There was black smoke on the first vote. After a start of the conclave without consensus, this Thursday the 133 elector cardinals have locked themselves again in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new Pope. After celebrating the Holy Mass and Lauds in the Pauline Chapel, the cardinals have retired to recite the Midday Prayer and proceed to a second vote and, if no cardinal achieves the qualified majority of 89 votes, a third one immediately after.
Initially, this Thursday, if no cardinal obtains the necessary majority, the second black smoke will appear around 12:30. In the afternoon, two more scrutinies will take place, and if they are not positive, a third black smoke will appear around 7:00 p.m.
If no cardinal is elected Pontiff in the votes on Thursday, the cardinals with voting rights will pray Vespers in the Sistine Chapel and, in principle, around 7:30 p.m., they will return to Santa Marta. In the following days, the same voting process will continue, and if after the third day the white smoke has not appeared, the cardinals will have a day of prayer and free discussion.
If after four series of scrutinies there is no positive result, then, according to the Motu Proprio published by Benedict XVI, the cardinals may choose between the two most voted in the last scrutiny, although not by a majority but again they must reach "at least" two-thirds of the votes.
"A unique event in life"
Unlike the eve, when about 50,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square and its surroundings to see the color of the smoke, only a few dozen were already waiting on Thursday morning for the new smoke, reports Afp.
"It's a unique event in life, I don't think I'll have the opportunity to experience it again," said Paul O'Flynn, a 72-year-old Irishman, while trying to locate the chimney.
Elizabeth Ramos has come expressly from Brazil to witness the election and hopes that a pope like the late Francis will be chosen. "He was the one who united the young people, he had that humble way of conveying his faith, his way of being," added the 45-year-old woman.
Favorites (III): Pietro Parolin: a remarkable consensus builder
He has been the number two of the Holy See so far and could be the natural successor to Pope Francis. The Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin (Schiavon, 1955), Secretary of State throughout the Argentine's tenure, is one of the candidates with the most possibilities to become the next successor of Peter. His relationship with the Argentine Pope, his diplomatic preparation, and his great knowledge of the College of Cardinals place him as one of the most stable options to lead the new stage in the Catholic Church.
Dominique Mamberti will announce the new Pope
Each pope chooses how to appear before the faithful in St. Peter's Square, and thus, in the case of the last two pontiffs, the German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger appeared on the balcony with the cappa magna and the stole, while the Argentine Jorge Bergoglio chose to appear without those pieces and presented himself to the world only in white, with the cross on his chest, reports Efe.
The protodeacon, the French cardinal Dominique Mamberti, will announce who the chosen one is and the name with which he will govern the Church.
Then the new pope will address the audience in St. Peter's Square and give the Urbi et Orbi blessing.
The cardinals meet for the morning votes
After a first black smoke that seemed eternal and kept 30,000 faithful in St. Peter's Square in suspense, the cardinals meet again this Thursday to vote. Their Eminences gathered at 8:00 in the Apostolic Palace to celebrate Mass and pray Lauds in the Pauline Chapel; then, at 9:15, they moved to the Sistine Chapel to recite the 'Midday Prayer' and proceed to vote.
The cardinals can vote up to four times today if no candidate achieves the two-thirds of the votes (89) necessary to elect the successor of Francis. Two smokes are planned: one after the morning votes around 10:30 and noon; and another after the evening votes, at 5:30 and 7:00. However, if the new Pope is elected in the first of the two morning or afternoon votes, the white smoke will be announced.
Favorites (II): Luis Antonio Tagle, the 'progressive' and 'rockstar' cardinal
The parishioners of Manila who have interacted with the man who has preached from the pulpit of the Cathedral for decades dressed in his characteristic purple cassock, say that he speaks a language older than Tagalog: that of compassion towards the poorest. The same language that Pope Francis mastered.
In the slums of the capital of the Philippines, Luis Antonio Tagle is well known. There they have seen him play with barefoot children and share rice with beggars. "God always hides in the margins of society. And it is there where his figure shines the most: not as a prince of the Church, but as its servant closest to the dust," said the 67-year-old religious.
Favorites (1): Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the least Italian cardinal and custodian of the Holy Land
The least Italian of the Italian cardinals. Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Cologno al Serio, 1965) has spent more than three decades in the Middle East and is characterized by being the most Asian of the cardinals who will enter the Sistine Chapel on the first day of the Conclave. A charismatic Franciscan, he speaks Italian, English, and Hebrew and has been living in the Holy Land for over 30 years and is currently at the head of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The cardinals leave Santa Marta
Around 7:45 a.m., the elector cardinals left their accommodations for the Apostolic Palace. They are now meeting at the Apostolic Palace to celebrate the Holy Mass and Lauds in the Pauline Chapel. Subsequently, around 9:15 a.m., they will retire to the Sistine Chapel to recite the Midday Prayer and proceed to a second vote.
Room of Tears, 'Eligo in Summum Pontificem', Santa Marta... Brief dictionary of the conclave that will elect the successor of Francis
The conclave is a historic moment with enormous international appeal due to its millennia-old history full of symbols and traditions. In these special days, of great journalistic value, it is very common to be in contact with concepts specific to this moment of change for the Catholic Church, which has its own terminology; useful for understanding the process that ends with the election of a new Pope.