
Voting inside the Sistine Chapel follow a very simple procedure: Each cardinal writes the name of another cardinal who considers ideal To be the new Pope, he folds his ballot and introduces it into a urn. After the vote, the table of “scruty” cardinals opens the urn and mixes the votes to tell them, reading each vote aloud and marking them on a control sheet. Reviewers verify this count.
If at the end of the count no candidate has obtained two thirds of the votes of the Cardinal College, the ballots are introduced into the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and burn together with Chemical substances that generate a black smoke. This black smoking, visible from the outside, tells the faithful gathered in the Plaza de San Pedro that The conclave has not yet chosen a new Pope and that it will be necessary to repeat the vote.
Otherwise, If a cardinal is supported By two -thirds votes of the conclave, Cardinal Dean asks “Do you accept your canonic choice as Supreme Pontiff?” If he accepts, the new Pope must choose his papal name and is dressed in the White Sotana. The votes are burned with substances to cast the famous White smokingwhich advances to the faithful that the conclave has ended with the choice of a new pontiff.
Moments later, Cardinal Protodiácon Habemus Papam before el New Holy Father appears on the balcony to give his first blessing to Rome and the world.
The most universal conclave in history
Pope Francis left the legacy of a more universal church, which will represent all corners of the world, and not only to Europe, with special attention to distant countries, after the Appointment of 80 % of the 135 cardinals that will be part of the conclave.
After his last town hall, the tenth of his pontificate, The Cardenalicio College was composed of 252 wandered135 of them under 80 years of age and, therefore, voters, thus establishing a new record for being the busiest in history, since the rules decree that they are 120 purple.
Among them, there is a greater representation of countries that until now did not enter the Sistine such as Mongolia, Lesoto, Albania, East Timor, Tonga, Iran and Algeria. Besides, There will be 24 Latin American cardinals possible voters, even far from the 55 Europeansbut although the Italians remain the largest group of a future conclave, their relative weight has decreased over the years: there were 28 about the 115 that in 2013 chose Jorge Bergogio and today would be 18 out of 141.
The growth of the number of African cardinals is also evident, but more content, from 11 to 18. Spain, meanwhile, It is the third country in number of members of the Cardenalicio College, with 13 cardinalsbehind Italy (48) and the United States (17), although, they could only participate and vote six, for being less than 80 years old.
