Vote to start choosing a new pope

On Wednesday night, under the domed ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo, 133 cardinals will vote for the election of the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church.

The day will start at 10:00 (09:00 BST) with a liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica. The service, which will be broadcast on television, will be chaired by Giovanni Batista Re, 91-year-old Cardinal Dean, who was also a holiday at Pope Francis’ funeral.

In the early afternoon, the mobile signal in the Vatican territory will be deactivated to prevent anyone who participates in the conclave to connect with the outside world.

Around 4:15 pm (15:15 BST) 133 cardinal voters will gather in the Paulin Chapel and form a procession to the Sistine Chapel.

All the while, they will sing Lyan and the creator of the hymn veins – a summoning of the Holy Spirit, which is seen as a leading hand that will help the cardinals choose the new pope.

Once in the Sistine Chapel, one hand, based on a copy of the Gospel, the Cardinals will pronounce the prescribed oath of secrecy, which prevents them from sharing details of how the new pope was selected.

When the latter of the voters put the oath, meditation will be conducted. Then the master of papal liturgical celebrations Diego Raveli will announce “Everryl out”.

He is one of the three church officials allowed to remain in the Sistine Chapel, although he is not a Cardinal voter, although they will have to leave the premises during the vote.

The moment “Extra omnes” pronounces, marks the beginning of the isolation of the cardinals – and the beginning of the conclave.

The word that comes from Latin for “Cum class” or “key locked” is slightly misleading as the cardinals are no longer locked inside; Rather, on Tuesday, the Vatican staff closed the entrances to the Apostolic Palace- which includes the Sistine Chapel- with lead stamps that will remain until the end of production. Swiss guards will also overflow all entrances to the chapel.

Diego Raveli will distribute ballots, and the cardinals will continue to the first vote shortly thereafter.

Although nothing forbids the Pope from being selected with the first vote, this has not happened for centuries. However, this first vote is very important, says Austin Ivery, Catholic writer and commentator.

“Cardinals, who have more than 20 votes, will be taken into account. At the first vote, the votes will be very scattered and voters know that they need to concentrate on those who have numbers,” Ivers says.

He adds that any other newsletter will then indicate which of the cardinals has inertia. “It’s almost like a political campaign … but it’s not really a race; it’s an effort for the body to find consensus.”

If the vote does not give the two -thirds majority needed to choose the new pope, the cardinals return to the guest house Casa Santa Marta for dinner. Then, in the sidelines of the voting process, important conversations are held between the cardinals and the consensus begins to combine around different names.

According to Italian media, menu options consist of light meals, which are usually served on the guests of the residence and include wine – but there are no spirits. Waiters and kitchen staff also swear secret and cannot leave the reasons for the duration of the conclave.

From Thursday morning, the Cardinals will make breakfast between 06:30 (05:30 BST) and 07:30 (06:30 BST) before the liturgy at 08:15 (07:15 BST). Then two votes are held in the morning, followed by lunch and rest. In his memoirs, Pope Francis said it was when he began to signal from the other cardinals, that a serious consensus began to form around him; He was selected during the first afternoon vote. The last two conclusions have ended by the end of the second day.

At this stage, there is no way to understand whether this will be a long or short conclave – but the cardinals are aware that the dragging of production can be interpreted as a sign of disagreement for abuse.

As they discuss, they pray and vote, outside the cartridges of the Sistine Chapel, thousands will be loyal to the chimney to the right of St. Peter’s basilica, waiting for the white smoke to signal that the next pope has been chosen.