Voting Continues Until Two-Thirds Majority Is Reached
80% of Cardinals Are New Faces... Conclave May Take Longer
The conclave, the secret meeting of the College of Cardinals to elect a new pope, is scheduled to begin on May 7 (local time).
Matteo Bruni, spokesperson for the Vatican, announced on the 28th that the schedule for the conclave was set during a closed meeting of the College of Cardinals held that day. More than 180 people attended this meeting, where issues related to the election of the next pope were discussed. According to regulations, the conclave must begin within 15 to 20 days after the death of the pope. Pope Francis passed away on the 21st.
According to reports from AFP and other foreign media, the Sistine Chapel was closed to the public from this day to prepare for the conclave. Since the late 19th century, the conclave has been held in the Sistine Chapel. This conclave will be attended by 135 cardinals under the age of 80 from all over the world.
Pope Francis before the start of the conclave in the Vatican on March 12, 2013, when he was elected. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
The conclave is conducted by anonymous voting, and voting is repeated until a candidate receives more than two-thirds of the votes. On the first day, one vote is held, and on the second and third days, two votes are held each in the morning and afternoon. After each vote, the ballots are burned; usually, when a pope has not been elected, ordinary black smoke rises from the chimney. However, when a new pope is chosen, special chemicals are added to produce white smoke, which is the tradition.
When a candidate surpasses the required number of votes, the person is asked whether they accept the papacy and what their papal name will be. Then, the senior cardinal deacon appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and declares "Habemus Papam" (We have a pope), officially announcing the election of the new pope to the public.
The average duration of past conclaves is said to be three days. In the conclaves held in 2005 and 2013, a new pope was elected in just two days. However, some predict that this conclave may take longer than previous ones. This is because 80% of the College of Cardinals have been newly appointed in the past 12 years, and many of them have never met each other before.
Meanwhile, within the Catholic community, attention is focused on several candidates considered likely to become the new pope. According to AFP, leading candidates include Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Italy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Jerusalem, Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy. Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik of Korea, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, is also reportedly among the candidates.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
