A solemn mass has begun in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, preceding the conclave that will elect the new 267th Pope of Rome on Wednesday.
The cardinals will gather in the Sistine Chapel to choose the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. The conclave will be attended by 133 cardinals from around the world.
The conclave is being held in strict secrecy. The cardinals’ decision will remain strictly confidential until the end of the vote, and the new pope will be elected by a majority vote — a candidate must receive two-thirds of the votes. The conclave begins with morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Its conclusion and the election of the new pontiff will be announced by white smoke from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel. A pipe has been installed above the chapel for this purpose.
During the conclave, the Vatican Gardens, the ancient Roman necropolis on Via Triumphalis and the Sistine Chapel itself will be closed to visitors. It is not yet known when it will reopen to tourists, as the meeting will last as long as necessary to elect a pontiff.
The Italian newspaper La Stampa noted that for the first time, the majority of cardinals eligible to vote for the new pope will come from Latin America, Asia and Africa, rather than Europe. The last pope, Francis, was the first Argentine to head the Holy See. He changed the geographical balance in the Church and appointed more than 20 cardinals from countries that had not previously been represented at this level. These included Rwanda, Cape Verde, Myanmar, Mongolia and South Sudan. In total, Francis appointed 108 of the 138 cardinals with voting rights, which is almost 80% of the conclave.
Security measures have been tightened in the Vatican: checks have been set up at the entrances to areas popular with tourists, and mobile communications have been disabled to ensure complete secrecy of the process.
Pope Francis died on April 21 at the age of 88. The day before, he delivered his last address to the faithful on the occasion of Easter. The Pope was buried in Rome, where on April 26 his coffin was placed in a crypt in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
