The Catholic Church is poised for a historic moment as 133 cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday evening, 7 May, to elect the 267th pope.
The conclave will begin with a Mass in St Peter’s Basilica at 10:00 (09:00 BST), presided over by 91-year-old Cardinal Dean Giovanni Battista Re.
To ensure the integrity of the process, mobile signals within the Vatican will be disabled, and the cardinals will be completely isolated from the outside world.
The proceedings will begin with the cardinals assembling in the Pauline Chapel before processing to the Sistine Chapel, chanting a litany and singing Veni Creator Spiritus, a hymn invoking the Holy Spirit.
Inside the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals will take an oath of secrecy, pledging not to disclose any details of the election process.
Following a period of meditation, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations will declare “Extra omnes!” Latin for “everyone out” signaling the start of the conclave.
The first ballot is expected to produce scattered results. According to Catholic writer and commentator Austen Ivereigh, the initial vote is key in identifying serious contenders.
“The cardinals who receive more than 20 votes will be taken into consideration,” he said. “In the first ballot, the votes will be very scattered, and the electors know they have to concentrate on the ones that have numbers.”
If no candidate achieves the required two-thirds majority, the cardinals will return to Casa Santa Marta for dinner, where behind-the-scenes discussions and negotiations often intensify.
The process will resume Thursday morning with breakfast at 06:30 (05:30 BST), followed by Mass and two rounds of voting.
The world watches with bated breath as the cardinals embark on this solemn and historic journey to choose the next leader of the Catholic Church.
