Nails 50 thousand people In the square San Pedro of the Vatican They saw the smoke column emanar from the Little fireplace of copper located on the roof of the Sistine chapel Where the entire process occurs.
It was no surprise. The choice I already anticipated more talks and several votes to reach a consensus name among the “Bergoglists” of Francisco and the most wing Conservative that the pontificate reformist of the first Latin American Pope focused on the poor.
The first scrutiny was known three and a quarter after the “extra omnes”, the order of “all outside” so that the “princes of the church” are lock up and begin this ritual dating from the Middle Ages.
This year is uncertain and there are no clear favorites.
The Sistine was conditioned with several rows of inns with brown and red fabrics, on which the names of each voter appeared.
“It is an emotion to see a smoking. It doesn’t matter if it is not white,” Gabriela Sanz, a 48 -year -old tourist from Mar del Plata, told AFP. “We already had an Argentine Pope who was something unique in history.”
Oath
The 133 voters – who are under 80 years old – were isolated from the world, without internet access, telephones, television or the press, until they choose a new pontiff.
Faced with the magnificent frescoes of Miguel Ángel, the sloping will vote “in the presence of God” under solemn silence.
Each cardinal writes the name of its candidate, bend the ballot and place it on a silver plate, which is used to deposit it in an urn located precisely at the level of the image of the final judgment.
The ballots are burned in a stove with the help of chemicals to give the color of the scrutiny.
Before the “extra omnes”, the cardinals swore secret about the process and “faithfully” the role of pontiff if elected by “divine disposition.”
With the red coral habit, which honors the blood of Christ, they did it first together and then individually before the altar with their hand on the gospel.
The Italian Pietro Parolin, the oldest cardinal according to the order of precedence, led the Latin invocation of the Holy Spirit: “Veni, Creator Spiritus.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr_yissv98m
“A town man”
The cardinals will vote from Thursday four times: two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The dean of the Cardenalicio College, Giovanni Battista Re, called in a mass prior to the conclave to “maintain the unity of the Church” for the “difficult, complex and convulsive moment that will face the future spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics.
Sistine will not be a space for speeches, debates and negotiations.
The exchanges will be given during meals or meetings at the Santa Marta residence and other Vatican units.
Benedict XVI and Francisco’s elections took two days. Most cardinals estimates maximum three; The most pessimistic, five.
“Francisco was brilliant, progressive, a town man,” said Catriona Howe, a 60 -year -old Irish who traveled to Rome to celebrate his birthday. “The Church will not do any favor if you choose someone conservative.”
Francisco created 80% of the cardinals who participate in the conclave, the largest and most international in history with prelates from some 70 countries.
Parolin is among the favorites to relieve Francisco, who was his secretary of state for 12 years.
The newspaper Il Messaggero also includes in the “Papable Galaxy” to the Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Hungarian Peter Erdo, the Esryanqués Malcolm Ranjith and the Spanish Ángel Fernández Artime.