Cardinals from around the world gathered in St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning for a solemn final mass ahead of the secretive conclave to elect the next pope, following the death of Pope Francis last month. The ceremony marked the last public rite before the 133 eligible cardinal electors begin their secluded deliberations inside the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
The mass, presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, drew clergy from over 70 countries across five continents. With no clear frontrunner to succeed Francis, the race to become the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church remains wide open. Cardinals representing both conservative and progressive traditions will now vote to choose a leader who must guide the Church through internal divisions, declining numbers in the West, financial challenges, and ongoing fallout from clerical abuse scandals.
At 3:45 pm, the cardinals departed from the Santa Marta guesthouse to the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel for prayer, before proceeding to the Sistine Chapel home to Michelangelo’s masterpieces and the scene of centuries-old papal elections. There, they swore oaths of secrecy, relinquished mobile phones, and committed to faithfully serving if chosen as pope.
Under the ceiling of The Last Judgment, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin a leading contender and former secretary of state under Francis called for divine guidance through the traditional Latin hymn “Veni, Creator Spiritus”.
The next pontiff must secure a two-thirds majority, meaning at least 89 votes. The cardinals will cast their votes in secrecy, placing marked ballots into an urn at the chapel’s altar. The result of each vote will be signaled by smoke rising from the chapel’s chimney black for no decision, white for a successful election.
Despite the uncertainty, thousands have gathered in St Peter’s Square, eyes fixed on the chimney. While past conclaves have yielded a pope within two days, the process remains one of the most mysterious in the world. The global Catholic community now awaits the appearance of a new pope on the balcony perhaps within days.
