Process To Elect New Pope Begins As Cardinals Converge On Vatican City

Historic developments are unfolding at the Vatican, where preparations are underway for one of the most sacred and closely watched events in the Catholic Church, the Papal Conclave.

Cardinals from around the world have gathered in Vatican City to begin the solemn process of electing a new pope after the demise of Pope Francis.

This ancient tradition, steeped in secrecy, will take place within the Sistine Chapel.

Once the conclave begins, the cardinals will be sealed off from the outside world as they cast their votes in a series of ballots until a new pope is chosen by a two-thirds majority.

After writing the name of his preferred candidate under the lower half of the ballot paper on which the Latin phrase “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) is printed, each cardinal walks to the altar, holding up his folded ballot so it can be seen, and, facing the large fresco of the Final Judgment, says aloud:

“I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.”

He places his ballot on a plate, or paten, and then slides it into a receptacle, traditionally a large chalice, and then returns to his seat.

Each Cardinal electors goes through this process, which, for want of a better word, can be described as liturgical.

The conclave is not merely an election process. It is one of those rare, solemn, and profound moments when every cardinal stands before God who will be his Supreme and Final Judge.

The eyes of the Catholic faithful and the global community now turn toward the Vatican, awaiting the white smoke that will rise from the chapel’s chimney, the signal that a new pontiff has been elected.

Uju Oparaji, Edited By Grace Namiji