VATICAN CITY (NewsNation) — Cardinals secluded behind the walls of the Vatican sent up black smoke on Wednesday, signaling a pope had not yet been elected.
Wednesday marked the start of a conclave to elect the 267th pope.
A Vatican official called out “extra omnes,” and the door to the Sistine Chapel shut just before 11 a.m. CT. The Latin expression means “all out” and signals all those who aren’t eligible to vote for a new pope to leave the Sistine Chapel.
The order, delivered Wednesday by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, allows the beginning of voting to elect the next pontiff to follow Pope Francis.
A group of 133 cardinals from 70 countries are locked inside the Sistine Chapel, where they will vote in secret, a process designed to be contemplative and free from outside communication. Cellphones are surrendered, and airwaves around the Vatican are jammed to prevent any communication with the outside world until a new leader is chosen for the 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.
Two by two, the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” as Swiss Guards stood at attention. The hymn implores the saints to help the cardinals find a new leader of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church. They bowed before the altar and took their places before taking an oath of secrecy and shutting the Sistine Chapel doors to start the conclave.
Though the cardinals aren’t required to vote on the first day, they typically do. If no pope is elected in the initial round, the Vatican said black smoke would rise from the Sistine Chapel chimney at around 7 p.m. local time.
The cardinals will then retire for the night and resume voting Thursday morning. They can hold up to two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon until one candidate receives the required two-thirds majority.
Cardinals urged to elect new pope who seeks unity
The cardinals began the centuries-old ritual to select a successor to Pope Francis, who died last month at the age of 88, by celebrating a morning Mass.
During the Mass, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, urged his peers to elect a pope who values unity and can set aside “every personal consideration,” The Associated Press reported. He said the world today needs a leader who can awaken consciences.
Challenges facing a new pope
The next pontiff will face several challenges, including continuing Francis’ progressive legacy or pivoting toward a path to unify a church that became more polarized during his pontificate.
One of the key topics raised Monday was the “strong concern” over divisions within the church, a Vatican spokesperson told Reuters. This may refer to contentious issues such as Pope Francis’ decision to permit blessings for same-sex couples and to initiate discussions about the role of women in the church.
The clergy sex abuse scandal has also hung over preconclave discussions.
How long can the conclave take?
Some cardinals have expressed it’s in their best interest for the process to move as swiftly as possible.
For the past century, finding a pope has taken between three and eight ballots. John Paul I, who reigned for 33 days in 1978, was elected on the third ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight.
Francis’ conclave was notably quick, lasting around 24 hours; he was elected on the fifth in 2013.
Pope Benedict’s conclave in 2005 took two days. Since 1900, the longest conclave has lasted five days, providing some context for what onlookers might expect in the coming days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
