The conclave to choose the next Pope will begin on May 7, said the Vatican on Monday, establishing a Decke vote decides the future of the Roman Catholic Church after the death of Pope Francis last week at the age of 88.
Now the cardinals have little about a week to discuss, and know all the potential contenders, some of which will probably seek to take advantage of Francis’s emphasis on a pastoral approach, while others would represent a return to one more style.
Dozens of cardinals have gathered since the death of the Pope to decide on the logistics details about the duel of the Pope, but also to discuss important problems that the Church faces and choose a date on which cardinal voters will meet in the Sistine Chapel ‘.
The cardinals will meet next Tuesday morning, and politics will only intensify now that a date has been chosen to choose the next pontiff.
That was evident on Monday, when the cardinals discussed the relationship of the Church with the rest of the world and other religions, evangelization, sexual abuse in the Church and other challenges, as well as the date of the conclave. The meeting, added a Vatican spokesman, addressed the qualities that the new Pope must respond to these problems. In addition to the positions of the candidates, their age and country of origin will also take into account the deliberations, they said experts in the Vatican.
Only around 100 of the 130 cardinals, those under 80 years of age, and who can vote in the secret vote participated in the meetings, said the Vatican. Others are ready to get to Rome in the next few days.
A two -thirds majority is needed to choose a new Pope, and the cardinals cannot leave the conclave until a successor is named, except in rare cases.
In general, a conclave must be early 15 to 20 days after the death of the Pope; This will begin 16 days after Francis’s death. In 2013, Francis was chosen in two days.
May 7 was chosen in part because it would allow enough time for preparations, said Matteo Bruni, spokesman for the Vatican, during a press conference. Make arrangements for the meeting in the Sistine Chapel, which includes the installation of burners in which the tickets will be burned after each voting round, now it will begin, Bruni added.
Duration The conclave, the external spectators look at a fireplace on the Sistine Chapel to learn if a new Pope has been chosen. If a consensus has not been killed after a vote, black smoke is cast. When a Pope has been chosen, the smoke is white.
On May 7, the day will begin with a Mass in the Basilica of San Pedro, after which the cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel to vote.
The word “conclave”, from Latin “with key”, refers to the isolation imposed on the subject, which is to prevent the electoral process from crawling.
Most cardinals will stay at Casa Santa Marta, which was built on the orders of Pope John Paul II to replace the improvised accommodation arrangements in the papal palace that had previously housed them. But since Francis named many more cardinals than his two predecessors, some have questioned if there will be enough space for everyone.
Mr. Bruni did not seem worried. “No one will remain on the street,” he said.