Catholic cardinals gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, May 7, for a special Mass just hours before beginning the secret conclave to elect a new pope.
A total of 133 cardinals, eligible to vote, entered the basilica in a solemn procession, accompanied by choir music. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who led the ceremony by swinging incense around the altar and blessing a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Following the Mass, the cardinals were expected to move to the Sistine Chapel inside the Vatican to begin the private voting process to choose a successor to Pope Francis, who passed away last month.
Since no pope has been chosen on the first day of a conclave in recent centuries, the voting could last for several days. To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority from the group known as the “princes of the Church.”
Only one vote will take place on Wednesday. From Thursday onward, the cardinals may hold up to four ballots per day.
The outcome of each vote will be announced in traditional fashion: black smoke from the chapel chimney will indicate no decision has been reached, while white smoke and ringing bells will signal that the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church has a new pope.
