White smoke has emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the papal conclave has chosen the next successor of St. Peter. What happens after the College of Cardinals elects a new pope?
White smoke has emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that the papal conclave has chosen the next successor of St. Peter. What happens after the College of Cardinals elects a new pope?
The 133 cardinals who entered the conclave failed to reach a two-thirds supermajority of at least 89 votes to elect a new pope during their morning session May 8.
The 133 cardinals who entered the conclave in the Sistine Chapel May 7 failed to elect the next pope on their first ballot.
Before entering the conclave to elect the next pope, cardinals gathered for a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re urged them to choose a shepherd guided by love, unity, and the needs of a world in crisis.
As the conclave begins in Vatican City, tourists, locals, and Vatican employees navigate roadblocks, museum closures, and mobile signal shutdowns — all part of the strict measures to ensure secrecy in the election of the next pope.
With less than 48 hours until the beginning of the conclave, the cardinals who will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope discussed war, the need for dialogue and the role of the pope in fostering it.
In the heart of Vatican City, the usually quiet Casa Santa Marta is abuzz with workers, engineers, and Vatican officials transforming the guesthouse that was the residence of Pope Francis into a secure, secluded place of lodging that would put Fort Knox to shame.
As was the case with Pope Francis, and especially since the 5th century, almost every pope has chosen a name to honor a saint or a previous pope.
In preparation for the conclave, workers have placed a protective covering over the marble mosaic floors and started carrying in pipes, couplers and sheets of subflooring into the Sistine Chapel
One by one, placing a right hand on the Book of Gospels, staff driving, cooking, cleaning and caring for the cardinals who will elect a new pope will swear an oath of perpetual secrecy about the election of the 267th successor of St. Peter.