CARDINALS are gathering in the Sistine Chapel today to take part in a secretive 1,000-year-old tradition to elect the new Pope.
Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinals will start voting for one of their number to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Before the cardinal’s vote, there will be a mass held in the Vatican this morning. The cardinals will start from their residence at Casa Santa Marta and head to the Sistine Chapel for the election, scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm UK time.
During this process, the cardinals must take an oath of secrecy. Breaking this oath could lead to excommunication. They are also not allowed to communicate with the outside world until a decision is made.
To know the outcome of the election, people must watch for the smoke coming from the chimney. Black smoke indicates that no candidate has received the majority vote, while white smoke signals the election of a new pope.
The previous two conclaves lasted two days, but hopefully papal watchers won’t have to wait as long as the vote following the death of Pope Clement IV, lasted a staggering two years.
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