More than 130 cardinals from around the world gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday to celebrate a solemn Mass ahead of the secretive conclave that will elect a new pope following the death of Pope Francis.
The Mass, known as Pro Eligendo Pontifice (“For the Election of the Roman Pontiff”), is a tradition that precedes the start of the conclave — the centuries-old process during which eligible cardinals, all under the age of 80, are locked inside the Sistine Chapel to vote in secrecy for the next leader of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis, who passed away last week at the age of 88 after a prolonged illness, led the Catholic Church for over a decade, marked by progressive reforms, outreach to marginalized groups, and efforts to address clerical abuse scandals.
In his homily during the Mass, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, called on his fellow electors to seek divine guidance in choosing a leader who will “unite the Church and lead it with wisdom and compassion through the challenges of the modern world.”
The conclave is expected to begin within the next 24 hours. Voting will proceed until a cardinal receives a two-thirds majority. White smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney will signal the election of a new pope, while black smoke indicates that no decision has yet been reached.
This will be the first papal conclave in over a decade and one of the most closely watched religious events globally, as over 1.3 billion Catholics await their new spiritual leader.
Sources: Vatican News Service, Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Catholic News Agency
